Fae and Fare
Date: 2019-09-13T18:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Adventure; Humour
Description: Winter has come to the world, and still, Erin Solstice has no idea how she came to be an [Innkeeper]. Erin is running an inn outside the city of Liscor, but she’s no longer alone. Ryoka Griffin, the City Runner, has business in the south of Izril; she’s out on a dangerous delivery of her own. Yet while both young women have finally found their calling, more and more people are beginning to realize that these visitors from Earth don’t belong here. Erin must find new guests and old for her inn while expanding her tentative business. Staying safe would also be nice. At the same time, some pesky c
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

The Wandering Inn

Volume 2

pirateaba

© 2019 pirateaba

Cover art by John Anthony Di Giovanni.

Cover design by Shawn King.

This novel is the e-book version of the free web serial. You may read the entire ongoing story at wanderinginn.com free of charge.

Interlude

[User Rose has joined the conversation.]

[15 Users Connected]

[Squirtle344]  – Lol. Another one!

[BlackMage] – Rose, welcome. Glad you made it.

[batman] – SUP.

[Rose] – Okaaaaaay. Magical floating screen. o.o

[strider_479] – That was the last one in several minutes. Looks like most of us are here so do we want to get things started?

[plusOne] – what is this?? how is this happening?

[Level 12 Warrior] – ikr? Floating screen popped up after I answered the phone. i nearly died!

[Rose] – Is this some kind of Skype call?

[strider_479] – More like a magical chatroom. I’m not sure how this is possible, though.

[BlackMage] – Right, let me start things off. I’m uh, the one who set all this up. We’re all connected by magic.

[Squirtle344] – bull

[50fiftyCents] – no its true i can detect magic with my skill

[twinTrouble_53] – Still impossible. How is this happening?

[batman] – iPhones r magic. duh. apple has wizards.

[America Group] – Hold on, let’s let BlackMage speak.

[BlackMage] – I managed to link up our phones, but it takes a LOT of magical power to do this. And I thought having a bunch of voices would be too confusing so we’re in chat.

[twinTrouble_53] – How much power?

[batman] – over 9000 lol.

[BlackMage] – I hope we can use this as a way to communicate and make sense of things here.

[Loran Grimnar] – Not many people here. Is it because of distance?

[BlackMage] – Shouldn’t be a problem.

[strider_479] – Maybe this only works with iPhones?

[ayan] – everyone is dead. we are the only survivors!

[50fiftyCents] – fuck android users man. Their loss.

[asdf] – send help pls!

[America Group] – Let’s all calm down and try to make sense of things. If we all type no one will be able to understand anything.

[ayan] – who make u the leader?

[BlackMage] – I think he’s right. We should start with basics.

[Rose] – What basics? I’m sitting in a forest in THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I haven’t seen anyone except monsters for DAYS!

[asdf] – help

[strider_479] – What, really? I’m in a city right now with some other people who got teleported with me.

[BlackMage] – Really? Where?

[Kent Scott] – Does this city have a name?

[America Group] – HOLD ON. Let’s start with basic information. Where are all of you?

[strider_479] – I’m in the Adventurer’s Guild in my city. Pentagost.

[Rose] – I’m in a forest, like I said. I have no idea where I am.

[batman] – this is a trap lol.

[twinTrouble_53] – It’s not a trap. What makes you think that?

[plusOne] – who CARES? if you can send us a message, can you send us home?

[Squirtle344] – omg pls!

[Level 12 Warrior] – yes.

[asdf] – yes do it please!

[BlackMage] – I can’t do that. This is all I can do. I don’t even know what sent us here.

[50fiftyCents] – damn

[Squirtle344] – i want to go home.

[America Group] – Not much we can do about that now. Priorities should be linking up & sharing information to survive.

[strider_479] – In that case, start with levels and classes.

[ayan] – why?

[strider_479] – Good information to know. I’m a Level 16 [Ranger], by the way.

[Rose] – Classes? What?

[BlackMage] – Not bad. I’m a Level 11 [Engineer] at the moment, and Level 8 [Mage]. That’s how I set up this call.

[Loran Grimnar] – What?? You can become a ENGINEER?

[BlackMage] – Seems like it. I took apart my iPhone and some of my electronics and got the class.

[twinTrouble_53] – Whoa, electronics? You have more stuff?

[batman] – when r you gonna get [Technomage] class?

[Level 12 Warrior] – There’s a [Technomage] class???? How do u get it?

[plusOne] – hes just trollin. ignore him.

[50fiftyCents] – Level 10 [Mage] here. Magic is AWESOME!

[ayan] – ive just been running away from everything ur killing monsters??? level 4 traveler level 1 trader

[America Group] – I am a Level 26 [Knight]. Others with me are [Assassin], [Pyromancer], [Beast Tamer], [Tactician], [Fist Fighter], etc…and one [Clown].

[Squirtle344] – wut.

[strider_479] – Get out.

[twinTrouble_53] – Do you have a list of all the classes?

[Kent Scott] – How many people are with you? What are their names?

[plusOne] – no wey. u can’t be 26

[America Group] – I am.

[batman] – i am [Dark Avenger]. level 999999.

[Level 12 Warrior] – Impossible. How did u level so fast? I’ve been killing monsters every day as an adventurer, and I’m only a Level 12 [Warrior].

[America Group] – It seems like our summoning spell blessed us in some way. We all gained the [Hero] class when we were summoned, but none of us have managed to progress it past Level 1 that I know of. It seems to make us all level up faster.

[batman] – gtfo. pics or it didn’t happen.

[BlackMage] – Some people on my end are telling me that no one’s gotten the [Hero] class in centuries. What kingdom is this?

[Loran Grimnar] – Wait a second. Slow down. SUMMONED????

[America Group] – Weren’t all of you summoned here?

[strider_479] – No.

[Squirtle344] – no.

[batman] – i’m the chosen one.

[Loran Grimnar] – We arrived in a storm. Half of us FELL down a cliff on our first night!

[Rose] – I woke up here! No idea what happened!

[asdf] – help please!

[strider_479] – Backtrack to the Level 26 part. I’ve been here for two weeks. How the fuck did you get that high so fast?

[Squirtle344] – language.

[batman] – shut up fag.

[plusOne] – omg. can we block u?

[Loran Grimnar] – Two weeks? I’ve been here way longer than that!

[ayan] – wait. ive been here for three months.

[50fiftyCents] – WHAT

[BlackMage] – This is important! What’s the last big thing you all remember from our world?

[ayan] – um. the election?

[BlackMage] – Did it already take place?

[ayan] – no, i meant we were still in the primaries. TRUMP just got nominated for republicans.

[Loran Grimnar] – Hold it. The election’s over. Way over.

[Squirtle344] – No way.

[ayan] – liar

[Loran Grimnar] – I’m serious. It was just after Christmas when I got abducted.

[strider_479] – There’s a huge time difference here, it seems.

[America Group] – Wait, if the election’s over, who won?

[BlackMage] – Hillary, duh.

[Rose] – No. It was Trump!

[plusOne] – omfg no way yESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Level 12 Warrior] – America is doomed.

[ayan] – glad im here.

[50fiftyCents] – shut up! Trump is 100000X better than lyin hillary.

[ayan] – aaaand now the idiots appear. good luck i hope a monster eats you.

[plusOne] – fuck u liberals

[Loran Grimnar] – WHO CARES? THIS ISNT AMERICA!!

[strider_479] – I’m not even American.

[Squirtle344] – wut

[ayan] – seriously?

[strider_479] – Yeah. I’m from Australia. What about everyone else.

[plusOne] – u don’t sound australian.

[strider_479] – This Australian enough for you, ‘mate’?

[Rose] – Who types in accents?

[batman] – racist

[plusOne] – shut up.

[twinTrouble_53] – England here.

[ayan] – WUTTTT

[Level 12 Warrior] – i thought everyone was American! hey there!

[America Group] – I’m with a group of Americans over here. We’re from all over the continent, though.

[plusOne] – you and your ‘summoning spell’ right

[America Group] – Not a lie.

[Loran Grimnar] – Who’s from America? Me.

[50fiftyCents] – America! FUCK YEAH!

[Rose] – I’m from California.

[BlackMage] – Okay, so we’re from everywhere. I’m from America too, by the way. But back to when we arrived. How long have all of you been here?

[Loran Grimnar] – Maybe four weeks? It gets hard to tell.

[ayan] – seventy eight days.

[batman] – forever

[plusOne] – a month? not sure.

[Rose] – One day.

[strider_479] – Wow. Really?

[Rose] – Yeah, I just got here and I’m flipping out.

[BlackMage] – Wait, what’s the last thing you remember from home?

[Rose] – Um. Last thing? It’s really hard to remember. Trump banned all Muslims, but it got blocked by the judicial courts. That’s the biggest thing.

[ayan] – omg. Hitler’s back with a wig!

[50fiftyCents] – don’t be stupid. the muslim ban was a long time coming. Obama should have done it if he weren’t a traitor.

[America Group] – I’m Muslim. Several people in my group are, too.

[batman] – BURNED

[50fiftyCents] – i don’t mean all muslims are bad. but a lot of you are terrorists. we’ve got to protect Americans first.

[ayan] – so racist.

[50fiftyCents] – Fuck you!

[strider_479] – Let’s all STOP with the politics. We have a lot more to cover.

[Kent Scott] – Indeed. We should all meet up.

[plusOne] – where?

[Level 12 Warrior] – more like how

[Kent Scott] – I am in a well-protected city. If we meet where I am we will be safe.

[plusOne] – yes pls!

[Rose] – I don’t know where I am.

[Kent Scott] – Tell me what cities you all are in, or what continent.

[America Group] – Our group is in Karaz, a city in the Blighted Continent.

[BlackMage] – I’ve heard of that place. It’s constantly at war, right?

[Kent Scott] – Where are the rest of you?

[plusOne] – im in a city. its called Shieldmeet. i dont know anything else

[batman] – this is a total trap yo

[asdf] – help us i dont know where we are!!

[Loran Grimnar] – This isn’t a trap. We’re trying to link up.

[batman] – sez you. could be a trap.

[plusOne] – wtf is wrong with you? We’re all in this together.

[batman] – u could all be fake.

[Loran Grimnar] – Fake? What the hell are you on?

[BlackMage] – There are multiple continents on this planet, and this place is HUGE. I’m not sure we can meet so easily even if we know where everyone is.

[America Group] – Agreed. There’s a lot of extremely dangerous monsters where we are. Not a safe place.

[Kent Scott] – Tell me where the rest of you are.

[asdf] – help us please!!!!!!

[Loran Grimnar] – This is such a clusterfuck.

[America Group] – Let’s try to organize. We should start with a basic description from everyone. Write down your name, location, classes, and so on.

[Kent Scott] – That is a good idea.

[asdf] – HELP

[ayan] – so annoying!

[Loran Grimnar] – Would you STOP THAT? We’re trying to communicate here.

[asdf] – HELPHELP

[asdf] – HELP

[asdf] – HELP

[batman] – asdghhASDaj

[Loran Grimnar] – STOP.

[asdf] – help us pls!!! we need help!

[Loran Grimnar] – Why do you need help? WE ALL NEED HELP.

[asdf] – save us we r dying

[Loran Grimnar] – what really?

[asdf] – monsters r everywhere we need help!!

[America Group] – You’re under attack right now?

[plusOne] – omg.

[asdf] – not now but they will come BACK!

[asdf] – they’re coming out of ground. They liv down there.

[America Group] – Where? Do you know where you are? What country?

[Level 12 Warrior] – what continent more like. how many does this place have?

[asdf] – i dont know but we need HELP!

[strider_479] – We can’t help you unless we know where you are.

[ayan] – its too far how would you get there?

[asdf] – pls…

[America Group] – I’m sorry. Is there anywhere you can hide out?

[asdf] – please come

[strider_479] – Can you give us a description of the monsters? I’m with adventurers. They can give you tips on how to fight.

[asdf] – howW?????? WE HAVE NO WEAPONS

[strider_479] – Damn it.

[Kent Scott] – Describe where you are.

[batman] – To exit the simulation, please type ‘EXIT’ without the quotation marks in the chat box and hit send. A virtual aide will be sent to you momentarily to begin the extraction process.

[50fiftyCents] – EXIT

[plusOne] – exit

[ayan] – EXIT

[strider_479] – You trolling bastard.

[plusOne] – EXIT

[Level 12 Warrior] – EXIT

[asdf] – EXIT please now pls

[batman] – …lol

[plusOne] – FUCK YOU.

[Loran Grimnar] – Jesus. Can we kick batman off the chat? Or at least mute him or something?

[BlackMage] – Sorry. The system isn’t built that way.

[Prophet] – Do not take the Lord’s Name in vain.

[batman] – wut? lol

[strider_479] – Seriously batman, if you can’t contribute anything, please keep silent.

[Loran Grimnar] – Agreed.

[Squirtle344] – totally. shut the fuck up.

[batman] – ur all haters. u don’t know anything.

[asdf] – HELP US PLEASE YOU MUST HELP!

[Prophet] – Pray for Salvation and His Hand shall shelter you.

[Loran Grimnar] – …And now we’ve got crazies running around. Wonderful.

[Level 12 Warrior] – dude, shut up. we don’t need two worlds with your bullshit.

[Prophet] – All those who pray shall be Saved by the Lord our God.

[Kent Scott] – We must focus. Tell us your names. First name and last name.

[Squirtle344] – y?

[strider_479] – Zara Walker.

[plusOne] – caren glover

[50fiftyCents] – Ridley Wallis

[ayan] – Thompson Green

[batman] – Bruce Wayne

[BlackMage] – This isn’t what we should be focusing on.

[America Group] – Agreed. We should be sharing information. Survival tips. Anything you know?

[ayan] – how do u do magic?

[batman] – with a wand. duh

[plusOne] – shut up.

[BlackMage] – You need to be activated. Not everyone has the potential to do magic, but another magic-user needs to test you.

[strider_479] – Important tips? Seems like leveling in this world is based on adversity, not repetition?

[50fiftyCents] – what? ENGLISH.

[Loran Grimnar] – She means that you can’t grind. But is that true?

[strider_479] – Seems like it. The bigger the challenges, the faster I’ve leveled.

[America Group] – I can confirm that.

[plusOne] – weird. Can u game the system?

[Loran Grimnar] – If we could, that would be amazing.

[User s has joined the conversation.]

[16 Users Connected]

[plusOne] – oh hey another one!

[America Group] – Welcome s.

[Level 12 Warrior] – i know how to game the system. multiple classes. the more you have, the more skills you get!

[Loran Grimnar] – Acquiring new classes is hard. I don’t have more than 3.

[strider_479] – This is so unfocused. Can we split up the chat somehow?

[BlackMage] – I’m sorry, this is the best I can do.

[Kent Scott] – s, what is your first and last name? Where are you from?

[s] – ?

[ayan] – wut

[batman] – looool

[s] – I can read little. Can u translat my language?? क्य ा आ प हिन्द ी बोलत े है ं ?

[ayan] – omg wtf is that?

[Loran Grimnar] – That’s some kind of middle eastern language, I think. Can anyone read it?

[batman] – i can.

[plusOne] – bullshit

[BlackMage] – Hang on, I think I can use Google Translate.

[ayan] – offline???

[Loran Grimnar] – You have the app? SWEET!

[batman] – खतर े यहा ँ ह ै बा त नही ं करत े नकल ी व्यक्त ि यहा ँ ह ै asshole

[Loran Grimnar] – What did batman just say?

[User s has disconnected.]

[15 Users Connected]

[plusOne] – OMG YOU BASTARD.

[ayan] – wft did you type?

[batman] – haha rekt!

[BlackMage] – I just translated that. batman, I’m warning you. If you keep acting like this, in the future you will NOT be invited to other calls.

[batman] – पसंदीद ा फिल् म पूछे ं go fuck yourself

[plusOne] – omg stfu!

[ayan] – please tell me we can kick batman

[Level 12 Warrior] – it all makes sense. hes some dude who doesn’t know English trolling around.

[Loran Grimnar] – Damnit. Can we just FOCUS for one second?

[Kent Scott] – Agreed.

[BlackMage] – Actually, I’ve got a better idea. Everyone name one of your favorite movies. It’s very important. Mine was the fourth Harry Potter movie.

[ayan] – wut?

[50fiftyCents] – are you insane?

[Rose] – ???

[America Group] – Just do it. Lord of the Rings.

[strider_479] – Seriously. Stop asking questions. I watched Red Dog as a kid.

[ayan] – um okay, Spiderman.

[twinTrouble_53] – The Princess Bride.

[asdf] – y? Star Wars Episode III.

[Loran Grimnar] – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

[Rose] – Interstallar? Not my absolute favorite but..

[50fiftyCents] – alien. best movie ever.

[plusOne] – independance day or godzilla

[Squirtle344] – Naruto: Road to Ninja!

[Level 12 Warrior] – Back to the Future

[batman] – BATMAN! THE DARK KNIGHT BITCHES!

[plusOne] – everything u say makes me feel like i have cancer. The Matrix.

[Kent Scott] – Spiderman was my favorite movie as well.

[BlackMage] – Prophet?

[Prophet] – The only Truth is the will of God, not baser delights.

[America Group] – We need to know.

[strider_479] – Tell us.

[Prophet] – Before I heard the Voice and was Reborn I watched movies such as The Ten Commandments. Is that what you wish to know?

[BlackMage] – Yes, thanks.

[America Group] – I see.

[strider_479] – Got it.

[ayan] – wtf are you talking about?

[BlackMage] – Hey Kent Scott, quick question. What’s Spiderman’s real name?

[plusOne] – what??

[ayan] – are you srs right now?

[strider_479] – No one else answer.

[Kent Scott] – Very clever.

[Loran Grimnar] – What’s going on?

[BlackMage] – Whoever this ‘Kent Scott’ is, they’re not from our world. How did you get that iPhone?

[ayan] – omg

[batman] – haxx!

[strider_479] – Who are you?

[Kent Scott] – I found this device by accident.

[strider_479] – Bullshit. How did you figure out the password?

[Level 12 Warrior] – fuck that’s right

[Kent Scott] – Hahaha. Well done.

[America Group] – Did you kill the real Kent Scott?

[BlackMage] – GUYS. The mage I’m with is telling me that your FIRST and LAST names could have been used to scry on you! He knows where you are and what you look like!

[ayan] – omg omg omg

[50fiftyCents] – FUCK.

[Loran Grimnar] – Did you do all this? WHO ARE YOU?

[Kent Scott] – Only one group could work a spell to reach across the world. You, BlackMage, are in Wistram Academy.

[BlackMage] – Everyone, disconnect now. This isn’t safe.

[plusOne] – but we need help!

[asdf] – Help us PLEASE! WE WILL DIE!!!!!!!!!!

[America Group] – There’s nothing we can do right now. DO NOT ANSWER ANY CALLS. Everyone who said their names, be CAREFUL.

[BlackMage] – Disconnect NOW. Someone is trying to take over the spell here!

[User BlackMage has disconnected.]

[14 Users Connected]

[User batman has disconnected.]

[13 Users Connected]

[User Level 12 Warrior has disconnected.]

[12 Users Connected]

[User 50fiftyCents has disconnected.]

[11 Users Connected]

[Kent Scott] – I mean you no harm. I will protect you.

[asdf] – please help

[plusOne] – no he will kill you. don’t say anything

[strider_479] – DISCONNECT

[User Prophet has disconnected.]

[10 Users Connected]

[User Loran Grimnar has disconnected.]

[9 Users Connected]

[User ayan has disconnected.]

[8 Users Connected]

[User asdf has disconnected.]

[7 Users Connected]

[User rose has disconnected.]

[6 Users Connected]

[User America Group has disconnected.]

[5 Users Connected]

[User plusOne has disconnected.]

[4 Users Connected]

[User Squirtle344 has disconnected.]

[3 Users Connected]

[User strider_479 has disconnected.]

[2 Users Connected]

[Kent Scott] – Well, well. How inconvenient. Can I persuade you to stay, twinTrouble_53? I mean you no harm.

[twinTrouble_53] – Liar. And it is not twinTrouble you speak to anymore.

[Kent Scott] – Ah. Someone else?

[twinTrouble_53] – I am Flos.

[Kent Scott] – My. I would bow before you had I legs.

[twinTrouble_53] – Name yourself, thief.

[Kent Scott] – I am no one. Certainly not anyone to trouble the sleeping king.

[twinTrouble_53] – I sleep no longer. Thus I issue you a warning, thief. To you and to Wistram and all the mages who cower behind spell and door. Know that I, Flos, have returned. Those who would oppose me, tremble for all that I see will be mine. I will come for you and break down your craven towers and unmask those who would hide.

[twinTrouble_53] – I am Flos.

[twinTrouble_53] – I have returned.

[Kent Scott] – Then let us see what the King of Destruction brings. Until then.

[User Kent Scott has disconnected.]

[1 Users Connected]

[User twinTrouble_53 has disconnected.]

[0 Users Connected]

[User 伶央 has joined the conversation.]

[1 Users Connected]

[ 伶央 ] – こんにちわ .

[ 伶央 ] – だれかいますか ?

[User 伶央 has disconnected.]

[0 Users Connected]

2.00

The inn was dark when the traveler first arrived. No – to begin with, she wasn’t really a traveler. She was a Runner, which was completely different.

And she wasn’t lost. Neither had she decided to visit the inn out of a need for sleep or food or even a burning desire to use the outhouse.

She just needed a place to think.

Ryoka cautiously pushed open the wooden door and paused a moment to let her eyes adjust. The inn was dark. The common room was almost as dark as the shadowed grasslands outside, illuminated only by the lone candle on one of the tables.

It flickered, and made the shadows dance as the door’s opening disturbed the solitary flame. Ryoka looked around. There was definitely an ambiance to the room which she was determined to ignore. Just because something looked creepy did not mean it was.

“Hello?”

Ryoka called cautiously as she stepped into the inn. She was already regretting coming back. She hadn’t intended to stay at this place – The Wandering Inn. In fact, she’d fully committed herself to running through the night rather than have to deal with annoying innkeepers who made comments about her bare feet.

Not fifteen minutes ago Ryoka had been despairing, exhausted, and full of anger and hatred towards nothing and everything. She wouldn’t have set foot in this inn even if it were the Taj Mahal.

Well, maybe if it were the Taj Mahal. But this run-down inn was no superstar hotel, and Ryoka had been ready to leave it behind and run on.

That was fifteen minutes ago.

A lot can happen in fifteen minutes. Ryoka glanced down at the iPhone in her hands and turned the screen off before she tucked it in her pocket. It wouldn’t do to scare the innkeeper with her phone.

If there was an innkeeper. The candle indicated life, but Ryoka didn’t see or hear anyone stirring even after she’d called.

Well. To enter or leave? Ryoka hated this kind of dilemma. She hated dealing with people, come to that. But she really, really needed a place to sit and process all of what had happened. And she was tired. They were all dead. She could run, but she couldn’t outrun what had happened.

So she stepped into the inn, calling out again.

“Is anyone there?”

It was the kind of generic question that deserved instant death if she were exploring an abandoned house or looking for monsters. Since she was looking for an innkeeper, it was probably fine.

There was still no answer. Ryoka frowned. Was the innkeeper out? It could be possible, but she’d expect a barmaid or someone to stay in the inn. At the very least, they’d lock the doors.

A dark suspicion crossed Ryoka’s mind and she stopped, looking around the empty room. An empty inn might mean something had emptied it, and recently. Had a monster crept in here? This place was near Liscor, and Liscor had recently been attacked. If a straggler had made its way in here…

She had no weapons. Well, nothing that was better than her hands and feet. But she did have magic. One spell, to be exact.

“[Light].”

Ryoka felt something go out of her as a shimmering orb of white light floated up from one of her hands. It cast the room into sudden, sharp relief as the shadows fled.

She looked around, searching for movement or shapes behind tables or chairs. There was nothing.

The room was empty. Ryoka’s eyes travelled to the staircase, and then the door behind the bar. She clenched one hand.

She’d never killed anything. Never—except maybe a Goblin. But something had attacked Liscor in the four days she’d been away. Something.

The undead. Ryoka imagined shambling zombies groaning and munching on brains, but that didn’t match with the devastation she’d seen walking into the city of Drakes and Gnolls. Entire buildings had been torn apart and the injuries she’d seen on those who hadn’t received healing were—

A sound made Ryoka freeze in place. Something.

A low—grunting sound. A rasping rumble. Ryoka’s heart beat faster. It was coming from the kitchen.

She crouched low and moved silently towards the open doorway. She stopped, her ear to one wall, heart pounding. Something was in there. Something big, by the sound of it. But it was also asleep.

Ryoka covered the ball of light with one hand, thinking. Step around the corner, take a look at what it was, and step away. If it came after her, she could be out the door in seconds.

Her hand tightened into a fist. Immediately Ryoka relaxed, keeping her hands loose and ready to punch. She counted to three in her head. Then she swiftly stepped into the kitchen, hands raised.

The room was dark. A thousand things leapt out at Ryoka at once. Cupboards, knives, silver wear, pottery stacked up, a bucket of water, an empty fireplace, and—

A girl sleeping on the ground.

Ryoka stopped. A girl lay sprawled on the kitchen floor, tangled in a pile of sheets and a bedroll. She was snoring quite loudly, oblivious to Ryoka’s presence. She opened her mouth and grunted or perhaps burped. It didn’t sound appropriate to her size.

Ryoka lowered her fists. She stared at the sleeping girl for a few seconds. She slapped herself hard on the forehead.

The loud crack of flesh on flesh made the girl on the ground sit bolt upright. Ryoka leapt back as the other girl looked around wildly.

“I’m up! Knight to F3!”

She tried to stand up, tangled in her sheets and tumbled over. She rolled upright. That’s when she saw Ryoka.

“Oh!”

For a moment the other girl gaped, and then she struggled to get up. Ryoka debated helping for an instant, and then let the other girl get up on her own.

When she was upright, Ryoka found herself looking at a girl close to her own age. She was shorter—shorter than Ryoka who was tall—and she had fair skin, hazel eyes and only the slightest orange tint to her light brown hair.

She blinked at Ryoka. Ryoka stared back. The girl opened her mouth, looked around, and then smiled weakly.

“Um. Hi?”

—-

She’d just put her head down for a minute. And then—well, she’d woken up and decided that it would be a better five minutes if she were in bed, so to speak. So Erin had wandered over to her bedroll in the kitchen. It wasn’t as if anyone had visited the inn today and Klbkch and the others were busy. She’d sent Toren out to harvest blue fruits, collect water, and generally stay out of her hair, so what was the harm in taking a thirty minute nap?

But somehow, Erin’s small one hour nap had ended up with her waking in near dusk with a terribly foggy head, stiff joints and a girl standing over her.

Erin stared. She had a guest. A tall guest. A female guest.

The person who’d woken her up was tall. She had dark hair, brown eyes—she looked Asian. But she was also tall, which was unusual. And she had a floating magic orb of light on one hand but Erin could only handle so much excitement at one time.

She had a terrible, terrible urge to say ‘ konnichiwa ’ to the girl, but fought it off with difficulty. Her second impulse was to say ‘ ni hao ’ or maybe ‘ anyoung haseyo’ , but she was pretty sure she’d mess up the pronunciation of all three greetings.

Erin could say hello in most languages, although that was pretty much the extent of her linguistic skill. She could say ‘checkmate’ and ‘check’ in almost every language, though. It came from many games against foreign players online and in person. She also knew a lot of bad words as a result, although she had no real idea what they meant. Usually she just knew enough to duck before the table got flipped.

But there was something incredibly Asian about the tall girl’s features, and it was even more pronounced by the fact that hers was the first non-European, non-furred or non-scaled face Erin had seen in this world.

“Um, hi.”

Speaking foreign languages to people hadn’t worked out well with Ceria, so it probably wouldn’t work here. Erin waved weakly at the other girl as she stepped back.

“…Mm.”

Was that a hello or just a grunt? The other girl stared around the dark kitchen as Erin scrambled for more words beyond ‘leave me alone I’m trying to sleep’. Right. She was awake and she had…a customer.

Erin had been a waitress for all of two weeks back when she’d had a part time job for the summer. That was about all of her job experience aside from working in chess tournaments as a referee. And that wasn’t work that was…chess.

But she had a definite feeling that falling asleep on the job wasn’t acceptable behavior. Even if she did own the inn.

“Hi.”

She tried again, and the other girl stared at her. Erin put her best smile on her face and waved at her guest.

“Sorry about that. Um. I was asleep. Can I help you?”

“Is this an inn?”

“What? Oh. Yes! Yes, this is an inn!”

Erin waved around the room airily, trying to gloss over the fact that half the inn was still damaged from the battle with the undead two days ago. The other girl stared at Erin.

“And you’re…the innkeeper?”

The innkeeper smiled nervously.

“Yes? I mean, yes. Can I—do you want something to eat? A place to sleep?”

“Something to eat.”

“Sure, sure! This way.”

Erin led the other girl back into the inn’s main room. The girl took a seat while Erin stood and fidgeted. After a moment the girl looked up.

“Do you have a menu?”

“Menu?”

Erin blinked at the tall girl a few times. Then she panicked again. Menu. Right. She’d never really finished—

“Um, it’s right there.”

She pointed and winced as her guest looked at the menu with all three items.

Pasta w/sausage and onions – 3 cp. per plate.

Blue juice – 2 cp. per glass.

Acid flies – 1 s. per plate

“…Acid flies?”

“They’re um, real flies. I drained the acid from them, but uh—”

“What’s blue juice?”

“It’s very sweet! It’s like orange—I mean, it’s like an orange except more blueberry. Sweeter. It’s a nice drink!”

Erin wondered whether she should mention there was more food she’d learned to cook. She could make soup! Random soup was what she called it, because she mainly just tossed ingredients in a pot and trusted to her [Basic Cooking] skill. It usually came up edible.

“I can uh, I can make bacon and eggs. Or—or ham. We’ve got ham and salad if you want it—”

“Pasta is fine. I’ll have that and a cup of blue…juice.”

“Okay, sure!”

Erin smiled. The other girl did not return the smile.

“I’ll um, I’ll get it.”

She had plenty of blue juice but not a lot of cups. Erin had tossed most of her cups and heavy objects at the undead. She finally found a good one and washed it out before filling it with juice.

The girl was still sitting at the table. She glanced up at Erin but said not a word as Erin put cup and silverware in front of her. Erin tried another smile, but the other girl’s face could have been carved from ice. She decided to go for broke and introduced herself.

“I’m Erin, by the way. Erin Solstice.”

“Mm.”

Erin waited, but the other girl’s name did not seem to be forthcoming. She stared down at the table, not even touching her drink. The other girl stared at the wood grain, but she seemed to be a thousand miles away.

She was very quiet. Erin hoped that wasn’t because she was planning to murder her with one of the forks.

—-

The world is shit. All things and everything in it are utter crap. But of course crap’s not a good enough word, is it? Death and despair rule everything. That’s how it’s always been and that’s how it will be.

Some days are like this. I’ve felt it before. Black depression. Anger. It’s easy to say the words, but to live it?

Every time I forget. Every time. I forget how twisted this damned world is and I relax. And then it gets me. It would be easier if I didn’t hope. If I just—

“Um. Is the juice okay? I have water if you want it. Boiled.”

I look up. The girl’s hovering over me again. Erin? She’s annoying. It would be easy to just toss the juice in her face and kick her until she stops talking.

A thin red line. I think that’s the only thing that separates me from madness some days. And some day, perhaps, it will disappear and I’ll lose it. It’s already broken once. I hurt my friends. And now they’re dead.

Not my fault. Of course. They went into the ruins. It was their fault, and guilt is only part of the grieving process. I know that. I probably couldn’t have done anything. They were dead days before I was even close to Liscor. It’s just that it hurts. More than anything I’ve felt in years.

I—

Wish I’d been with them.

“Um? Hello?”

I look up. Oh. Right. She asked me a question about my drink.

“It’s fine. Thank you.”

It’s not the innkeeper I’m mad at. I just can’t deal with her or anyone at the moment. How could I? The Horns of Hammerad. Gerial. Ceria. Calruz. Sostrom.

They’re all dead. I never even got to say goodbye.

Mercifully, the innkeeper retreats. She’s odd. A young girl out far from the city like this? Well, not too far but still. How does she survive? Do I even care?

I’m trying to think of something, anything, but the faces of the dead keep haunting me. I try not to let them, but I can’t help but wonder and regret. If I’d been with them, would I have spotted a trap? Would I have been able to run for help? If I’d been there, if I hadn’t run off. If I hadn’t been such a stupid idiot and picked a fight…

Without thinking I take a gulp from the cup in front of me and nearly choke. Sweet! It’s sweet and pulpy, and tastes—

It actually tastes good . Not like the alcoholic crap I have to drink in each tavern. It tastes like orange juice mixed with a blueberry shake mixed with high fructose corn syrup. All the good things that I love to hate.

It tastes a bit like home.

Just a bit. But I take another gulp and the sweetness is good. It’s not like the ice cream I had with Magnolia. It’s just plain old juice, and it’s good to have.

“Another cup?”

I nearly jump out of my skin. That girl is pretty damn silent. But—what the hell?

“Sure. How much for a pitcher?”

She blinks at me. Does she not even price her drinks? Well damn.

I open my runner’s pack and fish around. I’ve still got several gold coins and when I hold one up her eyes go wide.

“Um—”

“Just take whatever I eat out of that. I’ll have a pitcher of blue juice.”

“Blue juice? Pitcher? Coming right up.”

Hah. That did it. Money walks and talks and solves every problem. Even annoying innkeepers. Well, she might try to gouge me but what the hell. I don’t need money. What good would it do me?

The blue juice arrives in a satisfyingly full ceramic pitcher. Enough to drown me or have me peeing all night, but you know what? I don’t care. I fill up my cup and drink while the innkeeper girl goes off to do something which involves a lot of banging about and quiet swearing in the kitchen.

I rub at my face. A sweet drink. It shouldn’t help, but it does. Immensely. I’ve been living off of water and dry rations for the last…it must be eight days. Not exactly fun, but I’ve had worse.

But this makes things a little better. A little. And it restarts my brain a bit, takes me off the spiral of guilt. The Horns of Hammerad can wait. It hurts, but they’re gone. However terrible it might be, there’s something that takes priority even over that.

The call. What in the name of non-existent deities far and wide was that ? I—

Everything has changed. I feel it. This world is different now, and the stakes have suddenly gotten a lot higher than my single life. Someone has walked into the small sandcastle of my understanding of the world and given it a damn good kick .

There are more people than just me in this world. From my world, I mean. There are more interdimensional travelers, more people from Earth*.

* Assuming people don’t call this place Earth, obviously. Stop belaboring the point. I know what I mean.

That chat. A—a messenger chat with magic? How is that possible?

Magic. Duh. Focus! Think. Try to think of what happened.

Well, it’s a good thing I used to read Youtube comments or I wouldn’t have been able to transform myself into an egotistical thirteen year-old with delusions of grammar. [batman] was a good foil, but I probably gave myself away there at the end. No matter; it had to be done.

First things first. In that conversation, a few important elements stood out. And above all the rest?

Kent Scott. Whoever that person was, he wasn’t from our world. He was…fishing for information. First and last names. No one else seemed to get that, but thanks to Teriarch I know that he was trying to use a [Scrying] spell.

And he got three names. Or was it two? In any case, that’s really bad. Can he teleport right over there? Is that even a spell? But if he knows the names, there’s nowhere in the world those people can hide, right?

Who is he? He was using Kent Scott as his name, which means he either tortured or killed the real Kent Scott. But how much does he know in that case? Enough to be hunting the rest of us down? Could he have figured out our locations from the magical chat? And if so—

“Oh hey, just wanted to let you know the pasta will be done in around ten minutes.”

The innkeeper pops her head out of the kitchen. Damn it. Who cares? But my stomach rumbles. Traitorous body. I nod at her. She’s exactly the kind of person I don’t really like hanging around. Just a bit too friendly and bubbly and clearly not that focused.

Okay, okay. What was I thinking about? Kent Scott. One part of the puzzle. What else? Oh yeah. Summoned heroes? People with a [Hero] class which hasn’t been heard of in centuries? That’s odd. Could we all have been summoned as a—a byproduct of that spell? Accidental side effects?

If so, it would explain why I appeared out of nowhere like that. But that guy was a Level 26 [Knight]. Is that fast leveling? It seems so, considering Calruz was only around Level 22. So one guy who’s been here for a month or two already leveled past a Minotaur who’s been fighting all his life?

Damn. Is that cheating or what? But how—

“Do you want meat and onions on your pasta? Or something else? I’ll change the recipe if you want.”

Who cares what—just answer her.

“That’s fine. Thank you.”

I am trying to think. Ignore the stupid innkeeper. Think. There’s also the fact that most of the people in the chat were American, but people from all over the world were taken. One Australian, one person from England.

But almost all spoke English. Does that mean mostly English-speaking nations were affected? Or—or does it mean primarily Americans were affected? If this was a spell, did it only hit a certain radius? If I could call the chat back on my iPhone I’d know more, but going only off of memory—

“Oops. Forgot to put the spoon out.”

Spoon? SPOON? Who the fuck eats pasta with a spoon? Italian cuisine survived for hundreds of years without a damn spoon.

…Calm down. She’s just trying to be helpful. I’m probably just making her nervous. I should smile.

My lips twitch. No go. Okay, okay. Just—what does it all mean? Here I am, with the first sign of how I got here but already there’s a serious threat. I have to anticipate what’s coming next. Do I warn someone? Who? Magnolia might be just as bad. But Wistram—that’s where [BlackMage] is. I think that’s the isle of mages. Could they help? Will he call again, or would he consider that to be too risky?

And— oh my god she’s coming back.

—-

The blank look Erin got when entered the common room was somehow worse than the stare of the Antinium. They at least had the excuse of being bugs. Her guest was just…creepy. And silent.

When she told the girl she was making a fire, she just got what sounded like a sigh. The tall girl went back to staring at the table and drinking blue juice and Erin put a log in the fireplace and tried to make it light.

Erin got the fire going after two attempts, all the while trying to ignore the eyes on the back of her head. It was an uncomfortable, prickly sensation, being watched.

The other girl looked down when Erin turned around. But she had been watching, Erin was sure. She was just so silent . And unfriendly. Would it kill her to talk a bit?

Well, who said a guest had to be nice? If she didn’t want to talk, Erin could just serve her food and wait for her to leave.

But there was something that drew her to the other girl. She was a guest. The first human guest—well, the first human guest she’d had that wasn’t a group of adventurers or Pisces. And Erin was a bit lonely. She hadn’t talked to a human, another human, for a long while.

So she stood up, walked over, and took a seat. The other girl glanced up. It was a flat look, but Erin ignored it.

“So. How’re you?”

Glance up, glance down. After a moment, the girl looked up again.

“I’m fine.”

“You know, we never got to really chat. My name is Erin. What’s yours?”

This time the other girl had to answer or—or Erin would leave her alone, she guessed. But although her guest made a face, she eventually answered.

“…Ryoka. I’m a Runner.”

Erin seized on that sentence gratefully.

“Oh! A Runner! I get most of my food and stuff delivered by a Runner. He comes every day from the city. That’s like your job, right?”

Ryoka’s left eye twitched.

“No. That’s a Street Runner.”

“Oh?”

“I’m a City Runner.”

“Ah.”

Erin didn’t know what to say to that. She was vaguely aware there was a difference from what Krshia had told her but no more than that. And the conversation’s flow was ebbing.

“That’s cool. So I guess you travel around a lot?”

“Some.”

Erin grinned weakly. Perhaps it was time to cut her losses and get the pasta. But she had to make one last attempt.

“You know, when I saw the glowing light orb I thought you were an adventurer of some kind.”

“I’m not. I just know magic.”

“Oh, okay. I, uh, I knew some adventurers, too.”

“Did you?”

The other girl’s tone was subzero. And not just frosty, more like Antarctic.

“Yeah, but they died. A few days ago, actually.”

Erin swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t see how the other girl looked up at that.

“Who did you know?”

“Oh, just a group of them. They were nice people, but they got killed when—”

“Who?”

Erin looked up. Ryoka’s eyes were fixed on her, intent. For the first time, Erin thought the other girl was looking at her, really looking at her.

“Who?”

“The Horns of Hammerad.”

—-

I don’t believe in destiny. Or if I did, I’d spend all of my time rebelling against it. And I don’t believe in talking to people either, as a rule.

But this—

“So I called him bull guy after that. Bull guy, Mr. Cow, Captain Udders…although I don’t think he really got that last one.”

“You didn’t do that.”

The girl sitting across from me, Erin Solstice, smiles and laughs.

“Okay, I didn’t call him all those names. Just bull guy. But it made him really mad. You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears!”

I shouldn’t, but I laugh. Calruz is dead, and it’s wrong to make fun of him. But this—

This is about what he was. What he did. And Erin telling me the stories is somehow special. Precious.

A lot can happen in fifteen minutes. You can find you have more in common with someone than you think, for instance. Fifteen minutes. Enough time to eat three plates of pasta, drink blue juice, chat…

And learn that the Horns of Hammerad stayed in this inn the night before they died. Enough time to hear their last moments from the innkeeper who’d served them meals.

I’m glad I came here. I’m glad I changed my mind and decided to stay. Because against my expectations, I’m feeling better. A belly full of hot food does that, and the conversation—

Well, it’s actually fun.

“You really called him that? Bull guy?”

“Yes! What, don’t you believe me? Ceria started calling him that too until he threw his drink at her.”

I laugh again. I can’t help it. I’ve been listening to tales of the Horns of Hammerad, but somehow Erin also managed to get the story of how I met them out of me. It’s so odd. But I want to talk about them.

“So you met them while you were delivering healing potions, right? That sounds pretty dangerous.”

It was, incredibly. Dodging spells from a Lich is probably one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done, and there’s a long list. I shrug.

“It was risky, but it’s part of the job.”

“None of the Runners around here do stuff like that. They just deliver stuff in the city and to my inn. But I guess that’s a City Runner for you, huh?”

“Yeah.”

I want to keep talking about the Horns of Hammerad. But Erin’s leaning over the table, eyes alight with curiosity.

“What’s it like, being a Runner? Do you get sore feet from running around all the time? And how much does it pay? Do you see a lot of interesting stuff?”

Well, here’s the part I don’t like about talking to people. I open my mouth to give her a bland response. What should I say? Running is hard, but fun? It can be rewarding, but you just have to put the hours in? Some bland, useless reply like that so I can change the subject back to the others.

But I stop. I hesitate. Do I have to say that? It’s a stupid line that won’t mean anything. I hate that kind of conversation. So why should I say it?

Running. Is it fun? Sometimes. Running is fun, but being a Runner isn’t. The petty rivalries, my shattered leg, and the way Runners seem to be more cowardly than adventurers—it’s hard to just gloss over that.

So why not tell her? What was it Louis C.K. said in one of his monologues? Screw the ordinary conversation, the meaningless chatter. Let’s just have a real talk.

What’s the worst that can happen? I lose my friends? I don’t have any. It’s awkward? We’ve already had enough awkwardness to fill two swimming pools.

It’s not me. I don’t chat with people. I don’t talk. But today—

Today is different.

So I begin to speak. Erin blinks as I begin talking about running, frankly, and without sparing the details.

“You had your leg shattered? By a moving—”

She glances down at my leg. You can’t even see the scars. That’s magic for you.

“And you went to the High Passes? Where’s that?”

“It’s the other gateway to the southern part of the continent. Haven’t you heard of it?”

“I uh, don’t know much about the local geography. Or politics. Or…anything.”

Huh. Sounds a bit like me. I keep talking. Somehow, she’s pulling the words out of me.

“You fought a Silver-ranked Adventurer? Barehanded? No way.”

When did I say that? My face is getting hot. She probably thinks I’m bragging but—Erin leans over the table, eyes sparkling.

“That’s so… cool . Tell me another story!”

I blink. She’s so interested. It’s just life to me. And depressing, at that. I remember what happened afterwards, my mistakes. How can I feel proud of that? But then, why not explain that bit?

I try, but Erin shakes her head. Her smile flickers and she looks me dead in the eye.

“That’s not bad. I mean, it’s not good, but I’ve done worse. Way worse. I…got a friend killed.”

“How?”

For once, I want to know. Erin pauses, and sighs. She grabs the cup she brought and drinks long and deep. Somehow, we’ve run out of blue juice and there’s several empty plates in front of both of us.

“It’s a long story. It starts with—well, I guess it starts with Goblins.”

“Goblins?”

“Goblins. And there’s acid flies, you know, the one of the menu? And talking bug men and—okay, do you believe in Dragons? Krshia—she’s a Gnoll—she says they don’t exist, but I saw one, I swear.”

Erin begins to talk. It’s a confusing story, but I listen, asking the right questions. Not just the right questions. The questions I want to know, the little details. It’s not a boring conversation. It’s not trite dialogue. It’s real. It’s engaging.

She knew The Horns of Hammerad before they died. She was there. And she’s not just a boring person. She’s someone.

It’s—odd. Her story is bothering me. Erin Solstice. Is she—it’s an odd story. But I’m too tired to think straight. I’ve been running all day and I’m tired. But her story calls to me. There’s something about Erin. I’ll think about it later.

“Have you ever seen a Gnoll? They’re like giant hyenas that get really angry. And they sniff you. A lot. Have you ever heard one of them sneeze? So weird.”

I listen. And I’m smiling. It hurts because I’m out of practice.

But I’m smiling.

I wish I could stay.

—-

“I should go.”

Ryoka said it reluctantly, but it had to be said. Erin glanced up from her table and the pile of dirty dishes and glanced outside. It was night. Midnight or later, and the sky was as close to pitch-black as it ever came.

“What? Why? I can make up a bed for you. I’ve got a bunch of—well, every room upstairs is open. And it wouldn’t cost too much. If you want—”

“No.”

The other girl said it flatly, and then tried to modulate her tone.

“No. I’m sorry. Thank you, but there’s something I have to do.”

“In the middle of the night?”

“I need to start running. I’ve got something that can’t wait and it’ll take me a day and a half to get where I’m going.”

Erin’s face fell. And she’d been getting on so well with Ryoka, too.

“If you’re sure. But it’s a long road and you look tired. What would one night matter?”

Ryoka wavered, clearly torn. But eventually she shook her head.

“I’ve got to—I need to go back. North. To Celum. There’s someone…someone I have to talk to. Something I have to do, now.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure. Sorry.”

Erin sighed. But she put a smile back on her face.

“Well, okay. But if you ever want a meal or if you’re in the area—”

Ryoka paused, and then she smiled awkwardly.

“I’ll be back. But I have to go now.”

She pulled something out of her pocket and glanced at it.

“Huh. Good enough for a few hours.”

Erin blinked as two red ear buds appeared and Ryoka popped them into her ears. She raised her voice as Ryoka turned.

“Oh, hey. Is that an iPhone?”

“Mm.”

Ryoka flicked through a few screens on her phone and then froze. Erin continued on, oblivious.

“I’m not an iPhone person. I got an Android – well, my parents got it for me. I wouldn’t have minded an iPhone—I just use it to play chess and call friends, mostly. But—”

The other girl was staring at her. Erin broke off awkwardly.

“What? Is it something on my face?”

Then she stopped. Erin’s eyes widened as her ears caught up to what her mouth was saying. She stared at Ryoka.

“Oh my god.”

2.01

“Are we going the right way? I think we’re lost.”

“Mm. Patience. This is the right direction.”

“Are you sure, Krshia? I think we’re lost. All this grass looks the same to me.”

“There is no road, Selys. We must trust we go the right way, yes? And my memory is not so poor.”

“But it’s dark .”

“If the shopkeeper lady says it’s the right place, we’re going the right way. Anyways, Klb and I have been here countless times. This is the right direction. …Right?”

“I believe so. Please take care not to fall.”

“Oh. Um, thank you.”

“I do not believe we have been formally introduced. I am Klbkch of the Free Antinium. I understand you are a friend of Erin Solstice?”

“Me? Yes! I’m Selys. I’m a receptionist at the Adventurer’s Guild. I’m very pleased to meet you.”

“Allow me to introduce my colleagues. This is Relc, who I believe you two are familiar with. Watch Captain Zevara is also joining us for the night.”

“Selys. Krshia. Good evening.”

“Hm. It is good to see you are well.”

“Oh, hello Captain Zevara.”

“And these are two other Antinium from my hive. Pawn, and Ksmvr.”

“I am Ksmvr. Allow me to apologize for recent—”

“Shut up.”

“Silence.”

“…So um, Z. Why are you here? When Klb told me you were coming, I thought he was yanking my tail.”

“I wanted to see the human who killed that freak. Besides, you’ve talked about that damn inn so much I might as well see it.”

“Well, that’s…great! You’ll love it. Erin is great for a human. You’ll see.”

“You called her a useless sack of meat after—”

“ Ahahahahaha! You must have heard me wrong. I never said anything like that. Erin is a great human. She called me a dragon, you know.”

“Humans can’t tell a lizard apart from a salamander. Don’t let it get to your head.”

“…Hey Klb. Are we there yet?”

“There is the inn in the distance. We are moving in the right direction.”

“Oh good! Erin’s still awake. Maybe she has guests already?”

“That mage said he would be joining us. I can’t say I’m pleased with that, but if he’s here—”

“It could be the mage. Or um…well, you know what I said about not killing any Goblins around here, Zevara? Um—”

“Please tell me the Goblins aren’t invited.”

“Well, while we’re on the subject, how do you feel about skeletons…?”

—-

“Oh my god.”

It was perhaps the sixth time Erin had said it. She was still staring at Ryoka in some state of shock. Ryoka was staring back, but her mind was racing.

Erin was from her world. Of course. All the little pieces of her story made sense, especially the way she used catchphrases and expressions from their world. How had she not noticed? She was too tired. But this was a crucial moment. Why had Ryoka suddenly met Erin right after the call? Was it coincidence or something else? Was two people appearing so near to each other geographically simple luck or something else?

“I can’t believe it.”

Ryoka lifted her iPhone. Erin’s eyes followed it as if mesmerized, then snapped back to Ryoka’s face. Her state of shock was starting to annoy the older girl.

“Are you real? I mean, you—you’re from my world, right? This isn’t a joke, is it?”

And how would it be a joke? Ryoka bit back the sarcasm and answered politely as possible.

“I’m from Ohio. My name is Ryoka Griffin. I came here in the year 2016, around October.”

“Oh my god.”

Seven times. Ryoka tried not to let her impatience show.

“I know this is incredible, but please focus. How long have you been here? Do you know how you got here? Are you—”

“Oh my god, you’re real. You’re real! ”

Ryoka tried not to make a face. Erin was freaking out.

“Look, I just had a call—it was a message that—”

She got no further. Erin lunged across the table. Ryoka’s fists raised instinctively, but the other girl just threw her arms around her.

“What? Um. What are you—?”

“I’m not alone? I’m not alone! You’re here and—oh my god. You’re here! ”

“I am. Why are you…? I mean, yes. You’re not alone.”

Ryoka felt the other girl squeezing her hard . She was having trouble breathing. Erin was stronger than she looked.

“Look, you don’t have to—please—are you—?”

Erin’s muffled noises turned into dampness on Ryoka’s shirt. She was…crying?

Ryoka froze up. She didn’t know what to do. She patted Erin gently on the shoulder. Once. Twice.

“Um. I—”

She had no idea what to say. Erin was weeping into her shirt, and the feeling wasn’t pleasant. Ryoka knew she should say something reassuring, but she’d never done this before.

She wasn’t alone. That was what Erin wanted to hear, right? Ryoka could tell her that. She was one of many. She was—Ryoka could tell her that she wasn’t alone. That would cheer her up. If she met with the others—

The others. Ryoka froze, forgetting everything else in a moment of cold realization. Others. There weren’t just a few. Or even sixteen. She’d completely glossed over that fact in the light of all that had happened. Sleep deprivation, the excitement of the call and meeting Erin—

She’d stopped thinking. But now her slow-moving brain had fitted the pieces together. Statistics. It all boiled down to percentages. There weren’t just sixteen people in this world. There weren’t even just a hundred. There were many more.

How many people had working iPhones at the time of the call? How many had their iPhones when they arrived? What percentage of people have iPhones to begin with?

And of that number, how many people died or weren’t able to answer the call? How many ignored it out of fear or caution?

How many people were in this world?

Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Ryoka felt something twist in her stomach.

Humans band together. They make laws. They go to war. Perhaps other species didn’t do that. But humans did. And peace for humans is only an interlude till the next war.

In Ryoka’s mind, she imagined Celum. A city caught between the renaissance and the medieval age. They didn’t have technology, those people. They didn’t have anything valuable by her world’s standards. Just gold, jewelry.

And magic.

In Ryoka’s mind, Celum burned. Fighter jets screamed down through the sky, strafing cities and dropping bombs in the streets while tanks rolled across open plains, firing at armies that had never known gunpowder. Scientists in hazmat suits walked around next to surveyors and prospectors identifying oil wells while magic and nonhumans were dissected and studied – made fact.

A colony world. Imperialism. Mandate of Heaven. White man’s burden.

In the time it took Erin to hug and release Ryoka, a world burned down behind her eyes. It was an easy equation to solve. One person was an accident, a fluke. Two people was unusual. But more? More was an open gateway. And no door opened in only one direction.

“Sorry.”

Erin wiped her nose on her sleeve as she let Ryoka go. She was snotty in a literal sense and her eyes were puffy, but she was smiling. Ryoka felt like someone had grabbed a piece of ice and stuck it in her gut.

“This is just so—so wonderful! I can’t believe it. You’re here. You’re from home.”

“It is amazing.”

Ryoka chose her words carefully as she brushed at her wet shirt. Her hand hit a damp, sticky spot and she immediately stopped.

“Um, Erin, right? Why don’t we sit and talk.”

Erin snuffled, sniffled, and nodded. She scooted back to the table while Ryoka tried to collect her thoughts. People. Talking. This wasn’t her forte, but she thought she had a handle on what was happening. First things first.

“I know this is a lot to take in, but let’s both try to calm down. I’m from Earth, and so are you. And I’ve just learned that other people are here too, scattered around the world.”

Erin’s eyes widened.

“We’re not alone? You mean—”

“Yes. And there’s a lot to talk about, but let’s just start with the basics. When did you get here? How did you arrive? What was the last date in our world that you remember? If we start with that, maybe—”

Ryoka broke off suddenly. Erin looked up as someone knocked on the door.

“Oh?”

“Are you expecting guests?”

Erin blinked. The Asian girl had pushed back her chair and was suddenly tensed, like a wild animal. She shrugged.

“Not really, but maybe they’re just late.”

She raised her voice.

“Come in!”

The door opened. Ryoka stared and took a step back as a giant, brownish-black insect walked into the inn. She looked at Erin, but the other girl was smiling. Ryoka’s mouth fell open slightly in surprise.

“Klbkch! Hey! Come on in!”

Ryoka stared as the Antinium nodded to Erin. Then she stared harder as a giant lizard man walked into the room, followed by what looked like a slightly less-hairy Wookie and another lizard. And then the insect talked.

“Good evening Miss Solstice. I hope we are not intruding?”

“What? No. I um—no. Wow. I didn’t expect so many guests so late.”

Ryoka stared at Erin. The other girl was smiling .

“I hope we are not intruding, but our affairs in the city took a long time to conclude.”

“Oh, Krshia, Selys! And Relc and Klbkch—is that— Pawn? Ksmvr?”

Erin caught sight of Zevara and her eyes widened.

“Wow. Um. Are you all here for food?”

“If you are able to host us, it would be most welcome. I regret to say that more guests are with us, however.”

Klbkch nodded to Relc and the others. The door opened wider to admit more bodies.

“And it appears other guests have arrived with us.”

A throng of short creatures entered the room, and this time Ryoka took a step back. She stared at the squat, green, crimson-eyed little demons and looked at Erin. The girl didn’t even appear fazed.

Then a mage stepped into the room. Well, he was obviously a mage by the long robes he wore, but the effect was muted by the grass stains and other marks on the once-white cloth. Ryoka recognized Pisces in an instant and slowly sat down in the chair. Her head was spinning.

When Erin saw Pisces and Rags her jaw dropped. She counted silently as her guests awkwardly stood at the entrance. Some were looking at Erin, but most were staring at each other.

Zevara was eying the Goblins with unconcealed malice and the Goblins were busy edging away from everyone but Erin. The three Antinium looked around silently while Selys stared in horrified fascination at the Antinium, the Goblins, and at Ryoka. Krshia sniffed the air while Relc patted his stomach and Pisces stared around with a half-sneer on his face.

Erin’s head was reeling. She was surprised, caught off-guard, and she had no idea where Toren was. But she was an [Innkeeper]. She might be busy, but she had guests. She rose to the occasion.

“I’ve got pasta!”

—-

Hell is something you create. Ryoka was a firm believer in not believing in religions, but the idea of hell had always been intriguing to her. Obviously a place of brimstone and pitchforks was ridiculous, but the idea of suffering, of damnation was interesting. How could hell be one thing? How could it be a constant, when it should be the representation of misery and suffering for each individual?

Damnation shouldn’t be something you went to. It should be a place you create for yourself out of your own guilt and fear. People create their own hells and sit in them. Ryoka was sure she had read a quote like that somewhere.

Right now, Ryoka was sitting in her own personal, localized hell. She was still in The Wandering Inn, but now it was full of people. Talking, noisy people who kept introducing themselves to her. And unlike every other party she’d been to, every other soiree and social gathering, here she couldn’t run away.

Ryoka sat at a table and stared around the common room of the inn. Suddenly it was bustling. From the quiet, dark room she’d found only an hour or two ago, it had been transformed into a raucous place full of light and noise.

At least half of the raucousness came from a large Drake sitting in the center of the room next to one of the Antinium. He was called Relc, and he’d greeted Ryoka by spraying her with a mouthful of blue juice and shouting ‘It’s you! The Runner human!’

It was a good thing Runners carried a spare change of clothes. At least the Drake’s companion had been polite enough. He was an Antinium. So were the other two black bugs sitting in the room. They’d made Ryoka’s skin crawl when she’d first realized what they were, but now she was just confused.

One of them, an Antinium with only two arms and one leg—was playing chess with one of the Goblins. Pawn and Rags. Ryoka kept feeling at her forehead with the back of her hand to make sure she wasn’t fevered.

And there were more. Erin was buzzing around the room, filling drinks, serving plates of pasta up, but somehow she found time to talk with Ryoka as well. She’d brought another Drake over to Ryoka’s table in the corner of the room. Erin beamed as she introduced her friend.

“Hey Ryoka, this is Selys! Selys, meet Ryoka. She’s a Runner.”

The female Drake – Ryoka was fairly certain she was female – opened her mouth and revealed a row of very sharp teeth.

“Oh, a City Runner? We haven’t had one of those around in a while! How are you?”

“Good.”

Ryoka took Selys’s hand, shook it once, and then quickly let go. It took her all of her self-control not to wipe her hand at the touch of smooth scales.

Erin didn’t seem to notice Ryoka’s discomfort. She turned to Selys, beaming.

“Hey Selys, you won’t believe this. I just talked to Ryoka and guess what? It turns out that— ow! ”

Ryoka kicked Erin. She didn’t even try to conceal it. Every head turned towards their table and the room went silent for a second.

Across the room Ksmvr reached for a sword at his side. Ryoka’s spine crawled, but the other Antinium—Klbkch?—instantly smacked Ksmvr’s shoulder and he stopped.

“Um.”

“Oops.”

“Ow, why’d you—”

Erin glanced at Ryoka’s face and back to Selys. She smiled again, although this time it was somewhat forced.

“Well, um. Ryoka, this is Selys. Selys, Ryoka.”

The Drake smiled at Ryoka again, and backed up a little bit. Her tail was twisting around, Ryoka noticed.

“It was…nice to meet you, Miss Ryoka.”

“Likewise.”

The two retreated. Selys pulled Erin aside.

“Is she…sick?”

Erin made a face as she rubbed at her shin. That kick had hurt .

“I don’t know. She was really nice earlier. Sorry about that. Why’s that Zevara person here, by the way?”

“She wanted to see you. I think it was because you killed that skin monster.”

“Me? I didn’t. That was the Goblins.”

Selys rolled her eyes.

“They just finished it off is what Klbkch says. Erin! The entire city’s talking about you!”

“Really?”

“Oh yes. If it weren’t so crazy over there, I’m sure plenty of people would be coming over to look at you.”

“Um.”

Erin wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“…How are things? I heard a lot of people died.”

Selys paused. She looked down.

“A lot of people did. Not as many as there could have been, thanks to the Watch and the Antinium but—it’s not the worst disaster we’ve been through. And we’re rebuilding. Stronger with each dead scale, you know?”

“You fought didn’t you? You have to tell me about it!”

“Only if you tell me your side. But guess what? I leveled up! And I gained a new class!”

“What, really?”

“Yep! You’re looking at a Level 4 [Warrior] now!”

Selys puffed out her chest with pride as Erin made appropriate sounds of awe.

“It seems like half the city leveled or gained a new class. That’s war for you. No bad without some good. Anyways, Krshia and I wanted to celebrate and we knew you were alone out here.”

“Well, I have Toren.”

“He doesn’t count. We wanted to come alone, but then Relc decided to come with that Klbkch and Zevara told us she was coming and…”

At this point Ryoka stopped listening to the whispered conversation. She was putting together the pieces, but sleeplessness on top of sudden social interaction after a long day of running was not helping . The only upside was that she was rapidly running out of ways to be surprised. When Ryoka met Pisces, the [Necromancer] who’d fixed her leg and who was apparently teacher to one of the Goblins, she took it in stride.

At some point a skeleton walked into the inn with a huge basket of blue fruits and a bucket of water in each hand. He paused as Zevara and Klbkch unsheathed their swords.

“Stop, stop! ”

Erin ran forwards between Toren and the others. Klbkch was already sheathing his sword, but Zevara took several minutes of explaining before she rammed her blade back in its sheath.

Ryoka remained perfectly still as Erin introduced Toren to her. She looked into his deathly gaze and the twin blue flames burning in his eyes and did not shake the proffered bony hand. He disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared with a plate and drink which he served to Ryoka.

Undead service workers. Ryoka instantly saw how useful it could be. It was a great idea in theory, but seeing it in practice was—unnerving. She kept glancing at his bones, wondering how they were even staying upright without muscles and skin. Were there magical, invisible threads animating him somehow?

She ate more food, drank more blue juice. Ryoka’s head was spinning as she asked herself a thousand questions at once. When the Gnoll named Krshia introduced herself Ryoka tried to be polite as possible.

She’d seen other species, of course, but they’d always been monsters. Perhaps she’d seen one or two of these…Gnolls in the cities, but never in person. And here were three— four new races if you counted the Goblins, sitting in the inn, talking, acting like people.

At some point the smallest Goblin hopped up on the seat opposite Ryoka and slapped a chess board in front of her. Ryoka thought she looked familiar, but then the Goblin moved a chess piece and stared at her. Erin wandered by, offering chess tips and then the game and everything else blended into the nightmare.

—-

Ryoka looked like she was having a great time. Erin could tell. She was staring around the inn, chatting to Pawn and playing chess with Rags while other Goblins sat around her and Toren kept filling her cup. She seemed distracted, but then, the inn was more animated than Erin had ever seen it.

“Captain Zevara, another plate of pasta? Or a drink?”

The tall, surly-looking Drake glanced up and waved her hand at Erin.

“I am fine. You are…Erin Solstice, aren’t you? We’ve met.”

“WE have?”

Erin blinked at Zevara and then remembered.

“Oh. We have. After Klbkch—um, how are you?”

Zevara ignored the question as she glanced around the inn.

“I came here because I wanted to see this place for myself. I thought Relc was exaggerating as usual. For once he might have been telling the truth. Although he never mentioned you serving Goblins. Or the skeleton.”

Erin glanced at Relc. The Drake avoided her gaze as Klbkch stared from the Drake to her.

“He hasn’t been around as recently. Um. I hope you like it here?”

“I didn’t come here for pleasure.”

Zevara met Erin’s gaze.

“These Goblins you’re sheltering, and the undead. They are an issue I intend to address, along with the death of the…thing that attacked my city.”

“Um, okay?”

“Zevara. Perhaps now is not the time?”

Klbkch stared at Zevara until she nodded reluctantly. He looked at Erin.

“These are matters of business. But in truth I and the others are here to celebrate the survival of the city. On that note, would you allow me to address the room?”

“What? Oh, sure, go ahead.”

Erin stood back. Klbkch nodded and stood up. She wondered how he would attract everyone’s attention with all the hubbub, but Klbkch simply raised his mug and waited. It took several minutes, but a tall, silent Antinium standing with one mug raised had a calming effect. Klbkch waited until everyone was silent and then spoke.

“To all present, allow me to say a few words. These last few days have been marked by one of the most deadly assaults on Liscor in the last decade. Errors were made on the part of the Antinium and the Watch and for that I must apologize. Needless deaths were caused, but the city and its people remain safe now. The creature which attacked Liscor is dead and as some may have noticed, I have returned to life. It is not in the nature of the Antinium to celebrate, but I adhere to other species’ customs and invite you all to celebrate these events.”

No one spoke. Erin wasn’t sure if she should clap. Klbkch nodded and went on as Ksmvr produced a bottle from somewhere and handed it to him.

“I believe it is customary to make a toast on occasions such as this. For this occasion, my Hive has manufactured its own drink. Allow me to present you with rxlvn , an alcohol we intend to sell.”

He presented a clear, glass bottle filled with some kind of black, foaming liquid to the room.

“Allow me to offer you a drink that we might toast our survival, wellbeing, and the future.”

No one moved. Relc stared at the bottle.

“Klb, that looks like dirt water. Can we even drink that?”

The Antinium nodded.

“It is quite safe, I can assure you. It has been extensively tested on Antinium and while the drink is strong, it is consumable by all present.”

He looked at Erin and she looked at Toren.

“Do we have um, any shot glasses? Anything small?”

They did, in fact. They were more like finger bowls and Erin wasn’t sure what was supposed to go in them. But they made good impromptu shot glasses, and soon each was filled with the fizzing, dark liquid.

Everyone but the Antinium stared into their bowl apprehensively as Klbkch lifted his.

“To life, triumph over the undead, and this inn.”

He drank, tossing the black liquid down calmly. So did Pawn and Ksmvr. No one else did. Krshia was sniffing at the drink suspiciously and Relc tasted the drink with the tip of his tongue.

“It is quite palatable.”

Erin gulped. She saw Ryoka standing away from the group, frowning down into her drink. Well, it wasn’t as if she had to drink the entire thing. She sipped at the drink. Her eyes widened.

“It’s good . Hey, this tastes good everyone!”

They all looked at her. Erin downed the drink and smiled. That seemed to reassure the others. Rags and the Goblins drank their portions down and looked around for more. Krshia tossed hers down and growled happily and Relc and Zevara did the same. Selys and Ryoka drank only a small bit, and Pisces only sipped a few drops.

“Hey it ain’t bad. Good job Klb.”

Relc laughed at his friend as he tossed the shot glass on the table. The others made similar noises of agreement. Krshia inclined her head at the Antinium.

“Perhaps I could find a market for your drink. It is agreeably strong. Gnolls, they would like this I think, yes?”

Klbkch nodded. He was smiling, or doing that raised-mandibles thing.

“It is rather potent in its current form. I regret that this is only a trial run, and the formula is not perfected yet. Perhaps we should have mitigated the effects of the drink with more paralytic agent.”

Everyone stared at him. Erin opened her mouth.

“Um. The what?”

Ryoka felt the top of her mouth go numb. She tried to put down the half-full shot glass but it slipped out of her fingers. She bent to catch it but toppled over.

Klbkch stared at the human girl as she flopped around on the ground, trying ineffectually to push herself up. He glanced around at the other non-Antinium as they began to sway, smile, or regurgitate.

“Ah.”

—-

The three Antinium strode back through the plains, towards Liscor. Or rather, the secret entrance just outside of it. There was no need to bother the guards on the gate at this hour.

And the striding aspect was similarly exaggerated, because two the Antinium were slower than the other. Pawn had to be half-carried by Ksmvr, unable to walk as he was.

Klbkch amended his pace to let the other two catch up. He spoke without turning his head and the other two answered without looking. They had no need of visual interaction. Communication between their own kind did not require social niceties as with other races.

“I regard this night as a positive outcome on the whole, even in light of the failure of the rxlvn . I will make our apologies tomorrow to the others.”

Ksmvr and Pawn didn’t nod. They didn’t have to. But Ksmvr did raise his voice. His tone was uncertain as he addressed Klbkch.

“With all due respect, would the drink not be considered a success, Prognugator? It was strong enough to affect even Relc.”

“Drinking is meant to be a social activity. The effects were too strong. Also, refrain from addressing me as Prognugator. I assumed that role out of necessity during the attack on Liscor. However, you will resume that position forthwith.”

Pawn looked at Ksmvr as the Antinium stared at Klbkch’s back.

“Am I then your superior? Your position—”

“I am second only to the Queen. A new position will be created.”

“I see. And the Individual known as Pawn?”

“For now he will remain under my authority, not yours.”

“I understand.”

The three walked on. Klbkch voice was cold and impartial as he spoke again.

“In the future, have the brewers reduce both alcohol content and soporific and paralytic agents in the drink. As I understand it, the act of drinking is meant to be pleasurable. Unconsciousness is the end result, not the goal.”

“Understood.”

“It will be done.”

“Very well. I will report to the Queen. I will attempt to communicate with Erin Solstice at another time. Ksmvr, return Pawn to the Hive and await instructions in the morning.”

Klbkch strode away before the other two Antinium could respond.

After a while, Pawn spoke.

“Klbkch’s motives are unclear to me. But I suppose this means I will no longer be a worker.”

Ksmvr’s voice was no longer hesitant. He replied impartially to Pawn.

“That is what we were ordered. You will, of course, obey.”

“Of course. I am loyal to the Hive. I have chosen.”

“Yet you have expressed your dissatisfaction with me to Klbkch. I am your Prognugator.”

“That is true. And you cut off my arms and leg.”

“I did what was necessary for the Hive.”

“Yes. You did.”

“You also instigated Workers to leave the Hive against my orders.”

“I suppose I did.”

The two moved on in silence. After a while Ksmvr spoke.

“Your affection for me is not necessary. However, for the good of the Hive we must work together.”

“I serve the Hive. I am loyal to the Queen.”

“Good.”

“But I still hate you.”

More silence.

“It is suggested by other species that a period of bonding may occur by shared experiences.”

“Indeed?”

“I suggest this as an attempt to amend the distrust between us.”

“I see.”

“Do you have any suggestions in this regard?”

Pawn was silent. His only leg dragged along the ground. He turned his head slightly to Ksmvr.

“Tell me. Do you know how to play chess?”

—-

The next day, Selys woke up in a room on the second floor of The Wandering Inn, next to a wet, hairy carpet. That carpet turned out to be Krshia, and the two turned out to be sharing the same bed.

Selys stared at Krshia in shock until the Gnoll opened her eyes. Krshia glared at the sun, and then blinked a few times at Selys.

“Good morning, Selys.”

“Um.”

Selys squeaked. She stared in horror at Krshia and then looked down. Their clothes were missing. She thought she saw her dress hanging out the open window. That was important, but her eyes kept getting drawn back to the Gnoll sleeping next to her. Right next to her.

“Um. Uh. Hi Krshia. You wouldn’t happen to know—did we um—did we—?”

Krshia shrugged, and then sniffed hard. She shook her head.

“Hr. Nothing happened.”

Selys almost thought she heard the Gnoll mutter ‘pity’.

“Oh. Good. I’m um—I’m just—I have to—”

Selys rolled out of bed, fled the inn, and locked herself in her apartment for the rest of the day.

—-

Two hours after Selys fled, Relc found himself lying in the plains, completely naked. He stood up, looked for his clothing, and gave up. The naked Drake strolled through the southern gates of Liscor around the same time the Watch Captain was found passed out in one of the street gutters.

—-

Six hours before Relc caused a disturbance, Pisces woke up with light shining on his face. He waved his hands feebly and then sat up. What he’d thought was the sun turned out to be something else. He stared at the flickering magic and turned pale.

—-

Around an hour after everyone had vacated the inn, Erin slumped at a table, blearily watching Toren as he moved around the room, picking up plates and mugs and bringing them to the kitchen.

“See that? That’s useful. Like a…dishwasher with legs. And a sword.”

She wasn’t drunk. The Antinium’s alcohol had tasted bitterly dark with just a hint of something fruity, but it hadn’t done anything for Erin. It was the [Alcohol Immunity]. She wasn’t drunk.

“If I had ten of him…I’d probably hate it. You know he stands in a corner? Very creepy. Veeeeery creepy.”

She was just tired. Ryoka on the other hand was drunk. But she was still able to stand upright, which was quite impressive. Then again, everyone else had been upright as they staggered out of the inn. Only the Goblins had taken the shot and fallen right down. They were still lying on the floor, insensible. Rags was sprawled face-down on one of the tables, clutching a chess piece in one hand.

Erin wasn’t sure why she was awake. She really wanted to sleep, but Ryoka was still awake. The other girl was clearly trying to keep herself upright and Erin felt it was only courteous to do the same.

Ryoka blinked several times and frowned. She was swaying in her seat. The other girl was muttering, her voice slurred.

“We have to talk. This is—crucial. Something about people? If we’re all here, what does that mean?”

“I don’t know? I didn’t know there were people.”

Ryoka frowned at her, and then nodded with difficulty.

“When you got here. That was important? When you…got here. Something about that.”

She put a hand to her head and frowned hard. Erin shrugged. She was drifting off on a sea of clouds. That’s what the table felt like. She closed her eyes, and then jerked upright. Ryoka nearly fell out of her seat.

Erin decided she had to be the voice of reason.

“It’s too late for this. We should sleep.”

Ryoka thought about this. After a moment she nodded.

“Tomorrow. But we must talk.”

“Yes. But after we sleep.”

The two agreed. They nodded so much they nearly fell asleep.

“Upstairs is a bed. You can have one.”

Erin wandered over to her kitchen. Ryoka frowned at her and then looked at the door.

“You don’t lock the doors?”

“Should I?”

“Yes.”

Erin didn’t see the point. She wavered. It was such a long way to the doors. But then Toren walked over and bolted it. She smiled. She was saved! She could go to sleep.

“There. Locked.”

Ryoka looked at the doors, squinting. Then she nodded, apparently satisfied. Without another word she stumbled towards the stairs. Erin heard her bumping into things on the way up.

Time for bed. Erin was exhausted. She stumbled towards her bedding, too tired to even think about undressing or brushing her teeth. She rolled into her blankets and stared at the roof.

So tired. So exhausted. So much money made from her guests! But all that was a backdrop to the most important thing. It had lit her up, given her wings as she’d served her guests. It was important, the only thing that mattered.

Erin whispered it up to the ceiling.

“I’m not alone.”

She smiled, and drifted off to sleep with that wonderful feeling still in her chest.

Happiness.

—-

Erin had about half an hour of sleep before the door to her inn exploded inwards. As she ran out of the kitchen she saw Pisces standing in the doorway, hands wreathed in crackling lightning. His face was pale.

Ryoka stood poised on the stairway, ready to leap down on the mage. But she stopped. Something was glowing in the dark inn, and not just the magic coiling around the mage’s hands.

A spark of light flickered and hovered around Pisces’ head. A dancing firefly made of colors and shapes. They spelled out words and meaning Ryoka couldn’t read, but she recognized them. She recognized the spell. She sat down on the stairway, legs suddenly out of energy.

Erin blinked at the burnt wood of her doorway. Oh. She’d locked it. She looked at Pisces and opened her mouth to yell, but hesitated.

“Pisces, what…?”

The mage’s face was pale as he stared at Erin. He said only two words.

“They’re alive.”

2.02

“Who’s ‘they’?”

“Pisces didn’t say. He only said that if Ceria was alive there could be others.”

“And she’s alive?”

“Yes! The message-spell-thingy said she needed help. She’s somewhere in the Ruins, down deep.”

“And with Relc and Klbkch you think you can save them, right?”

“Yeah!”

“Forget it.”

Erin paused.

“…What?”

Zevara held a wet washcloth to her head and scowled at Erin over her desk.

“I said no. I’m not sending two of my best guardsmen into that place without a good reason. You want to save those damn adventurers? Do it yourself.”

“But we need them! Relc and Klbkch—they’re Senior Guardsmen. They can fight.”

“They’re Senior Guardsmen.”

Zevara agreed as she absently massaged her temples.

“But they’re under no obligation to help non-citizens. Which is what you are. Moreover, I won’t risk losing Klbkch again. Not after last time.”

Erin opened her mouth to protest, and the Captain of the Watch stared pointedly at her.

“Not again.”

Erin closed her mouth and frowned stubbornly.

“I’ll just ask them to help on their own time, then.”

“I’ll forbid them to help you. They’re valuable assets to the city.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Watch me.”

Erin stared at Zevara. The Drake’s eyes were a light purple, and she held Erin’s gaze until the human looked away.

“You—you—”

“If you’re done, get out. I’ve got a city to protect, and I don’t need to listen to a human squawking at me.”

For one second, the girl thought about flipping Zevara’s desk over and spilling all her neat paperwork on the floor. She didn’t because it wouldn’t help anything, and because the desk looked really heavy.

Plus, Selys had told her that Zevara could breathe fire.

The girl stomped to the door and Zevara winced and scowled at her. Erin turned, hand on the doorknob.

“If they die, it’s your fault.”

Zevara’s face was stony.

“Tell that to the people who have already died.”

There was nothing she could say to that, so Erin left. She slammed the door as hard as she could behind her. That made her feel a little better.

Ryoka was waiting impatiently at the foot of the stairs as Erin came down. The taller girl was practically bouncing on her bare feet, ignoring the stares she was getting from the other guardsmen in the Watch’s barracks.

“Well?”

Erin shook her head glumly.

“We’re not getting any help from the Watch. And um, I think we should leave. Now.”

They did. Ryoka stopped a few feet outside of the squat, two-story building and turned to Erin.

“I thought you said we could get help.”

“I thought we would! But it looks like people sort of blame the adventurers for the attack. Which is fair.”

“Fair?”

Erin flinched at Ryoka’s glare. She hadn’t known the other girl long, but Ryoka seemed to have two settings: intense and brooding. And right now she was practically vibrating with energy. She would have rushed to the Ruins as soon as Pisces had come to them if it weren’t for the fact that both she and Erin were exhausted and drunk. Even so, she’d been up at the crack of dawn demanding to be led to the Ruins.

“That mage – Pisces said that he’ll go down to look for the Horns of Hammerad. I’ll go with him now. You try to convince other people to help.”

Ryoka turned and Erin grabbed her arm. The Runner jumped and glared and Erin let go quickly.

“Sorry. Look, you want to go into the super-scary Ruins with Pisces?”

“Yes. The Horns are down there. I’m going in after them.”

“But with Pisces?”

“He’s a necromancer, right? I know he’s powerful.”

“Yeah, but he’s… Pisces , y’know?”

Ryoka just stared. Erin scratched at her head. It was only just past morning in the city and her head still felt full of clouds.

“You really care about them, don’t you? I mean, I do too, but Ryoka, this is crazy.”

Ryoka shrugged.

“I owe them a debt. I’ll go down there myself and come out with them or stay there forever.”

Now that sounded heroic and pretty crazy. Erin opened her mouth and raised a finger.

“ Or we could get reinforcements.”

“You said that about your two guardsmen friends.”

“I did. But I know more people. Zevara said she’d forbid Relc and Klbkch from coming. Well, she can do that, but I bet Klb’s more important than her.”

“Fine. Let’s ask him.”

Ryoka turned and began walking. She moved so quick! Her version of walking was Erin’s version of a jog. The girl made it ten feet and then turned around and glared at Erin.

“Well? What are you waiting for?”

Erin smiled desperately and looked around.

“Um, I’ve never really been to the Hive. We might have to ask for directions or find a Worker.”

“A what?”

—-

Slow people. Slow conversations. The Horns of Hammerad are alive ! I should be running down to the Ruins now, but I’m stuck here with a girl who doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of haste* .

*Or a lot of other things, if I’m honest. She’s a person from my world, I get that. But is she just completely airheaded or does she not take everything seriously? She hangs out with talking bugs and doesn’t even blink at crazed demon midgets**.

**Goblins.

Time. It all comes down to time. Not everything’s a 400 meter dash, but some things come down to seconds.

This is an emergency. My frien—Ceria and the others are alive. At least she is. And she’s been down in the Ruins for days, possibly without water or food all that time. She is alive.

I have to help her. But somehow I’m stuck following Erin Solstice around. She’s fine. She’s an innkeeper. But she doesn’t seem to understand how important this is.

I had to push her to run through the streets and she stopped when she got embarrassed from people staring. We found the Hive, and the strange Worker insect disappeared inside for a few minutes before he came out with the strange Antinium.

Antinium. The murderous invaders from across the world. I could use an entire army of them, but it seems like we’re not going to get any.

“—And then she said she’d forbid you to help! Can you believe that?”

What is it with this girl and talking to people? I should just go. Now. But—

Zombies? Erin did say there were zombies, right?

Can I fight zombies? Would punching them even work?

What if I get bit?

I have to go.

Klbkch, the Antinium with only two arms stares first at Erin, and then me. I don’t like him. He drugged us last night, or slipped us some kind of magical alcohol. I took a sip of that and went insane .

What does he want? Why does Erin think he’ll help her? If he’s the Prognugator of the Hive here he should be far too important to want to deal with us.

Unless he suspects where we’re from. Or is it something else? That book said Antinium don’t have names except for the Prognugator and Queens. So why did I meet two other Antinium with names?

Focus. I have to save Ceria and the others.

“So um. Can we have a few of those big soldier guys?”

Klbkch crosses his arms and seems to think. The Worker that got him left the instant he completed his task, but Klbkch came out of the hive with the Antinium with swords. Ksmvr. He makes me just as uneasy. Is he a bodyguard? Some new form of Antinium? Or is that Klbkch? They’re not supposed to have only two arms.

At last, Klbkch shakes his head reluctantly.

“I am sorry Erin, but I cannot assist you.”

Her face falls. I heard some people wear their feelings on their sleeve, but Erin paints it on a sign and waves it around wherever she goes.

“What? Why?”

“By the agreement made with Liscor, we may not bring out Soldiers above-ground unless requested by a figure of authority or in times of war or defense of the city.”

Damn, damn, damn. But I guess it’s my turn. If I could get some of those soldiers Erin is talking about…I clear my throat. Klbkch looks at me. I hate talking to strangers.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the Ruins a clear threat? That’s where these undead came from, right? Neutralizing it would constitute defense of the city.”

Not good. Two interrogative statements. I should be making declaratives and speaking confidently. That’s what good old dad taught me. Look people in the eye, speak clearly, and lie through your teeth when you have to.

Klbkch nods at me, and takes his time replying, like a lawyer building his case.

“That is true under a certain interpretation. But I believe many would see it as a dangerous precedent, especially given the failure of the Antinium to act during the undead attack.”

“No. Klbkch, we need help. Really badly. Ryoka and I can’t go down there by ourselves. Or even with Toren and Pisces.”

Whoa. Slow down. Did she just say she was going with me? And what was that? Toren? The skeleton? She wants to take a skeleton to fight against its kind? Can she even trust that thing?

Klbkch just nods as if it’s all natural, though.

“I understand. But my Queen would take Zevara’s view, I fear. I can render some aid, though.”

“Really?”

He nods. Klbkch looks over his shoulder at the other Antinium.

“Ksmvr. Go with Erin Solstice and protect her.”

The other Antinium’s mandibles spread wide, their version of a surprised expression, I guess.

“I? But I am Prognugator. I cannot—”

“Silence. You will go.”

Klbkch turns back to Erin and bows his head politely. Why do I get something of a Japanese vibe from the Antinium? Stereotypes about the Japanese corporate life aside, maybe because they’re so polite.

A single warrior from a Hive that’s capable of fielding thousands of soldiers at any given moment seems weak to me, but Erin smiles.

“So you’re not going to try and stop me, then?”

“If I told you not to go, I believe you would. You and Relc share the same tendencies.”

“That’s not a compliment.”

“I am aware.”

Okay, if that’s all, it’s time to go.

“It’s time to go. Let’s get to the Ruins.”

Erin shakes her head. Is she mule headed or does she not realize that we need to hurry?

“Not yet. Krshia and Selys might be able to help. Let’s go see them.”

Unless they’re both secretly incredible warriors I doubt it. But Klbkch seems approving. He nods to me as I hurry Erin away.

His voice is soft, but I hear him talking quietly to the other one, Ksmvr as I go. Erin doesn’t notice. She’s too busy deciding whether to see Krshia or Selys first. But I hear him.

“Protect Erin and those she travels with. Her life is more important than yours. If she is harmed or dies, I will see you deconstructed.”

Something else to think about, but not now. I keep pushing Erin, ignoring her complaints that her feet hurt. We can’t slow. I can’t stop.

We have to hurry.

I won’t be too late again.

—-

“Will you not wait a day?”

“No.”

Ryoka said it before Erin could even respond. It was incredible, but the other girl was even more hyperactive than before. She was shifting from leg to leg, checking the position of the sun and the time on her iPhone every few seconds.

“We can’t wait, Krshia. If Ceria’s down there, she might be in danger even as we speak.”

“Hrm. But it is very dangerous. That creature of skin, there may be more, yes? And even if there is not, many undead did not perish in the attack. They will all be waiting down there.”

“Will you come or not?”

Erin winced. Being blunt and rude towards a Gnoll was…well, actually it wasn’t a bad thing. Krshia snorted in amusement at Ryoka.

“Patience, young huntress. Even with Ksmvr, warrior that he is, you two and the mage and skeleton are not enough, yes? I suggest waiting because in time help may arrive.”

“Help? What kind of help?”

Krshia smiled at Erin.

“Several of my tribe come down the southern road. They will be here today, if not earlier. They are warriors all, and they will surely help find your humans for you.”

Krshia’s words sparked a memory in Ryoka’s head. She stared at the Gnoll. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Erin shook her head at Krshia.

“We can’t wait. I’m sorry, but we’re going in. Will you come?”

Regretfully, Krshia shook her head.

“I cannot. I must wait for my kin and my arrows would do little good against dead things.”

Erin exhaled hard. She’d thought that was the case, but it still hurt.

“Okay. Okay. In that case I need to buy some stuff.”

Krshia spread her paws.

“My shop is open. I have healing potions which I will give you, and you may pay me later. What do you need? Ask.”

“Frying pans, knives…actually, rocks will do. So only frying pans.”

“Frying pans?”

Krshia looked dubious, but she saw Erin was serious.

“Very well. I have good ones of cast iron. How many do you wish for?”

“Two…three…how many do you have?”

Erin took only a minute to select the right frying pans. Then she turned and nodded at Ryoka.

“Selys, then. She might be able to help. If not we’ll go.”

The other girl didn’t move. She was staring at Krshia, frowning. Ryoka seemed to be struggling with something, and both of the other females finally noticed it. Krshia smiled at Ryoka.

“Do you have something you wish to say?”

“These other Gnolls you said were coming. They’re coming up the south road?”

“Yes. If you wait, they will be here soon.”

“No. They won’t.”

Krshia frowned at Ryoka.

“What makes you sure of that?”

“They’re dead. I saw them.”

Erin looked from Ryoka back to Krshia just in time to see the Gnoll shopkeeper go completely still. Her tail, usually gently wagging, stopped. Her ears froze and her pupils dilated. She stared at Ryoka.

“Explain.”

“I found a group of dead Gnolls on my way to Liscor. They were around forty miles away from the city, all of them killed. Something cut them apart.”

Krshia flexed her hand by her side. Both Erin and Ryoka’s eyes were drawn downwards when she did. Normally, Krshia had a paw for a hand, furrier than a human’s but generally the same. Now her claws seemed to lengthen. Maybe it was a trick of the light. But to look at Krshia’s hands at that moment was to remember that she had nails. Long and sharp nails, the kind you could use to cut someone to ribbons.

The Gnoll stared down at Ryoka silently. Her face was expressionless, and her voice equally devoid of emotion.

“Who?”

“I don’t know. But a few hours later I met someone on the road. A woman with a large eye named Gazi.”

Erin stared in open-mouthed astonishment at Ryoka, but Krshia only nodded.

“Thank you for telling me this, Ryoka Griffin. I trust you are not lying?”

“No.”

Krshia inclined her head slowly.

“I thought as much and sense the truth of it. Very well. You must go. Save your friends.”

Erin hesitated, but Ryoka pulled her away. The two girls ran down the street as Krshia watched them go.

The Gnoll was silent as she stood behind her stall full of carefully arranged wares. Another Drake trotted up, happy to be served at last. Krshia turned to look at him and his scales turned grey and he stumbled away.

Slowly, Krshia turned and went back into her small stall. She pawed around near the back, until she came to a long, rolled up bundle placed carefully on top of a few crates. Krshia brought it back and laid it on her counter, brushing aside her display to make room.

She did not move any faster than usual. There would be time enough for that, later.

Krshia unwrapped the bow and stood it upright in her shop. She drew the string out of the bundle, checking to make sure it was still oiled and unfrayed. Then she began stringing the bow.

Across the street Lism, the waste of fur of a shopkeeper, was marching towards Krshia. Probably to complain about one of the two humans. Krshia took no notice of him. She reached into the bundle and pulled out a wrapped bundle.

Lism took one look at the huge broadhead arrows Krshia unwrapped from their wax paper covering and immediately turned around and walked away. The other pedestrians on the street took one look at the shopkeeper arming herself and made themselves scarce.

The bow was strung, and Krshia put the arrows in a quiver at her side. She was ready. She opened the side panel of her shop and stepped out.

Then she raised her head to the sky and began to howl.

—-

Selys had no better news for Erin. The Drake only shook her head and spread her hands helplessly.

“Sorry, Erin. I know this is serious but no one wants to go into the Ruins. Not after what came out.”

“But there are other adventurers trapped down there. Friends. Comrades in arms and that sort of thing. You’re saying no one will help?”

“All the best human adventurers went down with the Horns of Hammerad. The ones who are left are, well…”

“We’re just smarter than that lot, that’s all.”

Both Drake and human turned to look at who had spoken. A Drake with a sword sat with his feet up at a table, balancing on the chair with his tail. He laughed as his friends, all Drakes, started making jokes about the adventurers.

Erin stared around the room desperately. There weren’t all Drake and Gnolls in the room. Some humans were there too, but none of them would meet her eyes. Or the ones that did were laughing at the adventurers.

“Won’t any of you help? Please, they’re in trouble.”

“They should have gotten themselves out of trouble or not gone looking for it in the first place, Human.”

The Drake who had first spoken laughed again with his buddies.

“Or maybe they just ran the instant they saw undead and got themselves killed. Either way, we’re not risking our hides for a few idiots.”

“Cowards.”

Ryoka said it loudly, and it had the same effect as a knife. It cut through the sound and laughter and made the Drake who had spoken sit forwards with a thump.

The mood changed. The adventurers at the table glared at Ryoka. She glared back.

“I thought adventurers were supposed to be brave. You lot should get rid of your swords and become Runners. At least they get paid to run away.”

The Drakes at the table stood up, hissing angrily. Selys banged her hand on the counter.

“Stop that! No fighting! This city’s had enough of it!”

The Drakes hesitated. The mood in the room wasn’t on their side, and they weren’t itching for a fight in any case.

They sat back down. Perhaps it was the look in Ryoka’s eye and the rumors about a crazed Runner girl with bare feet. But it was probably because of the look Erin gave them. Everyone had heard about the human who slew the monster made of skin.

“I’m sorry.”

Selys apologized again, but Erin just shook her head. Ryoka was already leaving the Guild, and Erin ran after her with a hurried apology for Selys.

This time Ryoka set a course for the gates of the city without even talking. Erin had to walk quickly to catch up. The two girls walked through the crowds of people silently.

They heard the howling begin as they left the Adventurer’s Guild. It was immediately joined by more voices of other Gnolls around the city, so that the streets rang with the sound and Drakes and Humans froze and stared around wildly. But neither girl so much as looked up.

“Well. Ksmvr said he’d meet us at the Ruins. That’s something.”

“I suppose. Do you have anything you need at the inn?”

“Yeah. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be good to go.”

“Good. I’ll help you grab everything. We need food, water, healing potions—”

Erin lifted the bag she’d carried from Krshia’s store. She had healing potions, and the three frying pans she’d brought. Ryoka eyed them but made no comment. After a moment Erin asked the question on her mind.

“You met Gazi?”

“You know her?”

“Yeah. She was at my inn. She helped me out too, when I first met her. She was, um, nice. Do you think she really…?”

“I don’t know. But she was close to those Gnolls and she pretended not to know what I was talking about when I asked.”

Ryoka walked on and hesitated.

“She…bothered me.”

“Was it the eye? That creeped me out a bit.”

“No. It was her. I can’t explain it, but each of those Gnolls that died was beheaded. With a single cut.”

“Oh. She has…a really sharp sword.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

They said nothing more until they got back to the inn. It took them only fifteen minutes, and Erin was gasping for breath when they got there. Ryoka looked at her in way that made Erin feel certain she was judging her. She wasn’t even sweating.

It was cold anyways, not the right temperature for sweating. It didn’t feel like winter, but then, maybe they were in the equivalent of Florida or something. Erin opened the door and jumped back.

Toren stood in the doorway, holding his sword. He stared curiously at Erin as Ryoka raised her fists and stepped back.

“Toren! Don’t stand with a sword in the doorway! Come on; help me!”

Erin pushed the skeleton aside and Toren sheathed his sword and began following her around as she yelled out instructions. Ryoka watched the skeleton warily, but Toren meekly ran about, gathering a few glowing green jars, supplies, and for some reason, several rocks from outside.

“Ready!”

Erin reappeared a few minutes later with a bulging rucksack, and all three frying pans strapped to it. Ryoka eyed the bag. Well, Erin could always stay in the back and carry the food. She had no idea how deep the Ruins were. She had no idea of anything, really.

It was the worst possible way to enter a dangerous area, but Ryoka had no choice. She had to go.

“Are you done? Let’s get moving.”

“Okay. Toren will carry everything until we get there.”

So saying, Erin handed the heavy pack to the skeleton. He accepted it without complaint and staggering a bit, followed Erin and Ryoka. Ryoka thrust open the door and paused.

Several Goblins jumped back, and one screamed in a high-pitched voice. Ryoka nearly threw herself back into Erin before she remembered these were nominally friendly Goblins.

“Rags!”

Erin pushed past Ryoka as the smallest Goblin stared up at Ryoka suspiciously. She smiled at the Goblin.

“I’m glad you’re here. We need your help!”

Ryoka did a double take as Rags blinked in surprise. Surely Erin wasn’t considering…?

She was.

In a few sentences Erin described the message Pisces had gotten, and their mission to enter the Ruins. Rags listened attentively while the rest of her group stared around idly or picked at their noses and ate what came out.

Erin finished with a short plea.

“You understand, don’t you? You’ll help, right?”

Rags thought for a second, pondering all she had heard. Then she looked up at Erin and shook her head.

“What?”

Erin stared down at the Goblin. Rags shrugged at her.

“But they’re in trouble. And you can help! You’ve got a sword and your tribe. We need you, Rags.”

Again, Rags shrugged. Erin didn’t speak Goblin and Rags wasn’t speaking, but she got a definite sense of indifference from the small Goblin. What had the Horns of Hammerad ever done for her? Why should she risk her neck?

“Rags, please . They’ll die if we can’t get to them. Remember Ceria? Remember Calruz?”

Rags scowled at Erin and turned away. Her attitude seemed to indicate that if there wasn’t any food or chess to be had, there was no point in being here.

That was the last straw. Erin had listened to grouchy Zevara, surprisingly unhelpful Klbkch, Krshia and the idea that Gazi was evil, and a room full of useless adventurers. Her patience finally ran out. She snapped.

“ Hey! ”

She grabbed Rags bodily and lifted her up. The Goblin shouted in outrage and tried to break free, but Erin just glared at her.

“I’m asking you for help. You owe me. I’ve fed you and given you help and even the sword and shield! I even made Pisces teach you magic! Now I need help saving my friends.”

Rags growled at Erin and kicked at her. Erin bit back a yelp as one bare foot kicked her in the chest. Hard.

“That’s it.”

The small Goblins grabbed at the sheathed short sword at her waist, but Erin just turned her upside down and began to shake. The Goblin’s head and body bounced around wildly as Erin shook the small Goblin, shouting loudly.

“Help—me! Help—us!”

She lifted Rags up and down by the ankles, so that the small Goblin bounced up and down like a bungee jumper. To Ryoka it looked like one of the rides at an amusement park that send hapless riders down a hundred feet per second out of the sky, except here no one was amused. Except for her and the other Goblins, of course.

“I’m not gonna stop until you say yes! Say yes! Say it! ”

The Goblin screamed and tried to bite and punch at Erin, but to no avail. Erin whirled Rags around by the legs in a circle as the Goblin screamed. Ryoka had done that as a kid with her father, once or twice. But it had been her holding on as he whirled her around by the arms, not the legs. The way Erin was doing it to Rags was a lot faster, more dangerous, and a lot less fun.

At last, Rags screamed something loudly and Erin stopped. The girl glared at the Goblin as Rags hung upside-down in the air, even greener than normal.

“You’re going to help? Promise?”

Rags nodded weakly. Erin dropped her.

The Goblin landed with a thump in the grass. For a second Ryoka thought she was going to run, but when Rags pushed herself up the Goblin could only stagger around drunkenly.

“Run away and I’ll throw a rock at you. And you know I’ll hit you.”

Erin threatened Rags. Ryoka wondered how credible that was—Erin didn’t seem like she was the athletic type, and Ryoka seriously doubted she’d ever played baseball. Maybe softball, at best. She didn’t seem like the competitive type.

Rags glared at Erin, stumbled a few feet away, and threw up noisily in the grass. She paused after vomiting up a considerable amount of undigested food, thought for second, and then threw up again.

Erin stumbled as she turned, dizzy from the swinging herself. She nearly walked into another Goblin. Rag’s small posse was alternating between glaring at her and staring at the vomit in the grass with curiosity or hunger.

Maybe they were protective of their boss. She didn’t care. Erin glared at them.

“You wanna fight? Huh?”

The Goblins looked at their leader, still noisily being sick in the grass. They looked back at the Destroyer, Slayer of the Skin Monster, Provider of Pasta and Free Drinks. They backed up quickly.

Rags was nearly done puking. The Goblin wiped at her mouth and said something in her scratchy language. Erin pointed at her.

“You’re helping. No arguments. You and your tribe—”

Erin hesitated and turned around. The area was already emptying out of Goblins as they ran away.

“Damn it.”

Ryoka glanced at her. The girl’s earlier amusement at the spectacle had evaporated like the other Goblins.

“We’ve got to go. Why do you want the Goblin, anyways? Even her tribe wouldn’t be much help.”

Erin disagreed.

“She’s got a sword and a shield. Plus, she knows magic.”

Ryoka paused.

“…She does?”

“Yeah, maybe not as much as you, but some. And she was the one who killed the super-evil-skin-worm monster that was leading the undead.”

Ryoka stared at her. Erin threw up her hands.

“It’s true! Why does no one believe that?”

—-

They met Pisces waiting at the Ruins. The mage was antsy, and he hadn’t brought anything but his customarily dirty robes. He didn’t have his usual sneer though, and he was nervous. Possibly the only person more nervous than him was Ksmvr.

“I would deem it far more prudent for you to remain behind, Erin Solstice. You are no warrior, and the Ruins are dangerous.”

“They’re my friends. I’m going in there.”

Erin glared at Ksmvr. The Antinium wavered, and then sighed.

“Very well. But remain behind me at all times.”

Rags glared at the Antinium as he looked down at her, and then at Toren.

“You have chosen an unusual group.”

“No one else would come.”

“I see.”

Ryoka ignored the two and marched up to Pisces. He looked at her with the expression of someone trying to recall her name. She didn’t care.

“Did you get another message from them?”

He shook his head.

“Possibly something is blocking Ceria. Or her mana might still be low. It is possible if she is…wounded.”

“Right then, let’s find her.”

“I suppose so. But there’s a ah, problem.”

“What’s that?”

He nodded at the vast entrance to the ruins.

“The guardsmen won’t let us in.”

After the attack on Liscor, a palisade and deep ditch had been dug, and the guards at the entrance to the Ruins were now twenty strong, armed with arrows and torches and even a Drake mage in robes at the back. The guardsman in charge stared at Erin and the others as they marched up.

“We’re going in.”

The Drakes and Gnolls stared at Erin as she stood in front of them. One of them laughed, but stopped when no one joined them. Their leader, a Drake with maroon scales shook his head.

“No one goes in or out. Zevara’s orders.”

“She knows we’re going in.”

“She does?”

“She does.”

He shook his head.

“I can’t let you in without word from her.”

“That is regrettable.”

Ksmvr called from behind Erin. He shook his head.

“We should return to the city. It would not do to stand in defiance of the law.”

Ryoka opened her mouth—for what, she didn’t know. A threat? She wasn’t sure of anything that would work. But Erin just narrowed her eyes.

“You’ll let us in.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll hurt you.”

The Drake stared at Erin. She glared at him. He had nearly a head of height on her not counting his helmet, and he had a spear and nineteen guardsmen at his back. All Erin had was a frying pan. But he remembered where Skinner had died and he had [Dangersense] too. The look in Erin’s eyes made him reconsider his next words.

“We will send word to the city. If you’ll wait.”

Erin pushed him. The Drake stumbled back and nearly ran into the sharpened wall of stakes. Erin stomped past him without another word, and the others followed. Ryoka stared open-mouthed at her back and then hurried to catch up.

The Ruins were dark, and the open stone doors were just as foreboding as before. But despite the ominous blackness from within, Erin knew there was no turning back. But she did have a thought.

“Um. Did anyone bring a candle?”

“[Light].”

Pisces and Ryoka said it at the same time as Rags muttered something. Three orbs of shimmering light flew upwards as all three blinked at each other.

“Good, then we’re…good.”

Erin looked back into the Ruins. Here be monsters , she thought to herself. Nasty, undead monsters. This was the place where Skinner had come from. This is the place where countless adventurers had died.

Death lurked below, waiting. But so too did the Horns of Hammerad. There was no choice. Erin took a deep breath.

“Ready?”

Pisces looked green, but he nodded. Rags scowled at Erin and Ryoka and the ground. Toren’s sword was already drawn and the skeleton scanned the dark entrance.

Ksmvr stepped forwards.

“Allow me to go first, Miss Solstice. I will scout ahead and signal you when it is safe to proceed.”

“No. We go in together.”

He hesitated, but Erin pushed past him. Ryoka blinked in surprise. Erin walked into the darkness of the ruins, and then turned.

“Well? I can’t see anything if you guys don’t follow.”

The others hesitated, but then they walked forwards. Ryoka passed into the darkness and shivered. Her tongue was in her mouth and her heart was pounding. She was afraid. For the first time she was truly afraid. Of the unknown. Of what she did not know. Of being too late.

But she had to go.

A dirty [Necromancer], a Goblin, an undead skeleton, the Prognugator of an Antinium Hive, an [Innkeeper] and a City Runner walked into the Ruins. It sounded like the beginning of a joke, but what would the punch line be?

Gazi the Omniscient sat with her back to a slope several hundred meters away. Her main eye pointed into the back of her head as she tracked the progress of the strange group as they descended into the Ruins.

Let’s see. By primary classes they were…

A Level 12 [Warrior] Antinium.

A Level 27 [Necromancer] with [Mage] class levels.

A Level 8 [Warrior], Level 6 [Mage] and Level 10 [Tactician] Goblin.

A Level 11 [Skeleton Warrior] carrying a ruby enchanted with [Terror].

A Level 18 [Innkeeper] Human.

And a level-less Runner Human.

A joke, then. Something about Ruins? Or the undead. They could be humorous. Gazi frowned. She’d work on it while she waited for them to come back out. She had plenty of time.

But then, she could hardly wait. She was patient, had been patient, but now Gazi was buzzing with anticipation. She polished her sword, humming quietly, waiting. A tightly sealed scroll with a glowing rune etched onto a wax seal sat in the grass next to her.

It was finally time to go home.

2.03

It was an odd procession that walked down the empty halls of Liscor’s undead ruins. Not that the ruins were undead; rather, they were infested with the undead.

In theory. No one had seen a corpse yet, living, undead, or just dead. But they were ready.

Still, it was an odd group Ryoka found herself walking with. And an odd formation as well. She hadn’t given it any thought when she’d known she was going in to find her friends. Ryoka had assumed she’d be running into the ruins as fast as she could, avoiding traps and monsters every foot until she found the Horns of Hammerad.

It would have been a suicide run in any case. What would she have done even if she’d found them? Carried them out on her shoulders hundreds of feet while dodging monsters, armor and all? She couldn’t even lift Calruz.

She hadn’t been thinking. That would have killed both her and the people she had come to rescue. She had to use her head.

Some thought then, had gone into the procession that walked through the ruins. The group had decided to walk two abreast, so that no one was without a partner, but also so they were staggered out in case something came from behind.

It felt like one of those horror movies to Erin, but at least this time she’d placed herself in the middle. And they were walking together, not with one idiot stuck in the back where no one could hear them. Even so, she kept looking over her shoulder every few minutes.

Somewhat predictably, Ksmvr was stuck in the front with Toren. No one wanted to walk with him and Toren could see just as easily in the dark as in the light. Pisces and Rags walked in the rear, theoretically furthest away in danger but hypothetically first to be stabbed in the back. But between Rag’s ears and Pisces’ paranoia, ambush was unlikely.

That left Erin and Ryoka in the center. They walked together, looking around as they passed from room to room in complete silence.

That didn’t mean their group was silent of course. Ksmvr glided through the darkness like a ghost, but Toren rattled when he walked. Pisces muttered to himself as he shuffled and tripped over his robes, Rags scuffed along and Erin—

She literally clanked as she walked. Ryoka wanted to ask what all the frying pans were for, let alone the bag of rocks but she was too busy looking around in the darkness.

She and Ksmvr would have to do most of the fighting, depending on how useful this Pisces was. She almost wished she could tell Erin not to come. Her and that Goblin—how useful could they really be? Ryoka kept worrying as she searched for the first shambling corpse.

But no one came. No monsters, no undead, not even any dead bodies. The emptiness of the ruins was unnerving, and the strain took its toll on everyone.

After about ten minutes of heavy breathing, pounding heart, and jumping at every shadow, Erin couldn’t take it anymore. She looked at Ryoka. The tall girl was walking quietly, bare feet padding on the stone floor as she tried to look in every direction at once. Erin cleared her throat and Ryoka jumped and glared at her.

“So. It’s pretty dark.”

Rags glanced sideways at Erin. No one else said a word. Every nerve was taut with tension, every eye scanned the dark corridors and empty rooms for danger, signs of movement.

“I mean, I don’t have a problem with dark places. But this is really dark. And spooky. But the architecture’s nice. It reminds me of one of those old cathedrals, you know?”

Pisces glanced at Erin’s back quizzically.

“Cathedrals? You mean…buildings of worship? There are a few scattered around, but I’ve never…does this place remind you of one?”

“It’s not the exact same, but this reminds me of the ones in Rome and places like that. What’s the one called with the painting on the ceiling?”

Ryoka sighed loudly. She stared at Erin and gestured pointedly at Ksmvr and Toren as the two ranged ahead of the other four.

“Shouldn’t we be quiet so we don’t walk into an ambush?”

“Do we really need to? I’ve got [Dangersense]. It’s this skill that allows you to, um, sense when danger’s coming.”

Ryoka tried to keep from curling her lip.

“I know that one. Ceria says it doesn’t work for some types of danger. Traps, for example.”

“Well, are we going to be silent the entire time? I bet that’d be scarier than talking.”

“Rest assured that I remain petrified no matter how we choose to spend the journey. But Erin does have a point Miss, ah, Griffin. I can sense undead as they draw near to me.”

“Really? So where are they?”

Pisces looked hunted.

“Around. Somewhere. These ruins are saturated in death. So many undead lurking here for hundreds, possibly thousands of years…I would know if they were right behind us, though.”

“Wonderful.”

The four walked on in silence. Erin wondered whether she should keep talking, but the momentum was lost.

After five minutes Ryoka muttered a few words.

“It’s the Sistine Chapel, and it’s in the Vatican, not Rome.”

“I thought it was in Rome.”

“The Vatican is a separate state. It’s within Rome, but technically it’s a state by itself.”

“Oh. That’s cool. I didn’t know that. The Pope rules there, right?”

“Pretty much.”

Why were they talking about the Pope in the middle of an abandoned ruin? Then again, Ryoka didn’t know Erin that well. Maybe she was really religious.

Again, Pisces glanced suspiciously at Erin and Ryoka’s back. Rags was busy picking at her ear.

“What’s a Pope?”

Ryoka immediately tensed, but Erin immediately replied.

“He’s like a super [Priest]. If they existed. Which apparently, they don’t.”

Pisces eyed Erin, but he seemed to accept her convoluted explanation.

“So he’s a hypothetical [Priest]. I see.”

“Yup. We could really use him right now, too. A [Priest] could totally take care of all the undead we meet. Turn undead, holy water, all that good stuff.”

“I can do much of the same.”

“Really? Why do you need us, then?”

Pisces sniffed at Erin. He reminded Ryoka of exactly the sort of person she hated. Or at least, one of the types of people on her hate list, which, it had to be said, was quite large. He was a prissy, self-important know-it-all if she was any judge. Exactly the sort of person who talked big and never delivered…

And who was right now risking his life to save Ceria and the others. Ryoka paused and had to rethink her thoughts.

“I can deal with most forms of the undead quite easily. It’s ah, the Crypt Lords that pose a considerable threat to me.”

Erin frowned.

“What are Crypt Lords? You mean those huge fat things with bones for teeth?”

“Yes. They are above my level, so to speak. I cannot so easily destroy them as they resist my magic.”

“Crypt Lords? Is that a stronger type of the undead? Like a Lich?”

“A Lich? You mean an undead wizard thing?”

Erin stared at Ryoka, and then at Pisces.

“Please tell me one of those isn’t around. Aren’t they immortal?”

Pisces looked amused.

“Hardly. A Lich is simply the undead version of a spellcaster. They’re quite dangerous in numbers or even alone, but they’re hardly immortal. And I never saw one in the attack on Liscor, so I believe we are quite safe.”

That was another thing. Pisces had been there during the attack on Liscor, and so had Erin for that matter. Ryoka had missed the entire thing.

She had a hard time imagining these Crypt Lords, even though Erin was quite vocal with her descriptions. Moreover, she wondered how bad the attack had really been. She had a hard time imagining Pisces surviving a real attack, and Erin told her she’d defended her inn from the undead. Ryoka didn’t think Erin was lying, but—

If she’d survived it, how bad could it really have been? A few hundred undead? And apparently some monster made out of skin. Ryoka just didn’t see the horror in it if Erin had gotten out unscathed.

And if she’d survived, maybe the Horns of Hammerad had as well.

Erin was still talking about the Crypt Lords. She held up a glowing green jar, one of the ones she’d taken from the inn. There were two of them in her bag of potions.

“I’ve got just the thing for them, right here.”

It didn’t look like the other potions Ryoka had seen in the markets in human cities. She wondered what it did.

“May I see that?”

Pisces backed away from the jar as Erin held it out to Ryoka. The mage’s reaction made Ryoka accept the glowing container warily. It wasn’t particularly warm or cold to the touch, and the liquid sloshed around like most Newtonian fluids. That was the extent of Ryoka’s insight on the jar.

“What is it?”

“It’s acid.”

Ryoka nearly dropped the jar. Her skin prickled and she immediately felt a cold sweat breaking up across her body.

“What kind?”

Erin looked blank.

“Um, Acid Fly acid? I don’t know.”

Acid flies? Ryoka remembered the menu in Erin’s inn. Acid flies. She’d thought Erin was joking. But—

She sloshed the liquid gingerly in the jar and inspected it. It was glowing green, exactly like the fake slime you’d expect to see in a kid’s science kit.

“A hydrochloric acid of some kind? Will it eat through the glass?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t know what kind of acid it is. Um, it doesn’t really touch metal or stone that much. It only dissolves flesh and skin. But it does that really fast.”

Ryoka stared at the jar. She had doubt about its efficacy, but had an opportunity to see the acid in action soon enough. Ksmvr paused as he rounded a corner, and then he and Toren were running back towards the others.

“Undead. Ghouls, up ahead.”

Ryoka’s heart began to pound, but the others reacted differently than how she expected. Pisces nodded, Rags drew her sword, and Erin lifted the glowing jar with a determined look.

“Right, you get behind us.”

Ksmvr hesitated, but Toren glanced at the glass jar and immediately moved behind Erin. The skeleton’s sword was drawn and Ryoka was mesmerized by his blue eyes. She tried to concentrate. They were coming.

“I can handle five. How many were there?”

“Eight. Two were wounded.”

“I’ve got one.”

Erin lifted her acid jar as Ksmvr took a position flanking her. Pisces pushed back the sleeves on his robes and narrowed his eyes. Now Ryoka could heard growling and the dull thumping of flesh on stone. She was ready for this. She had learned to fight as a child. She could do this. She could—

The first Ghoul bounded around the corner on all fours, so quickly Ryoka was transfixed. By the time she had recovered, it had already been joined by six more bodies, Drakes and Gnolls, all dashing across the ground.

The undead weren’t supposed to run. But these things were sprinting . Ryoka was shaking. Eight? Eight was too many. She’d have to fight two at once. She glanced at Pisces. He was raising his hand and Erin was lifting the jar of acid. Too slow. They’d never.

“Decease.”

Pisces crooked his finger, and Ryoka heard a crack. One of the Ghouls in the front tumbled down, and she saw its spine twisting around under his rotted flesh. He stopped moving, tripping up the others.

The mage moved his finger and pointed at a second Ghoul. And the third. They fell down each time, spines breaking with horrible grinding sounds.

Another Ghoul leapt forwards. Ryoka nearly jumped at it, but Erin threw her jar. The glass stuck the Ghoul mid-jump and he crashed into the ground. Smoke began steaming up from his flesh as the once-Drake rolled around, clawing at his body.

Now the Ghouls were a few feet away. Pisces raised his other hand and pointed. Two Ghouls collapsed, and the last two howled as they ran at Erin.

This was it. Ryoka’s legs tried to move, but she was too slow, for once. Next to her, Toren leapt towards the first Ghouls and Ksmvr caught the second with both swords and daggers.

It was a blur. Ryoka saw Toren stabbing at the Ghoul and then grappling on the ground with it. Ksmvr was slicing apart his foe as Erin held a frying pan at the ready, shouting something. The Runner stared as Toren and the Ghoul rolled around on the floor. She couldn’t help them.

Suddenly Rags darted in front of Ryoka. The Goblin darted forwards and stabbed. The Ghoul stiffened, and Ryoka saw that Rags had stabbed the dead human in the back of the head. Toren rolled away from the now completely dead Ghoul and grabbed his sword before he got to his feet.

The skirmish was over. They had won.

And Ryoka—

She hadn’t done a thing.

—-

Erin noticed Ryoka staring at one of the Ghouls after the excitement had ended. The Runner girl was pale, but she was looking at the Ghoul hit with the acid. Erin was slightly regretting throwing that jar, now. She only had one left. Toren had been collecting acid from the traps, but pickings had been slim and she’d used up her entire supply fighting Skinner.

“Don’t worry. That one’s dead. And the others won’t be getting up any time soon.”

They had better not. The ones Pisces had killed by snapping their spines weren’t moving, and the other two were in pieces thanks to Rags, Ksmvr, and Toren. As for the one Erin had hit—

It was a puddle. A glowing, green puddle with half-dissolved parts slowly melting away. It was actually quite a hazard, given that the others would have to walk around the spreading stain.

But Ryoka seemed only half-interested in the dead Ghoul. She was staring at the dissolving body and frowning.

“What is it?”

Ryoka glanced at Erin and pointed at the acid.

“That makes no sense. Acid doesn’t dissolve things that quickly. If it were that strong, it would have eaten through the glass jar in seconds.”

“Weird, huh? But it makes for a good weapon, don’t you think? I’ve been selling it to the Goblins and making good money, too!”

Ryoka stared at Erin.

“You’ve been selling that to Goblins?”

“Um—”

“But how does it not destroy those jars? Why does this acid only target flesh?”

“Magic?”

Ryoka’s face told Erin quite clearly what she thought of that idea.

“Magic should still make sense. This doesn’t.”

“It’s how they eat.”

Ryoka turned. Pisces was mopping at his forehead. He was sweating. From the effort of casting those spells? He nodded at the nearly dissolved Ghoul and the now-sludgy pool of green.

“The ah, Acid Flies use their acid to render dead flesh into a syrup-like substance as you see before you. They then collect as much of it as possible for nourishment, for themselves and the females.”

“The females?”

“Yes. All of the acid-bearing flies are male. They supply the females with nourishment and scavenge for dead bodies. It was quite ingenious of Miss Solstice to harvest their liquid, although you can see the dangers clearly enough.”

Ryoka stared at the pool of acid. It was easier to stare at the unidentifiable green goop instead of the dead bodies of the Ghouls. She felt queasy, but tried to force it down. They’d won. The Ghouls had been easily dispatched. Almost too easily. But then, Ryoka hadn’t done much. She hadn’t done anything, really.

But next time she’d fight. Once things were serious, she’d play her part.

She was sure of that.

—-

The group travelled on for twenty more minutes before they were attacked. Pisces was just explaining how his patented spine-snapping spell was a product of a more advanced spell of [Necromancers] that he’d repurposed when he looked up and shouted a warning.

Fifteen undead, a mix of zombies and skeletons, surged out of an open doorway and ran towards the others. Again, Ryoka nearly froze as she saw their rotting frames and the burning lights in the eyes of the skeletons.

Pisces cut down several undead, but this time there were too many. Erin delved into her pack and threw something—a rock. Ryoka expected it to miss or not do any damage, but the stone cracked into the head of one of the skeletons, shattering part of the bone and sending the skeleton spinning to the floor.

And then they were on top of the group, clawing, biting, trying to kill Ryoka.

The girl saw Ksmvr lashing out lightning-fast with his swords and Toren charging into the center of the group before a zombie lurched at her. She raised her fists as the mostly-rotted woman approached, rotted teeth gaping as she grabbed at Ryoka’s arm.

Kick it. All of Ryoka’s instincts told her to kick, and she did. Clumsily.

It was no devastating roundhouse kick that hit the rotted woman in the stomach, but a pushing kick, meant to keep the woman away. But even that failed, because when Ryoka’s bare foot struck the woman in the stomach, it tore and caught in the rotted flesh of the woman’s intestines.

The feeling was horrible. Slimy, squishy, and lukewarm. It threw Ryoka off balance, and the undead woman seized her.

Punch her. Knock her away. Throw her to the floor. Ryoka had a thousand options, and she took not one of them. She stared into one ruined eye and felt the putrid breath of the zombie woman on her skin. And she couldn’t fight back.

She froze up. She couldn’t help it. It was a dead body, a dead human come back to life. This was reality. It wasn’t a monster, and this wasn’t a game. This was real.

And it was trying to eat her.

The zombie opened her jaws impossibly wide and bit at Ryoka’s face. Ryoka shouted with horror and hurled her back. A bit of dead flesh fell off the woman’s face and landed on Ryoka’s cheek, near her open mouth. Ryoka flung it away, but then the zombie was over her, reaching for her. The zombie was going to kill her—

A frying pan crashed into the zombie’s face, breaking what remained of the nose with a crunch and sending it sprawling to the floor. Erin bashed the zombie to the ground and hammered it on the head as it lay prone on the floor. When she lifted the frying pan it was slightly deformed and bits of hair and skin were sticking to the side.

“Ew, ew, ew! ”

The girl didn’t take long to complain, though. She whirled and bashed another skeleton down. From her position on the floor, Ryoka saw the skeleton fall and then the lights go out as Erin kicked the skull right off the rest of the body, sending it crashing down the long corridor.

The last zombie fell down, Rag’s sword in his gut and one of Ksmvr’s daggers still cutting through his throat. Erin looked around and sighed in relief. The other undead were gone.

Which left her with adrenaline still pouring through her veins and her frying pan. Erin stared at it. She’d killed three zombies and one skeleton with it. That was good, but now parts of each dead corpse were sticking to the side of the pan.

“Oh god. That’s gross.”

Erin turned green as she shook bits off of her frying pan. She took several deep breaths, trying to get the stench of rot and death out of her nose. She tried not to vomit and looked at Ryoka. The other girl was still staring at the zombie Erin had killed. Her face was white.

“Hey, are you okay? That zombie didn’t bite you or anything, did it?”

Erin held out a hand to Ryoka. The other girl stared at it, and then at her. Ryoka’s eyes travelled to Erin’s pan, and the nameless substance dripping from the side.

“Oh, right. I’ve gotta clean that off. Um. Good thing I’m not using it for cooking, huh?”

The barefoot girl stared at the frying pan, and then at Erin. She ignored the offered hand and stood up slowly. She looked around at the dead bodies, the sliced corpses, and inhaled the scent of death. She looked at Erin. Her face was deathly pale.

“Ryoka? Are you okay?”

That was when Ryoka threw up.

—-

“You know, it’s not like just anyone can go into the ruins and fight undead monsters. You’ve gotta be pretty brave to do that, let alone barefoot.”

“Right.”

“And you were trying to fight with your bare hands. That’s like—double brave, right?”

“Right.”

“And we all think you’re brave, isn’t that right?”

Erin glanced around. Ksmvr and Pisces both nodded obediently.

“Indisputably.”

“That is correct.”

“Besides, you ran through the High Passes by yourself . And you survived giant wolves and evil goats and gargoyles. You’re not a coward. You know that.”

Ryoka sat on the ground, shaking. She knew she should say something. But she couldn’t. Her throat was still too tight.

Erin was trying to comfort her. And her words were actually helping. But they didn’t take away what had happened.

“I froze up. I couldn’t fight back.”

“Hey, it happens to all of us.”

“Did it ever happen to you?”

Erin had to think about that.

“No. But it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Anyone would freeze up if a horrible zombie tried to eat their face.”

Ryoka stared up at Erin, and the innkeeper smiled encouragingly.

“Come on. We’ve got to keep going.”

“Of course.”

Ryoka was on her feet so fast Erin blinked.

“We can’t stop. We’ve got to get there in time. Let’s go.”

She started walking. Erin exchanged glances with the others and hurried after her.

Ryoka slowed to let Erin catch up, and even more so Ksmvr and Toren could move ahead again. After all, she’d proven she couldn’t do much if she got attacked.

Erin sidled up to Ryoka and kept pace as they walked further into the ruins. Ryoka could feel Erin glancing at her.

“You’re uh, that’s a pretty quick recovery, there. You feeling alright?”

“No.”

Ryoka was being honest.

“We could stop if you need more time—”

“We’ve got to get to the Horns of Hammerad. I’ll live. I’m just—I’ll be fine.”

Ryoka smiled bitterly.

“After all, it’s not like you need a coward to fight anyways.”

“Hey.”

Erin grabbed Ryoka by the shoulder.

“You’re not a coward.”

“I couldn’t fight back. I nearly got myself killed.”

“You were fighting with your bare hands—”

“I took martial arts lessons since I was eight. I’m a certified martial artist and I’ve been in fights countless times before this. I’ve seen monsters. But I couldn’t kill that zombie. Why? What’s the difference?”

Ryoka stalked on ahead. Erin thought as she hurried to catch up. After a few minutes, she offered the only answer she could think of.

“I guess it’s because you’re not a killer.”

She saw Ryoka stop in her tracks. The Asian girl stared at Erin, face shadowed in the light of the floating orb hovering next to her face.

“What?”

“It’s just a thought.”

Erin shrugged awkwardly. She couldn’t really explain it that well.

“It’s just—fighting, martial arts? All that stuff’s self-defense, right? And it’s like a sport.”

“So? It’s meant for combat.”

“But not for killing. Right?”

Ryoka hesitated.

“It’s not the first option, but if it comes to that…”

“But it’s never come to that, right? I mean, have you ever killed someone? Ever stabbed someone or broken their neck with a karate chop or anything?”

Ryoka thought back to the Goblin she’d kicked, long ago. She remembered the horrible way his neck had crunched and shuddered.

“Maybe. Once.”

“Well. I uh, I’ve killed a lot of things.”

Ryoka looked at Erin. The shorter girl looked away from her, into the darkness.

“The first thing I killed was a Goblin. A Chieftain, actually. He was huge and evil and he wanted to kill me—I burned his face off with boiling oil.”

It was as if Ryoka had taken a step that was no longer there. She stared at Erin as the other girl continued.

“I killed some other Goblins too, I think. Well, they were stabbing me so I hit them—and I killed some Shield Spiders, and then some undead. It’s not as if I’m an adventurer and go around killing things, y’know. But I had to. And the thing is, everything screams when it dies.”

She looked at Ryoka. There was a hollowness in Erin’s gaze. A cold void.

“Everything. I don’t enjoy it. I hope I never will. But I can kill things. Other monsters, or even people. Not just dead people either. If it came down to it, I could kill someone trying to kill me.”

“I…I see. But I’ve fought people too.”

“But you’ve never killed them.”

“No. No, I haven’t.”

The pieces fell into place. Ryoka got what Erin was trying to tell her.

“I guess that’s why I became a Runner. I don’t have the—”

“Stop.”

Erin pushed at Ryoka, and the other girl stumbled. Ryoka looked back at Erin, and saw the other girl was shaking her head.

“It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing you can’t kill people. Even dead people.”

“But I nearly died. If it comes to it again, I might have to fight. Or kill.”

“And if you have to, you probably will. But I think not killing things is good, don’t you?”

“…Yes.”

After seeing the look in Erin’s eyes, Ryoka had to agree.

—-

“So, you don’t have a class? That’s so weird. ”

Ryoka was getting used to Erin’s wide-eyed looks of surprise. There was something inescapably innocent about Erin’s curiosity. It just drew answers out of Ryoka that she had no intention of giving. That was the problem; it was easy to talk to Erin.

And worse, Ryoka enjoyed it. After the fight with the zombies, the undead presence had vanished for a time. Ksmvr and Toren had run across individuals and small groups which they dispatched without bothering to inform the others of, which left time for talking.

And suddenly, talking was something Ryoka wanted to do more and more with Erin. She had depths. Not like an onion or a cake or parfait or something stupid like that. She had depths like a puddle you stepped into which turned out to be as deep as an ocean.

But she was still refreshingly shallow in areas like this.

“It’s a uh, it’s a choice I made. I know it seems stupid given this world—”

“Oh, what? No. No, I don’t think so. I’m not judging. You do you, and all that. I was just wondering how you did things without skills.”

Ryoka was beginning to wonder that herself. But she had a theory, and she’d come too far to abandon it just yet. Maybe…but she changed the subject to keep the conversation light.

“You’re um, good at fighting.”

“You think so?”

Ryoka knew so. She’d seen Erin fighting with her frying pan, and despite the other girl’s lack of any kind of martial training, she was wickedly dangerous. And strong. Ryoka knew that was probably because of a Skill, but it amazed her even so.

“Why are you using frying pans, though? And what’s with all the rocks?”

“It’s all part of my master plan.”

Erin grinned at Ryoka as she brandished her new frying pan. She’d abandoned the old one a while back, claiming it stank too much.

“See, I’ve got this [Bar Fighting] skill, right? It only works when I use objects I could find in a bar, or in this case, a kitchen. If I pick up a sword I don’t move nearly as well and it’s harder to hit things. So I thought a frying pan would be perfect!”

“And the rocks?”

“I’ve got [Unerring Aim] and [Lesser Strength]. I can toss those things hard enough to kill some zombies.”

“That’s…actually impressive.”

Ryoka had to admit it.

“Yeah, well, I thought if you have the skills, why not use them, y’know?”

“It’s creative. I think that’s more the point.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, let’s assume this is a gaming world.”

Ryoka paused, and looked behind her. Pisces stared at her, and Rags yawned and looked around, clearly bored. She knew she shouldn’t be saying anything, but Pisces had heard most of their conversation. And Erin trusted him, and he’d fixed her leg. And there were others in this world anyways, so it wasn’t a big a secret as before. Maybe…

He’d probably already guessed something was up if he had half a brain, anyways. Ryoka turned back to Erin.

“Well, I’m no expert. I never played board games when I was younger.”

“Me neither. I mean, I tried D&D once or twice, but I like chess more.”

Another surprise. Where did they come from? Ryoka liked chess. Maybe she could play Erin a few games. Hopefully Erin wasn’t a sore loser.

“What I’m trying to say is that creativity always seems to be a hallmark of those kind of games. You can’t do the same thing in video games, but instead of fighting your way through a dungeon, why not collapse the foundations? Or—or if you’re fighting an angry Minotaur, why not teleport him into molten lava or something?”

“Because that’d be really mean? I get it, though. You’re saying it’s possible to mess with the system, right?”

“Or at least take advantage of certain features. Assuming you want to follow the system, that is.”

Ryoka frowned to herself but stopped when she saw Erin looking.

“So like what did you have in mind?”

“Nothing in particular. But you know a lot of things from our world. It’s possible you could incorporate that into your inn, somehow.”

“Like how?”

“I don’t know.”

Ryoka had never put her mind to it. And now, trawling through dusty corridors below the earth wasn’t a good time to think of new ideas. She suddenly looked at Pisces, struck by a thought.

“Well, how about him?”

Pisces looked startled.

“Me?”

Erin frowned.

“What about him?”

“Pisces is a [Necromancer], right? He made that skeleton.”

“Toren.”

“Exactly. But have you ever made an undead that isn’t human? Or humanoid?”

Pisces frowned at Ryoka.

“I fail to see what you’re asking. I have raised many forms of zombies, ghouls, skeletons…”

“But never anything else?”

“Such as what?”

“A zombie bear, perhaps.”

“A zombie bear? ”

Erin stared at Ryoka in horror. Ryoka shrugged.

“It would be far more powerful than a human zombie, I’m certain. Or if not a bear, what about a spider? Have you ever tried reanimating things without bones? How about undead mice? Could you turn them into spies? Or—undead birds? Can they fly?”

Pisces sniffed and drew his robes around himself defensively.

“You ask these things as if it were a simple matter. Nothing is further from the case, I assure you.”

“Oh yeah?”

Erin raised one eyebrow skeptically at Pisces.

“What’s so hard about reanimating a bear? It’s got bones.”

“Ah, but the alignment is completely different. The skeletal structure of a bear throws off every spell, making specialization in such a creature far too complex to be worth the effort.”

Erin looked blank, but Ryoka thought she understood what Pisces was saying. The mage adopted a lecturing tone and his customary sneer as he explained.

“Necromancer spells aren’t simply a matter of reanimating dead matter with a bit of magical power. If it were that simple anyone could become a [Necromancer]. No, it requires an intricate knowledge of the way each body works to get spells animating dead flesh to move right, let alone restore what was lost.”

“Yeah, but can’t you just read a book on how to do it? Someone must have made legions of undead bears at some point, right?”

Pisces shrugged.

“Even if they had, where would I read such a tome? Necromancy might not be outlawed in every nation, but it is frowned upon almost universally. Even Wistram had few books on the subject, and what spells I did uncover were standardized incantations for humanoids only.”

“Oh, so no one likes being a necromancer? That’s sad.”

Pisces sniffed.

“Yes, well, it is a rare form of magic. There were no teachers at Wistram I could study under. I had hoped to find one accomplished practitioner, but he had long departed and his findings were equally non-existent. And the only other authorities on the subjects tend to be crazed madmen or cults who practice inferior quality mass-summoning…”

He realized he was losing his audience. Pisces sighed.

“Suffice it to say, proper reanimation requires several factors. Necromancers use dead bodies because bones are ideal vessels for storing magical energy and spell bindings, whereas mere chitin decays too rapidly to sustain a long-form spell.”

Erin and Rags looked blank.

“What?”

Ryoka translated.

“He’s saying that he needs bones to properly animate a corpse. Spiders and other creatures without bones wouldn’t last very long since there’s nowhere to anchor the spell.”

“Oh.”

Pisces lost a bit of his swagger as he stared at Ryoka.

“That was…quite well said. I see you have some knowledge of the transmundane yourself Miss Griffin.”

“I’m no mage. But I understand bullshit quite well.”

Erin laughed as Pisces turned red.

—-

“So…you’re a Runner, huh?”

Ryoka nodded. She and Erin were alone again. Pisces had retreated with Rags to the rear, and they were still talking. It felt good to talk, and besides, the undead had been amazingly scarce. Suspiciously so.

“What did you do back home? I mean, did you have a job or anything?”

“I, uh, didn’t need to. My parents were pretty rich. I was going to be a Freshman in college when I disappeared.”

“Oh, really? I thought you would have already been a student. I mean, I’m twenty, but I took a gap year because I wanted to play chess and earn money for tuition. What about you?”

Ryoka cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I uh, took a gap year as well.”

Several, in point of fact.

“I suppose I just needed a break from High School.”

“That’s cool. I totally get that.”

“And you’re…an [Innkeeper]. How did that happen?”

Erin shrugged.

“I don’t know. I just wanted to find a place to be safe, you know? And I found the inn and it was really dusty.”

“Dusty?”

“Yeah, really dusty. So I tidied it up a bit and by the time I woke up I was an [Innkeeper].”

“Huh.”

“What about you? Why’d you decide not to get a class? I imagine you would have gotten one, what with running around all the time and all.”

“Yeah. I had the opportunity, but I refused. I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

Erin looked at Ryoka curiously.

“Why not?”

The other girl shrugged.

“This system – leveling, and gaining Skills seems too much like a game.”

“Yeah, it does. But why not play the game? I mean, without my class I would have died several times over. So what’s wrong with playing?”

“If we’re in a game, then there are rules. And someone who made the game. The question is: who? And what’s the way to win?”

“Not die, I guess.”

“Maybe.”

They found a long passage that seemed to slope downwards forever. Ryoka stared into the darkness and looked at Ksmvr.

“Is this the way down to the second floor?”

“It appears so.”

“That’s where all the adventurers never came back from, right?”

Erin shuddered as she stared down into the pitch blackness.

“And where that thing came from.”

Ryoka had never seen the thing Erin and the others spoke of, but she got the vibe from the way the others shifted. But still.

She looked at Pisces.

“You’re sure the message said to go down there?”

He nodded.

“I was told they were hiding on the second floor. More than that I can’t say. I’ve cast the same spell to ask for more details, but Ceria must be out of mana. Or…”

He didn’t say the rest. Ryoka nodded.

“We’ve got to go down there.”

Erin nodded, but she still peered into the darkness uncertainly.

“What if there’s a second one?”

“We run.”

“Oh. Good plan.”

It was probably the only plan that would work, too. Erin had no desire to fight that skin worm a second time, and without an army of Antinium to back her up, she wasn’t going to try.

Although now that Erin thought about it, Ryoka was definitely the fastest out of all of them. It was probably a good plan for her, but Erin really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She’d never liked gym class.

They descended into the darkness, one by one. And found….

Nothing.

—-

Nothing. Not a zombie, not a skeleton, and not even a severed Ghoul hand. The group of six walked through the empty second floor of the Ruins, alert for any movement and finding none.

They came to an empty chamber and saw where the Horns of Hammerad and other adventurers had stopped for a rest. Erin looked around at the few dead bodies that hadn’t gotten back up and sighed sadly when she found Hunt lying still in a corner.

“Poor guy. He was just lying here with the others. I guess he must have been wounded or something.”

Ryoka stared at Hunt. She thought she recognized him, but his face was badly decayed. She shook her head.

“Whatever got these adventurers must have gone through quick if they couldn’t move their wounded.”

“No.”

As Ryoka looked at her, Erin explained.

“It was the monster. The skin monster. He—projected fear. So much that you couldn’t even move when he looked at you. Even if the adventurers were ready, I don’t think they could have countered that.”

Ryoka’s stomach twisted as she looked at the dead adventurers, butchered where they lay.

“But this is only a few of them. Where are the rest?”

They found out soon enough.

—-

“Oh god.”

Erin stared down the corridor where Skinner had first appeared and wondered if she was going to throw up this time. It was a horrible sight. Ryoka had thrown up again, and even Rags and Pisces weren’t looking too happy.

The place where the Horns of Hammerad had fought their last and the open doors where Skinner had first emerged was still a scene of blood and death. Dried blood and rotted flesh, but carnage it remained. Erin walked down the corridor, trying to skirt the worst of the bloodbath.

The bodies stank of rot. Erin felt her stomach heaving even from this far away, and she was only glad that they were too far down for insects to have begun eating the bodies. Or rather, what remained of the bodies.

Skinner had passed down this corridor, and he had not left much in the way of identifiable features or even features for that matter.

Ksmvr beckoned Erin at the end of the corridor. He and Toren were unmoved by the death and he pointed to a set of huge, double doors at the far end of the corridor. The blood and guts were particularly bad over there.

“This must be where it came from. Look at those doors.”

Erin looked. They were massive stone doors that had been opened wide to let someone, or some thing out. She could tell that was where the skin creature had come from. Not just because of all the carnage, but because of the doors themselves. They had carved rune-things decorating the fronts, and more than that, they looked like the door to the final boss’s room.

Ryoka stopped heaving long enough to move closer to the doors. She stared down at a bent and broken piece of metal. Sharp teeth stared up at her around bits of white skin.

“Looks like the remains of some kind of trap. Didn’t work if that’s what it was.”

Erin stared at the ground. It was just…bones and muscle and organs. No skin, no way of knowing who had been here. She remembered all the adventurers who’d been in her inn that night. Some of them could be here. She could be staring at them, and she’d never know.

Her heart hurt. But then Erin saw something glinting in the light from the mage’s sphere. She bent to pick it up.

“Oh wow. A crossbow!”

Rags looked around as Erin dragged the heavy, black thing out from where it lay. It was one of the few objects not drenched in gore. She lifted it, marveling at the weight and sleekness of it, and then her face fell.

“Broken.”

Ryoka walked over to look at the crossbow. It had been a magnificent weapon, once. But something had shattered the wooden base and it was so much string and metal, now.

“Too bad. That thing might have been useful. I could have used it.”

“Yeah, but it’s no good now.”

The Goblin’s eyes followed the mangled weapon as Erin tossed it back down on the ground. She darted over as Erin and Ryoka inspected the vault from where Skinner had come from.

“Now this is a treasure room. Isn’t it?”

“It looks like it.”

It was hard for either girl to be certain. On one hand, the room Skinner had come from looked like it fit the bill. It was large, cavernous, and filled with stone racks holding objects and crates. But the problem was that none of the things in the room looked particularly important.

“What’s this?”

Erin pointed to an urn. It was nice to look at, carved deeply and enameled with some pretty green stone that sparkled in the light. Ryoka peered at it and shrugged.

“Some kind of vase. Possibly ceremonial.”

“And this?”

“An amulet.”

“It’s made of stone!”

“Well, it’s probably valuable culturally.”

“But not, you know, magically?”

“…Probably not.”

Pisces looked up distractedly as he pawed through rows of goods on the stone shelves. He glared at Ryoka and Erin as if this were somehow their fault.

“ None of this stuff is magical! It’s all—mundane! This isn’t a treasury. It’s a storeroom of antiquities and keepsakes!”

“Really? But this looks like a valuable spot. Where’d all the important stuff go?”

The mage sucked in his cheeks angrily.

“I don’t know. But numerous magical artifacts were here, I can tell you that! I can sense their auras, but they’re gone.”

“Darn.”

Erin sighed. But this wasn’t why they’d come here, was it?

“Well, the Horns of Hammerad aren’t here. Or if they are…”

Ryoka shook her head.

“They’re not here. I’m sure of it. Pisces, that spell you got. Did it say…?”

He made a face.

“No. It was very faint. It just said ‘Ruins. Second floor. Inside. I don’t think Ceria had enough mana for any more than that.”

“Damn.”

Erin turned to the others. Toren had found himself a new sword, and Rags was busy lugging the broken black crossbow around. It was nearly as large as she was and Erin was sure she’d never get it back to the surface. Pisces stomped out of the treasure vault and Ksmvr waited patiently as he watched back the way they’d come. Erin looked at Ryoka.

“Where to? The other direction?”

Ryoka nodded.

“It’s the only place they could be. Let’s hurry.”

—-

The giant room full of tombs was the last place they came to. Ryoka’s feet were hurting from the cold tiles, and she had layers of…death coating the bottom of them. She didn’t want to think about that.

Her feet were hurting anyways from all the searching. They’d been to every room, checked everywhere for signs of life. But they’d found nothing. And this, the last room in the Ruins was no more promising than the rest.

After a quick run through the cavernous room, Ryoka could see there was no one hiding in the room. The stone coffins were the only things in the room, and most of them had been opened to let their occupants out.

She jogged back to where Erin and the others were waiting and shook her head.

“Nothing.”

Erin’s face fell.

“You’re sure?”

“They’d have to be the size of that Goblin to hide in here, and they would have heard me moving around. They’re…not here.”

It hurt Ryoka to say. But they’d checked everywhere and this was it. She shook her head. She didn’t feel sad. She just felt empty. Hollow. They’d come all the way down here, for what?

Surprisingly, it was Pisces who resisted Ryoka’s statement the most. He shook his head vehemently and snapped at her.

“I don’t believe it. Ceria is down here, somewhere on this level. We simply must have missed her. We have to go back and check!”

Ryoka glared at him. She was tired and exhausted and knew he must be too. But she tried to be the voice of reason.

“We’ve checked everywhere. If they were hiding, why didn’t they come out when they saw us? And if we linger down here, more undead might come.”

“I don’t sense any. I barely sense anything in this area.”

“You said there were hundreds of undead in the Ruins.”

“Well, they’re not here. And I refuse to leave without finding Ceria!”

“But where could they be?”

This was the loudest conversation the group had had so far, and their voice echoed through the vast room, quickly swallowed up by the vastness. Erin pushed between Pisces and Ryoka as the two glared at each other.

“Okay, okay, let’s think. We can’t give up just yet, but Ryoka is right, Pisces. If we don’t find them soon…”

He turned away from her.

“Ceria is alive. She wouldn’t have cast the spell, otherwise.”

“But you can’t contact her again, can you?”

“No. But there are a hundred reasons why she might not be able to reply. Imminent danger perhaps, or simply…starvation. Without food or rest, her body would not be able to recharge her mana.”

“Right, I get that. But then where would she be? How could she hide from all the undead and that skin thing? Does she know [Invisibility] like you do?”

Pisces shook his head.

“No. She never learned…she is alive Erin, I swear it. We must find her.”

“I know, I know. But if we don’t find her soon…”

Ryoka turned away as Erin talked with Pisces. She felt like kicking something, or screaming, but she was afraid to make noise and attract attention. Even if Pisces said the Ruins were empty, it was disconcertingly quiet.

She looked around. Besides the three humans, the other three members of their group seemed less interested in the fate of the Horns of Hammerad and more in getting out sooner rather than later. Rags was squatting in a corner of the room, staring intently at the splinted crossbow she was still dragging around. Ryoka was surprised she’d still hung onto it, but the Goblin was tenacious.

Ksmvr glanced hopefully at Erin every now and then. He was guarding the entrance to the tomb room, alert for any undead. He was probably just hoping they’d call it quits so he could stop protecting Erin.

And Toren? Toren was peering at one of the stone coffins. Inspecting it as a possible resting place, perhaps. Ryoka shook her head. This was pointless. She’d had such hopes, but the Horns of Hammerad…maybe it had just been a fluke.

Or maybe they were too late. Pisces had gotten the message nearly a day ago, now. Maybe it had been too late even when he’d gotten it. Perhaps the magic had taken too long to get to him. Maybe Ceria had died waiting for them while they were still arguing with Zevara.

It hurt Ryoka, but she had to face facts. Her friends had been good adventurers, but not miracle workers. It had been likely that they all died, and it was only her foolish hope that had convinced her they had survived where everyone else had not. After all, not even the Horns of Hammerad could cheat death—

Ryoka’s eye fell on Toren again. The skeleton was peering inside of one of the coffins. And then it clicked.

“Wait a second.”

Erin and Pisces broke off as Ryoka turned to them.

“What is it?”

“I think I know where the Horns of Hammerad might be. They’re still hiding down here.”

“Where?”

Pisces was suspicious. He glared at Ryoka.

“We searched everywhere. If you’re suggesting they made it out somehow—”

“No, they’re still here.”

Ryoka began looking around the room as she spoke. She was looking. Most of the coffins were open, but a few had been closed. A few.

“What if…they were hiding somewhere no undead could get at them? Somewhere they’d never go back to?”

Erin and Pisces stared in the direction Ryoka was looking, and then at Toren. Erin’s eyes widened.

“Inside the coffins?”

“It’s possible. If they left some room for air—”

“Let’s check. Rags! Ksmvr! Toren!”

Erin called out as Ryoka and Pisces ran towards the coffins. There weren’t many in the room that were still closed. But there were hundreds of stone resting places. Ryoka ran from stone lid to stone lid. She heaved at each one, shifting it just a bit so she could see inside. Dead bodies, rotted remains, bits of cloth…

Nothing.

She heard the others doing the same. Ryoka tried another coffin and stopped. This was stupid. If the Horns of Hammerad were there, why wouldn’t they hear her and the others? Why hadn’t they come out yet?

“Ceria? Calruz! Gerial! Sostrom! If you’re here, answer me!”

Ryoka shouted it into the empty room. Her voice echoed loudly as the others continued moving lids. Ryoka closed her eyes and listened. Nothing. Of course. It had just been a foolish idea. No one could ever—

“…?”

She froze. It was the faintest of sounds, at the edge of hearing. She looked around.

“Ceria?”

“…r…a…?”

There. There it was again. She hadn’t imagined it. Ryoka ran in the direction of the sound. She crashed into a stone coffin and froze, ignoring the pain in her shin.

“Ryoka…?”

That one. Ryoka charged towards the coffin, vaulting an empty one. She ducked her head down. It was faint but… yes! There was a tiny sliver of darkness, enough for sound to come out of. And a voice. It was one Ryoka recognized.

“Ryoka?”

“ Ceria! ”

Ryoka shouted the word, and Erin and Pisces whipped round. Ryoka heaved at the stone lid, pushing it as hard as she could. It was heavy, but then Erin joined her, and then Pisces. They shoved the lid to the ground where it cracked against the stone. And there, inside the coffin was someone they recognized.

Ceria Springwalker smiled weakly up at Ryoka, blinking hard in the light from Pisces and Ryoka’s orbs of light. Her face was pale and she looked gaunt, skeletal from starvation. But she was there. Alive.

“Ceria!”

Pisces reached for her, but Ryoka got there first. With Erin’s help they pulled Ceria out of the stone coffin. She was impossibly light, even more so than Ryoka remembered. She slumped to the ground, and Erin had to lift her to keep her upright.

“Ceria. We found you.”

“You did. You did.”

Ceria’s voice was a murmur and a whisper. She coughed, and suddenly everyone was fumbling for a water flask. She accepted a gulp of water from Pisces’ flask and coughed most of it up. Ryoka tried to steady her.

“You…got my message. I’m glad. I was afraid I’d be trapped in there forever. I couldn’t move the lid…”

“Is there anyone else with you? Any of the other Horns of Hammerad?”

Ryoka looked around. There were other coffins nearby, also closed. But Ceria just sighed. She looked at Ryoka, and shook her head.

Part of the world went still. A little less remained in it for Ryoka. Ceria shook her head, eyes shining with unshed tears.

“No, no. They’re all—all gone, Ryoka.”

She sighed, a ghostly puppet held up only by Erin’s hands. Even now, starved and half-dead, Ceria still looked like a creature caught between immortality and life. Especially now.

“It’s just me. What’s left of me.”

Then Ceria raised her hand, and Ryoka saw with a jolt that her right hand was gone . All the skin down past her wrist had died, and what was left was just white bone and sloughed off flesh. The parts that did connect to the half-elf’s healthy arm were blackened, almost like frostbite.

Ryoka stared at Ceria’s ruined hand. Words failed her.

“I—I don’t—Ceria.”

“It’s the price I paid to live. They’re all dead, Ryoka. All but me.”

Ceria whispered the words. Her head was lolling and Ryoka realized she was on the brink of unconsciousness. The half-elf muttered the words.

“It’s just me.”

“And me!”

Stone shifted . Ryoka and Erin whirled around and saw Toren and Rags pushing another lid away. A very thin, very dusty Drake sat up and smiled at them. He had light blue scales, and he staggered as he half-slid, half-fell out of the coffin.

Erin stared at the Drake, mouth working. She finally found her mouth.

“Olesm? You’re here too?”

“That’s right!”

He grinned weakly at her as Rags and Toren propped him up. Erin stared at Ryoka and then slapped her head as Pisces and Ceria looked at her.

“Oh. Right! I totally forgot! ”

2.04

Ryoka closed her eyes and knew she was happy. It was such a rare feeling she savored it.

Happy.

Ceria was alive. One of them was alive. That the others were not—

She could focus on that later. But one person remained. They weren’t all dead.

She was saved.

It was just a moment. And then Ryoka blinked away her watery eyes and got to work.

The catacombs were still dark, and they were still in danger. Ceria slumped as Erin held her, and Olesm was leaning all of his weight against a coffin. The air was foul and smelled like crap in a literal sense. It was also dusty, and Ryoka felt an overpowering sense of claustrophobia after being down here so long.

“We need to get you out of here.”

“We need to feed them first.”

Ryoka frowned at Erin.

“With what? I didn’t bring much. I’ve got some dry rations in my pack, but we’re in the middle of the ruins.”

“So?”

“Is now really the time to eat?”

“There’s always time for a meal. Besides—”

Erin nodded at Ceria. Ryoka looked at her shrunken frame.

“Ah.”

But Ceria was shaking her head. She tried to stand upright, her eyes determined.

“If there’s danger I can make it to the surface. The other undead—”

“Haven’t seen them. Here, sit.”

Erin guided Ceria to another closed coffin and gently helped the half-elf onto the stone bench. Ryoka hesitated, but Erin was already unslinging her pack.

“We should set a watch.”

“I will be vigilant.”

Ksmvr nodded to the others and he moved towards the door. Toren stood with his sword drawn, looking around the room.

Erin was busy pulling out flat, squished objects from her pack. They’d been lying underneath her supply of rocks and other equipment. Ryoka stared as Erin began to unwrap them.

“You made sandwiches?”

“I thought we’d be down here for a long time. I’ve got soup, too!”

“ Soup? ”

“It’s food. Why? Do you not like soup?”

Ryoka opened her mouth and closed it. She waved away the proffered water flask filled with soup. And nodded at Olesm and Ceria. The two were sitting down, swaying slightly and blinking around. They seemed dazed, which made sense.

“Four days. Or maybe three. And they were in the coffins the entire time?”

Erin shuddered as she assembled her meal. There was a terrible stink in the air, but both she and Ryoka were hungry enough not to care. She looked over at the Drake and half-elf and shook her head.

“I go crazy if I have to sit on a plane for more than an hour. How’d they do it?”

Ryoka paused.

“You can go through a lot in order to survive. Here, give me the soup.”

“Oh, you changed your mind?”

Erin smiled and handed Ryoka the soup flask again.

“It’s good stuff! Beef broth and chopped up veggies so you can drink it.”

It was the soup Ryoka gave to Olesm and Ceria, with instructions to only have a small amount at first. When Erin and Pisces protested, Ryoka overrode them.

“Remember the people rescued from concentration camps? A lot of them died from overeating when soldiers gave them candy bars and too much food.”

Pisces looked blankly at Ryoka, but Erin understood.

“You can die from overeating?”

“Something like that. Your system goes into shock. It can’t process the food so suddenly.”

“What?”

“Ryoka says that the food is too rich for their stomachs. They’ll get sick and die.”

“I see.”

Pisces looked at Ryoka for a second, and then took one of the squashed sandwiches and bit into it. He made a face.

“Tomatoes.”

“If you don’t like it, don’t eat it!”

Erin scowled at him while she handed Ryoka another sandwich and Rags one more. Ryoka’s sandwich turned out to have fried fish in it. She found she was suddenly ravenous and devoured her meal and another sandwich in seconds.

While Pisces and Rags were devouring their food and Ksmvr was nibbling at another flatwich as Erin insisted on calling them, the innkeeper went over to Olesm and Ceria. They were sharing some of the soup Ryoka had given them, but they didn’t seem to have much of an appetite.

“I feel full. Should I be feeling full after only a few sips?”

Ceria smiled weakly at Erin as the girl approached. Erin’s eyes were drawn to Ceria’s skeletal hand, but she looked back up at her friend’s face and forced a smile. She also ignored the terrible stench that was coming from Ceria.

“That’s what Ryoka says. Your stomach hasn’t had anything to eat, so it shrunk down. You won’t be able to handle much food for a while.”

“Oh, good. It’s so hard to stay thin, the way I eat.”

Erin smiled at Ceria’s joke. Her eyes moved to Olesm. The Drake was very pale. His light blue scales had turned even lighter, and dead scales flaked off every time he moved. He smelled even worse than Ceria did.

“Olesm?”

She reached out towards him, but the Drake flinched away. Concerned, Erin looked at him.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Erin. Really. It’s just—”

Olesm looked at Ceria for help. The half-elf shrugged.

“Um, we might need some water if you have it. And some clean cloths?”

“I can get that. But why…?”

For the first time, Erin studied Olesm. He looked just as desiccated as Ceria, but he was also doing his best to stay as far away from her on the coffin’s seat as possible. He’d been wearing leather armor, but something had torn it mostly to shreds. Parts of his scales were scratched, but not badly.

But his clothes did seem rumbled, and the area around his leggings were…brown…

Olesm caught Erin’s eye and turned pink. Ceria coughed into her good hand. Erin noticed that she was crossing her legs, too.

“We could use something to clean ourselves with. Rather urgently.”

Erin backed away from them. The smell searing her nose suddenly intensified now that she was aware of its origin.

“Oh. Oh . I’ll uh, I’ll—”

She half-dashed to her rucksack, where Ryoka was eating her third sandwich. The other girl had saved Erin some soup and a squashed sandwich from Rags and Pisces, but Erin ignored that.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Um, don’t go over there just yet.”

“Why?”

Ryoka always wanted an answer, especially if the reason was ‘because I said so’. Erin paused for a second and tried to say what she meant without Pisces figuring it out. Rags had clearly already made the connection because she was sitting several meters away.

“Um, you know how you were talking about survival and all that? Well, just imagine the coffins as one big…diaper.”

Ryoka’s face went blank for a fraction of a second, and then her eyes widened.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Do they need water? I’ve got a flask and some bandages that might—”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! I packed all of the essentials!”

One of those essential items was one of Ryoka’s water flasks and a clean bit of cloth from Erin’s pack. Ceria explained as she used one of the stone coffin lids as a privacy screen. Not that there was much need to hide; only Pisces and Olesm had to look away. Ksmvr was clearly indifferent.

“The first few days I cleaned up after myself with spells. It was a waste of mana. But I thought the undead might smell. After that…well, you don’t have much of a problem when there’s nothing to eat.”

It was an aspect of living in a stone coffin neither Erin nor Ryoka had wanted to ponder or wished to dwell long on. At least Ceria didn’t smell too bad. Olesm on the other hand—

“I had the same problem. And I don’t have magic, okay?”

Everyone stayed clear of him until Olesm had finished thoroughly washing himself down. Pisces even provided magical assistance. At a distance.

Olesm grumbled as a fine spray of water misted him. He twisted his head to glare at Pisces as the mage studiously looked away.

“Can’t you give me more water? All you’re doing is making everything wet. ”

Pisces sniffed, which turned out to be a mistake.

“I’m no [Hydromancer], and I specialize in ice magic. Besides, the air is dry around here. This is the best you’re going to get.”

Erin stared at Ceria as the half-elf finished scrubbing herself. She made to hand the cloth back to Erin, looked at it, and then tossed it back in one of the coffins. Erin offered her another clean roll of linen – Ryoka’s emergency bandages, and Ceria finished wiping with that.

“How’d you survive so long without water? Or did you have supplies?”

“Olesm did. A few of the dried rations, but we lost our packs during the—the attack.”

Ceria coughed and took another small sip of what was left in the flask after her impromptu bath.

“But we didn’t have any water. I burned up all the mana I had left creating ice for us to suck on.”

She shook her head.

“Another day or two and we’d be dead. We couldn’t even move the lids from the inside anymore. I really thought this was it. When I heard your voices and realized you couldn’t hear me—”

“It was Ryoka who figured out where you were hiding.”

Erin pointed to Ryoka. The barefoot girl was alternately avoiding stepping in any of the runoff generated by Olesm and Ceria’s baths and staring none-too-covertly at Olesm’s private…parts. Ceria smiled.

“Ryoka. And you met her? The world’s full of surprises. Or maybe it’s fate.”

She laughed, coughed, and grimaced weakly. Erin sprang forwards to help her, but Ceria waved her away. Her skeletal hand—

Erin saw that Ceria saw that she was looking and turned away. Ceria shrugged, and the two were silent. In the end, Erin spoke again.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Really glad.”

Erin had said that before several times, but this time Ceria seemed recovered enough to respond. She smiled at Erin.

“I am, too. But I never would have imagined the group that came to get me.”

“Yeah, it’s sort of weird, huh?”

Ceria raised an eyebrow.

“To put it lightly. I recognize the little Goblin and Pisces, but that Antinium…that’s not Pawn, is it? They all look the same. Did he regrow his limbs or something?”

“No. That’s um, Ksmvr.”

The Prognugator looked up at the sound of his name. When he saw the two were looking at him, he turned away. Ceria shook her head.

“Huh. You’ve got a lot to explain to me, I can tell.”

“And me.”

Olesm rejoined the group at last. He smelled a lot better than he had, but he still exuded a personal bubble no one was willing to breach. He bowed at Erin clumsily, nearly falling over as he did.

“Miss Solstice, I am in your debt again. What you’ve done for me and Ceria—I can never repay. I joined this expedition to change myself, but in the end…”

Olesm stopped and shook his head. He wiped at his eyes.

“I’m just lucky to be alive. I won’t forget this, I promise you.”

Then he looked up and hesitated.

“I’m grateful, I really am. But why didn’t anyone send the Watch in after us? I mean, I understand they were nervous, but I have friends! Didn’t they want to save me?”

Erin exchanged a glance with Ryoka, although she got more of the glance. She turned red and fidgeted.

“Um, well, we spoke to Zevara, but she didn’t want to send anyone to help us. She said she didn’t want to risk sending anyone on a wild goose chase.”

Olesm looked shocked. His tail thrashed the ground in agitation.

“Zevara? But she knows me! I’m sure she would have sent someone—she’d at least have hired a mage to cast [Detect Life] or something!”

“Well, I’m sure she would have…if…she knew you were alive.”

“ What? Didn’t you tell her I was with the others?”

Erin avoided Olesm’s gaze.

“I, um, forgot you were with the Horns of Hammerad. I don’t think anyone else in the city knew you were going, either.”

Olesm wilted.

“I…see.”

“I’m so sorry , Olesm! It’s just with the attack on the city and the bad news and the giant skin creature—”

“The undead!”

Both Olesm and Ceria broke out of their happy reverie in horror. Ceria unconsciously grabbed for Ryoka’s arm with her skeletal hand and stopped.

“What happened? Did anyone make it out? Rot, we should have asked earlier. But if you’re here, the undead—”

Ryoka tried to reassure Ceria without looking at her maimed hand.

“Don’t worry. They’re not out there anymore.”

“But what happened?”

That was a question Ryoka couldn’t answer, but the others could. Erin broke in, talking excitedly.

“It was crazy! A bunch of undead came out of the Ruins and started attacking the city! I was in my inn so I didn’t see everything, but Krshia says they got into the city before the north gates got closed. The entire city was fighting in the streets!”

Olesm groaned aloud. He grabbed at Erin.

“How many died? How many…?”

“ Skinner .”

Ceria interrupted Olesm. She looked sharply at Erin.

“Did he come out? Is he still out there?”

“Who?”

“The monster—”

Ceria’s skeletal fingers twitched . Ryoka stared in horror at them, but only Rags noticed. The Goblin edged away from Ceria as she tried to explain.

“It was what was leading the undead. A horror made of skin. He guards this crypt. He killed the others. Did it get out? Is he still alive?”

Ryoka had no idea who or what Skinner was, but the others did. Erin’s smile faded. Pisces glanced around the ruins and shook his head.

“Skinner? Yeah, I saw it. He’s dead.”

“You’re sure?”

“Very sure.”

Ceria and Olesm both sighed in relief. But then Ceria looked up.

“How? That thing had some kind of magical ability. It projected fear .”

“I know. I felt it.”

Something. Ryoka glanced at Erin. She had that unsettlingly vacant look on her face again, that expressionless glimpse into something far away. Pisces and Rags were looking at her too. Just what…?

“He attacked my inn. Him and a bunch of undead. They tried to kill me, but all of the Workers—the Antinium I played chess with—they came to help. And all the Workers fought and—”

Erin broke off. Ceria and Olesm were staring at her, but no harder than Ryoka. Workers? Antinium? Chess? She’d fought the thing that killed—

“And he died. Rags killed him. Her and the other Goblins, I mean. He was this large worm underneath all the skin and we—he died. The Goblins ate part of him and then burned the rest.”

Ryoka had run through the High Passes and lived. She’d done something no Runner in the area had done in years. She was the fastest Runner in perhaps a hundred miles. Maybe that made Ryoka special, but Erin was different altogether.

Erin had fought monsters.

And though it was silly to look at the young woman and imagine her fighting some kind of flesh monster that even Calruz and the others couldn’t defeat, part of Ryoka had no doubt that she’d done it. With help, yes. With luck and chance, perhaps. But she’d done it.

Ceria stared at Erin for a second. Olesm was open-mouthed, eyes bulging. But Ceria was just quiet. She met Erin’s eyes.

“You killed it. You.”

Erin shrugged uncomfortably. She pointed at the Goblin sitting behind her.

“Rags did.”

Pisces choked on one of the sandwiches and coughed as he stared at Rags. The Goblin scratched at one ear and looked around defiantly.

“A Goblin and an [Innkeeper].”

“Lots of Goblins, Workers, and Klbkch and some Soldiers too.”

Ceria shook her head.

“Ha. Course. It’s just—”

She began to giggle, and then to laugh. Ryoka blinked. Ceria started laughing hysterically. Erin reached out and steadied Ceria as the half-Elf laughed until she choked and began to cry.

“I’m—I’m sorry. It’s just…”

She laughed again, a short barking exclamation. Ceria stared wide-eyed ahead, face caught in a taut grin.

“I know. He nearly killed me. And he killed almost all of my friends. And a lot of the City Watch.”

Erin held Ceria as the mage began to shake again. Ryoka felt helpless. She wasn’t the type of person to reach out and comfort someone. But she wished she was.

“He’s dead.”

“Thank you.”

Ceria said it quietly as her tears leaked into Erin’s shirt. She looked at Ryoka.

“Thank you so much.”

Ryoka shook her head.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You came for us. Thank you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Olesm bowed his head at Ryoka. She nodded back, feeling like a worthless piece of trash. She hadn’t done anything. In a very real way, she was even more of an outsider to this moment than Ksmvr and Toren, who were watching silently as they stood guard. They’d fought the undead and this Skinner. All she’d done was get here too late.

“Ahem.”

Pisces cleared his throat noisily. When Ceria looked at him, he flashed her a condescending smile.

“I believe part of that thanks belongs to me. I did receive your message, after all. Without my urging, we would never have gone looking for you. I also eliminated quite a swath of the undead during the battle.”

Erin and Ryoka both frowned at Pisces. Erin opened her mouth to scold him, but Ceria nudged her very gently.

Ceria turned to Pisces and bowed her head deeply.

“Thank you, Master Mage.”

She said it without a trace of irony or sarcasm. Pisces blushed and looked away.

“Yes, well. We Wistram students must stick together, mustn’t we?”

“If we’d brought you along in the expedition…”

Ceria shook her head. Ryoka wanted to know what happened, but she wasn’t sure now was the time to ask.

“What happened?”

Erin looked at Ceria, concern in her eyes. The half-Elf closed her eyes and for a moment Ryoka worried it would be too much to ask. But then she began to speak.

“It started when we got to the second floor. Everything had been going fine before that. We’d run into a nest of Shield Spiders, but nothing besides that. But then we met a group of zombies…”

Ryoka listened to an abbreviated version of all that had happened up to Skinner emerging from the treasury doors.

“It must not have been locked. That thing was just waiting inside for the right moment. He killed Cervial, Gerald, and half of us in moments. And then when we arrived and tried to make a stand—”

Ceria closed her eyes and shook her head. Another tear formed unshed in her eyes.

“He killed them all. Gerial, Sostrom…he tore off Calruz’s arm. I couldn’t even fight back while he was staring at me.”

She looked at Erin.

“You avenged them. Thank you for that.”

Erin shook her head, but not in denial. She looked at Olesm.

“And what happened to you?”

Ceria smiled at Olesm.

“He saved my life.”

The scales around Olesm’s face turned a light red as everyone looked at him. He demurred.

“I didn’t do much. I just ran when that thing appeared and dragged Ceria into one of the coffins. It was all I could do.”

“He saved my life.”

Ceria said simply. She showed the others her frostbitten hand.

“I could barely move and a Ghoul was savaging me. He stabbed it from behind and used a healing potion to mend the worst of my wounds. If he hadn’t been there, I would have died.”

Erin reached over and patted the Drake on the shoulder.

“Good job, Olesm.”

He blushed and shook his head again silently. Ryoka looked at Ceria’s hand and hesitated.

“Is that how you lost…?”

Ryoka indicated Ceria’s hand. The half-Elf looked down and laughed. The fingers didn’t move, but she seemed to be able to move the blackened stump just fine and without any pain.

“This? No. I—well, I used a spell above my level, that’s all.”

Pisces peered at Ceria’s hand, frowning at the blackened skin.

“I can sense the magical residue. Frost spell? [Glacial Spear]?”

“Nothing so fancy. I just used up all the magic in my wand; that’s all.”

“You idiot.”

Erin glared at Pisces again, but Ceria just nodded.

“I had to create an opening for the others.”

She paused.

“The others. Yvlon was trying to get away. Do you know if she…?”

Erin exchanged a glance with Pisces and shook her head.

“I uh, didn’t ask. Some adventurers survived.”

“Yvlon did.”

Ryoka nodded at Ceria. The half-Elf hesitated, looking at Ryoka’s face.

“Is she…?”

“She’s catatonic. She doesn’t speak or move.”

“I see.”

Ceria bowed her head and closed her eyes. Again, Ryoka didn’t know what to say. Saying ‘at least she’s alive’ seemed crass even to her. She cleared her throat and looked around instead.

“This Skinner. How do you know his name?”

This time Olesm explained. He pointed at the writing on the wall Ceria had translated and everyone looked up. Pisces frowned and cast the same spell Ceria had, while Ryoka stared at the engraved symbols.

“Now how’d we miss that ?”

Erin asked indignantly, and Ryoka echoed the question in her head, only with more self-rebuke. They’d completely missed that detail. And it was a damn important one, if this Skinner had had siblings.

“Huh.”

It was completely incomprehensible to Ryoka, but the writings reminded her of Arabic or another Central Semitic language. It was flowing and elongated, which put her in mind of Drakes. That was jumping the gun of any hypothesis though.

Ryoka hesitated and looked at the others. Should she…? But Pisces had already heard too much and Ceria had seen it already. She took out her iPhone and switched it on.

The screen glowed to life. Ryoka looked at the battery level. 24%. Surprisingly high, given how long she’d been using it, but Sostrom’s [Repair] spell must have restored the failing battery as well.

Sostrom. Ryoka’s heart hurt, but she pushed the feeling aside. She raised the iPhone as she switched to camera mode.

Ryoka’s iPhone lit up the inscriptions for a moment and emitted the classical shutter closing sound. Rags stared at Ryoka’s iPhone as if dumbstruck. Pisces blinked and frowned and Olesm gaped.

“What was that? Is that some kind of magical object?”

“Something like that.”

Ryoka put her iPhone back in its holster as Pisces stared at it covetously. She noticed Rags staring at the device as well and resolved never to drop it or leave it unattended.

“I’ve never seen anything like that. Is that steel and glass?”

Olesm paused. His eyes widened and he turned to Ceria.

“Oh. She’s the crazy violent Runner girl you told me about? The one with no levels?”

Ceria laughed and coughed at the same time. Olesm blinked, and then realized what he’d said. His tail lashed the ground nervously as he held up his hands.

“I didn’t mean—what I meant by that was—”

It wasn’t how a rescue was supposed to go, Ryoka was certain. But it was real, and reality beat a fairytale ending every time. They still had to get out of the ruins of course, and Erin had just realized Pisces ate the last sandwich she’d packed. There was confusion and anger and dust and empty coffins and the still-present smell of feces, but…

Ceria was still alive.

Ryoka was saved.

—-

And when she had a spare moment, Ryoka walked away from the others. The wide passageway was still empty of any moving corpses, but that wasn’t what Ryoka was concerned with.

She walked past rotting piles of…muscle. Organs. Bone. It was impossible to really say. She had no wish to disturb the dead, and the shapeless mounds sickened her.

But she looked anyways. Ryoka paused next to a piece of armor covered in redness. She squatted down and tried not to vomit on the remains.

Was it him? Ryoka could barely remember what armor Gerial had been wearing. And Calruz—how would she even tell? She could look for bigger bones, she supposed.

It wasn’t right. This wasn’t right. She couldn’t even bury them, even if she knew which ones they were. She could—put them in a coffin? How? Lift up the entrails and guts with her hands? Use a shovel? A bag?

It was all wrong. All so wrong. And Ceria was alive—Ryoka had to prioritize her. But her heart hurt.

“Too slow. And too weak.”

Far too weak. She hadn’t even killed a zombie coming down here. Of all of the people who’d come to save Ceria, Ryoka had been the most useless in the end.

“To be fair, I do not believe anyone expected much of you.”

Ryoka looked up and turned around. Pisces was standing behind her. He raised his hands as she stared at him.

“I merely followed you to ensure your safety. It would not do for something to ambush you.”

Was that the reason? Ryoka stared at Pisces and then mentally shrugged. She stood in the corridor and stared at the dead remains. After a while she turned and began walking back. Pisces followed her.

“It occurs to me that we have little to discuss.”

“That’s about right.”

They didn’t speak for several more minutes. Now this, this was what Ryoka was used to. Awkward silence and trite conversations. She searched for something to say.

“Thanks for your help, though.”

“Think nothing of it. For my part, I am…relieved Ceria is alright.”

“You know her?”

Pisces hesitated.

“We have a history. Not so much a relationship as a passing acquaintance, but once—suffice it to say that we were students in Wistram together, and that we were once…friends. I felt the world would be poorer for Springwalker’s absence, that is all.”

“I see. It’s good you came.”

“Yes. I agree.”

More silence.

“That artifact you used…it is quite interesting.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“Might I see it? I promise to be quite careful.”

“Mm. Maybe someday.”

“Ah. That would be a polite way of saying ‘never’, would it not?”

“Yep.”

They walked on. It was quite far to get back to the room with coffins, but Ryoka felt running and leaving Pisces behind would be a faux pas. She was tempted to do it, though.

After an interminable amount of time, Pisces spoke again.

“Would you consent to letting me inspect that device if I told you there is a strong trace of magic on it?”

Ryoka stopped. Pisces nearly ran into her. She stared at him.

“You can see that?”

“Yes. It’s quite obvious to me. I suppose Springwalker was distracted, but I can…sense something. Was some sort of [Message] spell cast here, by chance?”

Ryoka hesitated. Weigh the options. But it might be worth the risk.

“Yes.”

“And it was linked to that device somehow. Well, I may be able to recover that conversation if you should wish it?”

“You can do that? How?”

Pisces smiled enigmatically, or in a way he probably thought was enigmatic. It looked smug, to Ryoka.

“I was a student at Wistram. That spell uses their methods as its base. Any older student learns to pick apart the incantation to see what is spoken. Hence the unique version of the spell Ceria and I know.”

“It won’t damage…whatever that is. And I can be trusted to be discreet.”

Again, Ryoka hesitated. Think. If he learned the details of the conversation…well, was the cat out of the bag already? But he was offering to restore the conversation, which would be extremely helpful.

Ceria could do it. But after how many days? More importantly, what was the real risk? If he knew…

The world would soon know. And far more dangerous people than he had already figured it out. Ryoka handed him her iPhone.

“Here.”

Pisces held the slim phone extremely carefully as he studied it. But after a cursory glance at the construction of the device, he seemed to peer at something else, some invisible substance hovering in the air around it.

Ryoka wished she knew what he was looking at. She was able to cast magic…or one spell to be exact. But even though she tried to focus her eyes, she saw nothing.

“Quite astonishing.”

“You can see what was cast?”

“Yes—an odd messaging spell. Some kind of written communication system? It’s very…bright.”

Ryoka realized he must be looking at the chat log, the magical screen that had appeared when she answered the call.

“I didn’t realize it would still be visible.”

“Yes, well, the magic cast for this spell is several magnitudes greater than…almost any spell I’ve seen before. It must originate from Wistram. I would know that even without the spell signature. Only they would be this moronic.”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head in disdain. Ryoka looked at him. It was always nice to meet someone who liked to talk if they had something worth hearing.

“What makes you say that?”

He gestured to the iPhone. The air seemed to shimmer at his fingertips.

“It’s the nature of this spell. I—have no idea how it was done, to be honest. I can only speculate that a high level mage, or several of them used a [Far Speaking] spell combined with some kind of location spell and this…thing. I imagine a [Message] spell accounts for this, but it would require an insane amount of mana.”

“Why?”

“If one person were to ah, write in this discussion, everyone who received it would necessitate a [Message] spell. It’s a complex bit of magic and the cost would be multiplied by the number of participants. So many messages…only those fools at Wistram would have the magic to cast such a spell.”

Ryoka thought she understood Pisces’ disdain. If what he was saying was right, the conversation she’d taken part in had an exponential cost with each user that joined.

Sixteen times…at least fifty, possibly a hundred messages in the chat. A thousand and six hundred spells cast? No wonder voice chat was out of the question.

The air was beginning to waver. Pisces frowned and his hands began to glow even brighter, shedding tendrils of blue light that flowed together to form the screen again.

Ryoka blinked as the chat log came back into focus. It hovered in the air over her iPhone, a blue screen with white text. Pisces was sweating.

“I ah, seem to have miscalculated. Even restoring this log seems to be taxing me quite unduly.”

“I’ve seen most of the details. Here. Give me that.”

Ryoka took the iPhone from Pisces as he frowned and more magic flowed out of his hands. Ryoka quickly scrolled down the chat, pausing a few times. Pisces’ eyes darted left and right, trying to read. She didn’t give him much time, though.

Ryoka got to the end – where she’d signed off as batman, and suddenly stopped. She saw the notification for her logging out, but there was more text below it.

Pisces peered over Ryoka’s shoulder as she read the conversation between [Kent Scott] and [twinTrouble_53]. Her mind was spinning, and that was before she read the brief message in Japanese at the bottom.

“Now that is interesting.”

The chat log abruptly vanished. Pisces lowered his hands and mopped at his brow.

“You okay?”

“I am fine. Just…taxed.”

Pisces took a few deep breaths, steadying himself. He pointed at Ryoka’s iPhone.

“More importantly, I fear your desire for anonymity might be in vain, Miss Griffin. That short conversation contained more import than the rest of your fascinating…discussion. There is a name to frighten those fools at Wistram.”

“You mean twinTrouble?”

“…Yes. This twin trouble character revealed himself to the other one, did he not? After you had ah, closed the connection. The name he called himself. Flos.”

Ryoka nodded.

“I’ve heard of him. Flos. The King of Destruction.”

“None other.”

Pisces exhaled slowly and wiped the rest of his sweat away with the hem of his dirty robe.

“Flos. If the sleeping king has indeed awoken, it means this world is about to change. Quite dramatically too, if I’m any judge. Well, even the meanest [Soothsayer] would be able to predict that .”

Ryoka frowned. She’d read about the King of Destruction in a list of contemporary world powers. The entry had been short and intriguing, but all the details had been recorded in another volume she hadn’t bought.

“Tell me about him.”

Pisces shrugged.

“What is there to say?”

He caught himself and glanced at Ryoka.

“Ah. Well, to one who might not…know of him, Flos is a king who was once poised to rule over nearly half of the civilized world. He abandoned his kingdom however, and for twenty years he has slumbered in his decaying capital. Until now.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“Quite.”

They didn’t have the rhythm that Erin seemed to generate in her conversations. Pisces politely picked at his robe while Ryoka stared at her phone. The mage seemed to think for a second and added a second casual detail.

“The mages at Wistram were quite afraid of him, even inactive as he was.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. I suppose you don’t know that the greatest mages living gather every ten years to deliberate on the future?”

“I did not know that. Do tell.”

“They gather together to ponder recent events and plan for the future.”

“Like. A think tank?”

“A what?”

“Nevermind.”

“Yes, well, one of the things the gathering did was attempt to predict what calamities might befall the world. They created a list of the most likely disasters that might destroy civilization or eradicate life as we know it. Flos was named the eighth likeliest candidate so long as he lived.”

Ryoka paused. She opened her mouth, closed it, and tried again.

“Really?”

“Oh yes.”

“One man?”

“Well, his kingdom would follow him wherever he went. Say rather it was his potential the mages feared.”

“Why number eight? Is there any special reason for that?”

Pisces shrugged indifferently.

“The mages speculated that it is far more likely he would conquer the world or be stopped. Destroying everything is an outside chance, as it were.”

“But still the eighth most likely chance.”

“Yes.”

Ryoka pondered that for a moment.

“Did this gathering determine how likely it would be that he’d actually conquer the world.”

Pisces smiled.

“They did.”

“And?”

“He has a 30% chance depending on a number of factors.”

“I see.”

“Quite. I imagine all those able to retrieve a log of this message would be quite alarmed. Word is probably spreading by spell and letter as we speak.”

What was Ryoka supposed to say to that?

“Mhm.”

Pisces stared at Ryoka. Ryoka stared at Pisces. There didn’t seem to be anything more to say. After a moment, Ryoka coughed in a fake way into her fist.

“We should probably get back to the others.”

“Quite. I trust Ceria and Olesm are well enough to walk by now.”

They were.

—-

“We should talk.”

“About what? Aren’t we talking already?”

Erin wondered why Ryoka was trying to corner her in one part of the massive coffin room, but the other girl seemed insistent.

“I know we don’t have time now, but we need to have a long conversation.”

“About what?”

Ryoka gave Erin a flat look, but Erin wasn’t sure what for. After a moment, the Asian girl shook her head.

“About us. About this world, about how we came here and what’s happening.”

“Oh. You mean talk about everything .”

“More or less.”

“Well, now’s not the time. Ceria thinks she can walk so…”

“Of course not now. Once we get back, I mean. At your inn, or somewhere private.”

“My inn’s pretty private. I can lock the door if that helps.”

“Maybe.”

Erin waited. Ryoka seemed pretty intent, but she really had no idea why.

“Is that it?”

“I suppose. Just—don’t say anything you don’t need to until then, alright?”

That was easy enough. Erin didn’t think she had anything that didn’t need saying…if that even made sense.

“Okay. We talk later.”

“Right.”

“…Right.”

It was one of the more awkward exchanges Erin had been privy to, and she’d met a lot of awkward chess players.

Her stomach rumbled. Ryoka and Erin both looked down and Erin covered her stomach.

“Are you hungry? I saved you a sandwich.”

“Pisces ate it.”

“The soup?”

“Ceria and Olesm drank most of it and Rags took the rest.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

Olesm grinned weakly as both Erin and Ryoka jumped and turned around. The Drake was on his feet again, although he seemed unsteady.

“I truly didn’t mean to steal your lunch, Erin.”

Erin exchanged a glance with Ryoka.

“You know, a missing meal isn’t going to hurt me. When we get out of here, I’ll cook up a feast, and you’ll all be invited, how’s that?”

Erin caught Ryoka’s eye and amended her statement.

“—And um, make some nourishing broth, too. Maybe postpone the feast for a while?”

“That sounds good.”

Ceria was on her feet. She seemed a little better. There was more color in her cheeks, although they were still deathly pale. But she managed a smile.

“If it means I can get out of this hole, I’ll eat my right hand. It wouldn’t be too hard at this point.”

Erin laughed politely while Ryoka awkwardly avoided looking at Ceria’s hand. Pisces approached and Rags followed, dragging the wreck of the crossbow behind her.

“All is clear.”

Ksmvr nodded at Erin as he and Toren walked over. Erin looked around. Everyone was present, but no one said anything. She cleared her throat.

“Um, shall we go?”

They began the slow ascent back towards the surface. It was slow going, even with Erin helping Ceria and Toren supporting Olesm. The Drake and half-Elf were stiff and their feet dragged with every step. But they were just as eager to return as the others.

“Why didn’t you leave after you realized the other undead weren’t there?”

Erin asked Ceria that after they paused for a break. The half-Elf’s face was pale as she sat on the floor and took a few deep breaths.

“We thought they were waiting to ambush us if we got out. They did that to us the first time. We thought they were just being silent.”

Olesm nodded.

“I kept my coffin open so I could see the undead moving around. Once they all left—a few came back, but the rest never did. I thought they were all destroyed or…or still out there.”

“And then of course we ran out of strength and couldn’t move the lids even when we tried.”

“Got it.”

Erin nodded several times, but then frowned.

“Come to think of it…where did all the undead go?”

Ceria paused.

“Weren’t they all destroyed?”

Erin shook her head.

“There were still hundreds of undead after that thing died. We thought they were going back to the Ruins. But they didn’t go there. In that case, where did they go?”

Everyone looked at Pisces. He raised his hands defensively.

“ I didn’t do it.”

Olesm scratched at a flaking patch of dead scales.

“Could the Crypt Lords have commanded the undead to leave?”

Pisces shook his head.

“Doubtful. Those creatures, while intelligent, cannot control a large mass. Even if there were enough Crypt Lords, they would still separate into a thousand groups. No, something else called them away.”

Ryoka frowned. She was sitting next to Ceria, picking caked….stuff from the soles of her feet. Erin looked away.

“Could that have something to do with the empty treasure room?”

Ceria looked up sharply. Erin explained about the missing magical items Pisces had sensed. He rubbed at his chin and nodded several times.

“The treasure room. Of course. Something or someone came here and looted the place…and perhaps called the undead away as well.”

“That’s a pretty big someone. Who?”

Pisces shrugged helplessly.

“I can think of several [Necromancers] powerful enough to command a small horde like that. Any one about Level 30 might manage to direct them in a general sense given time. But to have them leave without fighting or splintering off?”

He began to count names off on his fingers. Ryoka wandered off – to pee, Erin suspected – while Pisces began to pontificate.

“The Krythien Sect, or perhaps the Magnus Corpsus could do it en masse. But as for individuals, it would take a mage like Az’kerash or The Putrid One to perform such a feat. Of course, there are quite a number of small-time cabals and covens that might—”

Pisces broke off when he realized his audience had left him. Erin raised her eyebrows.

“So you don’t know.”

“Not as of such, no.”

“In that case, there’s no use wondering. We can tell Zevara that and warn her once we reach the city.”

Ryoka had returned. She tugged at her pants and nodded at the others.

“Come on. We’re nearly out. Just a bit longer and we can all rest.”

They got up and began walking again. After a few minutes, Erin muttered to Ryoka.

“I sort of wish you hadn’t said that.”

“Why?”

“Well, now it feels like we won’t get out of here, you know?”

Ryoka did know, and she wished Erin hadn’t brought that up. She shook her head.

“Murphy’s Law.”

“Whose law?”

Ryoka explained. Erin nodded in agreement.

“I mean, I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen. But it just feels like…you know those movies? Or those stories where the hero’s almost out and then the really bad thing happens?”

“I know.”

“Did you watch The Evil Dead? Remember the final scene right where Ash is about to get away and then that thing—”

Erin paused, ignoring Ryoka’s irate look.

“—Well, we don’t actually know what happens but I bet it wasn’t good .”

Ryoka eyed Erin. She was completely lost on how to properly respond. After a moment, she shrugged.

“I never watched that movie.”

“Good. Don’t. It gave me nightmares.”

Erin shuddered and glanced around the dark corridors nervously. Ryoka looked at her.

“Why’d you watch it, then?”

“Oh, one of my friends insisted we watch it when I had a sleepover. I think I was fourteen. Boy, my parents were not happy when they found out why we were all screaming at midnight. But then they watched the rest of it with us which was totally cool.”

Erin trailed off for a few seconds and then regained her thread.

“Anyways, my point is that something bad is going to happen. Some evil monster’s going to jump out.”

That was ridiculous paranoia, and Ryoka almost said so. That sort of thing never happened in their world except by complete coincidence, and it wouldn’t happen here.

…Unless of course this world worked off of the same rules fantasy books and Hollywood movies were made of. If that was the case, they were all dead.

“And if that were the case, everyone would have plot armor.”

“What?”

Instead, everyone had vulnerable skin which cut and bled easily. But maybe they weren’t the main characters. If this were a story, it would be Erin and Ryoka and all of the people who came to this world who were the main characters.

That was right. Somewhere, out there, a scrawny white boy would appear out of nowhere and be crowned the chosen one. He’d probably get the [Hero] class, a magic sword, and a scar just to be on the safe side. Add in a female lead and a plucky side-character and you had a series.

More thinking like this and she’d go crazy. Ryoka shook her head again. She knocked at it with her fist to get her thoughts in order—

And nearly went blind as she walked into the sunlight.

“Ow! My eyes! ”

Erin cried out and Ryoka heard Ceria and Olesm gasp as the group suddenly emerged from the ruins. She couldn’t see anything, but she felt the welcome sun on her skin, and the feeling of the wind on her face. It blew away the musty stale air of the ruins and made her feel alive again.

They were out.

When Ryoka could see, she looked up and saw the verdant green plains surrounding her, patches of wildflowers still blooming even in the beginning of the winter, and two ranks of guardsmen from Liscor facing them with weapons drawn.

Ryoka paused. Pisces immediately backed up and Rags stepped quickly behind Ksmvr. The Antinium regarded the group of guardsmen warily, while Ceria and Olesm only blinked in bemusement at the welcoming committee.

Erin was the last to recover her eyesight, but when she did, she treated the armed guardsmen as if they weren’t dangerous. Ryoka’s first thought was that Erin had clearly never been arrested before or hassled by any kind of law enforcement. Although of course in Ryoka’s case the hassling and suspicion was quite justified given some of the things she’d done. Blowing up a chemistry classroom tends to get you put on a list for the rest of your life.

“Hey, Relc! And Klbkch! What are you guys doing here?”

Erin smiled and walked forwards. That smile vanished as soon as she saw who was leading the group of guardsmen.

Watch Captain Zevara strode forwards as the Gnolls and Drakes around her lowered their weapons. Klbkch and Relc followed closely behind.

Zevara halted in front of Erin and pointed into the ruins.

“How many undead are down there? Are there any traps?”

Erin blinked at Zevara.

“What?”

“Tell us what we’re facing in there.”

Ryoka looked at the guardsmen and things clicked. It took only half a second longer for Erin to figure it out and then her eyes narrowed in outrage.

“Wait a second. Now you’re going in? You said you didn’t want to risk sending anyone in!”

Zevara dismissed Erin’s statement with a flick of the tail.

“I did say that. I wasn’t about to risk good warriors if the ruins were infested. But if you lot survived, my guardsmen can clear out the rest. We’ll be confiscating all the treasures we find in there, along with anything else left behind.”

So they could take all the treasure before Erin’s group could come back for it. In theory. Ryoka hoped Erin wouldn’t mention the empty treasury just so Zevara could choke on dust for an hour or two searching. But Erin wasn’t concerned about sticking it to the man. She was more concerned about Ceria and Olesm. She pointed at them indignantly, raising her voice.

“Hey, we’ve got injured—well, starved people here! They need food and rest! Why don’t your stupid guardsmen help with that?”

Zevara shook her head impatiently.

“I’ve got no time for those fools who unleashed—”

She paused and stared past Ceria at Olesm. She frowned, took one step forwards, and then gasped.

“ Olesm? You were down there?”

Olesm waved weakly at Zevara.

“Hi, Captain Zevara.”

“So that’s where you slithered off to! We were wondering what happened to you!”

Relc laughed and strode forwards. He slapped Olesm on the shoulder, so hard the other Drake fell down. Klbkch helped Olesm back up on his feet.

“Oops. But I kept thinking that a zombie ate you during the attack. But you were down there the entire time? How was it?”

“Hello, Relc. Um, it was—”

“Move aside, you idiot!”

Zevara shoved Relc aside as she moved towards Olesm. Her tail twitched anxiously as she inspected him.

“You’re a mess. But I am glad you’re okay, Olesm. If I’d known our [Tactician] was down there I would have sent help. But now that you’re here we’ll make sure you make a full recovery.”

He blinked at her a few times.

“I am quite grateful, Captain.”

Olesm was still clearly out of it. Zevara looked at him with genuine concern. She turned and started shouting, which made both Olesm and Ceria wince and cover at their ears.

“Get a mage and healing potions for him right now!”

“And for Ceria! She needs help too!”

Erin glared at Zevara. The Drake glared back.

“The adventurers who caused all this can eat dirt for all I—”

She hesitated and glanced at Olesm and bit back her words.

“—That is, we will discuss this later. For now, we’ll treat them. Both of them.”

Guardsmen approached quickly, holding healing potions. Zevara turned towards Erin and Ryoka, and began snapping orders.

“Now, I want you to tell me how many undead you saw, and how many are left. If there are any traps I want their locations. Better yet, one of you two humans or Ksmvr will come with me and show me—”

“Excuse me.”

Zevara ignored the soft voice. But Relc turned his head and tensed up. He grabbed at his spear and stepped back and Klbkch put his hands on his swords. Zevara was too busy arguing with Erin to notice, but when she realized Ryoka was staring right over her shoulder rather than at her, she turned around.

“Who in the name of Dragons is—”

She stopped. The angry words were sucked out of Zevara as if by a sponge made of sound. The guardsmen around her stared. There was something about her, some quality that attracted attention.

Perhaps it was her mottled brown armor, or the curved sword that looked expensive as it was deadly. Or maybe it was her unique appearance, or her status. It might have been all these things or nothing, but everyone stared at her. They couldn’t help it.

The person they were staring at stared back. She was quite good at that.

Gazi, the half-Gazer Named Adventurer smiled at the collection of guardsmen and the party led by Erin and Ryoka. Her main eye focused on both Erin and Ryoka longest before it swiveled back to Zevara. Gazi inclined her head politely.

“Good day to you, Watch Captain, guardsmen.”

Ryoka stared at Gazi. She barely remembered the adventurer’s name, but the place she had met her stuck in her memory. The dead Gnoll bodies, each one beheaded neatly, flashed before her eyes.

Erin had no such memory, and she smiled at Gazi, albeit with confusion. But the others were transfixed. The guardsmen and Olesm were in awe, Relc and Klbkch were in suspicion, and Ceria was suddenly in deep trepidation.

Gazi nodded at Erin and smiled again.

“Erin. It has been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Um. Yes?”

It took even Zevara a second to regain her voice. But when she did, she glared at Gazi. She didn’t quite shout or snap at her, but her tone was brusque.

“Gazi. This is official business of Liscor. We don’t need any adventurers. Please remove yourself from the area—”

“Hm. You are quite annoying.”

Gazi cut Zevara off. It took the Drake a moment to blink at her, but then she spluttered in outrage. She raised her voice, and Gazi unsheathed her sword.

Ryoka saw the blade flash out of its sheathe in slow motion. Slow motion, but Gazi still moved like a blur. In less than a second it was in her hand. She unsheathed it, seemed to pause and smile at Ryoka, and then turned towards Zevara.

Gazi raised her sword and stabbed Zevara in the stomach. The curved blade exited Zevara’s back and Gazi twisted the blade as she pulled it out.

“What do—”

Zevara choked on the words, as the shock of what had happened caught up to her. She stared down at the gaping wound in her stomach, blinked at Gazi, and fell down.

Shock and silence reigned. Everyone stared at the fallen Watch Captain, save for Gazi. She turned back to Ryoka and Erin. Something was in her hands. A scroll, marked with shining golden letters that glowed even brighter in the light.

“Greetings, Ryoka Griffin and Erin Solstice.”

Gazi smiled even wider.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

2.05

For a second Ryoka’s heart stopped. The casual violence stunned her. But then her instincts and years of practice kicked in and she was raising her hands and moving away from Gazi.

Across from her, Ryoka saw the huge Drake’s eyes narrow. Relc stared in shock at Zevara as she collapsed for one second, and then his spear swung up and he roared at Gazi.

“ You! ”

Relc kicked off the ground and sprang at Gazi from behind. Ryoka barely saw him covering the ten feet between him and Gazi; he was just a blur. He made a striking cobra seem slow .

Gazi was still smiling at Erin, but she moved as Relc did. One of her smaller eyes was swiveled around in its socket, showing only the whites. She twisted out of the way as Relc charged, and the Drake blew past her, his spear missing Erin’s stomach only by inches.

Relc snarled and twisted, impossibly fast. Ryoka felt like she was moving in jello compared to him and Gazi. Again the Drake raised his spear and thrust his spear towards Gazi’s large central eye. She was still grinning as she raised her sword.

Fast as Relc was, Gazi had matched his timing. And she wasn’t aiming for him, but rather, his arm.

Gazi’s sword came down a moment before Relc’s spear reached her. Her sword bit deep into his arm even as he twisted to avoid, pushing his spear’s point down. Instead of striking her face, the tip skittered across the front of her armor, raising a shower of sparks.

Relc shouted in agony as the curved sword lodged into his arm, but he kept moving. His spear spun and Gazi raised a gauntleted fist to block.

Once, twice. Sparks flew as Gazi deflected both spear strikes at her face. She grinned at Relc as his face twisted in pain. She yanked her sword away and Relc leapt back, holding his arm. His body was tougher than leather, but the sword had still cut all the way into his bone.

And that was it. It was over. While Relc could still use his other hand, he was suddenly fighting with only one hand against Gazi. He twirled his spear, feinted twice at her face, but she caught his spear with her sword as it shot out for a third thrust. The wood split as she cut the spear in two and Relc leapt back, cursing.

The entire moment had taken seconds. Erin was jerking backwards from the whirlwind of movement around her. She blinked and gaped as Relc dashed backwards towards the other guardsmen, covering his useless arm.

Klbkch covered Relc as he seized another spear and fumbled at his belt pouch for a potion. The Antinium was shouting orders, his voice a staccato megaphone as guardsmen around him drew their weapons.

“Fall back! Use bows only. You four will engage with me. Relc—”

“Give me a minute.”

Klbkch nodded. He advanced slowly towards the grinning Gazi as four other guardsmen spread out to encircle her. The others trained arrows on her.

“Gazi of Reim. Put down your weapon and surrender.”

She laughed.

“Demands are made of the strong to the weak, Klbkch of the Free Antinium. Not the other way around.”

In answer, Klbkch lunged forwards, both swords sweeping together to slice at Gazi’s neck. She cut twice—first battering down his leftmost sword and then locking blades with Klbkch, forcing his sword back with her larger weapon. She heaved and the Antinium went flying. Gazi raised her sword and flicked the tip almost casually, shattering an arrow as it flew towards her head.

The other guardsmen were already rushing her, but Gazi moved through them casually like a dancer. She stepped into a Gnoll’s charge, tripping him up, slapped a Drake and sent him stumbling into his friend, blocking the other Drake’s thrust, and slashed down at the third Drake. He fell, bleeding extensively from the massive cut down his chest.

“Feints and tactics are useless against me. I see the truth in your souls.”

Five more arrows thunked into the ground behind Gazi, missing her by only inches in one case. She didn’t even move her head, but she did when the jar of acid flew from behind. Gazi blurred out of the way and Rags lowered her hand and blinked at the empty air.

An armored foot kicked the Goblin off her feet. Rags cartwheeled away and landed with a thump on the ground. She didn’t move.

That was when Erin broke out of her stupefaction. She looked at Gazi as shock turned to rage. The adventurer smiled at her.

“Gazi! You—”

Gazi slapped Erin. It wasn’t a gentle slap either, but a metallic crack across the face. Her hand was armored in metal and the overlapping plates cut into Erin’s face.

Erin stumbled backwards and an arrow streaked past her and tore through the middle of Pisces’s robes, just short of his crotch. He looked down, face white and the spell at his fingertips fizzled out.

Gazi was on him in a flash. She punched out again, and Pisces fell down, unconscious before he hit the ground. Then she turned to Erin and smiled again, ignoring the guardsmen as they fanned out behind her.

They weren’t willing to fire with her so close to Erin, or else Klbkch’s threats of what would happen if they did accidentally hit her were keeping them from attacking.

Erin stared at Gazi. She stared at the half-Gazer’s sword. It was covered in blood. Red blood. Drakes and Gnolls both bled the same color. It dripped off the sword and onto the grass.

She looked at Gazi. There was that same smile on her face. Her expression hadn’t changed since the day Erin had saw it. This was of no more event than strolling around for her.

“What are you doing, Gazi?”

Gazi shrugged. Her central eye wasn’t focused on Erin. It was swinging around, showing Erin the whites as Gazi focused on the guardsmen behind her. But all four of her smaller eyes were looking straight at Erin.

“It’s time for me to leave. And I will be bringing both you and Ryoka Griffin with me when I go.”

“Why?”

“You may ask me that when we are gone.”

Gazi’s hand moved. She broke the seal of the scroll she was holding in her other hand with her thumb and unfurled it.

Erin didn’t know what was going to happen. The piece of parchment was glowing with yellow light. She heard Ryoka calling out from far away.

“Stay away from her, Erin. And from me. If she gets us together, we’re gone.”

The other girl pointed at Gazi. She was behind Relc and Klbkch and the line of guardsmen.

“That thing’s a teleportation scroll.”

Gazi flicked her large eye over to Ryoka. She blinked once.

“That is…surprising. Now, how would you know that?”

Ryoka shrugged. Her eyes were fixed on Gazi.

“What else could it be?”

“And you believe staying a few feet away from me will change anything?”

“Unless you plan on teleporting everyone here, I’d say so.”

Ryoka was balanced on the balls of her feet, tense. But Gazi just shook her head.

“Tell me, Ryoka Griffin. Do you think I would have come here if I weren’t confident I could kill all of you? The scroll is simply here for transportation. You two will leave with me. The only question is how long it will take.”

The other girl hesitated. Erin stared at Gazi. She didn’t doubt the half-Gazer would do it. She was a smiling demon. Someone Erin had thought was nice. But now…

Relc had obtained another spear from one of the guardsmen. He twirled it as he spread out, walking towards Gazi’s left while Klbkch took the right side. Other guardsmen moved with them, forming a more complete circle while more Drakes and Gnolls aimed arrows at her head.

“Stay behind us, human.”

Gazi shook her head at them, ignoring the fact that she was now surrounded.

“I will give you one chance, guardsmen of Liscor. Give up on the two humans. None of the wounds I have dealt you so far are fatal. But continue to obstruct me and you will suffer and die.”

Relc flexed his right arm, wincing. The healing potion hadn’t fully worked, Erin noticed. The bleeding had stopped and part of the flesh had regrown, but his movements with it were stiffer.

“Go to hell you five-eyed freak.”

Gazi shrugged and smiled wider.

“Very well.”

She raised her sword and the guardsmen readied their weapons. Klbkch was on one side, Relc on the other. Ksmvr moved up and pushed Erin back, all four of his weapons raised. Olesm and Ceria were crouched near the entrance of the ruins, silent observers.

Rags didn’t move. Pisces was unconscious. Ryoka stood warily behind the row of archers. Erin stared around. Over twenty people all stared at one person, a smiling adventurer wearing dark armor, holding a sword red with blood.

Gazi raised her sword and spoke into the silence.

“I am Gazi of Reim, Gazi the Omniscient. Advancing.”

For a second all was stillness. Then Erin saw Gazi’s eyes begin to move.

Normally, the half-Gazer had a lidded gaze, like normal humans. But now her eyes opened wide, and seemed to bulge outwards. And move.

Up, down, right, down, left —her eyes – all five of them, were rolling around in their sockets, pupils wildly dilated. Gazi’s central eye flicked in so many directions at once Erin felt sick just watching it.

But Gazi didn’t seem disturbed by the display. She turned, and walked towards Relc, sword raised. She spoke out loud, as if making an observation.

“Fifteen Drakes, five Gnolls. [Guardsman] classes. One [Spearmaster] Drake, and one [Swordslayer] Antinium. A Human [Assassin] in the back.”

Relc’s arms tensed, and his posture lowered for another charge. But Gazi moved first. She flicked her sword at him, a quick movement that had so much power behind it that the blood on her blade flew off in a red shower.

It caught Relc in the face and he jerked back reflexively, cursing and wiping at his eyes. That was enough to leave his side open as Klbkch, Ksmvr, and a Drake rushed at Gazi from the other three cardinal directions.

Gazi smiled and stepped back, into Relc. He cursed and shoved at her, but she took no notice.

One of Klbkch’s swords spun out of his hands and he retreated, a long shallow cut running down his carapace. All four of Ksmvr’s swords clashed harmlessly against Gazi’s armor, as did the Drake’s spear.

Gazi spun and cut Relc in the side just as he managed to wipe the blood out of his eyes. He howled and fell back as the others did.

“Her armor is impenetrable.”

Ksmvr announced this fact as the guardsmen with bows unleashed a shower on Gazi. Erin saw the truth of what he’d said soon enough. Gazi calmly raised her sword and used the broad side to block her face, moving it slightly to catch arrows. Besides that she remained still, and the shafts that struck the rest of her body broke noisily on her rust-colored armor.

Erin covered her face and moved away from Gazi as splinters flew into the air around her. The guardsmen continued the barrage for nearly a full minute before stopping. At the end of it Gazi lowered her sword, completely unhurt.

She was still smiling.

“My Lord gave me this armor that I might walk through the bloody battlefield for him. Your weapons will not pierce it. Nor will you stop me from achieving my goals.”

From her spot behind the archers, Ryoka saw Klbkch and Relc rush at Gazi from behind, Ksmvr only a second slower. This time they timed their movements perfectly, a spear and sword slicing at her head from both directions. But Gazi just dodged Klbkch’s sword and parried Relc’s thrust again, and then cut Ksmvr as he rushed at her. She was still holding the scroll in her other hand.

And then she looked up and smiled at Ryoka.

Gazi appeared in front of Ryoka in a blur of movement. Ryoka threw a punch, but Gazi’s fist streaked past Ryoka’s arm and caught her in a perfect counter.

Ryoka blinked. Suddenly she was lying on the ground, and Gazi was gone. What just—

She pushed herself upright and saw the fallen guardsmen. The row of archers that had been firing at the adventurer to cover the others was gone. Screaming and groaning guardsmen were lying on the ground, arms and legs slashed deeply.

Blood spurted from wounds as they desperately reached for healing potions. Gazi had severed arteries, and the guardsmen had to heal their wounds or die in minutes.

And Gazi was back towards Erin, fighting with the guardsmen again. She was dancing in a whirlwind of blades, smiling and laughing.

Yes, that was it. Dancing. That’s what it looked like. Not a rapid dance or some kind of ridiculous jumping up and down, but a slow dance. Each step she took was deliberate, and every time she swung her sword she either deflected a strike at her face or cut someone around her.

It was a beautiful sight. Beautiful and full of despair for Ryoka. Gazi saw everything as it came at her, from every direction. She ignored feints and knew when something would miss. And she only had to defend her head.

Relc kicked at Gazi’s side and she dodged left before cutting him shallowly down one leg. He was already covered in shallow cuts, as was Klbkch. Gazi wasn’t going for the kill. She was bleeding everyone around her, fighting purely defensively.

And still smiling.

That was purity. That was the height of perfection. If Gazi had been a martial artist she would have been 27 th Dan or something. Ryoka knew she had no chance of even hitting her.

She turned to run. Run like a coward to prevent Gazi from teleporting them. But Gazi just turned and raised her sword as if to throw it. Ryoka froze, and Gazi smiled and leaned back to avoid another sword.

She couldn’t even run. Ryoka screamed in her head as she tried to figure out what to do. What could she do? Erin was still staring at the melee, but the other guardsmen were staggering away, too wounded to fight. Only Relc and Klbkch and Ksmvr were left. And then only Relc and Klbkch.

Howling. Ryoka heard it in her mind. She was helpless . She shouldn’t be. She’d practiced self-defense all her life. She’d trained her body. She couldn’t be—

Helpless.

Howling. Ryoka heard it in her mind, growing louder. Then she realized it wasn’t just in her head. She looked around.

A lone voice cut through the clashing of metal on metal and the shouts of those fighting. It was deep, resonant. Ryoka had heard wolves howling, but this was deeper, and somehow far more disturbing.

Wolves howled as a way to communicate; as a way to be social. But this howl was darker. It had emotion in it; black fury and rage that expressed itself in a wild sound that sent chills down Ryoka’s back.

It raised all the little hairs on Ryoka’s neck and sent a chill down her spine. It wasn’t even a conscious thing; the animal noise poked at a primal part of her brain and put fear into it.

No animal howled like that. And as soon as the first howl ended, another voice rose to join it. And another. And another.

Erin covered her ears to stop the terrible noise beating down on her. She looked around wildly. The din had made everyone stop, even Gazi. She paused, and Relc staggered away from her, bleeding from a dozen wounds.

The Gazer tsked in annoyance and frowned in the direction of the city. She shook her head.

“Gnolls. And winter is about to arrive. In about sixteen minutes. Inconvenient. I must move faster.”

She unfurled the scroll wider and pressed her thumb into it. Erin saw an intricate web of tightly-written lines of symbols before Gazi spoke a word and the parchment flashed with light.

“ Exus .”

The symbols began to move . They spun and whirled around in a dizzying configuration before forming into a circle. And then the circle fell off the scroll and onto the ground. It formed a ring in the air, a small circle that slowly grew larger.

Gazi turned towards Erin.

“It is time to go.”

Erin couldn’t speak. She didn’t know whether to run or fight or—

An arrow streaked past Erin’s shoulder and Gazi’s sword came up. She caught the black shaft before it struck her eye, but two more flew straight at her face. Gazi cut both down and frowned.

Erin looked behind her. Over a hundred yards away, a group of furry, tall people were loping towards her and Gazi. They were carrying bows, and one of them she recognized.

Krshia led the Gnolls as they howled and ran towards Gazi, a group of fifteen shopkeepers, artisans, and even a tavern owner. But these weren’t the friendly people Erin knew from the city. These Gnolls held massive bows and their eyes glowed with fury. They didn’t speak. They didn’t wait. As soon as they reached bowshot range, the Gnolls began to loose arrows at the Gazer.

Unlike the guardsmen who’d managed a semi-accurate spread when firing on the lone adventurer, the arrows from these Gnolls were all on target. Gazi frowned and her arm blurred as she cut down arrows and dodged backwards swiftly.

“Krshia Silverfang. Your interference in my business was most unwise.”

Krshia snarled at Gazi. She aimed an arrow straight at Gazi’s eyes as she coldly replied.

“Blood for blood. You slaughtered our kin. We will slaughter you. ”

“You are welcome to try.”

Krshia’s arrow broke on Gazi’s sword. The Gazer disappeared into the Gnolls and they began falling, bleeding. Dying?

Erin wasn’t sure. All she knew was that Gazi was cutting into people with her sword, letting their blood coat her armor. All as she smiled.

But Gazi’s smile flickered and faded slightly as the Gnolls kept spreading out. She’d cut down the first four Gnolls easily, but now they were firing at her from every angle, she had to dodge and use her sword to deflect the crossfire more actively.

But she was still moving, still unharmed. Gazi slowly crossed the distance to another Gnoll as he fired at her desperately. She stabbed through his bow into his stomach and he fell down, clutching at his insides. Gazi retreated, weaving, and began pursuing her next target.

She was going to kill them all.

Erin didn’t know when she started moving. She only realized it when she’d approached Gazi. Arrows flew by her face, missing her by centimeters, brushing her hair. It was terrifying, and Erin knew any second she could be struck. But she kept walking.

Two steps. And then three. A flash of fire burned her right arm and she realized she’s been cut by a projectile. It didn’t matter.

Gazi was moving away from her, walking towards Krshia among the storm of arrows. Erin stopped in front of her, shivering as she saw Gazi cutting down blurred shapes as they sped towards her head.

But now Gazi seemed to be blocking the ones flying at Erin too. She smiled at Erin, as if on the verge of laughter.

“And what will you do now that you are here, Erin?”

Erin punched at Gazi’s face. The half-Gazer’s arm came up as she swung to deflect another arrow and seemed to just coincidentally knock Erin’s arm away.

Klbkch charged out of the grass, ignoring an arrow as it struck him in the back. He raised a sword in both hands. Gazi pivoted to block and bodily checked Erin, hard enough to knock her into the ground. She stepped on Erin’s arm as the girl tried to rise and ignored the cry of pain.

“Distance and numbers mean nothing to my eyes, Erin.”

Ryoka saw Erin rolling away after Gazi stepped away from her. The innkeeper was cradling her arm. It didn’t look broken, but she didn’t get up and attack Gazi again. Of course not. What would be the point?

Klbkch fell down at last when Gazi clubbed him with the pommel of her sword. The Gnolls were still firing, but the portal she’d opened was now nearly head-height. Ryoka could see into it. It was some sort of tunnel, ringed by spinning symbols and flashes of colors she couldn’t name. And on the other side was grass. Not the grass from around here, but different grass. Shorter. Thicker leaves. Drier soil; a harsher landscape.

It was definitely a portal. And Gazi was going to drag Erin and Ryoka into it.

She advanced towards Ryoka, still deflecting arrows as if her sword was an umbrella. She called out to Ryoka as she approached.

“You are worth far less than she, but perhaps you will be worth the wait.”

Again. It was the same damn feeling. Gazi laughed as she dodged and parried attacks from every direction and angle.

It was so unfair.

“Two for the price of one, as my lord would say it.”

Ryoka backed up, but Gazi flicked an arrow and pain exploded across Ryoka side.

“Don’t move. I need you, but healing potions can mend much.”

She had to have a weakness. Ryoka clutched at the arrow that had buried itself in her stomach and tried not to scream. Gazi was arrogant. She—she wasn’t even fighting seriously. Relc was the…the only one who could really challenge her, and she’d taken him out in the first seconds.

She had to have a weak spot. Her eyes. Without her eyes she’d be—

Gazi stepped in front of Ryoka. She caught the leg as it flashed towards her face.

“A good kick.”

Then she kicked back and Ryoka woke up on the ground next to the portal. She felt sick. She tried to stand and realized her arms and legs weren’t working properly. She shook as she pushed herself onto her knees and looked around.

Gazi stood over Ceria, sword drawn. Olesm was a collapsed heap next to her, unmoving. Over half of the Gnolls were lying still on the ground and the other ones had stopped firing. Because Gazi’s sword was at Ceria’s throat.

“Why wait? Why, if you knew I was alive?”

The half-Elf was asking Gazi a question. Ryoka tried to reach out to her, but her body was failing. Broken. She felt dizzy and the world kept going black in places. She barely heard what Gazi said.

“So it would hurt most of all, of course.”

Ryoka blinked and suddenly she was staring into the dirt. She’d fallen? Fallen down. She pushed herself up. She couldn’t fight. But Ceria. She couldn’t let her die either.

“Know that I keep my promises.”

Gazi raised the sword high over Ceria’s head. She raised her other hand and caught Erin as the other girl lunged at her.

“Do it—”

Gazi looked at Ryoka. The Runner croaked and tried to form proper words. Her mind was spinning.

“Do it and I’ll kill myself. Bite my tongue off. You won’t have me and Erin.”

The adventurer shrugged.

“One is still better than two. And I doubt you have the courage for that, Ryoka Griffin.”

She grabbed Erin by the throat, lifting her up. The portal was large now, spinning in the air, eight feet by eight feet wide. It was humming , a deep sound that Ryoka could feel in her bones. And it was—collapsing? Flares of color were emerging from around the spinning symbols. It was about to end.

Krshia lifted her bow as Gazi lifted Erin up. The girl’s feet kicked feebly.

“We will see her die before letting you take her.”

Gazi looked amused as she shook her head.

“Liar. I can see the lies on your face, Krshia Silverfang.”

Krshia hesitated. Ryoka tried to get up again. No good. She flopped on the ground and felt something fall out of her pocket. Her iPhone. She stared at it.

Throw it at Gazi? Probably not.

The adventurer let go of Erin and gripped her sword two-handed as she raised it over Ceria’s head. The half-elf stared up bleakly at the raised sword.

“Gazi.”

Ryoka’s voice was a hoarse croak as she pushed herself upright. Erin stood right in front of Gazi, fist raised, knowing it was useless to attack. She would do it anyways, Ryoka knew. But she had to speak first.

Gazi didn’t even bother turning her head. She spoke to the air.

“Now. What could you possibly say that would stop me here? I am curious.”

Ryoka took one deep breath, and then another. The world was spinning. If she took one step she’d probably puke or fall over. But she had to say it. Weak spot.

Eyes.

She hoped Erin moved fast.

“The King of Destruction has awakened. Flos has returned.”

—-

Erin heard the words, but didn’t know what they meant. But they caused a hush, and she saw Gazi’s eye widen. Slowly, the Gazer turned.

Gazi the Omniscient. She could see through walls, across miles and even into the hearts of other people. She could see through lies.

Her central eye turned, and all four smaller eyes. They fixed on Ryoka, staring into her, searching for the truth. And Erin moved. Faster than she’d ever moved before. Her hand raised, and shot out.

Maybe Gazi saw it out of her peripherals, but she turned. Her sword cut down the two arrows streaking towards her face. Her right hand caught Ksmvr’s dagger as he hurled it at Gazi. Perhaps it was that which made Gazi too slow. Or it might have been the crimson gaze, the touch of fear that came from a gemstone burning in a skeleton’s eyes.

It might have been all of those things, or nothing. But Gazi’s hand came up—

And Erin poked Gazi in the eye.

It was a terrible feeling. Erin’s finger sunk into the open eyeball, straight through the cornea. Erin felt her fingertip pushing through horrible wetness , through the gooey center and felt something burst over her hand.

Gazi screamed.

An armored fist hit Erin in the chest. She felt herself go whumph as her ribs cracked . Erin didn’t fly—but she did move up and down in the air for a second or two. When she hit the ground, all the lights in the world went out for a while.

When Erin got up, Gazi was clutching at something. A gooey mess ran around her armored hand, and she looked—

She wasn’t smiling anymore. For the first time, Gazi’s secretive smile was gone, and her four good eyes stared at Erin with dark hatred.

“You.”

She strode towards Erin, but suddenly Relc was there. He laughed and threw himself at Gazi.

“[Triple Thrust] you stupid bi—”

She cut him as he cut her. Gazi’s cheek opened up as Relc’s caught a deep cut down his face. Gazi stopped and blinked. Bright orange-yellow blood dripped from her open wound.

More arrows flew. This time, Gazi’s sword was too slow. One caught her hair, and another splinted into her face, striking the mess of her eye. She cried out again.

“Gazi.”

Her other eyes flicked towards Klbkch and Relc and she sighed. Then she looked at Erin and Ryoka.

“Well done. Well done, the two of you. I should have been more careful.”

She turned and retreated from Klbkch and he approached with Ksmvr and Toren at his side. Towards the portal. The Antinium and skeleton let Gazi move back, swords raised warily. The Gnolls kept firing, and it was all Gazi could do to block their arrows now.

“You must leave or die here, Gazi of Reim.”

Gazi nodded at Klbkch.

“Yes. I must. But first: vengeance.”

Her sword blurred and touched an arrow as it flew at her.

“ Watch —”

Ryoka pushed Erin aside just in time. The arrow missed both girls by inches and struck one of the bows a Gnoll carried. It shattered the weapon and the arrowhead glanced off and buried itself in the Gnoll’s fur. He howled in pain as Ksmvr and Klbkch moved to shield Erin.

“Ah. If I were better—”

Gazi shrugged. She lowered her hand and revealed a ruined mess of an eye. She stared at Erin, and the girl stared back.

“Erin Solstice. One day, we shall meet again.”

And then Gazi stepped through the portal. Krshia fired one last arrow, but it missed the adventurer. Gazi’s form distorted and then—

Erin stared into a tunnel as long as forever. It stretched on and on, but somehow she could see the ending. A patch of grass ringed by runestones only a few feet away. Gazi stepped into the portal, and her foot travelled thousands of miles, stretching out to touch the grass on the other side.

Relc threw his spear through the portal. Erin saw it flying through the air, an arrow hurled across the world. Gazi turned and caught it. She tossed it casually back.

The tunnel of light began to close. The spear landed in the grass on Erin’s side, and then the magic ended. The portal closed. Reality went back to normal.

And Gazi was gone.

—-

“Dead gods.”

Zevara stood in the remains of the battlefield, looking around. It was a battlefield. There was no other word for the field of broken arrows, the patches of blood, and the bodies.

The bodies. Two of her guardsmen, and one Gnoll. Three people; not a high toll considering who they’d come up against, but too many. They lay on the ground, two clutching at wounds that hadn’t healed fast enough. The Gnoll was headless.

The dead and the wounded. Zevara couldn’t remember a time she’d seen so much violence in such a short time. Not since the previous Watch Captain. Not since the Necromancer.

She glanced up and looked over at another gathering, this one of the living. Ryoka and Erin sat in a protective circle of bodies. Ksmvr, the Gnolls, even the damn skeleton and the human mage stood around them protectively, though Gazi was long gone.

Ryoka was still swaying where she sat. The girl had a concussion and possibly fractured bones according to Pisces. Erin wasn’t badly hurt; the cuts on her face and her bruises had been easily fixed. But she was staring down at her hand. At her finger.

Zevara turned away. She looked at Relc, and at Klbkch, two of her best guardsmen, even if they were…Relc and Klbkch. She shook her head at them, and they nodded, understanding.

“What the hell just happened here? Why by all the dead gods would this…?”

She waved a hand helplessly at the scene. Relc just shook his head, but Klbkch cleared his throat.

“The humans, Watch Captain.”

“I know. I know the humans. But why? Why them? Why now? Why Gazi? Why?”

“I do not fully know. Perhaps we should ask when the time is right. But for now we must accept that the world is changing.”

“The world’s gonna end.”

Zevara looked at Relc. The Drake stared at the ground, ignoring the cuts and gashes he still hadn’t healed. She was no soldier, but she had the same sense he did.

Zevara looked at the sky. Revelations. There would be rumors spreading the instant they returned to the city, but the truth was far worse. Zevara felt it in her gut, the sense of urgency, the fear.

Peace was over. The King of Destruction had returned. If she didn’t hurry, she was going to die without ever telling Olesm she loved him.

—-

“I just want to sit by myself and not do anything. Just sit and play chess, okay? I’ll be better once I’m at the inn. Once I’m home.”

Erin told Krshia that for the hundredth time, she clutched the blanket around her hand even tighter, as if she could wipe away the memories, the feeling.

“I get that, but the Captain wants to talk to everyone in the city. We’ve got hot drinks and food. Just come with us.”

“If she does not want to go, she will not go. And you are in no position to demand such things now, yes?”

Krshia glared at Relc and the Drake glared back.

“Having a bunch of bows and your little archery group doesn’t mean you’re suddenly guardsmen, Krshia. You get in the way any more and I’ll hit you. With this.”

He lifted his spear and the Gnolls around Erin and Ryoka rumbled. Relc didn’t seem impressed, but Erin shook her head.

“No. No fighting. I’ll go. Ryoka?”

“Hm? Yeah?”

Ryoka nodded dizzily at Erin. Relc smiled.

“See? I’m right and you’re wrong, Krshia.”

“Well then, we shall go with Erin. As concerned citizens.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, let’s all be guardsmen, then. I’d like to see you become a Senior Guardsman. We’ll take care of the humans. You Gnolls just go back to the city and—”

Relc stopped shouting and turned around. The Gnolls looked too. Erin had no idea what they were sensing or…hearing?

“Hold up. What the heck is that?”

Something echoed on the faintest edge of Erin’s hearing. Howling? No. Not like Gnolls. But the sound of wind, yes. And suddenly it felt colder.

A lot colder.

“Oh gods, it’s here! Winter is coming everyone. Get ready!”

Relc roared and everyone around him was suddenly moving. Erin looked around, confused. Relc growled as he grabbed the blanket from Erin and held it up around her and Ryoka.

“As if we needed anything else.”

“What? What’s happening.”

“Winter is here.”

Klbkch said it calmly as he appeared with another blanket. And then Erin and Ryoka saw it.

From down over the mountains it came. A storm? Or maybe it was just the wind, frozen and made corporeal. It was a white and grey wave that crashed down like an avalanche, but instead of breaking on the ground, angled up at the last moment and blew straight across the plains.

It headed straight towards the group, and for a second Erin thought she heard voices.

“Look, look, sisters! A group of travelers out in the open!”

“A band of warriors! The dogs and once-Dragons have been fighting!”

“And humans! And the slaves! And even a dead thing!”

Laughter, bright and tinkly, like crackling icicles. Erin squinted. Were there…blue shapes in the oncoming storm? But then the tone of the light, ethereal voices changed.

“Look! There! A half-breed! A filthy whore!”

“Kill it!”

“Bury it in snow!”

“Let’s dump snow on all of them!”

“Here it comes!”

Relc shouted, and the storm enveloped Erin in a sea of white. She was thrown to the ground, tumbled around, and then she was cold and wet and the world was missing.

“Erin! Erin! ”

Something grabbed Erin as she struggled to sit up. Relc pulled Erin up and she gasped and spluttered as he freed her from the—

…Snow?

Suddenly, the world was changed. The grass was gone. Erin found herself shivering, waist-deep in pure white snow, and the air was suddenly frosty, and the skies grey and clouded.

“What—what—?”

Relc grinned at Erin and handed her the blanket back.

“Winter just arrived. Let’s get back to the city, huh? We’re going to need warm clothes; this one looks pretty cold.”

“What?”

Across from her, Ryoka pushed her way out of the snow, spluttering. She looked around.

“What the fuck?”

The storm was gone, as if it had never been. Only the snow remained, and the suddenly frozen landscape. And also the group of hovering creatures that swirled and swooped in the air above Erin and Ryoka’s heads.

“They’re not dead! The half-breed lives!”

“Let’s bury them again! Deeper!”

“No, let’s cut off her hair and tear out her eyes!”

“Look, look! This human is different! See how different she looks, sisters?”

One of the creatures floated down next to Ryoka, and pointed. Ryoka recoiled as they all flew around her, still speaking in their voices-that-weren’t-voices.

“You’re right! How strange! How odd!”

“Can she see us, we wonder?”

“Impossible!”

Relc grimaced. He swatted at the faeries and shook his head.

“Ugh. It’s them. I hate those things.”

One of the transparent…things floated in front of Relc’s face. He shook his head, eyes not focusing fully on…her. She blew into his face and he recoiled, shouting and clawing at the frost on his nose.

“We hate you too!”

2.06

“…Lady Reinhart? Lady Reinhart, are you sleeping?”

Magnolia woke up with a start. She looked around blearily for a fraction of a second before her natural instincts took over. She sat up and smiled genteelly while the room swam back into focus.

Theofore the Assassin blinked at her as he stood at attention. The sight of a dark figure dressed in the ominous clothing of assassins and spies didn’t alarm Magnolia—that was a common enough sight.

But it took her a moment to remember that she wasn’t in her Celum property. The nice, rustic, intimate setting of that place had been replaced by the altogether more austere and rich setting of her winter home.

Ah. Of course. Magnolia sighed. She couldn’t feel it inside of course, thanks to a hundred spells, but winter had truly arrived. It was such a shame. Snow was all very well, but it made travel so tiresome.

She smiled at Theofore as he stood awkwardly to attention. His clothes were still drying, and although she’d offered refreshments and a towel, he’d refused both. It must come from being an [Assassin], she reflected. They had a certain aversion towards letting their guards down or eating any food not prepared by their own two hands.

“I’m sorry, I must have dozed off. It is past my bedtime after all. Do forgive me.”

He inclined his head without comment. It was very late, but she had standing orders for him to report to her the moment he arrived.

Hence his presence, and why it was imperative that Magnolia not yawn. That was un-Lady-like, and because it was, Magnolia fought down the impulse and smiled again.

“Now, where were we? I recall everything up to the point where Gazi vanished. My memory after that is…fuzzy.”

It had been an odd dream. Magnolia could barely remember what it was about. Theofore coughed.

“Yes, well, after Gazi the Omniscient departed, I had to move away from the group to maintain my concealment. It seems at least one of the Antinium heard her comment about an [Assassin], and I barely managed to remain hidden.”

He shuddered, and Magnolia felt the slightest hint of compassion for him. It could not be easy to hide from a half-Gazer, especially not the infamous Gazi. In fact, it was downright impossible, which was probably why Theofore had drawn the short straw and been sent to follow Ryoka. The Guild of Assassins – the Silent Brethren, the Unseen Guild, the Daughters and Sons of Silence – might be nominally unafraid to die, but they were at their core very practical.

Theofore coughed and continued. Magnolia hoped the man wasn’t coming down with a cold, or at least, that she didn’t catch it. The common cold was quite tiresome to cure, even for someone with access to the best magics.

“I followed Ryoka Griffin and the other girl – Erin Solstice – into the city. They talked with the Captain of the Watch for some time and the leader of the Gnolls as well before returning to the inn. The skeleton and Goblin followed them, while the others remained in the city.”

“Hm. Quite an interesting girl, this Erin Solstice, isn’t she?”

“She wounded Gazi.”

That statement made even Magnolia’s skin tingle with a thrill. An innkeeper, who’d wounded one of the King of Destruction’s most fearsome warriors? What was the world coming to?

Beside her, one of her maids shifted. She was new, or perhaps just tired, but the act immediately earned her a look from the head maid Ressa, who stood by Magnolia’s side.

Magnolia ignored that. No doubt punishment would be severe and swift once the maids were alone. Ressa ran a tight ship, so to speak, and the winter staff had grown relaxed in Magnolia’s absence. She’d talk to Ressa about relaxing later, although that was an exercise in futility.

So much to do, so little time. Magnolia gestured for Theofore to continue. He cleared his throat, coughing again. The stubborn man was sick.

“What of Ceria Springwalker and this Drake [Tactician]?”

“It seems the adventurers that survived the Ruins are now being held responsible for the undead invasion. I heard talk of fines before I left. The [Tactician] seems to be exempt from any possible punishment, however. Regardless, all the adventurers are recovering in the Adventurer’s Guild in the city.”

“Odd, to see that lot protecting them. I thought the Adventurer’s Guild in Drake cities was practically powerless. Perhaps their guildmaster has more of a spine than the others.”

Lady Magnolia sighed and drummed her fingers on her chair.

“Poor Yvlon. I wonder how the girl is holding up? Is she still comatose?”

Theofore hesitated.

“She seemed to be coming round, but she and the others are—changed.”

Lady Magnolia accepted that explanation without asking for more details.

“And the Antinium? What about those curious Workers with names you mentioned?”

“Sequestered within their Hive, or so it seems. Only the ones known as Ksmvr and Klbkch—”

Theofore stumbled as he tried to pronounce the name.

“—Are allowed aboveground.”

“Mm. That warrants further investigation. But the Gnolls?”

“I saw one of them running south after they returned to the city. More than that I cannot say.”

“Very well. Now, to Ryoka and this young woman. They returned to the inn. You followed them, of course?”

“…To an extent.”

Lady Magnolia did not frown. But her brow did crease slightly at she tapped her finger on her chair.

“Why?”

Theofore shifted. Nervously? But of course, [Assassins] didn’t get nervous. Not even in front of one of the most powerful Humans on the continent.

“I was unsure whether the skeleton possessed any detection capabilities, and besides, there were…complications. The winter sprites had followed the two girls to the inn, and they could sense my concealment.”

Theofore grimaced.

“Those…creatures chased me off. They harried me for nearly ten miles and forced me to return. If I had stayed, my cover would certainly have been broken.”

Lady Magnolia had to smile at that.

“Ah, yes. The winter sprites. Or—Ressa, what do the children call them?”

“Frost Fairies, milady.”

“How curious. They normally don’t fix on any one person for too long. I suppose you must have attracted their interest, Theofore. How unlucky for you.”

His expression indicated total agreement.

“They hindered my progress back. I landed in two pitfalls, was nearly buried by a small avalanche…”

“That might explain why my maids informed me Ryoka Griffin was spotted running north nearly a day before you arrived. Well, it cannot be helped.”

Magnolia sighed. The conversation between the two girls had been important, she was sure. But it was hardly more important than all of the other revelations she’d heard today.

“Well, what did you hear? Start from the beginning. What happened first before you had to leave?”

Theofore hesitated again.

“I cannot be sure of what happened as I was attempting to escape the sprites. But I believe—they had a fight.”

—-

“ Raaagh! ”

It was more of a guttural shout than any coherent word. The chair flew through the air, threatening splintery death to its target.

Which was not Erin, fortunately. Ryoka hurled the chair and it crashed into a wall and broke two legs.

“Damn, damn, damn! ”

Ryoka hurled another chair across the room and kicked another one over a table. It hurt. A lot. But she had to vent her frustrations somehow, and Erin didn’t feel like offering her a pillow.

The innkeeper girl watched the runner girl breaking her furniture and wondered if she should say something. Probably not. Broken things were practically normal in her inn, by now.

Anyways, Erin didn’t want to interrupt Ryoka at all at this point, which was why she was watching from the other side of the room. The other girl was tall, athletic, and had a focused glare she could turn on you in a second.

She was sort of scary.

Not that Erin was scared of Ryoka. Of course not. They were both from the same world – practically neighbors! Ryoka was from Ohio and Erin was from Michigan. Ohio. Good old Ohio. The state of…of…

Well, it was a good state. Not quite as good as Michigan of course, but a good state. It had lots of…cities. And people, Erin was sure.

And Ryoka was a pretty good person, too. She was one of those barefoot runners Erin had heard so much about. Which was weird. But cool! And she seemed smart. And she was brave. And that was pretty much all Erin knew about her.

New fact: Ryoka had a bad temper. A really bad one.

“I will rip that ****ing @%#!’s tail off and shove it up her —-ing ████!”

It wasn’t that Erin couldn’t hear the swear words, it was just that she chose to censor them in her mind. She wasn’t too big on cursing, but she had understood Ryoka’s frustration.

“It’s not like there was much left down there anyways. So what? Zevara confiscates everything in the ruins? Big deal, what’s the problem?”

Ryoka stopped breaking things long enough to pause and turn to Erin. Maybe she’d forgotten she was in Erin’s inn, because she turned slightly red. But she was still angry.

“Even without the treasure, all the adventurer’s gear would probably have been worth over a thousand gold. Two thousand, maybe.”

“…What?”

Erin blinked at her. Ryoka nodded and sat down in a chair, scowling.

“Magic wands, potions, high-class armor…it’s their property, not the city’s. With it, Ceria and the adventurers who survived would be able to send money to the families of the ones who died, heal themselves. Taking that—it’s theft.”

“But the city was attacked.”

Erin didn’t feel comfortable defending Zevara, but she understood why it had happened. She tried to explain to Ryoka.

“I saw Liscor after the attack. The streets were ripped up, houses damaged…a lot of people died. The money to repair that has to come from somewhere. And I guess they do blame the adventurers.”

Ryoka glared at Erin, and she hastily raised her hands.

“ I don’t. But what can you do?”

“Nothing. Not one thing. It’s just—”

Ryoka made a fist and exhaled hard. Erin felt this was a first step. At least she hadn’t gone back to throwing things.

Carefully, Erin approached and took a seat next to Ryoka. Calm, that was the key.

“How about we have some food and talk?”

“Talk. Right.”

Ryoka scrubbed at her face and nodded. She was tired. Exhausted, really. But food sounded great right now, and it was time to really sit down and talk. Really talk.

“Toren!”

Erin turned in her seat and shouted. The skeleton walked downstairs, dustrag in hand. Ryoka started in her seat. Even now, she hadn’t gotten used to the—the unreality of Toren.

On the other hand, Erin talked to the skeleton as if having one was completely normal.

“Go get some food. We’re nearly out of blue juice and I need more eggs. Go find some.”

She thought for a second.

“And fish. We could use—oh, right.”

Erin glanced at one of the shuttered windows. Normally, the windows were open to let in clear air, blue skies, and green landscapes. Now though, if she looked outside…

Toren walked over to the door and opened it. A white pasture untouched by details like color appeared, as falling snowflakes completed the scene.

It was winter. And apparently, unlike on Earth, winter decided to arrive in moments, rather than over the course of months.

Ryoka and Erin both stared at the landscape outside. Toren casually stepped out into the falling snow and promptly disappeared against the white backdrop.

“Even after walking through the snow, I can’t believe it’s really winter.”

Ryoka had to shrug as she followed Erin into the kitchen. She watched as the other girl began rummaging through shelves and untidy packs of food left lying around on the floor.

“That’s how this world works.”

“Yeah, but it’s still weird. I mean, if this is how winter arrives, how does it go? Does all the snow just fly into the sky?”

Ryoka had no answer for that. Erin frowned as she stared at her pantry.

“I’m running out of food. Again. But I’ve got pasta! There’s always pasta. And sausages. Oh! And here’s an onion.”

It was Erin’s emergency fall-back recipe, which was probably why she always had ingredients for it. She really didn’t know that many recipes, which was probably due to her only having [Basic Cooking] as a skill.

“Pasta is fine. Just make a lot of it.”

“Can do!”

It took a while for the pot to boil, and longer for Erin to toss in the necessary ingredients and make several plates of it. By that time, she and Ryoka were sitting at the table, talking.

“No way. You’re serious.”

“I got a call and when I answered it, a screen appeared in the air. It was…a magical chatroom of some kind.”

“Whoa. Like magic Skype?”

“…Sort of. But from that I can guess there’s at least a hundred people from our world here. Possibly many more.”

Erin sat back in her chair, mind close to literally being blown.

“I mean, yeah. Yeah, I don’t have my smartphone and I bet a lot of people don’t either. But—hundreds? Seriously?”

Ryoka paused and chewed down her mouthful of buttered noodles before responding. She was on her second plate. So was Erin.

“It’s what makes sense. I can’t prove it, but sixteen people with working iPhones seems to suggest that’s the case. How many people are like you, without one, or don’t know how to recharge theirs.”

“Whoa.”

Erin stared past Ryoka with a dazed look as the other girl went back to her food. Ryoka forked a dripping sausage slice and chewed it down, ignoring the oil. Or rather, savoring it.

She ate with surprisingly good manners. Back straight, fork never overfull…Erin felt incredibly rude shoveling down her food, until she realized that Ryoka was still eating fast despite her table posture.

“We’re not alone. We’re not alone!”

Ryoka looked up. Erin was smiling happily. She was glad that Erin was glad, but she couldn’t share the sentiments.

“But we don’t have any way of getting in contact with them. Not unless that BlackMage person uses the spell again, and that’s risky if it gets hacked.”

“That’s true. That’s bad!”

Erin frowned and so did Ryoka, for different reasons. Was it really a ‘we’? She barely knew Erin, but the other girl seemed to accept the idea without a second pause.

“Anyways, one of the biggest mistakes we could make is if we kept secrets from each other or—or failed to plan things out. We can’t just rush around without thinking things through.”

“Mistakes?”

“Going forwards, I mean.”

Ryoka tried to explain as she ladled more noodles onto her plate.

“Now that we know we’re both from the same world, well, we should cooperate.”

“Of course. I mean, that’s obvious. Why wouldn’t we?”

Erin looked confused. Ryoka debated for an instant going into backstabbing, potential dictators, selling out the secrets of their world…and realized Erin wasn’t that type of person. She really had few evil bones in her body, if any.

“Well, there are a lot of dangers.”

Ryoka said it lamely, as if Erin hadn’t just smashed her way through several undead to rescue Ceria. And poked Gazi in the eye.

“But we can work together! You’re a cool person with running skills and all that kind of stuff and I—”

Erin hesitated.

“I’ve got an inn! And a skeleton. And acid jars.”

“Yeah. Well, this winter makes everything harder.”

Ryoka frowned. The snow was not the kind of thing a barefoot runner wanted to see. She’d had to borrow a pair of boots from Krshia just to get here. How was she going to run around in this damn weather? She’d probably have to buy a pair of shoes.

She looked up and saw Erin was staring at her.

“So…what? We’re going to make a plan? Is that why you wanted to talk?”

“Partially. Like I said, we don’t want to make any mistakes. In a situation like this—it’s a survival situation. We need to work together. Pool information, share knowledge.”

“About what?”

Erin stared at Ryoka round-eyed.

“I literally don’t know anything about this place. I mean, I know stuff about Liscor and the things around here, but nothing else.”

“I know some things.”

Ryoka pushed aside her plate. She was close to full and the food wasn’t going anywhere.

“If you’re not too tired, let’s talk.”

Erin clapped her hands together excitedly.

“Oh! Better idea. We can talk and play at the same time.”

“What?”

“Do you play chess?”

Erin was already excitedly getting a board and pieces from one of the tables. Ryoka stared at it incredulously.

“They have chess in this world?”

“Yup! It’s just been invented, apparently. Isn’t that great?”

Ryoka wasn’t sure about ‘great’, but it might be a marker to indicate what stage this world’s technological level was at. Then again, they were surprisingly advanced in some places – with refrigeration due to spells – while relying on medieval technology in other areas.

“You like to play chess?”

“I love chess. It’s fun!”

That was surprising, but Erin was that kind of girl. Ryoka didn’t mind chess either, although all of the people she played against were terrible. She could play a few games with Erin, though. She just had to remember to take it easy on her.

They began playing. Ryoka half-focused on the board while Erin chattered away.

“So, did they say anything about our world?”

“What?”

“Those people you talked to. I wish Pisces were here so I could see it again. But he’s sleeping or yelling about his jaw. Did they say what’s happening in America? Are people aware we’re gone? What’s the news?”

“I uh, didn’t ask. And they didn’t say.”

Ryoka frowned at the board. It looked like Erin could play, although she wasn’t sure how seriously Erin was taking the game. She kept moving her pieces as soon as Ryoka made her move.

“Hm. Oh, right. Apparently, the election’s over.”

“Really? Who won? Hillary?”

“Trump.”

Ryoka said the world flatly. Erin’s jaw dropped as she took one of Ryoka’s knights. She frowned, and Ryoka did the same.

“ What? He won? But he said—I mean, did you remember the election?”

“How could I not?”

It was the last thing Ryoka really remembered. She’d been walking past their TV when she saw the news about the latest Trump rally and something he’d said. It had put her in such a foul mood she went for a run—

And ended up in this world. Just another reason to hate the man. Or president. Ryoka really didn’t like thinking in those terms.

“President Trump.”

Erin made a face. It was good that she wasn’t a Trump fan. That would have…

…Have meant what? Ryoka wasn’t a Democrat – she hated both Republicans and Democrats for quite a lot of their policies. But even if Erin was some kind of conservative tea party member, so what? They were in this world. It didn’t matter.

And yet, it sort of did.

“But he’s the one who said grab women by the—”

Erin hesitated.

“Well. Wow. Isn’t that weird?”

Ryoka nodded. She frowned down at the board again. She’d lost focus. Given Erin too many pieces by mistake. She moved a pawn and Erin pushed her queen forwards seven spaces.

“…Huh.”

“Checkmate!”

Erin smiled at Ryoka, and then looked alarmed.

“Oops. Sorry, sorry. It’s just that I love to play chess and you’re not half bad so I went full-throttle right away.”

Ryoka stared at the board. She’d…lost? And not just lost. She’d gotten crushed in a few moves. She looked up at Erin and a thought made her ask her next question.

“Did you ever win a chess tournament?”

Erin blushed and waved her hand as she reset her side of the board without looking at it.

“A few. I mean, as a kid. They weren’t that big, although I did get invited to a few big ones. I never won, but I came close in Havana.”

Ryoka had a poker face. It was more like her default face, but it meant that she didn’t have an animated expression like Erin. Still, if there was a time for her jaw to drop, it would be now.

“You were invited to…Cuba? For a chess tournament?”

“When I was a kid. I was really into chess back then. Now…I mean, I was just getting back into it when I appeared here.”

Erin shrugged modestly, as if being invited to an international tournament as a kid was no big deal. And maybe it wasn’t, for her.

“Another game? I’ll play um…less strongly, I promise.”

Ryoka shook her head.

“No, I’d like to see your skills myself.”

They reset the board and started again. This time Ryoka concentrated as hard as she could as they talked.

“So. Trump’s president. That’s what I heard, but it didn’t sound like anyone knew anything about disappearances. One person had arrived here only a day ago, and she didn’t know anything about it?”

“Just a day ago? But that means this is still happening? IF that’s the case, someone is bound to notice sooner or later, right?”

That could be the case. Ryoka frowned over a pawn as she thought.

“Maybe. But thousands of people go missing each year, and this thing seems to be targeting more countries than just America. There was someone from England, Australia, Japan…”

“Oh, I love Japan. I went there once. Japanese stuff is so cool! You know, I thought you were Japanese when I first met you.”

“I am.”

“What? Really?”

Erin excitedly stared at Ryoka while the other girl tried not to lose all her pawns.

“I’m half-Japanese. My dad’s American. But I don’t know much about the culture or the language.”

Ryoka could speak a bit of Japanese, but she didn’t have much interest in the language. She’d never felt the burning desire to go there and rediscover herself, except as a way to get away from her parents, perhaps.

“That’s so cool.”

Erin smiled as she and Ryoka played on. But then she frowned again.

“Still. Trump. How’d he get elected? I wasn’t going to vote for him. I mean, I didn’t get a chance, but…”

She peered cautiously at Ryoka, as if she was afraid Ryoka was going to snap at her. Ryoka shifted in her seat.

“I um, voted for Gary Johnson. I mailed my vote in early.”

“Oh?”

Erin tried to remember who that was. Ryoka wondered if it had mattered. But then, Ohio was one of the swing states. How close had the election gotten?

It was silly, but Ryoka wanted to explain that she was making a vote of conscience against the established parties and for an independent party. If the Libertarians had managed to obtain a 5% vote they would have gotten federal funding, which might have been the first step towards breaking the two-party system if they could field a better candidate—

Or at least, it would have given another party a little more of a voice and why the hell was she worried about politics? Here? Ryoka focused on the board again. She was bleeding chess pieces at a prodigious rate.

“I voted for Bernie during the primaries, but uh, I would have voted for Hillary on election day. I think. Not Trump. Maybe for Jill Stein.”

Erin sighed as she took another of Ryoka’s bishops. She stared at the ceiling as Ryoka wondered if the game were even salvageable at this point.

“Is he building the wall? What’s happening in America right now?”

Ryoka sighed as she tipped over her king. Part of her wanted to say ‘who cares?’ but it was a small part. Erin was worried, and more invested in the news about others being here than Ryoka had been. That was probably the mark of a decent human being.

Erin smiled brightly at Ryoka.

“You’re pretty good, you know. Better than Rags, even, and she’s gotten good!”

“Rags?”

Ryoka glanced to the side. Sometime after Erin had made the pasta, the Goblin had wandered back in from outside. Rags had gone with them to the inn, and then left to find her tribe. She’d returned, covered in snow and clearly unhappy at the weather change.

She now sat in a corner, gobbling down food and poking at her stomach and wincing now and then. She had a mess of black metal and splintered wood on the table.

“She plays chess. The Goblin.”

Erin nodded enthusiastically.

“I taught her! And a bunch of the Workers—the Antinium. I taught Toren too, but he doesn’t play well.”

Ryoka stared at Erin.

“The skeleton plays chess. Of course.”

“Another game? I can take it down a notch.”

“Sure. But don’t hold back.”

Ryoka sat back, and resigned herself to a lesson in humility.

—-

Rags sat in her corner of the inn, pondering over the broken mess that had once been Cervial’s crossbow. She ignored Ryoka and Erin as they played—and then eventually went back to talking after Ryoka lost her eighth game. Rags listened, but only with one ear.

She had little interest in the transitory lives of the people who came to this inn. Only the innkeeper (and possibly the death mage) interested her. She noticed Ryoka glancing at her from time to time. Rags ignored that, which turned out to be a mistake.

After the…incident she sat in a corner, tensely watching Ryoka and contemplating vengeance as she and Erin argued.

“Don’t hit her! She’s just a kid!”

“She stole my potion! Her and that damn tribe of hers nearly sliced me to ribbons the last time I was here!”

Erin held up placating hands. She pointed to the orange potion now reclaimed in Ryoka’s hands.

“But now you’ve got it back, and everything is okay. Okay?”

Ryoka glared, but stopped threatening bodily harm towards Rags. She glared at the Goblin, and Rags touched her sword.

“She’s dangerous. You shouldn’t have given her that sword, much less that acid.”

“But it’s not like she goes around killing people!”

Erin hesitated.

“I think.”

“You heard what the Watch Captain said. The Goblins are attacking caravans, robbing people blind. Zevara will do something about them, or Relc and that Klb—Klbk—that Antinium guardsman.”

“Well…I’ll talk to Rags. But she’s welcome here as long as she doesn’t cause trouble. There’s no hurting Goblins while I’m around.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“Maybe. But no hitting!”

After that there was a lot of huffy silence, which Rags completely ignored. She plotted vengeance for a while, thought about what Erin might do, and gave up and left soon after Toren came back.

The skeleton stumbled into the inn around an hour after he’d left, just as the mood in the room was warming back up. He cooled it back down with all the snow he’d brought in, but fortunately Erin had made the fire in the fireplace nice and hot.

Erin looked up as the skeleton tromped over to them with a wicker basket he’d brought with him.

“Oh, Toren! What’d you get?”

The skeleton shook his head at Erin. She frowned at him as Ryoka eyed the melting snow stuck between the gaps in his bones.

“Where’s the blue fruit? And my eggs?”

Toren upended the basket and two wizened fruits and a frozen egg fell out. Erin stared at them incredulously.

“That’s it? ”

The skeleton nodded. Erin looked back at Ryoka and smiled weakly.

“Um. Well, I can still buy food from Krshia.”

Ryoka nodded.

“But it’s all the more reason why I should go. You need to make money, and so do I. And there’s things I need to do up north. People to talk to.”

She put her hand down and touched at her belt pouch. The letter and ring were still within, and Ryoka was conscious of them, even if the desire to deliver them no longer burned in her brain.

Erin made a face.

“I wish you didn’t have to. Ceria’s going to get better soon. When she does, what will she do? I mean, I could let her stay at the inn. I’ve got plenty of room, but…”

She waved her hands. Ryoka shrugged.

“I don’t know. She’ll have to decide. But I can’t just sit around after all of this.”

Erin sighed despondently.

“You’ll come back though, right?”

“I will. Often.”

“Okay. That’s okay, I guess.”

Erin fiddled with one of the small blue fruits and pointed at Toren.

“Go put this stuff in the kitchen. And then…and then, go get rid of the snow outside. Clear the area.”

Toren nodded. He walked towards the kitchen and then trooped back outside. Ryoka watched him go.

“He doesn’t have a shovel.”

“He can use his hands. I’ll buy a shovel later.”

Erin put Toren out of her mind as she looked back at Ryoka. She was going to go. That…Erin didn’t like that. But if she had to do it, Erin guessed she could live with it.

Ryoka cleared her throat.

“Where were we? Talking about geography? Right. I was going to tell you about this world’s history…”

She paused as Erin raised a hand.

“Um, why?”

“What?”

Erin shrugged.

“What’s the point of knowing all this? I mean, it helps, but…”

“We can’t seem like we’re not from here. Moreover, we need to know the basics of this world just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“In case we need to know.”

Ryoka frowned at Erin. The other girl had a cavalier attitude towards Ryoka’s impromptu history lesson. How was she not interested in this world? But then, Erin seemed extremely grounded in the present.

At least she seemed willing to learn. Ryoka thought.

“Okay, you were saying this world’s history is different.”

“Yes. At some point in the past, this world had gods.”

“Oh, right! Pisces was saying something like that. They died, didn’t they?”

Ryoka had heard the same from Ceria. She nodded.

“They died, and so did a few other races. Elves, for one.”

“What?”

Erin’s face fell.

“You mean I’m never going to see Legolas?”

“Doubtful.”

Ryoka felt a tinge of regret just saying that. Not for the fact that she’d never see a bunch of Orlando Bloom lookalikes – although that certainly wasn’t a plus.

“How about Dwarves? Are there Dwarves? Hobbits? Orcs?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think there are hobbits or orcs, but I do know some Dwarves still live in the world. The book I read didn’t say. The point is that the gods are dead in this world. Literally dead.”

Erin frowned.

“How can you kill a god? I mean, they’re not like our God. Or our…gods. I mean, the Christian one.”

Ryoka wasn’t Christian, although she’d read the Bible. Under duress, it had to be said, but she was distinctly, deliberately atheist. She tried to choose her words to avoid possibly offending Erin.

“It seemed that gods were a bit more active and…real in this world. Anyways, there was a war—no one’s sure about what—and they died. Long ago. That’s really the biggest point in history you need to know about.”

“What about this? I mean, this continent.”

Erin waved a hand around airily.

“I know a bit. There are five continents in this world.”

“Huh. That’s sort of like our world.”

Ryoka paused.

“No. It’s not. We have seven continents.”

“Well, Antarctica doesn’t really count, right? And North and South America are also sort of the same continent, don’t you think?”

“Um.”

“I mean, they’re both called America. And they’re connected, so doesn’t that make them one continent?”

There was so much to address, Ryoka decided to let it slide.

“Well, perhaps this world mirrors ours. There are five populated continents, but there was a sixth one in the past.”

Erin paused.

“Was? As in past tense?”

“Yep. A massive archipelago filled with whirlpools and deadly storms is all that remains of that continent. The other five are intact, but they’re massive. We’re in the most…peaceful one, I guess you could say.”

“Peaceful?”

“By comparison. Each continent has its share of wars, but this one isn’t engaged in any huge conflicts. Just constant warfare down south with a war every few years between the human cities in the north and the Drakes and Gnolls in the south.”

“That’s peaceful?”

“By comparison. Look.”

Ryoka didn’t have any paper or pencils, so she made do with chess pieces. She set up a rough map, marking the place she and Erin were on with a pawn piece.

“This continent is known as—well, it’s got multiple names. So do most of the other continents, actually.”

“Really?”

“Yes. This one, for instance was colonized by Drakes and Gnolls. They each gave it their own name, and so did the Humans who settled here. The Drakes call it Is—Issy—”

Ryoka tried to pronounce the name and gave up.

“There are multiple names. But this one is the third-largest, and as I said, it’s relatively peaceful and economically strong.”

Her finger moved up and she pointed north to a saltshaker.

“There’s one continent here. Terandria. It’s the continent of humans, and it’s pretty much a medieval version of Europe from what I can tell. Lots of kingdoms fighting each other. Royalty, knights…”

“Knights?”

Erin sat up in her chair. Ryoka sighed.

“It’s fairly stable despite all the wars. The humans don’t go anywhere else. We just kill each other.”

She smiled crookedly, and then moved southwest, to a corner of the map.

“Here’s another continent. I don’t know much about it, because it’s so far away. It’s probably the equivalent of America, only the natives never got ousted by colonists. Gazi’s people come from there.”

“Huh. What’s it like?”

“Humid. Hot. A jungle environment. That’s all I know. It’s not as…civilized as the other continents.”

Ryoka hated herself for her choice of words. Civilized? She went on, berating herself.

“Two more continents. One up here—”

She pointed to the northeast corner of the map.

“And one all the way down here. The northern one is odd. It’s some kind of dead continent where half of it seems to be eaten away by some kind of blight.”

“Like a sickness?”

“Something like that, only it’s more magical and it’s lasted for thousands of years. This continent is constantly at war. An alliance of nations is fighting against…something out there. Demons, maybe.”

“ Demons? ”

“I don’t know. The books don’t say, and the distance is so extreme that not many people know about it. That Pisces might know more.”

Ryoka scowled.

“That’s where a group of Americans are from. They’re in a nation ruled by someone known as the Blighted King. His nation is at the forefront of the conflict. Apparently, their adventurers and soldiers are some of the best the world’s seen.”

“Wow.”

Ryoka waited for something else, but Erin was just taking it all in. She pointed at the napkin she’d used for that continent.

“But they’re deadlocked. The war goes on, and they never get any richer or break the stalemate.”

Erin nodded.

“Okay, so there’s this place, a human nation with knights, a jungle…place, and a horrible continent at war. What’s the last continent?”

“Vaguely like any other, I suppose. But the main feature of this one is a massive desert that occupies a lot of the area. That’s where Gazi returned to, I think.”

“But you said this one—”

Erin pointed at the jungle continent, looking confused. Ryoka shook her head.

“That’s where her people come from. Gazers. But she serves the King of Destruction, and he lives here.”

She pointed back at the last continent, sitting in the southeast corner of the map.

“It’s the largest continent, and at one point he ruled all of it. The King of Destruction.”

“You said that earlier. I don’t know who that is. Is he someone important?”

“Very.”

Ryoka frowned.

“Putting geography aside, there are a number of powerful nations and species here. There’s no one superpower, or even a few here. Distance and the size of this planet are what stops any one group from becoming too powerful.”

“Right, right. You said this world is bigger than ours, right?”

“Possibly as much as three times bigger. It’s so large, apparently the sun is supposed to revolve around the earth.”

“That’s so weird.”

“And impossible.”

“But it must be magic.”

Ryoka scowled. Magic didn’t explain everything. Or at least, she hoped it didn’t. She stabbed the table with her finger, harder than she’d intended.

“Anyways. The King of Destruction once conquered his continent, and was intruding on three others when his kingdom collapsed. He…gave up, I think.”

“What, really?”

Ryoka shrugged. All the books she’d read—and there hadn’t been many references to him anyways—had painted him as some kind of Alexander the Great, only without the sickness and death halfway through.

“No one knows why he stopped. But he was close to being king of more than half the world.”

Ryoka paused.

“The King of Destructions. Flos.”

The words seemed to shiver in the air. Or maybe that was just Ryoka’s imagination. Ever since she’d said he was awake, the mood of the people around her had shifted. Zevara had asked her curtly whether it was true, and when Ryoka had said yes…

Perhaps this was what it was like before the first World War, or in the calm before the storm. You can feel it in the air. The world beginning to shift.

Erin wrinkled her nose.

“Flos? Like dental floss? That’s not a very scary name.”

Ryoka stared at her. Erin was…singularly unique. She didn’t even seem fazed by these revelations. They’d sent Ryoka’s head spinning when she’d first read of them. Even now, Ryoka was trying to imagine it. A world three times as big as theirs…

Erin sat back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.

“The sun revolves around the earth. Five continents. Destroyed sixth one. The gods are dead and so are the elves. Gazi works for a super-scary King of Destruction, and there’s some sick guy fighting an army of monsters.”

She nodded once.

“Got it.”

Ryoka blinked. That wasn’t the reaction she’d expected.

“You’re very calm.”

“It’s what it is, right? But if this Floss guy is so bad, isn’t anyone going to stop him?”

“A lot of people will try. And they’re more prepared than the first time. But I couldn’t say. There are a number of powers in the world, and probably a lot more I don’t know about. Aside from nations, there are a number of islands with power. Wistram Academy – that’s an isle of magic users. The Isles of Minos where Calruz came from…”

Both Ryoka and Erin paused. Erin stared down at her table. Ryoka went on as if nothing had happened.

“On this continent, the major powers would be the alliance of Drake nations in the south, the Five Families up north, the Antinium and…possibly Liscor.”

“Liscor’s that important?”

“Possibly. But even though the human cities have big armies, they’re not the real power here. The Drakes down south have more land and a far better position.”

“Yeah, the Walled Cities. What are they?”

“Super-cities. Think Chicago, only surrounded by walls.”

Ryoka shook her head.

“You know the wall Trump wanted to build? 30 feet high, right? That’s around the size of a castle wall back in our world. The normal ones, anyways. The Walled Cities have three hundred-foot-high walls.”

“That’s tall?”

“That’s tall. The cities are practically impossible to take by siege. The only reason the Drakes haven’t swept north and destroyed all the human cities is because they like to fight each other. And Liscor and the High Passes are the only ways north. And of course, there’s the Antinium.”

“What about them?”

Ryoka hesitated. Erin was friends with several of the ant-people.

“They arrived recently, but they conquered a good part of the south before being defeated. Now they live in…a stalemate with the other nations. They’re a serious threat. The presence of a Hive in Liscor makes the city far stronger than it was, and it’s one of six hives on the continent.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. And all of this…”

Ryoka indicated her map. Saltshaker, napkin, chess pieces. It was hard to visualize, but this was a world. A new one, all unknown to her and Erin.

“All of this is being unsettled by all the people coming from our world. Everything that was—well, not peaceful—everything’s about to change. Maybe some of us had something to do with Flos reawakening. Maybe not. But it’s possible that war will come here, to Liscor. And even if it doesn’t, people from our world are scattered around the globe. Even finding each other would be nearly impossible without a nation’s resources.”

“So what should we do? I mean, what should the two of us do?”

Ryoka looked up. Erin was watching her. She felt the pressure of what she’d just say crashing down on her shoulders. She stared down at the ‘map’.

“I don’t know.”

The admission came hard. Ryoka had learned a lot, but even now, even after meeting Erin, she had no idea what to do next. They were alone, in a world where giants and legends still walked around. How would they go back? Did they even want to go back?

Where would they even start?

Erin stared at Ryoka, and then nodded her head. Her eyes took on a determined look, and she stood up. Ryoka looked up at her, as Erin paced back and forth. Then she looked at Ryoka seriously.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m going to add something to my menu.”

“…What?”

“A new food. Maybe some kind of American food. Mac & Cheese? That’s really good stuff. I think I should add more foods to my menu so I can get more customers. More customers means more money, and I could use some firewood. And I need to fix up my inn. And I could really use a fridge. Although I can probably store some food out in the snow! But then the Goblins might eat it.”

Erin thought to herself. She tapped at her chin as Ryoka stared at her. Erin snapped her fingers and smiled at Ryoka.

“You know what I really need? I really need advertisements. No one ever comes here. I need advertisements and a road. What do you think, Ryoka?”

Ryoka stared at the map, and then at Erin.

“…Huh.”

2.07

Where do we go from here? That was probably the name of a song of some kind. That wasn’t too significant; everything was a song title in the end.

But where did she and Erin go from now? After they’d saved Ceria (and Olesm) from the ruins? After they’d lost the others.

Where did they go? What did they do, knowing there were others in the world like them?

For a moment, the sheer enormity of it all struck Ryoka full-on, before she could mitigate the feeling. Where did they start?

The King of Destruction was moving. All the people arriving in this world were probably playing hell with the politics and power struggles of each nation, and besides that, the threat of bringing modern-day technology like firearms into this world was very real. Add that to the possibility that it might be possible for this world to connect back to hers and Erin’s—!

Was she missing anything? Oh yes. On a smaller, local level – on this continent, in short – it seemed like Ryoka and Erin had no shortage of problems. An angry Watch Captain in the city, the Antinium, Lady Magnolia, Teriarch, a roaming horde of the undead, Ceria’s injuries, the Gnolls, and possibly Gazi, although it was anyone’s guess where she’d ended up.

Some of those things weren’t necessarily deadly problems—the business with the Antinium as Erin described it was odd. Ryoka hadn’t read any books on the Free Antinium, so she had no idea what they were doing. She could guess, but—

One problem among many. Where did you start? When the house was burning down, the first step was probably to get out of the fire. But where did you start when the entire world was raining fire from the sky?

Erin was looking at her for an answer. But Ryoka didn’t have any idea.

“We—should probably try to analyze the way the leveling system works. There are a lot of classes. If we understand which ones are valuable, or whether there’s a limit or—or a way to level up faster, that might help.”

Ryoka put one hand on her head as she tried to think out loud.

“We need a map. A better one than this, at least.”

She indicated the rough map on the ground. It was hard to see any meaning in the napkin sitting next to the chess pieces, but now she remembered the names of each of the continents:

Baleros, the mysterious continent of jungles and Gazers.

The Blighted Kingdoms of Rhir, the dying lands locked in eternal conflict.

A kingdom of knights and royalty and damn humans. Terandria.

Chandrar, home to the King of Destruction and a desert larger than the entire United States of America.

And of course, home, or at least the place where she and Erin were stuck. The continent of Drakes and Gnolls and a few humans. Issrysil. That’s what the Drakes called it, but Izril was the only thing Ryoka was willing to pronounce.

They sounded like names straight out of a fantasy game, rather than real life. But then, South America, North America, Asia, Antarctica, Africa, Australia…when you got down to it, it was pretty strange that over half of the continents in her world started with the letter ‘A’.

Ryoka tried to kick her brain on track. But she couldn’t. Her mind would much rather think about why continents were named oddly than focus on reality.

Because reality was a bit too hard.

It was embarrassing. How many times had Ryoka wanted more responsibility, less parental controls, more autonomy, and a real challenge in her life? She’d wanted to have something to work for, to live for.

But this was too much. This was crushing despair and incomprehensible madness. Where could they even start?

“Gathering magical artifacts? Learning spells…? Is there a way we could gather allies?”

“Um. Like in Lord of the Rings?”

Ryoka shook her head. Even saying that out loud sounded stupid. She wasn’t Aragorn son of Arathorn, heir of Isildur and rightful King of Gondor with a magic sword of prophecies. And she wasn’t on a quest to save the world or fight an evil tyrant. She was just trying to survive. She didn’t have anything to offer people. She didn’t even have a pair of shoes, just some boots made for a Gnoll.

“Eighty gold pieces.”

Before Ryoka could fully slump down in her chair, Erin spoke. She didn’t look at Ryoka, but stared at the ceiling. Ryoka blinked at her.

“What?”

Erin shrugged.

“That’s how much Pisces says it would cost to get some of my cupboards enchanted. Well—actually, he says that it would be better to replace the wood frames first, but that’s not too expensive.”

“Okay.”

Ryoka stared at Erin without any expression. Where was she going with this?

“I have a few gold coins from killing—well, there were these Shield Spiders a while back and Gazi and it’s an entire thing, okay? But I need to fix my inn, buy food…I’m running low on money.”

Another problem. Wonderful. At least Ryoka had quite a bit of money from the delivery for Teriarch…which she’d never done. A spasm of guilt and anxiety wormed its way into Ryoka’s stomach.

Erin didn’t notice. She was still thinking.

“You could probably use a lot of gold, too, right?”

“For what?”

“Well, what do adventurers have in all the stories and games? Magic swords. Magic armor. Magic…wands. Magic spell books. Wouldn’t that be helpful when you do your running thing?”

“Runners don’t need much to run. And I can defend myself.”

Ryoka pointed that out in defiance of the fact that she’d been nearly useless in the Ruins. Erin shook her head and explained.

“Yeah, but you could defend yourself. I mean, with spells rather than having to kick everything you see. And there’s other things you can buy. Like, uh—”

“A restoration spell.”

Ryoka’s mind jumped ahead of the conversation and Erin blinked at her.

“What?”

“There are no [Priests] or people like that in this world. But there are mages who specialize in healing magic. If I—we—could find one who knows how to cast a restoration or regeneration spell, maybe they could heal Ceria’s hand.”

Erin’s eyes widened.

“You think so? Really? Is that possible?”

“I know someone who thought she could fix my shattered leg. And that person knows a famous healer.”

It was a simple goal. But if that was the starting point—

Erin nodded decisively.

“Well, if you’re going to pay for Ceria’s hand, count me in!”

Ryoka opened her mouth to tell Erin she could handle it, or that Erin should save her money for her inn, and then closed it. She paused, and nodded at Erin.

“I’ll do that.”

“So…how much is that going to cost?”

“A thousand gold? At least a few hundred.”

Erin didn’t say anything, but her eyes bulged a bit. Ryoka tried to reassure her.

“I know how to get money. A lot of it.”

“How much do Runners make on their deliveries?”

“I’m not planning on relying on running to get that much. There’s one—no, two, actually—two ways I know I can earn a lot of money.”

Ryoka thought about her options and didn’t like either one. But she had a goal now. Money. It was a simple goal that didn’t take into account politics, world events, or anything else. It was a clear road, and Ryoka was good at running a straight line.

“Right.”

“Right?”

Erin blinked at Ryoka in mild alarm as the other girl stood up.

“I’m going to start now. If I head back to Celum, I should be able to start working by tomorrow. I’ll come back with whatever I earn in about a week, with more news, an idea of what the spell might cost, and anything else I can think of.”

Erin’s face fell.

“What, you’re leaving? Just like that?”

Ryoka stared at Erin, nonplussed.

“Of course. Time is money.”

“Yeah, but time is also time. Which is a lot more valuable than money. Sometimes.”

Erin mumbled into the table, and then looked up at Ryoka pleadingly.

“You just got here. Well I don’t mean you just arrived, but we haven’t talked that much.”

“We got all the important details down.”

“Yeah, but—”

For a few seconds, the girl with chestnut-brown hair stared at the table as if afraid to speak. The girl with raven hair stared at her, until Erin looked up.

“I could use some advice.”

Ryoka wasn’t a social person. By choice, as much as inclination. And she was a bad friend. She’d never been a good friend, or even a friend to anyone, really. But she heard it in Erin’s voice. A slight catch, a pleading tone. An unspoken request.

Her inner self told her to go, told her it wasn’t important. But the better part of Ryoka she didn’t know she had told her something else. She hesitated, and then she sat down again.

“Of course.”

—-

Being an [Innkeeper] wasn’t something that came naturally to Erin. Or rather, it wasn’t something Erin had ever done. But the first part of that thought was a lie.

She was good at innkeeping. Because being an innkeeper was all about people.

And Erin liked people.

It was odd. She played chess all day, and that wasn’t really a social sport. But you met people playing chess. It was sort of the rule. And she liked talking to people. Because people were different, interesting, and most people were good people.

So Erin had begun learning how to read people. It was still something she was new at, trying to analyze people rather than taking them at face value. But she was starting to get…feelings about people she met.

It was something Erin had only just noticed about Ryoka. In truth, she should probably have clued into it earlier, but in her defense, it had been a very long couple of days.

It was this: Ryoka really wasn’t a social person.

In truth, that wasn’t really a hard conclusion to come to. Whether it was Ryoka’s tendency to hunch inwards when she sat in a crowd, or her silent stares and grunted responses when she didn’t want to talk, she practically exuded a ‘don’t-talk-to-me’ zone.

Plus, she just wasn’t the type to sit around. Ryoka got antsy if she had to sit still, and if she got excited when talking, she tended to get up and pace around. She couldn’t just relax; she had to move.

She was a doer as opposed to a thinker. If Erin had to think of it, she thought of it in terms of chess players. Ryoka was like some of the chess players she’d met who could do 5-second games really well because they were so used to seeing certain patterns and playing games that they could make the best or close to the best move within moments.

That was at odds with how Erin liked to play it, a bit more calculated and patient. Of course, any good chess player had to mix instinct with calculating the overall impact on the board, but Ryoka had that certainty and ability to jump to logical conclusions that left Erin speechless at times.

Case in point. Ryoka had just explained how ice cream was made, and Erin was excited.

“So that’s why I couldn’t get it to work!”

She slapped the table and looked around wildly. She had all of—well, most of the ingredients still in her inn. She could make ice cream! Ice! Cream! The ambrosia of children and anyone who enjoyed life!

“I can’t believe you thought you had to churn milk to make ice cream.”

Erin mock-glared at Ryoka.

“Well, how was I supposed to know you had to heat it up and stir it up like…custard? Who’d ever think of something as crazy as that?”

“Catherine de Medici. Although she probably learned the recipe from the Italians who got it from Marco Polo. And they might have gotten it from the Chinese.”

Ryoka frowned absently as she thought, and then realized Erin was gaping at her.

“What?”

“Do you…do you have like, a perfect memory or something?”

The Asian girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Not exactly. I’ve got a trick memory. I remember details and things I think are interesting really well. And I studied quite a bit of history for my AP exams.”

“Whoa. I never took the AP’s. They seemed way too hard, and they weren’t a requirement at my high school. Did you pass your exams?”

Ryoka seemed to hesitate.

“I got a few 5’s.”

That was just another reason to admire her. Erin smiled happily as she imagined eating bowls of the delicious ice cream, even if she could only make vanilla. Well, that was what fruits were for. Flavor.

“You have no idea how helpful that is! I can make ice cream and start selling it in my inn! Or—or make ice cream cones! I’ll be rich!”

So delighted was Erin at the thought of showing Selys and everyone else ice cream that she didn’t realize Ryoka was shaking her head.

“Not a good idea. I don’t think it’ll work.”

“What? Why not?”

“First off: it’s winter.”

Ryoka pointed to one of the shuttered windows that was letting in a distressing amount of cold air through the cracks, despite being closed.

“If you’re going to sell frozen treats, you might as well avoid using sugar because of the cost. Only the aristocracy and rich merchants can afford to buy a lot of confectioneries, so you’d have to raise the cost too high. Also, ice cream is hard to store, especially if you don’t have a fridge.”

The other girl started ticking off additional points on her fingers.

“Given the expense and probably the rarity of milk in the winter, you’d also have more costs in that area. If you’re going to sell anything, you might as well sell snow cones because all you need is some syrup. But even then, you’re going to run up against the biggest problem.”

“Which is?”

“Plagiarism. The instant one of your customers goes back to the city, every shopkeeper will be copying your recipe. It might take them a few days, but they can probably figure out how to make most of the foods from our world just from the taste alone.”

She shrugged.

“I’m sorry, but this world doesn’t have anything like copyright. Maybe you could hide the recipe for a few months, but…”

Ryoka trailed off and thought for a while. Erin was crestfallen.

“So it’s not a good idea? I was going to make all this food from our world, but if people are just going to steal everything.”

“Well hold on, it’s not a completely bad idea.”

Erin looked hopefully at the other girl. Ryoka was nodding to herself.

“It could work.”

“How?”

The taller girl lifted her shoulders fractionally.

“If they’re going to copy you, let them. Just make it clear that you were the one who invented the dish and capitalize on rumor and gossip. Keep coming out with new ideas and you’ll earn a reputation as an exciting place to be. Or—specialize. Make it so that your food might not be unique, but you’re the one who can provide the best quality.”

She stopped and eyed Erin. The other girl was smiling at her again.

“What?”

“Wow. That was so well…thought out! Hey, do you want a job working here? You can be the head innkeeper with all the ideas and I’ll be the innkeeper who does everything else.”

“No thanks.”

Ryoka said it deadpan. Erin guessed that to her, the idea of being a smiling innkeeper was probably like torture. But Ryoka had good ideas, so Erin pressed her.

“Okay, you don’t have to be an innkeeper. But what about my inn? Is there anything else I should be doing?”

It took Ryoka all of five seconds to come up with an answer as she stared around the empty room.

“Off of the top of my head—you could stand to fix up the inn. Repair all the walls and add some kind of covering to the windows and you’ll stop losing all the heat. Enchanting the kitchen is a good idea, and if you can afford it, more magic would probably help a lot. Other than that—your skeleton needs to be improved, somehow.”

“Toren? What’s wrong with him?”

Erin looked around, but then she remembered Toren was outside clearing snow away. Ryoka shrugged.

“It can only clean and haul things around. It can’t cook, can’t talk to guests or serve them without scaring the hell out of them, and it’s not really a good fighter. It’s just one skeleton. That Ksmvr chopped up at least ten of them on the way out of the ruins.”

That was true. Although, Erin had the sneaking suspicion that Toren was more competent than the other skeletons. For one thing, he seemed to be able to put himself back together whenever he got smashed, unlike his friends. She nodded though, to keep Ryoka happy. Maybe Pisces could do some upgrades, although he’d probably ask for a lot of money.

“Okay, okay. But here’s my most important question.”

Ryoka leaned forwards, intent. She was enjoying the act of coming up with ideas, Erin realized. So Erin took a deep breath and told Ryoka her biggest problem.

“You know that stream that I keep getting water from?”

“What about it?”

Erin scowled.

“It’s a pain to get the water from all the way over there, even if I make Toren do it. Is there a way to get the water to come over here? Preferably without the evil fish?”

For a second, Ryoka stared into Erin’s eyes. Erin stared back, expectantly. At last, Ryoka blinked a few times. She gestured towards the door.

“I doubt water will be a problem right now. If you need it, you can always melt some snow in a bucket. Honestly, firewood will probably be an issue soon. But about the water…have you thought of a well?”

Erin’s jaw fell open.

“Whoa.”

—-

In the end, Ryoka left two hours later than she’d intended, just as the sun was lowering past the mountains. Erin wanted Ryoka to stay, and Ryoka was adamant that she leave.

“I need to get moving. If I stay here too long, I’ll just get in your way or we’ll talk too much.”

Erin had the distinct impression that it was the second reason why Ryoka was itching to go. She’d seemed to enjoy talking with Erin, but now it was clearly alone time for the other girl.

Ryoka stepped into the two oversized boots she’d gotten from Krshia and grimaced. She stomped over to the door and turned to Erin.

“One more thing. While I’m gone, try not to tell anyone else about where we’re from. Not that Antinium, and not Krshia. Or at least, don’t tell them any secrets.”

“Like what?”

Ryoka stared at Erin until she felt uncomfortable.

“Gunpowder. How cars work. The periodic table. Anything that might upset things.”

“Upset things how?”

Ryoka opened her mouth, and then shook her head.

“I don’t know. Just try to be discreet, okay?”

She raised a finger.

“Discretion.”

Ryoka stared at Erin. Erin nodded obediently.

“Discretion. Right. Got it.”

Ryoka pulled open the door to the inn as Erin hovered anxious around her.

“You’ll be back soon though, right?”

“In a week or less. Don’t worry. Can you check on Ceria for me?”

“Oh, sure, sure. But do you want something to take with you? A snack? Lunch? Dinner? I can make something.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got to go.”

“What about—”

“Erin. I’ll see you later.”

Ryoka stood up, pushed her feet into the ill-fitting boots she had to wear to avoid freezing her feet off, and nodded at Erin. She stepped out the door.

It was frickin’ cold outside, but Ryoka let not a trace of that show on her face. She wasn’t equipped for the winter; she was still in this world’s equivalent of a t-shirt and running leggings. But once she started running she’d warm up.

No time to start like the present, then. Ryoka took a few steps into the snow and began to jog. The snow was loose and powdery around her boots. It was like running in the sand—and even harder because of the boots. It would take Ryoka quite some time to get back north.

“Good luck!”

Ryoka heard the voice, but she only raised one hand in farewell. She continued to accelerate until she was going at a decent clip. Soon, the inn was lost behind her as Ryoka ran up and down snow-covered mounds, heading back towards the main road.

That was when the air suddenly blew even more intensely, and Ryoka realized she was no longer alone. She didn’t see them right away, but she heard the voices.

“Look, look! The raven-haired one is leaving!”

“She runs, how slow! Like an insect on the ground!”

Ryoka ignored the shrill voices in the air, and the pale azure shapes that flew down out of the sky and hovered around her head. Even at close range, the Frost Fairies were hard to see. If the sky had been clear and blue, they would have been practically invisible.

They fluttered around her head, laughing, swooping about, smiling with sharp teeth as their bright eyes followed Ryoka.

So beautiful. But Ryoka didn’t want to stop for them. They were dangerous, so she pretended she couldn’t hear them. She just admired them out of the corner of her eyes whenever they flitted past.

“She runs slow! Slow and plodding, like one of the stupid grass-eaters!”

“A cow, a cow!”

Apparently, fairies were rude. Ryoka frowned. What the hell were they? And why—

Ryoka slipped as her boots hit a slick patch of ice under the snow and she nearly toppled over. She heard laughter ringing through the air around her.

“Fuck.”

The impact didn’t hurt, but the snow was freezing as it melted on Ryoka’s bare skin. She got up, brushed herself off, and began to run, faster. She needed winter gear as soon as possible, or she’d freeze in this weather.

Who would know about these strange creatures? Maybe someone who knew a lot of magic. Like Pisces or—

“Damnit.”

She’d completely forgotten to mention Teriarch and Magnolia to Erin. Oh well. They weren’t going anywhere, and besides, Ryoka would be back soon enough.

The Wandering Inn.

It was not home, and it never would be. But Ryoka thought—yes, she thought it was still a place to remember. Because she had a friend there.

A friend. Named Erin Solstice.

“Are ye smiling because ye are daft or slow, Human?”

Ryoka glanced up. A fairy was hovering around her head. She smiled at Ryoka as, too late, the Runner pretended not to see her.

“I knew it! Ye can see us!”

The fairy turned to the rest of her flock, or herd, or swarm or whatever they were called en-masse.

“Harken, sisters! This human sees us but pretends we are naught but dust in the wind!”

Ryoka ignored them. The Frost Fairies were nearly a hundred in the air now, a huge mass that whirled around. They were…arguing, or perhaps debating. Ryoka listened.

“Bah. Who cares what mortals think? What fools these mortals be! Let us go and bring snow and ice to the rest of this mudball!”

“No, no! I want to stay at the inn!”

“The running cow interests me. I say we follow her!”

They split up. The majority of the swarm flew up into the air, and blew away, south. More Frost Fairies flew back in the direction of the inn, but a small group of ten or so kept pace with Ryoka as she kept running.

They were pleasant company, laughing, flying around Ryoka, for about one second. Then one landed on Ryoka’s head and bent down until she was upside-down in Ryoka’s vision.

“I know ye can hear me, Human. Say something.”

The best way to deal with people she didn’t like was to ignore them. That was Ryoka’s tried and true method, and she tried it now.

“Are ye a fool? Speak!”

Ryoka’s hand came up and brushed at the fairy. The tiny creature was making Ryoka’s forehead go numb and giving her a headache. The fairy fluttered up, outraged.

Ignore them. Just ignore them.

“Pay attention to us!”

“Speak, cow!”

“We grace your filthy ears with words. Answer back!”

One of them landed in Ryoka’s hair and began to pull strands out. She shouted in Ryoka’s ear with a voice that was far too loud for her small body.

“Hey. Heeeeey. Hey! Listen to me, Human!”

Ryoka snarled.

“Piss off!”

—-

Erin sighed. She stared up at the ceiling. Ryoka’s leaving had left her empty as her inn. But she had to keep going. She wasn’t alone anymore.

That put a smile on her face. It was replaced instantly by a yawn.

“Man. I’m tired.”

All that talking and fighting and eye-poking earlier today had left Erin really tired. She knew she should probably do something constructive, but her brain told her the most constructive thing she could do was sleep.

One step at a time. One day at a time. Erin closed her eyes and went to sleep.

[Warrior Class Obtained!]

[Warrior Level 2!]

[Skill – Lesser Endurance Obtained!]

“ Gaaah! ”

Sometimes Erin forgot how surprising the disembodied voice in her head could be. She jerked up, lost her balance in her chair, and toppled backwards.

She crashed into the floorboards, which didn’t hurt so much after the first few seconds. Erin lay on the ground and stared at the ceiling.

“Warrior? Me?”

She thought about that for a second. Then Erin’s eyes closed and she decided it was another thing that the Erin of tomorrow would have to deal with.

Lie on the ground. Go to sleep for a few more minutes. Wake up when the blood rushes to your head.

Get up, brush teeth. Erin kept forgetting that part. Crawl into blankets in kitchen.

Go to sleep.

“Hello Erin—”

“Aah!”

Erin shot out of her blankets and grabbed the first thing that came to hand and threw it at the person who’d spoken.

Her [Unerring Aim] worked perfectly. The pillow flew through the air and struck Pisces in the chest. He blinked as it fell to the ground.

“Ah. Did I wake you by any chance? My deepest apologies.”

For a second, the dirty mage standing in Erin’s kitchen with robes wet and dripping from the snow was like a dream. Then it became horrible reality and Erin rolled over.

“Go away!”

She threw another pillow at him. Pisces looked hurt. He sniffed and wiped at his runny nose with his robes.

“It’s just me. There’s no need to be so dramatic.”

“How’d you get in here?”

“The door was unlocked.”

Erin sat up in her bed, grumpily staring at Pisces. The thing about locking doors was starting to make more and more sense. She glared at Pisces.

“I’m closed. Go away.”

“You were open just a few minutes ago for your friend.”

That was the thing about Pisces. Unlike Ryoka, who didn’t read social cues that well, Pisces could readily pick up on unspoken messages. His problem was that he just chose to ignore them.

Erin wriggled around in her blankets until she could both remain in her warm nest and glare at Pisces.

“Ryoka is special. You’re not. Go away.”

“After all I’ve done for you and Ceria both, this is how you repay me? I came here in good faith, hoping to provide you with custom for your business when I could have stayed in the city.”

Pisces sniffed, hurt. He seemed to be neglecting the fact that he didn’t actually pay Erin for the food he ate here.

“Ryoka gets food if she’s hungry. You don’t. You wait until I’m awake for food.”

Again, the mage sniffed and Erin swore to herself that if he sneezed on her or dripped snot on her head she would stab him.

“Your indulgence in your newfound friend is commendable. Although, perhaps you shouldn’t have let her go. She ran into trouble as soon as she left. A group of sprites started following her. I saw her run off with a swarm of them hovering over her head.”

“Swarm? What swarm?”

“A swarm of those…creatures. The sprites. The beings who brought this delightful snow for the winter we’re now experiencing. The, ah, Winter Sprites.”

“Winter Sprites? You mean the fairies!”

Erin was out of her blankets and running outside in a second. She ran outside in her bare feet, yelped, scrambled for shoes, and then there they were.

A shimmering, sparkling cloud of bodies hovered over Erin’s inn. Faint, lithe shapes of fairies hovered and dove as their laughter rang through the air.

“Oh no. They’re here.”

Pisces emerged from the inn. Erin paid no notice to him, although he instantly began urging her back inside.

“Come on. They haven’t noticed us yet. If we stay indoors they’ll go away. They don’t enter buildings.”

“What? No. I want to look at them.”

Erin replied absently as Pisces pulled at her sleeve. He squinted at her and then up at the fairies suspiciously.

“Why? They’re just pests.”

She didn’t reply. How he could call the wondrous beings floating above his head ‘pests’, Erin had no idea. Like Ceria, there was an otherworldly, unearthly look to the Frost Fairies. They were beautiful as part of the world, but they were mythic, strange and delightful in all the ways they were not part of the world.

“They’re so… magical. ”

Erin breathed the words as she stared upwards, entranced. Pisces turned and stared expressionlessly at Erin. She waved a hand at him.

“You don’t count.”

He shook his head.

“Horrible creatures. I don’t know what you see in them.”

“What?”

Finally Erin stopped staring long enough to glare at Pisces. She gestured at the fairies as they flew around, chasing each other and laughing overhead.

“How can you not be amazed by that? Look at them! They look like crystal and—ice come to life! They look exactly like how I imagined fairies would look! How is that horrible?”

Pisces eyed Erin as if she’d lost her wits. He stared upwards, and then spoke in a puzzled voice.

“Fairies? I don’t see any small winged creatures. They just look like fuzzy blobs to me.”

Now it was Erin’s turn to stare at Pisces. She waved a hand in front of his face and he jerked back.

“Stop that.”

“How can you not see them?”

“See what? Those are Winter Sprites. The children call them fairies, but they’re just floating pieces of annoyance. They come around and bring winter and bother people, but that’s all.”

“No, they’re fairies!”

“Are you insane?”

Their argument had attracted the attention of the Frost Fairies above. They flew down towards Erin and Pisces. He yelped and scuttled back towards the door, but Erin remained still. She stared up, eyes shining as a fairy flew down in front of her.

The creature wasn’t like a Human, or even Ceria in terms of anatomy. For one thing, neither humans nor half-elves were made of what looked like fluid ice and pure crystal. But the fairies had different bodies in other ways as well. They had no breasts or genitalia, and they had two sets of wings, like a dragonfly. In fact, their eyes were pupil-less, much like those insects. But for all of that, they looked like beautiful little girls to Erin.

That was, until one of them spat in Erin’s eye.

Fairy spit is small, but the creatures were cold as ice. Erin yelped and grabbed at her eye as the fairy started cursing at her. Pisces muttered in a soft voice as he ducked away from the Frost Fairies flying over his head.

“Told you.”

The fairy who’d spat on Erin hovered close to the human girl as she rubbed frantically at her stinging eye. She glared at Erin.

“And what are ye lookin’ at? Another mortal come to gawk? Begone with yeh!”

She had a faintly Irish accent. Erin wasn’t actually sure if it was Irish or Scottish, which betrayed her ignorance, but if she had been an expert of a native to Ireland, she would have recognized the Frost Fairy’s accent as Irish. Specifically, since Irish accents differed so dramatically geographically, her accent was vaguely reminiscent of the Monaghan county of Ireland.

But to Erin, it was just an odd way of speaking that seemed to involve saying ‘ya’ or possibly ‘yeh’ with every other word. And what was stranger was that not all the Frost Fairies talked the same. Some had vaguely British accents – West Country, Southern Welsh, North Welsh, Edinburgh – so varied and so thick that Erin could barely make out one word in two when they spoke at once.

And chattering seemed to be the Frost Fairies’ default setting, as they swooped around Erin’s head, talking loudly.

“Look, look! Another human?”

“Can she see us too?”

“It seems like it!”

“Hear how she squealed at the cold! Do it again!”

Despite first contact, Erin was still entranced. She raised her voice.

“No—I mean, I can see you. Can I talk to you?”

Pisces stared at Erin as if she’d gone mad.

“Just who exactly are you talking to?”

The fairies had heard Erin, though. Her words sent them into wild spirals as they flew around her, chattering excitedly.

“She can see us! She can!”

“That makes two! Two humans who can see us!”

“How odd! How strange!”

The lead fairy tossed her head and sent her shimmering hair flying.

“Hah! The bloody twat wants ta talk? Sod off ye wanker!”

She dove at the girl’s head, forcing her to duck. Erin held up her hands, but the fairy darted around them and struck Erin on her cheek.

Instantly, the skin around where the fairy had touched Erin went numb, and then came back to life with pins and needles of pain. Erin clapped a hand to the spot and felt the extreme cold.

“Ow! Stop that!”

“They’re not going to stop.”

Pisces said the words urgently as the fairies laughed and the mean one kept trying to tag Erin again with one hand. Erin tried to fend the fairy off—gently, because she didn’t want to hurt the small creature.

“Why are they trying to hurt me? I just want to talk.”

The mage laughed nervously as he stared at Erin.

“Talk? They’re not people, Erin. They’re just…magical phenomena. They turn up every year. No one knows where they come from. They’re pests that destroy everything they find interesting.”

Something about the way he was talking was really bugging Erin. She glared at him as the fairy stopped attacking her at last.

“What are you talking about, Pisces? Can’t you see them? They’re totally fairies! They just spoke to us!”

Pisces was giving Erin a very strange look. He stared in the general direction of the fairy with the Irish accent, and then at Erin.

“Spoke? To you? I heard nothing.”

He wasn’t even looking at the fairy directly. Erin pointed.

“There, can’t you see her?”

The fairy was laughing, making faces at Erin and rude gestures that would have been obscene if she had human parts at Pisces. The mage squinted, but he was looking a bit down and to the left of the fairy.

“I see a fuzzy shape. It’s blue and white. I don’t hear anything.”

That had to be impossible, because Erin could hear all the fairies laughing now. Their laughter sounded like little bells, but Pisces didn’t even react. He was telling the truth.

“But how?”

Pisces looked at Erin.

“Erin. Are you really saying you can see and hear these things? They’re not just…magical particles?”

“Oh, but she can, fool mage!”

“She sees what you mortals cannot, and have not for millennia! More fools, you!”

Erin nodded slowly.

“But why can I see them when you can’t?”

Pisces blinked and frowned in thought, but it was the mean fairy who spoke. She flew back towards her friends and pointed back to Erin.

“’Tis a good question the fool asks. How can she see us, sisters? The glamor cannot be broken so easily by mortal sight. Just look at the fool who revels in death. He cannot see or hear us.”

“Too true!”

One of the fairies dropped down and buzzed Pisces’ head. He ducked, and she laughed and flew back towards the others.

“He does not see! He does not know! But she knows! How?”

The fairies flew around Erin’s head, inspecting her from all sides as they argued. She kept still, half-entranced, half-wary.

“Magic? But the magic of magi is too weak. And she has practically none!”

“If she’s used the ointment of our kind, we should blind her now. Take her eyes, one or both and let’s have done with it!”

Erin stared in horror at the fairy that had spoken. Suddenly, the Frost Fairies had lost all their wonder. The creature swept down close to Erin’s head and the girl raised her hands protectively. But then another fairy spoke.

“Nae. It does not work so in this world. Had she ointment, she would only see our shapes but not hear our voices. It is something else, sisters.”

“But what?”

“How?”

“Is she a freak? But even monsters and creatures of horror and blight cannot see us!”

“A God, maybe?”

“Don’t be silly! They’re all dead here! All dead and rotting!”

Pisces glanced at Erin’s face. He sidled rapidly over to her and whispered in her ear.

“What’s happening?”

Erin turned a pale face towards him.

“They’re talking about blinding me.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Ah. That would be inconvenient. Stand aside and I will deal with this.”

He raised a finger, and Erin moved away. The fairies ignored Pisces, but he frowned at them. He aimed towards the center of their herd and spoke.

“[Firefly].”

Fire, flickering bright orange and red flames flew upwards. It twisted into a flitting, swift shape and flew at the fairies. They screamed and scattered.

“ Pisces! ”

“Relax.”

The mage was smirking. He gestured at the flames as the spell chased the Frost Fairies.

“It doesn’t hurt them, and it’s one of the only ways to get these creatures to leave. I thought it best to expedite the process if they are a threat.”

“Fire, fire!”

“It will burn our snowflakes! Our snow gifts!”

“Bah. This mage seeks to play with flame? Let’s show him a true taste of cold, sisters!”

One of the fairies spoke as the herd of fairies flew in panic. In a moment the mood changed.

Erin didn’t see what happened, but one instant the flaming bird or insect of fire was chasing a fairy, and then the fairy had stopped and suddenly the [Firefly] spell went out. In a moment. There wasn’t so much as a flicker of smoke. The fire was just gone.

Pisces frowned upwards as one of the fairies raised a tiny hand. He stroked at his chin.

“Hm. That’s odd—”

Crack.

It was a feeling as much as sound. The air froze. Pisces’s face turned white and his robes stiffened. His entire body frosted over.

Erin saw Pisces’s expression change. His eyes went wide, and then he started screaming as his body began to process pain. He turned, fire flaring at his fingertips, stumbling as his muscles froze over. He fell to the ground, stumbled upright, and fled into the inn as the fairies laughed overhead.

“Hah! Serves the fool right!”

“Fire cannot hurt us! Ye foolish prat!”

“Now what to do with the human who told him to attack us, eh?”

The fairies began to spiral around Erin menacingly. She raised her hands desperately.

“Wait, wait, stop! Look, I’m sorry about my fr—about Pisces. He’s an idiot. I don’t want to hurt you!”

One of the fairies laughed again.

“As if ye could! We are the fae! But we want nothing to do with you! Begone, human!”

That was a good cue to run, especially after what happened to Pisces. But Erin couldn’t just give up. She reached out imploringly to the fairies.

“Can’t we talk?”

“No.”

“But I’ve heard so many stories about you! And you’re so beautiful!”

Some of the fairies began to preen, tossing their ethereal hair or swooping towards the sun so it made their crystal bodies sparkle. But the fairy Erin was talking to was not impressed. She flipped Erin off with two fingers in the ‘v’ sigh. Was that an insult?

“Unless ye’ve brought Calabrum with ye ta this world, we want naught to do with yer stories, human.”

That sounded like a definite rejection, but again Erin hesitated. There was a word in that sentence she didn’t know, outside of the accent.

“Um. What’s Calabrum?”

The fairy looked shocked. She glared at Erin.

“Do ye not remember the legendary name? No? Surely ye must. Do you know know of Caliburn?”

Slowly, Erin shook her head. She had no idea what the fairy was talking about. Another fairy looked insulted.

“Don’t you remember the old tales? How can you not know the name? If not Caliburn, do you know of Kaledvoulc’h? Calesvol?”

Erin still looked blank. The fairy looked frustrated.

“Are ye daft? Have your kind forgotten all the old tales, or are ye so daft ye can’t remember? The Sword of the Once and Future King! Escalibor !”

That name rang a bell in Erin’s head. She stared wide-eyed at the fairy, heart suddenly pounding.

“You mean Excalibur!? The Sword in the Stone?”

The fairies looked at each other as if Erin was daft.

“The Sword in the Stone? Is she a fool?”

“Hah! The waif thinks Excalibur is the Sword in the Stone? She jests!”

One of the fairies made a disgusted face as she swooped around Erin’s head.

“Ach. The stripling is plainly thick in the head.”

Erin longed to reach out and touch her translucent wings, but restrained herself with effort. She’d probably lose her hand.

“Wait, so Excalibur isn’t the Sword in the Stone? I always thought—but you mean it’s exists? And what about other worlds?”

They ignored her. The fairies muttered to each other and glanced at Erin. They seemed to come to a decision and began to fly away without another word.

She chased after them, clumsily in the snow.

“Wait, don’t go, please! There’s so many things I want to ask you!”

“Begone!”

One of the fairies turned and dove at Erin. Her teeth were bared and this time she began smacking hard into Erin’s face. Parts of her skin went numb and then began to hurt terribly as Erin tried to shield herself.

“Ow, ow, ow! Stop that! Please! Ow! ”

The fairy kept attacking, and then fell back with a screech. Erin turned around to see her savior. Pisces was holding of all things, a rusted iron horseshoe. Where had he gotten that?

He waved it up at the fairies, and Erin heard them hiss at him. Pisces shouted at them as he and Erin backed up towards the inn.

“Begone, Cold Folk! Leave this place! You are not welcome!”

It was like a spell had been cast. The fairies shrieked and flew upwards. Erin heard them screaming angrily as Pisces pulled her towards the door. His face and skin were now horribly red with frost nip, but he kept a firm hold of the horseshoe.

“Come on. Inside before they come back.”

Erin hesitated. She put one foot in the doorway and looked back. They’d been so wonderful. And then—

Movement caught Erin’s eye in the distance. She stared in horror over Pisces’ shoulder. He looked around and saw what was coming towards them.

“Oh my—”

Erin saw the fairies screaming among the raging torrent of ice and snow a second before it hit them. An avalanche of snow blasted through the open door of the inn, sweeping through the tables and chairs aside. Erin was tumbled up, down, left, and then stuck at a 45° angle in the snow, her feet kicking wildly as she tried to pull herself out.

Around the other side of the inn, Toren heard the miniature avalanche crash into the inn and paused in his excavation work to look up. The skeleton had successfully cleared out a huge patch of snow around the inn with his bare hands, forming a small wall of snow. He left it now and wandered back towards the front of the inn.

The skeleton saw only vague shapes, blue and white patches of light flying upwards. He heard nothing of the Frost Fairys’ laughter or their remarks, but he did see the inn.

Snow, several metric tons of it had rushed into the inn in one moment. It had packed itself inside, trapping the two poor humans inside. Toren heard Erin screaming and Pisces shouting something. He stared at the packed inn and estimated the density of the snow.

Toren’s mouth opened and he seemed to sigh. Then he walked into the inn and began to dig as the snow began to fall even harder.

2.08

I had at least eight blisters by the time I ran through the gates of Celum, nearly two days later. I blame myself, really. Running in ill-fitting boots is about the stupidest thing you can do to your feet—aside from running barefoot in the snow, that is.

Yep. That’s me. Ryoka Griffin, not-so-barefoot Runner. You’d think it wouldn’t matter, given the winter, but it does.

“Hoi, running girl! Too cold for your feet, eh?”

One of the human guards on the rampart shouts down at me as I run onto the cobblestones and into the city. Briefly, I debate flipping him off or shouting something back. Instead, I run on.

Bad temper? Who, me? I don’t have a bad temper. It’s not like I’ve just run and slept in the cold for the last few days, all the while being pestered by evil incarnate.

Speaking of which, I hear the guards at the gates laughing, and then cursing and shouting as my traveling companions arrive.

“Hark! A human city! Full of nasty iron and wood fires! Let’s freeze the place, sisters!”

…And there goes the peace. The Frost Faeries I’ve brought with me rush through the air above my head, bringing Winter with them.

Winter, in a literal sense. Apparently, around here the seasons don’t just change with the weather. In this case, it’s literally a phenomenon that follows these fairies as they fly around. Where they go, the temperature drops, it starts snowing, and the damn things can seemingly conjure avalanches out of the air whenever they please.

I want nothing to do with them, which is unfortunate seeing as how they keep following me. But now they’re busy tormenting the human guardsmen, freezing metal to skin, pelting them with snow and so on, I’m in the clear for the moment.

I can even take my boots off and let my feet breathe. It’s cold around here, but the faeries haven’t turned this place icy yet. They don’t move around methodically, so I found entire sections of land that were still green and flourishing on my run back. Too bad the Frost Faeries froze everything they saw.

To the Runner’s Guild then, almost less pleasant than the place I’m headed to after that. But it’s got to be done.

I push open the door, wincing as my blisters hit the wood floorboards. I need to pop them soon, but it’s not going to stop the pain. A healing potion? Would it even be worth the cost?

“Ryoka!”

The instant I’m through the doorway, someone shouts my name. Someone male. Fals. I see him striding towards me across the room, followed by none other than Garia.

Well, well, coincidence is a strange thing. But then, both Runners live and work in this area. I guess I should have expected to see them.

Fals strides towards me, dirty blonde haired, handsome, athletic. Garia’s type, which is why the shorter and stockier girl is right behind him. He’s smiling at me. I think my lips twitch in reply, but I manage a small smile for Garia.

But for once, Fals seems genuinely glad to see me, and not about to offer me sage advice. And to my surprise, even some of the other Runners are smiling. That’s…odd.

Fals and Garia stop in front of me, smiling. Fals has straight teeth, nearly white despite the lack of special toothpastes and dentists in this world.

“Ryoka, where have you been? We haven’t seen you in nearly a week!”

His cheerfulness bothers me. So I nod at him.

“Hey, you.”

Boom. His smile fades a fraction.

“I’m well. How are you…Ryoka?”

“Fine, thanks. How’s it going?”

Now comes the pause of uncertainty.

“You do remember my name, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. Fall, right?”

Hah! That flummoxed him. But Garia frowns at me. And I realize—perhaps it’s not best to enter jerk-mode the instant I come back. Oops.

“She’s just having fun, right Ryoka?”

Garia elbows me in the stomach. Oof . I forgot she was that strong.

“I’m sure Ryoka remembers me.”

Fals pats Garia on the shoulder, and she blushes. I sigh.

“Of course. Fals. I’m surprised you lot are happy to see me, though.”

He shrugs.

“Why? That business with Magnolia was ages ago, and besides, you are our fastest Runner. One of the best, too! We could use you here, now more than ever.”

Okay, if he wants to be buddy-buddy, I won’t stop him. I give Fals one of those half-smiles with more teeth than smile.

“Really? Business is good?”

He made a face.

“Business—our business—is slow , thanks to winter coming so quickly. Right now all the roads are frozen over so carts and wagons are going slow rather than break their horse’s legs. Until they get sharp shod, no one’s getting anything delivered fast.”

Sharp shod? What the hell is that? Must be some way to travel on ice.

“Sounds like it’s good for Runners.”

“You’d think so, but us City Runners are having a hard time in the snow as well. We’re overloaded with requests and no one wants to be outside for too long.”

Garia nods and shivers. Her attire—and Fals’ is different. They’ve got wool and warm clothes on, which I envy. Me? I need to buy warmer gear asap.

“Sounds like I arrived just in time.”

“It’s good to have you back, Ryoka.”

I smile at Garia. And then I lose that smile when I realize she doesn’t know about the Horns of Hammerad. Fals notices that, and changes the subject. He’s…considerate. Huh.

“Well now that you’re back, how many requests would you like to take on?”

“How many do you have?”

Garia elbows me again. Ow! That was a joke. But maybe she thought I was being sarcastic. I eye Garia’s elbow and decide to stop joking around.

“I’m looking for the highest paying jobs. Fast deliveries, adventurers in the field—”

“Dangerous requests.”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, there’s never that many requests for us Runners. Adventurers don’t like us—”

They don’t like most Runners, and for good reason. Don’t say it out loud though, Ryoka.

“—But there are some long-distance contracts I think no one will fight you over. You’re best-suited for them, anyways. Plus, there’s always good coin to be made now that a Courier is heading this way.”

“A Courier?”

That is big news. I’ve heard of the special Runners who go long-distance. One of them was supposed to take the High Passes request. Fals nods at me and lowers his voice.

“Word is, there’s a special request that’s highest-priority. It’s coming all the way from First Landing and a Courier’s delivering it.”

“Whose word?”

He smiles at me and shrugs imperceptibly at the receptionist’s desk. Of course. Fals would know, since he gets along well with the staff. I suppose he’s sharing the information with me and Garia because…?

Well, a Courier, huh? But what was the place he mentioned?

“I’m not familiar with the place. Where’s First Landing?”

Now Fals and Garia both frown at me. Damn. I’ve made a mistake. He raises an eyebrow.

“The largest city on this side of the continent? The port city?”

“Right. First Landing. Of course.”

I should have read a book on local cities, but no one’s writing almanacs or travelers guides for this continent, or at least none that I’ve found. Play it off. I shrug casually as if I’ve forgotten.

“I wonder how much they’re getting paid.”

“More than we make in a month, I’ll bet.”

Fals makes a face and Garia looks dispirited. But that’s how it goes, right? The Gold-rank adventurers get rich and famous and everyone else below them gets screwed over in the adventuring world, according to Ceria. It’s like that everywhere, both here and in my world. Erin’s and my world.

“If you’re looking for requests, I can show you a few high-priority ones.”

“Not really tempted at the moment. I need to rest. I’ve been running all day and I’ve got blisters.”

I show them both my poor feet. Garia looks appalled and Fals just looks interested. He’s seen worse feet, I’m sure.

“Painful. How’d you get those?”

“Boots.”

“You wear boots?”

Garia giggled at me. It sounds odd, coming from her. Girlish. Which makes sense. She is a girl, I just…didn’t expect it from her. I scowl at her.

“It was either that or frostbite. I wasn’t sure if healing potions could heal frostbite.”

“They can’t. Not well, anyways. But if you need better shoes…”

“I’ll go buy some afterwards. For now, I need some stuff from the guild.”

Fals spread his hands.

“I’m cooling down from a long delivery from Remendia. Need any help?”

“Thanks.”

He and I step to one side to let a snow-pelted Runner stagger in. She starts telling the other Runners about the Snow Sprites in the area as Garia follows us towards the receptionist’s desk.

“The first thing I need is a copy of the Guild’s rules. Do you have a book or something?”

Fals frowns.

“I think we do, but if you need to know something you can always ask the desk or me. Is something wrong?”

“I just need a copy of the rules. I’m not in trouble.”

But my tenuous plan hinges on something I remember one of the receptionists telling me when I first registered with the Guild. Fals shrugs and talks to the receptionist.

This one’s a young woman, perky, smiling at Fals and fake-smiling at me.

“Well, we do have a book, but it’s expensive. I’d have to charge you fifteen silver for it—”

She blinks as I slap down a gold piece on the counter.

“I’ll take it. Do you have enough to give me change?”

I actually have enough silver coins to pay for it, but I might as well exchange a few of the gold coins Teriarch gave me. Plus, she’s annoying.

As she fumbles for the coins Garia elbows me again. This time I glare at her, and she glares back. What? I’m being nice. Nice for me, that is.

“How are you doing, Garia?”

“I’m fine. The snow was sure something, wasn’t it? I saw the Frost Faeries on one of my runs. I nearly got covered in snow before I got to the city.”

“Mm. The faeries.”

Curse them. Those little monsters probably enjoyed harassing Garia. They’re like little bullies, only apparently practically invisible to everyone but Erin and me. I nod at Fals as he breaks away from the counter and tosses me a thin book.

“Thanks.”

“If you bring it back, we’ll reimburse you. But I hope it’s useful to you.”

I hope so too. But on to my next point of business. I move away from the counter with both Runners.

“Do you know where I can buy any artifacts?”

Artefacts? I’ve always thought the British way of spelling things was cooler. Fals shrugs and point back to the counter, where the receptionist is busy dealing with the half-frozen Runner.

“Artifacts? If you need magic, we do have some magical items on sale.”

“I’ve seen them.”

Crap they are, too. Runners around here don’t worry about monsters that much, so what the guild and shops mainly provide are healing potions, and one-time spells in the form of scrolls, bags*, and wands.

*Yes, bags. Don’t ask me why. I guess some things just store better in bag form. They’re some kind of tangling spell. You toss it at people and vines come out. A classic?

“I’m looking for more utility. Or something that can recharge itself so I don’t keep using up my supply.”

Fals frowns and strokes at his clean-shaven chin.

“That’s expensive.”

“But there is a market?”

“Not here—but with enough gold, you can get someone to deliver it. Pay a Runner.”

He grins and I have to as well. This social thing isn’t exactly easy, but at least it’s not as much of a chore as I thought it would be.

“Okay, let’s assume a proper artifact that renews itself is worth two hundred gold?”

I look at Fals. He shakes his head.

“Okay, four hundred. Six hundred? Eight hundred?”

“Probably around eight hundred gold for something cheap. But I can’t just give you a set number, Ryoka. The spell and object makes it an entire range of prices.”

Holy economics, Batman*. What’s up with that price range?

*Yeah, I thought that. I watched the old Batman show when I was a kid. Sue me.

Then again, given how much adventurers can make – I think Ceria told me once that an average contract can pay several gold coins per contract even without the bounty on monsters – it makes sense.

Healing potions? A gold coin or two. It goes up with potency. Spell books? Several hundred gold coins to thousands for the really strong stuff. Enchanted weapons fall in between, while ordinary armor is cheap by comparison.

One-time spells aren’t cheap, but you can buy some if you’re a seasoned adventurer with coin to throw around. Ceria’s robes cost her nearly a hundred and twenty gold coins – something she had to save up for years to buy. But they didn’t break or tear even after she nearly died in the Ruins. They’re about the only thing she did keep, but she told me her wand was half as expensive as that. It was just a focusing agent with some magic she had to constantly renew.

But self-sustaining magic? Let’s say…a ring of fireballs or something? One cast per day? That’s probably the kind of artifact they were hoping to find in Skinner’s lair. It would cost…one thousand two hundred gold pieces?

“How about a ring that shoots fireballs? Once a day?”

“I’d bet that would cost at least three thousand gold pieces. Probably four, and that’s if you don’t have to deal with some merchant from overseas.”

Garia’s jaw drops. She looks at Fals and me and shakes her head.

“Really? I had no idea they cost that much. I looked at a tripvine bag for protection, you know, but even that was out of my price range.”

She turns red and falls silent, as if she thinks Fals and I will judge her. It’s true, he and I could probably afford one or two, but I’m not that kind of person. And he’s not either, at least, I don’t think so. But Persua is, so I suppose in the past…

I’m glad she isn’t here. I still owe her a shattered leg bone, and she still has it out for me if I’m any judge. But magic.

“That’s an expensive ring.”

“Well, it’s more like adventuring gear. It would be nice for a Runner, but we don’t need that kind of weaponry, at least, not unless we’re doing Courier jobs. Why, are you hoping to become one?”

“It’s something to think about.”

Garia stares at me, as if I’ve announced I want to become a Gold-rank adventurer. Which is pretty much what a Courier is, right?

“So you’re saying anything worth having is at least a few thousand gold coins, right?”

“I’d have to imagine so. There’s a lot of limited-use magic for less, but if you want something you can rely on, you’d have to be rich.”

Okay, let’s see. That would make any kind of real magical artifact pretty much the equivalent of a supercar or…or a fighter jet from my world. The only difference here is that some people carry around the equivalent value of a nuke in their pockets. With probably the same effect.

Gazi wore armor that didn’t even take a scratch when she got hit. Her sword cut through everything but Relc’s skin easily. I wonder how much her equipment was worth? Or that teleportation scroll?

“Ryoka.”

Fals draws me out of my musing. He’s looking at me seriously, and so is Garia.

“What?”

“You really want to become a Courier? I don’t know what went on down in Liscor, but I’ve heard rumors. Undead attacks?”

“I missed that. But a Courier’s the dream, right? If it pays better, I’ll become one.”

“Right.”

Fals stops and glances at Garia for some reason. She looks uncertain as well. Which means they want to say something and they’re not sure how I’ll take it. I stare at Fals.

“Say it.”

“Ryoka. If you never level up, you’ll never become a Courier.”

Fals says it straight to my face, meeting my eyes directly. He gestures at Garia.

“Garia told me, and the rumors are spreading. You’re one of our best Runners, Ryoka. But this is a dangerous job even for Street Runners. City Runners risk their lives, and a lot of us retire each year. But Couriers are different. You’re the fastest Runner in the local Guilds, but you’re nowhere near fast enough to become one of them, Ryoka. In a year or two, even Garia will be able to outrun you.”

—-

I blink at Fals. I can’t have heard him right. Garia, outrun me? She’s got terrible form. She’s slow, even if she is strong, and her body’s not build for the kind of running I can do. She’s…

She’s got the [Runner] class. She’s Level 11, or at least she was when she first met me. And I guess if she keeps leveling she’ll get faster?

That makes sense, but I can’t imagine Garia ever beating me in a footrace. But Fals is serious, so I try to respond without biting his head off.

“It’s time for me to think bigger. Bigger and better.”

“I appreciate that, but you’ve never seen a Courier, have you? They can cover distances in hours where it would take you and I days.”

“Huh. Well…I don’t have a class.”

It’s liberating to say, although it makes Garia stare at me as if I have half a head. But Fals just frowns at me.

“Do you have…any reason for that?”

“Personal preference. And I’m not about to change.”

He shakes his head at me, uncomprehending.

“Well, I’ll be the first to admit that you can beat me in a race even without levels. All of my skills are geared towards sensing danger and preserving stamina, anyways. I don’t have any movement skills, but I was lucky. Mine have kept me alive so far.”

He gestures at the requests board across the room.

“Look, Ryoka. If you wanted to become a Courier, you’d either need to run like the wind…or complete enough requests to guard yourself even against bandit attacks and assassins and so on. Taking on dangerous requests like that job with the Horns of Hammerad and the one to the High Passes is a good start.”

“Good. But is there any way for me to make a name for myself?”

Money. Earn money. Eighty gold pieces for Erin’s refrigerated cupboards? She and I will need a lot more, and if my two stupid ideas don’t work, I need a fallback plan. Running is honest work.

“Most of the City Runners do a short run from city-to-city around here. From Celers to Remendia, Ocre, Celum, and even down to Esthelm, but almost never to Liscor.”

“But the best Runners travel across the continent.”

I nearly said ‘real’ Runners, but bit my tongue just in time. I’ve never run that far, and Garia is a Runner too, in her own way.

Fals nods.

“It’s about trade and the nobility. And the ruins, too, I suppose. All of the really powerful nobles and the Five Families live closer to the north. And a lot of the really important adventuring areas are north too, so there’s more business there. And the trade happens at our port cities, so…”

“Which one’s the biggest?”

“First Landing. If you want to see our biggest city, you have to go all the way north until you reach the ocean.”

Garia jumps in. I suppose she wants to impress Fals. Or help me.

“There’s a famous dungeon up there, too. One of the magic ones that keeps spewing monsters and treasure.”

Magic dungeons? Like the Ruins? Or…magic? What difference does magic make? I guess I’ll find out.

“Okay, so let’s assume I take a request to go up there. How much would that pay? Are any available?”

Fals shakes his head at me. What have I said this time?

“Ryoka, if there were any requests from here, they’d be Courier-only. Besides, most people set their requests so one Runner takes it to a city along the way, and the next Runner takes it further and so on. You’re not going to find much work that way—”

Thump.

Fals breaks off and frowns. I turn my head, and Garia blink and points at one of the windows in the Guild.

“Hey, what’s that?”

Heads turn as something bumps against a window pane. I take one look and cover my eyes. Fals squints and looks at Garia.

“I can’t make it out. Is that—?”

“Frost Sprite!”

Half the Runners in the room groan or mutter. One of the Runners who was about to leave takes his hand off the door handle as the small, naked faerie* taps against the glass and leers into the room.

*Don’t get excited. There’s nothing to really look at, since the faeries don’t have any real features down there. Or maybe they’re just wearing skin-tight clothing? Either way, anyone who’d be interested in faeries is sick…or Gargamel. Mind you, I’d be rooting for him against the Frost Faeries.

“Oh no. Why is one of them interested in this place?”

“I’m not leaving if those things are hovering about. My request can wait.”

Garia stares at the window and exclaims as a second faerie joins the first.

“Look, there are more of them! It’s a swarm!”

Fals looks sick. He sighs and shakes his head.

“Worse luck. I don’t know if you have many of the sprites where you come from, Ryoka, but my advice is to stay clear of them if you don’t want another broken bone.”

Okay. Is it painful admission time or do I feign ignorance?

“I’ve…seen them before. They might be following me.”

Fals and Garia give me a look as if I’m crazy. But then Garia nods.

“That could be. Um, it might be because you…look different, Ryoka. The sprites like anything unusual.”

“Really?”

I guess Fals is only an expert on things that pertain to running. Garia nods though, and tries not to stammer as Fals and I stare at her.

“Um—well, as a child I liked them even if they did play awful pranks. Back at my farm—well, we had a dog that had a wonderfully black coat…but the fur around his head was white. He was interesting to look at, and every year the sprites would play tricks on him until they got bored. We had to lock him up in the house to keep him safe.”

She looks at me and blushes.

“Not that I think you’re like a dog , Ryoka. I just—”

“I get it.”

Great. The Frost Faeries are interested in the one girl with Asian heritage, and probably also because I can see or hear them. Wonderful.

I look back at the window. The faeries are still there, rubbing their butts on the windowpanes and freezing the glass solid. They’ve been a pain in my ass the entire run here, and I bet they’re planning on dumping snow on me the instant I walk outside.

They don’t listen to me, or even acknowledge my presence anymore, except as a target. Funny. I lost a lot of hair to those little freaks until I started shouting at them, but all they wanted was the attention. Not that I tried that hard to talk to them; I was hoping they’d leave.

No such luck. They’ve been following me for the last day. Apparently I’m amusing to them.

Little bastards.

“Did they bother you while you were running, Ryoka?”

“You could say that. Once they got bored of dropping snow on my head and started attacking travelers on the road.”

The fairies – or perhaps faeries depending on how you wanted to think of them – were chaos and mischief unleashed. They didn’t seem too antagonistic, but they caused trouble wherever they went.

Cart wheels broke, horses spooked and threw off their riders, and snowballs flew down like heat-seeking missiles on the hapless people going up and down the road. It was pretty amazing to see, in its own way. Less fun when the damn bugs tried to tag me, though.

“Snow Sprites.”

Fals shook his head and made a face. For once I’m right there with him. Is there any way I could get rid of them?

My knowledge of old fables and legends is rusty, but I can remember quite a lot. Trick memory. And I do remember stories about faeries. Not the cute ones from Peter Pan – although Tinkerbell was always a bit of a demon – but the really horrible ones about faeries spiriting children away and killing peasants.

What was it? Cold iron – horseshoes nailed over the doorways. And flowers. I remember stories about people hanging garlands around the necks of infants to keep them from being stolen.

Well, I don’t have any damn horseshoes, but it might be worth buying some. I also don’t need to worry about kids, but I’d better stay away from suspicious mounds* from now on.

*Those would be fairy mounds – mysterious hills of grass that supposedly lead to the land of the fae. I’m not sure about whether or not that legend’s true, but if faeries exist, I’d better not leave anything to chance.

Still. Faeries. They might be just as…well, frankly, just as horrible and annoying as the myths make them out to be, but there’s something about them. They’re faeries.

It’s not like looking at one of those Drakes or Gnolls. Those…people just scare the hell out of me if I’m honest. I don’t know how Erin can talk to them so easily. Even that Krshia looked like a bear with a longbow, and she wasn’t even the biggest Gnoll I saw.

And the Antinium are horrifying. I hate bugs. Always have, and these ones carry swords.

God. When I think of how lucky I was to arrive in a human city, it makes me wonder how Erin survived at all. If I saw a Drake first, I’d run for my life and never look back.

But faeries. Faeries are different. They’re magic. They’re – from our world.

If you can believe faeries are real, you could believe dragons exist too. You could believe…that you could be a wizard. That you could be a hero or learn to fly.

And they’re beautiful. Wondrous, enchanting…if they weren’t such a pain in my ass, literally, I might actually like them.

How else could I get rid of the faeries, or at least deter them? Magic? I know only one spell, and that’s [Light]. It takes a lot out of me just to cast that, as well.

I need to learn more magic. Probably from Ceria or Pisces, but I need to finish my business here first. So.

Garia’s still watching the Frost Faeries warily. She can’t see them like I can, or hear them laughing and plotting to attack a cow, but she still sees something. I cough, and she looks at me.

“Do you need help getting rid of them, Ryoka? I know some old tricks. A horseshoe or something made of iron helps deter them, although they’ll throw things at you from far away if you do.”

“They’ll get bored. But there is one thing I would like to know. Where is Lady Magnolia at right now? Still in her house in Celum?”

Fals eyes me oddly.

“I’m not going to take any requests away from you. I just need to see her.”

“No, it’s not that.”

Fals shakes his head. He looks rueful.

“Don’t you know? Lady Magnolia always travels north for the winter. She was only here for a few months in her holdings. But she’s gone back home.”

…What?

“She’s in a large city far north of here. Invrisil, the city of adventurers.”

“Okay, so I’ll go there.”

Again, the look Fals gives me tells me I’ve made another mistake.

“That’s three hundred miles north of here. Even if you started now, I doubt you’d make it before the rest of the land is coated in ice.”

What? Wat? What?

“Three hundred miles? ”

You’ve got to be joking. But no, no, the looks I’m getting from Garia tell me that Fals is not joking. Three hundred…I saw a map in one of the books I read, but I didn’t see the scale on it. Three hundred miles? Is this place really that big? And more importantly—

“How’d she get there in a week’s time? By horse?”

How far can you travel by horse in a day? No—since it’s her, how far can you travel by coach in a day?

“She travelled in a carriage. One of the fancy magical ones that the wealthy use. It can travel that distance in a day or two.”

“A magic coach?”

“One of the powerful ones. It doesn’t need horses; it creates them out of magic. Extremely quick, but I hear they have to replace mana stones or recharge the magic quite often. It’s not something that’ll ever replace us Runners.”

That’s not my real concern, although it is fascinating. Garia turns to Fals as he and she begin to talk about the competitive nature of running.

“Why don’t people on horses take our jobs? They’re faster, unless we get good skills. A horse can beat a low-level Runner any day of the week.”

Fals smiles at Garia and shakes his head.

“Until a Goblin spooks you out of the saddle, or your horse attracts a monster looking for a meal. Some Runners use them, but unless you’re a good rider and you want to spend half the time running next to the horse and waiting for it to rest, you might as well not bother.”

“Oh. Of course. I should have known.”

“Why should you? It’s a good question, right Ryoka?”

Fals grins at me, and I nod absently. Three hundred miles. I could make that journey. I’d have to buy supplies, or plan a route that allows me to stop in cities, but I could do it. It’s just—

Damn. I won’t be able to keep my promise to Erin. I said I’d be back in a week and there’s no way I’d make it there and back in that time.

Magnolia has more than one estate? Well of course she does. She’s rich. That only leaves my second option, and that one’s a hundred times more dangerous. I need to think things over.

“Sorry if that ruined your plans, Ryoka. We’re not too happy about it either, mind you. That’s a lot of good coin we’ll not see for another year.”

I look at Fals. He’s not such a bad guy. I still don’t quite like him, but at least I can hold a conversation. Because I’m changed? Because I met Erin, perhaps. Because I need to be at least at peace with most of the Runners to help Ceria and Erin.

“I guess I’ll hold off on that for the moment. I need to sleep. One last question for you, Fals. First Landing—that’s the north-most city, right? How far away is that?”

He shrugs and delivers the final bombshell of the day.

“First Landing is over three thousand miles north of here. Three thousand…three thousand and eight hundred miles? Closer to four thousand than not.”

My mind goes blank. Four thousand miles? Double that for the length of the continent. No—Celum isn’t even halfway down and the southern section is bigger than the north. How big is…

“I’ve always wanted to visit that city someday. Perhaps when I have a few years to spare and coin saved up I’ll make the trip.”

Garia says something then, but I don’t hear it. For a second, the scope of this world blows me away. The length. The distance involved. It’s…well it’s unimaginable. Because I know something about geography. I know how long South America is, for instance. And to imagine this—

I started laughing. Fals and Garia break off and stare at me. I laugh, and laugh out loud, ignoring the looks from the other Runners. When I finish, there’s only silence. Even the faeries are staring.

“She laughs like an evil thing, doesn’t she?”

“’Tis the sound of a coven of witches and Hekate herself!”

I don’t have an evil laugh. But I pat Fals on the shoulder anyways, to reassure him.

“Thanks. I needed that.”

I leave Fals behind, bemused. My business in the Guild is done and I’m too tired to run any further. I need to plan out my next step. Read that rulebook—think about magic and faeries and how to get to Magnolia. Learn more about this world.

Yes, that’s the real goal. I’ve been too withdrawn, too focused on petty things. My excuse is that I had my leg broken, and my life pretty much revolved around that for a while. But now…

Four thousand miles to First Landing. Over double that for the length of this continent. One among five.

Too big. Too vast for me to even imagine. That’s the world I’ve found myself in. For a while I thought it was too small, the people too petty. But that’s because I’m like one of those people who never venture more than a few miles outside of their city, or never leave their state.

I have not yet even begun to understand the scope of this world.

And that is good.

—-

“I thought this world was too much like…a place I came from.”

That’s how I explained my creepy laughter to Garia after we left the Guild. I mean, creepy according to her. And not really creepy—I’m sure she was exaggerating when she said that.

Unsettling, perhaps. Dramatic—yes. But I don’t have evil-laughter. No matter what those damn faeries say.

They’re overhead now, or racing through the streets, bothering other people. Not Garia and me. She’s got a horseshoe on her which seems to be working, or else the faeries have finally lost interest in me. Either one works, and it gives us more time to think.

“I just forgot how large this continent is.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

Garia looks blank, and I struggle to explain. How can I, without telling her of my world?

“It’s just that it means there’s still parts of the world not yet explored. Places around her where no one’s ever stepped foot. A land this vast has secrets.”

“Of course.”

It’s as if I told her the world was round. Or…is it flat over here? Never mind. Garia’s used to a world that isn’t mapped out with satellites and Google cars, but I’m not. The idea that there’s something to explore, something to find that’s completely new is what burns through my veins.

“But do you really need money that bad, Ryoka? I thought—well, you said you had quite a bit saved up from that delivery you did in the High Passes.”

The delivery. Right.

“I—need more money. There are things I have to do. And for that I’d need better jobs.”

She shrugs her broad shoulders. If Garia had been born in my world, she could have been the first female boxer to claim a title in the men’s division.

“Well, running is a steady job, but I don’t know that you’ll earn a lot quickly. Not unless you’re a Courier, and Fals said…”

“I know.”

Apparently even I’m slow compared to a Courier. I wonder what she’s like? Or he. Or it? If one’s coming down this way, I’ll try to measure myself against them.

First things first.

“I’ve got a few more advantages that might help, but I’m not sure who to go to. Do you know this city well?”

“Pretty well. And I’d be happy to help.”

Garia grins at me, again proving that she’s a good person who doesn’t deserve a friend like me. If we are friends. Are we?

I reach behind me and open my Runner’s pack with one hand. Ever since I got it back from Rags, I’ve been extra-careful with the potion I received as payment. It shines orange and pink, glowing with both colors in the grey sky.

“I need someone who can identify this potion. Know any [Alchemists] or mages around here?”

Garia stares at the potion in my hands, entranced.

“Is that—? Um, yes! I know someone who could help. She’s a friend of mine. This way!”

She leads me down a street, and then another, until we come to a smaller side-street off the main path. I don’t know Celum that well at all; just the way to Magnolia’s house and a few inns and the Runner’s Guild. But Garia was a Street Runner here before she became a City Runner.

The shop she brings me to has a small position next to two other shops. It has a nice façade, belongs to a decently-wealthy district…and it has boarded up windows and plywood in the display area instead of glass.

I look up at the sign over the shop.

Stitchworks. Potions, tonics, herbs.

Well, we’re in the right place. Garia seems nervous, though. She takes a deep breath, and pushes open the door.

“Octavia? Um, are you in?”

It takes my eyes a second to adjust to the darker room from the snowy bright city outside. The room I’m in—

Is definitely an [Alchemist]’s workshop. Definitely.

Let’s see. Herbs hanging from beams? Check. Potions on one wall? Check. Parchment, quills, some kind of desk for mixing potions? Check. Glass blown into squiggly shapes? Check.

A single lamp provides light for the room. It’s not your average lamp either; this one I recognize. It’s a safety lamp, the kind used in coal mines or in places where fire is a danger, like here. Glass walls contained a bright flame as the lamp illuminated the shop, the shimmering potions—

And the young woman carefully studying the glowing blue potion at one of the tables. She looks up as Garia and I enter, and smiles at us.

“Garia! And you’ve brought a friend? Welcome! Come in and get out of the cold!”

The [Alchemist] beckons us into the shop, putting the potion carefully on one of the shelves. And she’s a surprise to me as well, although she shouldn’t be.

She has dark skin—darker than any I’ve seen this far. Her black hair is braided and pulled into a ponytail. She looks like a young woman that I’d see down any street in America – or at least any street not in a white suburb, but here—

Most people I’ve seen around here had light skin. This place is probably close to Europe, which might be why. Geographically, it made sense. The sun isn’t too harsh here, so probably only the two continents of Baleros and Chandrar would have people with darker skins.

Plus, globalization is not a thing in this world, especially if it’s so damn big.

The important question was: did it matter? In this world, humans weren’t alone. So how did that shift attitudes about race?

I look sideways at Garia and realize she’s looking at me to see if I react to her friend’s appearance. Well, fuck. Whoever said humanity would band together if ever confronted by a new species was clearly mistaken.

Garia clears her throat as Octavia comes out from behind her counter to greet me. The [Alchemist] certainly doesn’t look like the person I imagined her to be.

Not her skin. I mean her age, and her physique. She’s no bodybuilder, but she’s got clearly-defined muscles and she dresses in comfortable, sleeveless shirts and long, loose pants. Something’s up with one of her arms. She has…stitches going all down her right arm, and the threads coming loose.

Garia clears her throat and smiles at the dark-skinned woman.

“Hello, Octavia. This is Ryoka Griffin. She’s a friend, a City Runner like me. She needs an [Alchemist], and I thought…”

“Ryoka Griffin? I’m Octavia. It’s great to meet you; I can see we’re going to be very useful to one another!”

She takes my hand and gives me a solid handshake. I blink. This Octavia is all-go from the start, which I don’t necessarily hate. Fine, time to do the same.

“Nice to meet you. You’re an [Alchemist]?”

“The youngest in the city, but one of the best! You want cheap potions made with quality ingredients, come here and nowhere else. Everyone else will rip you Runners off, but I’ll give you the best deals so you keep coming back!”

…Yep. She’s a business person, alright. It feels like I’m being attacked by the salesperson of the year at a shop.

“Here. Take a look at this.”

The shopkeeper swings back behind her counter and brings out the blue potion she was studying earlier. Before I can so much as speak, she presses it into my hands.

“This is a stamina potion I’ve been working on. It’s a newer product than the old recipes you see on the market.”

I stare down at it. It’s deep blue, the color of azure and flecked with hints of yellow within.

“It’s blue.”

Octavia flicks her fingers impatiently.

“Potions can be any color, as I’m sure you know. I’m trying to standardize the colors so adventurers don’t have to worry about using a mana potion instead of a healing one but color is irrelevant here. I can always dye the potion later, but take a sip!”

I’m not sure I want to, but Octavia is staring at me. I shoot a look at Garia and she looks uncertain.

But hell, I’m pretty sure this Octavia’s not going to poison me, so I take a sip. The potion tastes—

Well it tastes like someone scraped regurgitated corn mash onto my tongue and flavored it with prunes. Rotten prunes. I nearly gag, but swallow the terrible stuff.

And it’s like I swallowed Red Bull if Red Bull were ten times stronger and contained actual magic rather than caffeine and sugar. My tired body, sore from running for so long in the cold, heats up, and I feel every fiber in me surging with energy.

Holy crap. I feel like I could run another forty miles with this stuff! Octavia grins and takes the bottle from me.

“Good, isn’t it? I’ve added to the formula, replacing larvae extract with—well, it doesn’t matter. The point is that these new potions are only slightly more expensive, but they’ve got a bigger kick to them!”

“It’s certainly effective.”

And useful! That’s a potion I’d buy, and Octavia seems determined to make the sale right here and now.

“Alright then, I’ll put you down for a batch of stamina potions. You can leave me a down payment now and pay the rest on completion.”

She whips out a piece of paper and finds an inkpot and starts dipping the quill impatiently.

“These new potions are twice as effective as the ones on the market. For you, I wouldn’t charge much. Let’s say a gold piece and eight silver pieces for each one? That comes to…sixteen gold and sixteen silver for a batch of twelve, but I’ll give you a discount and make it an even fourteen. How does that sound?”

Octavia glances at me as she scribbles on the piece of paper. I try not to smile. She’s pushy. Garia looks like she’s swallowed her tongue as she glances at me. Did she get suckered into buying a bunch of pricy potions? Of course she did.

Fortunately, I know how to deal with pushy people. Hell, the people my dad worked for are all like the worst kind of used-car salesmen. You have to know how to deal with people like that. With care, tact, diplomacy…

“No.”

Octavia blinks, but I don’t. The best way to deal with someone like this is to shut them down hard. She turns to me, holding out the paper with figures scribbled down on it.

“It won’t be any trouble. I’ll just write your name down here. Ryoka Griffin, was it? How about you get back to me on—”

“I said, no.”

“Oh come now. You’ve tasted my potion. I can make it more palatable if that’s what you’re worried about. This is an investment! You can’t just turn your back on this. Stick with me and I’ll offer you a discount on future potions.”

“I said—”

Octavia pushes the paper in my face and I lose my patience. I push her arm up. Not too hard, but enough to make her realize I can keep going until she dislocates something. She blinks—

Her arm falls off.

It just…unravels. The black stitches I saw along her armpit come loose, and her arm drops from Octavia’s body onto the ground. I’m stunned for a second, but Octavia moves faster.

“Oh, darn it. I should have double-knotted the stitches. Hold this for a second, will you?”

She shoves the paper and quill into my hands as she bends down to pick up the severed arm. I stared at her, open-mouthed.

“It’s okay, Ryoka, really!”

“What the hell—?”

Garia comes over to me, sidling around the messy tables as Octavia picks up her arm. She points at Octavia and the thing which is not truly an arm in her hands.

“She’s one of the String People.”

Octavia looks up, concerned.

“Oh, you haven’t met one of us before? I’m sorry, it must come as a surprise. But don’t worry—as you can see, I’m made of fabric. Losing my arm didn’t hurt a bit!”

She holds out the arm towards me.

I can’t help it. I jerk back reflexively, but the arm touches my fingers before I can pull away. The sensation is—

Odd. The arm is odd. It’s just…cotton. I can feel the cotton skin below my fingertips, just like normal fabric. And inside is…more cotton. It’s so clearly cotton.

But the detail! Someone has taken the time to create the inside of the human body in fabric form, albeit with a few liberties. Not every muscle is in the arm, but there are red sinews that look like pieces of colored yarn, yellow bone in the form of delicately woven stuffed cotton, and even red stitched into the interior of the arm to make it look like there’s blood inside.

I stare at the arm, and touch it gingerly. It’s just cotton. Plain cotton. Octavia grins.

“You see? Nothing special. But give me two seconds and…!”

She pushes the arm against her shoulder. It’s amazing, but for a second I can see into her body from the missing socket. There’s bone and flesh woven into Octavia’s frame. Garia shudders and looks away until Octavia begins threading that black stitching back together, literally sewing her arm into place.

“Hold on. It’s always hard to get the back stitches in right.”

And then the arm is suddenly flesh again, or close enough. It turns from mere fabric into what looks like skin, so seamlessly that only the black stitching around her shoulder stands out.

Octavia claps her hands together, a fleshy sound so real that I nearly jump. She grins at me and flexes her arm. The muscles ripple under the skin exactly like normal flesh.

“Good as new, you see? It’s inconvenient when the stitching gets loose, but I don’t have to worry about that most of the time. Plus, being fabric means I can adjust my body however I like. For instance, I bulked myself up a bit. Added a few more muscles so I could lift everything properly. It slows me down, but—hey!”

She takes the parchment and quill back from me. I’d completely forgotten I was holding it.

“I can see you’re a discerning customer. Okay, we’ll hold off on the stamina potions order until we’ve gotten to know each other better. But if you need a healing potion, mana potion, tonic for an ailment or anything else, come to me! Building connections is a basic skill for Runners, and as I level I’ll be sure to make you a priority customer. How about that?”

She just doesn’t quit. I blink at her, and shake my head.

“I’m not looking for a potion at the moment. If I am—I’m here to get an appraisal.”

Octavia instantly brightens.

“Well why didn’t you say so? I can identify almost any potion by sight alone. Give me just a few moments and I’ll have the location, brewer, and efficacy of your potion locked down. I can even—dead gods, what is that? ”

Octavia breaks off, speechless for once, as she catches sight of the potion I’ve tucked into my belt. She’s past Garia and has the potion out in her hands before I can blink.

“Hey!”

She ignores me as she holds the shimmering orange and pink potion up to the light.

“ Where did you get this? ”

She ignores me as she paces around, and then swiftly moves to one of the tables full of alchemy equipment. She places the potion over an odd stone set in a box—and taps the thing. The stone sparks, and suddenly a blue flames bursts into life under the potion.

Is she trying to heat the potion? What will that do?

“Don’t do that—”

Octavia peers into the potion as, suddenly, the pink streamers of color thicken and darken to red and the orange fluid begins to glow even brighter. Garia gasps as the light from the potion begins to illuminate the shop. Octavia doesn’t even look back at us as she murmurs out loud.

“It’s beautiful. Whoever blended this used the highest-quality ingredients and heated the mixture perfectly. I can’t think of an [Alchemist] around here who could do that. Did it come from up north?”

“No. It’s a potion I received. I wanted to know exactly what it does. It’s supposed to make me faster—”

“It’s a potion of haste, or perhaps even a higher-level version.”

Octavia pulls the potion off the stand and the colors begin shifting back to normal. She gestures at it, so excited that I begin to get a sense for how much Teriarch paid me for that delivery.

“This potion—I haven’t seen anything so potent in my life! You could sell it for—I’ve got to study it! Who made it? Was it found in some ruins? How much do you want for it?”

“It’s not for sale. I just wanted to see how much it was worth and what it would do—I wanted to talk to an [Alchemist] about potions, not—”

Octavia isn’t listening. She’s already looking around, muttering about empty flasks and equipment. I reach for the potion and she turns back to me, a broad smile on her face.

“Okay, you give me a sample of that potion and I’ll answer any question you want. I’ll even throw in a potion or two of my own, free of charge!”

“No, I don’t want that.”

I reach for the potion, but Octavia takes a step back. She’s holding the potion like it’s the elixir of life.

“I could get you an excellent price for this on the market. Give me a bit to show around and I’ll have a figure for you by the end of the day. You’re looking at a hundred—no, at least two hundred gold coins at least.”

“No. I want my potion back.”

She doesn’t want to give it to me. Garia opens her mouth, and Octavia’s instantly next to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

“Your friend Garia bought some wonderful healing potions off me just last month! Tell you what, I’ll give you a 20—no, a 40% discount on potions at my shop and I’ll throw in a batch of samples as well for a bit of your potion.”

“Give me the potion.”

“How about twenty gold? I’ll give you that and the stamina potion for a sample. I’ll even toss in a few tonics I’ve made – highly saleable! Just give me five minutes an tiny bit of it to copy and—”

“Give me the potion or I’ll hurt you.”

2.09

When Erin woke up, it was so cold that it hurt .

She was inside her inn when she opened her eyes and nearly screamed from the sudden pain of the cold. Not buried under snow, although that was her first thought. No; she and Pisces had been rescued and the snow melted yesterday. But she was still cold. What had happened? She’d gone to sleep in her kitchen after the Frost Fairies and Pisces had left and—

Erin was freezing. She looked around stiffly, and realized the cold wasn’t coming from an evil Frost Faerie or anything like that. It was just cold. Really, really cold outside.

Normally, on a cold day when Erin didn’t have anything to do, she would just curl up inside her blankets or shuffle over to the thermostat to crank up the temperature until her parents yelled at her for wasting gas.

But that was a normal day back at home, in a modern house with solid walls and heating. She was in a different world here, with an inn whose walls were damaged from undead attacks and where the only source of heat was an unlit fireplace.

And however cold Michigan could get, however terrible the snowfall could sometimes be, it really had nothing on the winter the Frost Faeries had brought. Erin couldn’t ever remember being so cold, and she could hear blowing winds shrieking through holes in the inn’s walls, bringing freezing temperatures in from the cold night outside.

Possibly only the five blankets Erin had bought from Krshia had saved her from freezing as she slept. As it was, she woke up before dawn, shaking so badly she could barely move.

Erin wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped up forever, but parts of her brain told her that if she didn’t move about, she would be staying here forever.

So that was how Erin found herself crawling across the floor, swathed in countless blankets, fumbling around with flint and tinder and pieces of wood in the kitchen’s fireplace until something lit.

She managed to get the fire going after what seemed like an eternity, and only noticed she’d set part of her blankets on fire after they started smoking. That was how Erin started her day.

—-

Once Erin had warmed the kitchen enough so that she didn’t see her breath every time she exhaled, she curled up again and slept for a few minutes. Or possibly hours. She only got up to feed the fire more wood, and that was when she realized she was nearly out of firewood.

That was a problem, but in Erin’s frozen state she couldn’t help but add another log to the fire. She was cold. She’d deal with the problem when she woke up more.

Three hours later, Erin was more awake. She put some water in a kettle as she moved around with a blanket for warmth, and cooked herself some eggs and put it on toasted bread. She had to have hot food, hot drinks.

Hot water wasn’t exactly Erin’s ideal beverage, but it beat cold water and she was out of blue fruit juice. She was just lucky her bucket of water had thawed while she’d been asleep.

Life was more bearable with a hot breakfast in your stomach. Erin shuffled around and stared out at the frozen landscape. Somehow, she felt like she might actually not die of cold today.

It was also warmer. Erin wasn’t sure why, but the howling winds that had infiltrated her inn and frozen her to the bone had stopped. That was to say, she could still hear the wind blowing, but it didn’t seem to be entering her inn. Why? And for that matter, where was Toren? She’d called for him a few times to stoke the fire so she didn’t have to, but he never appeared.

The instant Erin stepped outside she found the answer to both her questions. She found a huge, white thing blocking her vision.

Let’s see. There was the snowy ground, there was the sky. And in between was a…wall? Yes, a wall. Made of snow.

It was a wall of compacted snow, which, in the rays of the sun, was slowly turning into ice as the snow melted and refroze. It was nearly ten feet tall, and Erin had no idea how it had got there.

The pieces fell into place as she saw Toren appear in her vision. Her skeleton was busy pushing snow with a piece of wood, clumsily scooping and packing the snow into part of the wall that ringed her inn.

Erin stared. And then she realized what had happened.

Sometime yesterday, while she’d been talking to Ryoka, she’d told Toren to clear away the snow outside of the inn. She hadn’t really meant for him to do it. It was just something to keep him occupied. He’d helped dig Erin and Pisces out of the inn and cleared it out, and then Erin had been too busy hiding in her inn and trying to get warm to remember him for the rest of the night.

So he’d been outside the entire time, shovelling snow. And somehow, over the course of that, he’d created this. A wall of snow that handily blocked the wind and also trapped Erin inside of her inn. By himself.

That was the thing. Tell a human to do something and they might do it, but they’d eventually get bored, or failing that, fall down dead at some point. But skeletons didn’t get bored. Or if they did, they kept it to themselves.

Erin had told Toren to clear away the snow around her inn. And he’d done that. All night long.

He’d fought the good fight and lost. Or rather, even though Toren had cleared a prodigious amount of snow away, more had taken its place. Erin stared at the huge ring of snow and glared at Toren.

“Hey! How am I supposed to get out?”

He looked at her and Erin could have sworn he blinked. At the very least the lights in his eyes dimmed for a second. Toren looked at the wall of snow and then back at Erin and shrugged.

Erin scowled, but her face wasn’t really in it. The wall certainly made things more bearable. She could hear the wind blowing, and even feel part of it as it came over the wall. But the snow was breaking the wind quite helpfully so she just pointed at the snow in front of her.

“Get rid of that. I need out.”

Toren nodded. He walked over to the area of wall and started kicking and pushing away snow. Erin went inside and boiled some more hot water to drink. It was good to have a skeleton, even if he didn’t really think that much.

—-

“Okay, here’s the plan.”

Toren looked at Erin expectantly as she shivered at him. She pointed in the direction of Liscor.

“I’m going to buy more stuff. Food. And I need to check on my friends. While I’m gone, I want you to find more firewood. Got it?”

The skeleton nodded, but hesitated. He looked around aimlessly. Erin realized he didn’t know where to find the firewood.

“I don’t know where any is. Go find some trees.”

He nodded and walked off. Erin watched Toren slowly trek down the side of the hill and wondered if that was alright. But if he could build a wall of snow, he could find some wood, right? Toren was helpful like that. Give him a task and he got it done.

Eventually.

And she had a goal as well. Get to the city. Erin took a deep breath and set out. Get to the city. It was probably warmer there.

Trekking through the snow was unbearably hard, especially because Erin didn’t have enough layers to keep the snow from soaking her pants. In the end, she wobbled through the southern gates of Liscor, nearly frozen from the knees down and fighting against the horrible, stinging pain of her half-frozen skin.

Tkrn the Gnoll was on duty at the gates. He said something as Erin stumbled past her, but she couldn’t really respond.

“Miss Erin. How are you d—”

“Colghd! No trk!”

He blinked at Erin as she moved past him. She ignored the Gnoll and moved at a rapid shuffle towards Market Street. Her only thought was to get to Krshia. Krshia knew about warm things. She had fur. Maybe Erin could hug her until she was warm?

The cruel pain of existence lasted for several more minutes after Erin was inside the city. It was even worse because everywhere she looked, Drakes were walking around bundled up and Gnolls were walking around still practically naked. But then Erin found Market Street, and the world became a small slice of heaven. Or hell. Hell was probably warmer.

They had braziers along Market Street, iron poles and basins holding burning coals that make the air warmer. Some shopkeepers were even cooking food over the coals and selling it to pedestrians.

Erin didn’t even bother to think twice. She smelled roasting meat in the air and she was in front of the Gnoll frying food in an instant. He blinked down at the shivering human as she raised a shaking finger and pointed at the food roasting on the grill.

“O-o-one m-meat thing please.”

It was just a cut of meat dripping with fat and juices. Erin burned her mouth on it and chewed at the gristle, savoring the heat. It was the best thing she’d ever eaten—today. Possibly this week. She was quite certain she’d eaten better things over the course of her life.

She wolfed it down, and then another. Only then did she remember to pay for the food. The Gnoll accepted the greasy bronze coins and nodded to Erin, bemused.

Krshia had been watching Erin’s after-breakfast snack. When Erin finally remembered to come over to her shop, the two talked for a short while. Even then, it wasn’t a productive conversation.

“You need winter clothing, yes?”

“Y-yes.”

“I have many furs and warm clothing. Do you prefer wool or something else?”

“Y-yes.”

Eventually Krshia just started picking out clothes for Erin. She shoved them in the young woman’s hands, told her to find somewhere to change and come back when she was warmer.

Erin took the advice, and that was how she ended up in the Adventurer’s Guild, changing her clothes and trying not to stare at a naked Drake as female adventurers changed out of armor.

“What are the adventurers doing all day?”

That was the first question Erin asked Selys once she finished changing out of her cold, wet clothing and into the warm winter clothes Krshia had given her. Selys wrinkled her nose and twitched her tail at a group of adventurers sitting at one of the tables. They stank.

“Rat infestation in the sewers.”

“Ew! But wait, why is that a job for adventurers? Isn’t that a job for an exterminator or something? Cats?”

“We don’t have many of those things in the city. Cats…Gnolls don’t like cats that much. Anyways, they tend to disappear when people get hungry in the winter.”

“Um—”

“Besides, these were giant rats. Nearly this high.”

Selys indicated a point just below Erin’s navel. The young woman gulped.

“Okay. Wow.”

“It’s not a threat the Watch wants to deal with, and it’s not that dangerous. Well—not dangerous enough to make any of the guardsmen wade in that muck. So they put out a contract. Hired the adventurers.”

Selys waved a hand at the unhappy group of warriors.

“It pays well, but no one’s happy about it.”

Erin didn’t even know that Liscor had sewers. She said as much to Selys.

“Oh, it’s just a place to put all the horrible stuff. We can’t just toss it outside the city, and all those people living together creates a lot of—”

Selys hesitated.

“—Stuff. So we dump it underground and let it flow away. The Antinium dug the tunnels, but they’re not obligated to clean it or get rid of the monsters.”

“I wish I had sewers. All I have is an outhouse and now that I’m out of acid, Toren’s going to have to start cleaning it by hand. Or shovel. I need to buy a shovel.”

“Yeah, I heard about your inn. It got covered in snow, right?”

“Who told you that?”

“Your mage friend.”

“Ceria?”

“No. The other one.”

“Pisces isn’t my friend.”

“Good!”

Erin laughed and Selys grinned. But then she made a face.

“He came into the city covered in snow. He tried to get me to let him stay in the guild until I chased him out. He kept saying there was an avalanche. In the middle of the plains?”

Erin’s happy expression changed into a scowl.

“There was. Thanks to those evil faeries.”

Selys looked puzzled.

“The what? Oh, you mean those things. The sprites. What happened?”

“I—”

Erin paused. She remembered that Pisces said no one could see or hear the faeries.

“I uh, made them mad somehow. And they caused an avalanche and nearly buried me in my inn!”

Selys looked sympathetic.

“Nasty. You should stay away from them.”

Erin groaned.

“That’s what people keep telling me. But they’re so pretty. ”

“Pretty?”

“Um. Never mind.”

Selys shook her head at her strange friend.

“They don’t go indoors so you’re safe. Just try to avoid making them mad, okay? They don’t usually bother people unless you’re someone like Relc.”

“Why? What about Relc?”

“You don’t know? Every winter the sprites follow him around for a week and cause trouble. Snow falls off roofs, he slips on ice…one time a chimney broke and fell on his head!”

“Why? I mean, is it because of the faeries?”

“Yep. He hates them. Every time he sees them he throws stuff at them or tries to grab one. They always freeze his hands off, though.”

Erin frowned. The faeries were jerks, but Relc was huge.

“He should just leave them alone.”

“He did, but they keep bothering him either way.”

For a while the two kept talking about Relc and the various ways the faeries like to cause mischief. Erin got the impression the Frost Faeries were regarded as a force of nature, rather than actual creatures by the people of Liscor.

“They’re not a threat. Well, they can cause a lot of damage if you bother them, but they’re not worse than a flood or a lone Goblin. It’s rare to hear of someone getting attacked like you were. Besides Relc of course.”

Selys paused. It was a slow day at the guild, or all the adventurers were still fighting rats underground. She looked at Erin suddenly, and asked a question that had clearly been on her mind for a while.

“Erin. Is it true what people are saying? Has the King of Destruction really awoken?”

“What?”

“It’s just something I heard Krshia saying when she got back from the city. You know, after you rescued that Ceria and Olesm. She said the other human—”

“Ryoka.”

“—Yes, her. She said the other human said he was back.”

“That’s what I heard too. But I don’t know who that is.”

“Really? Erin… ”

“I’m sorry! It’s just—”

Selys sighed exasperatedly.

“I know, I know. But you of all people should know him. He’s one of your kind, a human, I mean. And even we know of the King of Destruction.”

“He’s bad news, huh?”

Ryoka hadn’t said much about Flos to Erin, only that he was some king who ruled a huge amount of land before he disappeared suddenly.

“More than that, Erin. He conquered nearly all of Chandrar and his armies were crossing the sea and landing on our southern shores before he vanished.”

“Wow. That’s pretty scary. But…I mean, why is he so famous? He never got far into this continent, right?”

“It’s not that. It’s that he managed to cross the sea and bring an invasion all the way here!”

Erin waited, but that was it.

“Okay, so he got across the sea. So what?”

“Erin! Do you know how hard it is to cross the sea with an army? Wars on one continent are one thing, but someone actually being able to cross the thousands of miles to another continent is unheard of! I mean, no one’s ever done it and actually managed to get an army across in one piece!”

“But it’s only a sea, not an ocean, right?”

Selys looked at Erin blankly.

“Is there a difference?”

“I think so. A sea is like the water next to land, while the ocean is…not. Plus, oceans are bigger.”

“Okay. So it’s an ocean. The point is that he did it. And now he’s back!”

That did seem serious. Erin made all the appropriate noises of concern while a thought clanged around in her mind.

“So the King of Destruction might be coming here, and that’s bad.”

“Very bad. Although…”

Selys hesitated.

“I don’t know that the council will do anything about it. Or the army, really.”

“Why?”

“Well, he’s so far away. What would we do? All the kingdoms and lands he conquered don’t obey him anymore. Chandrar will probably join together to fight him, so we don’t have to do anything.”

“So there’s nothing really bad happening?”

“No. Yes! I don’t know, it’s just really big, that’s all.”

Erin nodded.

“I get it. Oh, and by the way, I got the [Warrior] class yesterday.”

“Really? That’s great news, Erin!”

Selys’s face lit up and she smiled at Erin, worries over a distant king forgotten.

“What level are you?”

“Just Level 2. But I was wondering why I got the class now. I mean, I’ve fought a lot of things before. Why did I get it for going into the ruins?”

Selys frowned and thought.

“This is the first time you went looking for a fight, wasn’t it? I mean, you went exploring before, but you never really went out knowing you were going to kill something.”

“That’s the difference?”

“It’s all about purpose. I mean, I cook food for myself but I still haven’t gotten the [Cook] class. But if I tried to make that my hobby or job, I’d probably get the class right away.”

“And you’re a [Warrior] now as well, aren’t you?”

Selys nodded proudly.

“Level 4.”

“Does that mean you’re going to buy a sword and start killing monsters?”

Erin couldn’t see her friend doing that, but she supposed anything was possible?

“What? No! It’s just nice having another class. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking to become an adventurer or anything.”

Selys raised one hand and laughed.

“I had training with a sword when I was young, but I stopped. If I’d continued…maybe I’d be around Level 12 by now. But now…how many years would it take to reach Level 20? Probably at least a decade. Only someone like that Ceria has the time to level more than one class.”

“Really? That long?”

“Of course. I mean, if I were a soldier fighting on the front lines maybe it would only take a year or two, but I don’t fancy risking my life.”

That was odd. Erin was leveling up a lot faster than Selys was describing. Why was that? She started to ask Selys, and then remembered what Ryoka had said about discretion. She closed her mouth. Then she opened it again, deliberately.

“I got to Level 18 in my [Innkeeper] class after the undead attacked.”

Selys had been taking a sip from a glass of water she’d poured herself. Disappointingly, she didn’t spray it all over Erin, but she did choke and spill the water on the desk. Erin swept the paperwork and inkpot out of the way before they got drenched.

“ What? Seriously, Erin?”

“Very seriously. Do you know why I’m leveling up so fast?”

Selys had to frown as she mopped distractedly at the spilled water with a cloth.

“It must be all the things you’ve done. I’ve never heard of an innkeeper fighting off an undead attack, or—or starting and running an inn by herself.”

“So it’s doing hard stuff that makes us level faster? Adversity?”

Selys had to raise her shoulders and tail helplessly.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, Erin. I know how my class works. The more people I serve, the better a job I do at keeping people happy and sending adventurers on requests, the faster I’ll level. But this guild is so small I’ll never get past Level 20 before I retire. You’d have to ask other innkeepers how they level.”

“Oh. But I don’t know any other innkeepers.”

Erin saw Selys tap her lips with one claw. The Drake glanced around the mostly empty guild and then seemed to come to a decision. She nodded at Erin.

“My shift is over soon. If you want to wait with me until then, I’ll introduce you to a good one.”

—-

Erin walked with Selys down the streets of Liscor, staring around at the unfamiliar sights.

“That’s it. I have no idea where we are.”

She was in a different part of the city, where Drakes were the main foot traffic on the ground and the shops and buildings seemed to cater more to their kind. And she had no idea where she was.

“I never knew Liscor was so…so big! And I’ve never seen this place!”

Selys laughed at Erin for that.

“Erin! You never go anywhere except the Market district and to visit me!”

That was true. Erin blushed as she and Selys walked slowly through the streets, her friend pointing out places she liked to visit.

“It’s not that I don’t like new places, but the first time I came here…”

Erin remembered getting horribly lost and annoying everyone around her. She’d stepped into more than one building to be chased out when she realized it was someone else’s home. Besides, back then she’d felt definitely unwelcome.

But now with Selys at her side Erin felt comfortable, if not welcomed in this part of the city. Some Drakes knew Selys by name and no one was throwing stuff at Erin. It was a good start.

“So who are we visiting? And where are we going?”

Selys pointed down the street.

“We’re heading towards the north side. There’s a good inn there – the Tailless Thief. It’s the most famous—and expensive—inn in the city. The innkeeper’s the one I want you to meet, though.”

Erin felt at her belt pouch.

“I uh, didn’t bring that much money with me.”

“Oh don’t worry. I know the innkeeper we’re going to meet, and you’re new. We’ll get at least one free drink and probably a hot meal.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Peslas is generous. Just let me say hello first.”

Peslas turned out to be the biggest Drake Erin had ever met, with the possible exception of Relc. But where Relc had huge shoulders and massive arms, Peslas was just…huge.

He wasn’t fat. Not exactly. He had a huge belly and he was a big Drake. Some of the fat was actually muscle. Erin was pretty sure of that because when she first saw him, the Drake was hefting a huge keg of alcohol onto a counter by himself.

“Selys!”

The instant he saw the younger Drake, Peslas broke into a huge smile.

“Child, how have you been? It’s been months since I last saw you! Come here!”

Selys smiled politely at the large Drake and moved forwards so he could hug her with one huge arm. Peslas grinned at her as Selys introduced Erin, and then his smile faded a bit and was replaced by surprise.

“A Human? I heard there were still some in the city after the undead attacks but—wait, I know you! You’re that [Innkeeper] in the abandoned inn! Well, you know young Selys?”

“I brought her here to see your inn, Peslas. That’s if you’re not too busy?”

“Of course not. How could I turn away Isshia’s grandchild? And you, human.”

Erin stuck out her hand and received a crushing handshake. She didn’t wince though, and Peslas smiled toothily at her.

“Here to learn from the best, are you? I can’t say I blame you. Some parts of my inn are trade secrets of course. But then, we all start at the bottom so look away! I doubt you’d be able to copy any of it.”

With that, he called for a barmaid to seat Selys and Erin and in moments, they were seated and being served drinks and some crunchy meat pasties. And what Erin saw was an inn in motion.

Peslas’s inn was close to full despite it not even being midday. He had a range of customers, from old Drakes that Erin guessed were retired to younger Drakes who looked like affluent business owners. And of course there were the barmaids, all female, and all Drake.

In short, this was an inn for Drakes and run by Drakes. Erin saw not one Gnoll, and she realized she was getting a lot of casual glances. Selys covered for Erin though, chatting away and keeping their conversation light as Erin looked around.

So. This was a proper inn. Erin could see all the signs. No broken chairs, no holes in the walls or clumsily patched spots, and bright lamps and a bustling staff to boot. The mug she’d been given was filled with some kind of fruity, thick drink that was tasty as it was alcoholic. And the food was good, too! It was an inn without any flaws, fights, or skeletons.

And Peslas was at the center of it all.

The big Drake moved from table to table, not with the speed of someone serving drinks, but a lazy amble that took him to each customer, where he could chat, share a pint, and gossip. Occasionally Peslas would disappear into the kitchen and return with a plate or show someone to a seat – or lift a keg – but these were clearly all things he did as a favor to friends. He didn’t need to work.

What Peslas did do was interact with customers. He made sure they were served on time, listened to their worries and successes, and talk. His mouth never stopped moving.

“No. She left you? Even after you got her the ring?”

Erin saw Peslas sitting across from them two tables over, listening to a maroon-scaled Drake as he sniffled into his meal. Peslas was holding a tankard in his hands – the sixth Erin had seen him drink in the hour.

Apparently, from what Erin could gather, the Drake that Peslas was talking to had lost his girlfriend of several years right as he was about to propose. After the woebegone Drake had spilled out the story, the older Drake’s eyes were brimming with tears.

“You were always too good for her.”

Peslas wiped the tears from his eyes as he patted the younger Drake on the shoulder. He turned and shouted for a barmaid. She came over with two mugs and Peslas seized one.

“Everyone, a round is on me! Let’s all toast young Relss and drink to his luck in future loves!”

The inn cheered. Erin found another large drink heading her way and wondered how many times Peslas did this every week. Or every day. He was generous. Sometimes he insisted a meal was on the house if a customer had had a bad day, or he’d invite someone from off the street for a free drink.

“Can he afford all this?”

Erin whispered to Selys at one point when they were finishing their meals. Selys looked surprised, and then nodded.

“Oh yes. He’s quite wealthy, and his inn does a tremendous amount of business. All of his regulars come by often. Well, they’re all just as rich as he is.”

“And he’s the best innkeeper in the city?”

“The best innkeeper in a hundred miles, you can be sure!”

Peslas boomed from behind Erin and she nearly spilled her drink. He caught it, laughing as he seated himself at the table.

“I’ve heard there’s an innkeeper who’s nearing Level 40 in the Human city up north.”

“Which one?”

“Oh, the biggest one. What’s it called? First Landing. Yes, that’s the one. That’s the highest-level innkeeper on this continent, but then, most of the ones around my age are at least Level 20 or higher. Some are even Level 30, like me!”

He tapped his broad chest and laughed. Selys and Erin smiled at him, and Erin scooted back a bit so she wasn’t right next to the big Drake. He grinned toothily at her again.

“So? What do you think? Can your little inn take some of my better ideas?”

Peslas gave Erin a patronizing smile, but the human didn’t rise to the provocation. Erin nodded to herself as she looked around.

“I think so. I’ve figured out something, at least.”

“Oh?”

Peslas and Selys leaned forwards over the table, expectantly. Peslas’ eyes were dancing, but Erin didn’t pay him any mind. She gestured to one of the Drakes serving a table.

“I need a barmaid. Or a waitress. Or someone who can serve drinks and clean up while I cook.”

Both Drakes blinked. Erin went on.

“I’ve got Toren, but he’s not really the serving type. Plus, if I don’t have to cook I can do other things. Like not cook. So yeah, that’s my new goal. Get a barmaid.”

Peslas looked incredulous.

“You don’t even have a barmaid? Are you by yourself in your small inn, Human?”

“I’ve got a skeleton, but he’s busy finding firewood and getting water for me.”

For a second, Peslas stared at Erin and then he howled with laughter. Other customers looked around, already smiling for the joke as he slapped the table. When he’d stopped guffawing and entering into the wheezing stage, he looked up at Erin, wiping tears from his eyes.

“I like you. Yes, you’re nothing like the Human nuisance I heard about!”

“Oh?”

“I’d heard you were just a pest that went around causing trouble. But you’ve got spirit for a Human! I like that. A shame your inn will never be half the inn mine is.”

Curious, Erin leaned forwards slightly. The alcohol was good, but she wasn’t getting drunk thanks to her skill. Peslas looked slightly tipsy, though.

“Why’s that?”

Peslas flicked his fingers at the same time as his tail.

“Why else? Location, girl. I told the Human who used to own that inn the same thing, but he never listened.”

“There was a Human who ran Erin’s inn before her? I never knew that.”

Now Selys was part of the conversation. The Drake blinked down at her second tankard and then at Peslas. He nodded at her, smiling and waggling a claw.

“That was years ago. Back before the Necromancer—well, we got a lot more visitors from the south. People weren’t afraid to cross the Blood Fields back then, and there were more than a few villages. A small one grew up around that inn, thanks to the human who ran it. But it was all destroyed.”

“Why? What happened?”

For a moment Peslas’s broad face grew serious as he looked at Erin.

“The undead happened. They forced everyone to flee the area. When the human did come back, he never really got the inn running again. No one visited and one day he just stopped coming into the city. I warned him. The fool.”

Erin remembered the skeleton in the upstairs room. Peslas laughed, and she looked at him.

“I think he was brave.”

He shook his head at her, chuckling.

“Stupid, yes. Brave? Maybe, but bravery doesn’t sell drinks.”

“But he did his best. Anyways, he started his inn from scratch.”

“You need more than your best. You need something special. That’s what you need to learn, young—Erin, was it? You need a hook.”

Peslas gestured around his inn.

“My inn’s known for being the best around. Best service, best food—best beds and best drinks as well! What do you have to offer people to make them come all the way to visit you?”

Erin shrugged. She wasn’t sure she agreed with everything Peslas had said about his inn. It was good, but if it only served Drakes, how good could it be?

“I play chess. I’m not the best at it, but I’m pretty good.”

This time Peslas’s laughter echoed even to the furthest corners of the room.

“Chess! There’s something interesting! You play, do you? Would you wager on a game? A few gold coins? Silver? I’d bet two coins to your one. Whatever you like!”

Selys frowned at Peslas, but the larger Drake didn’t seem to notice. For Erin’s part, she remained calm.

“Oh, if you wanted to make a bet, I’d bet everything I had. Ten gold coins? Fifty? Your inn? Want to take me up on it?”

For a moment Peslas blinked. Selys cut in, smiling at the innkeeper.

“Haven’t you heard? Erin beat Olesm in a game of chess the first time she met him. She’s never lost a game to him, and he plays her almost every day.”

That caused a ripple among the Drakes who were listening to their conversation. But Peslas just laughed again, and waggled his tail in the air.

“Spirit! Humans are full of it. Just like I said to the last innkeeper. What was his name again…?”

He flicked his tail dismissively. Erin stared at Peslas, not smiling. He was rude, or maybe just drunk. She would have offered to play him a game anyways – perhaps with a handicap like being blindfolded – when she felt something touch her foot. Erin nearly freaked out until she realized it was Selys’ tail.

The young Drake smiled at Peslas as the larger Drake finished laughing again and making a joke to his friends about humans looking alike.

“It was nice to see you again, but Erin and I have to visit some of our friends. Thank you for letting us watch you at work though.”

“Of course. Give my regards to your grandmother, will you?”

Peslas got up and showed both Selys and Erin to the door. As Selys had said, he made no mention of the bill, but he did stop Erin at the door.

“My inn is always open to other [Innkeepers]. Come by if you’re ever bored and have a drink with me! But I think even your far-off inn will be getting business soon enough, Erin.”

“Oh? Really?”

He nodded sagely, tapping the side of his nose—or was it snout?—with a claw.

“My [Intuition] skill tells me that this is so. I’ve never known it to be wrong. Prepare your inn well, and perhaps you might level up a bit young Erin. Ah, well. Best of luck on your little endeavor!”

—-

They were several streets away from the inn when Erin finally decided to break the silence.

“Um, thanks for letting me visit the inn, Selys. It was really helpful.”

Selys looked at Erin out of the corner of her eyes and then burst out.

“You’re not mad? I’m so sorry about Peslas, Erin. I didn’t know he’d be so rude!”

“He wasn’t so bad. I’m sorry too—that I was rude to him at the end, I mean. I know he’s your friend.”

Selys made a face as they walked along.

“Erin, he’s not my friend. I barely know him. He’s an acquaintance of my grandmother, that’s all. I barely talk to him every other month. Besides, he married a girl who’s nearly as young as I am!”

Erin tried to imagine that and thankfully failed. Selys scowled as she walked along, her tail twitching in irritation.

“Anyways, he’s a jerk. I’m glad he hasn’t earned more than one or two levels even after his inn became the biggest in the city.”

“Really? But his inn’s so busy.”

“Yeah. Isn’t it strange? I guess there’s some other reason why he’s not leveling, but it doesn’t really matter. Peslas is rich, and that’s all he cares about. He doesn’t need any more levels.”

“I guess. It’s just that his inn was nice. I just thought it was odd he didn’t have any Gnoll customers.”

Selys hesitated.

“They don’t—come here that often. It’s not that he wouldn’t serve them, it’s just that they don’t ever really go outside their parts of the city.”

“I see.”

“Humans go wherever, but your kind don’t really live in the city.”

“Right.”

Erin was still thinking. She was thinking about her inn and she understood what Peslas had meant about location. She thought he was wrong, but she got it. She and Selys walked on again, out of the Drake residential district. At last, Selys broke the silence.

“Anyways, I’m sorry he was like that. He’s not rude to me. But you’re another [Innkeeper] and…Human.”

“It’s no problem.”

From there the conversation lightened. Erin and Selys were smiling again by the time they reached guard barracks.

It had been a huge surprise to Erin to learn that Liscor did not in fact have a hospital. Selys hadn’t even known what she’d meant when Erin described the building and its function.

In Liscor, people either healed up in their homes and hired a [Healer] to visit with herbs and potions, went out to get cured, or relied on organizations they belonged to. The Adventurer’s Guild had several beds for wounded or homeless warriors for instance, and the Watch had the same.

So that was where Erin and Selys found Ceria and Olesm, resting up in a secluded part of the building. The half-Elf and Drake weren’t strictly under guard, but neither were they free to run around. But they weren’t in trouble, either.

“We can’t really be blamed for the entire ordeal. The city knew we were going in, and besides, we lost almost everyone in the attack.”

Ceria explained the situation to Erin as she accepted a cut and peeled apple from the young woman. She was resting in one of the beds while the other three sat around her. Ceria was still quite thin and paler than normal, but Erin was happy to see she looked a lot better than she had.

“We fought, rather than just run away. That helps. And there’s also the fact that all the treasure—such as it is—was taken by the city. That’s enough of a fine.”

“And I told them that Ceria and the others shouldn’t be blamed.”

Olesm sat on the stool, nodding furiously as he crossed his arms. He was more active than Ceria, although he too looked thinner and paler than normal. He gestured in the direction of the rest of the building.

“I told Zevara that, and she was very understanding. I think the adventurers will be let off without any charges. But um, they might not get their equipment back.”

“As if we could use it. The few that survived are either still wounded or don’t ever want to pick up a sword again. I went to see Yvlon and she’s barely responsive. As for me—”

Ceria shifted in her seat, lifting her other hand as she chewed at the apple. Erin and Selys both froze up a bit as the yellow bone and blackened skin of Ceria’s spell-damaged arm appeared. The mage grinned crookedly.

“I’m not going adventuring anytime soon. My good hand’s ruined and even if I do decide to adventure, I have no wand or spell books. Rot, I don’t even have any gold to my name. I dropped it all in the Ruins.”

Erin exchanged a look with Selys. She looked at Ceria, trying not to make it seem like she was staring at the skeletal hand.

“But you’re okay? You’re feeling fine except for the…”

Ceria shook her head and gestured to the limp bones.

“I’ll be fine. My hand is a small price to pay for my life. If I could have traded it for the others—”

She broke off, and everyone was silent for a minute. Erin’s eyes still stung at the mention of the others. Gerial. Sostrom. Calruz.

Olesm was the first to break the silence. He gestured at his own bed, on the other side of the large room from Ceria. The Watch didn’t have enough rooms to give the two privacy. That had scandalized Selys until Ceria pointed out that she and Olesm had had plenty of time to get to know each other in less-hospitable beds.

“I can’t wait to get better. I’d leave right away, but Captain Zevara insists I take it easy.”

He grinned at Erin.

“Then maybe I can visit your inn and play a few games of chess with you. We could play now, if you’d like…?”

Erin ignored the hopeful look in the Drake’s eye and shook her head.

“That would be nice, but I need a better hook.”

“A what?”

Selys frowned at her friend.

“Oh come on, Erin. You can’t listen to what Peslas said.”

“But he’s right. Chess doesn’t earn money, especially because none of the Workers are coming back to the inn. Not that there’s…many…left.”

Another silence fell over the small group. At last, Ceria cleared her throat.

“Well, I’m certain the lovely Watch Captain will kick me out of here sooner or later. When that time comes I’ll probably be looking for a place to stay. Erin, would you mind if I went to your inn? I don’t have any coin, but I’ll pay you back as soon as I earn some.”

“What? No!”

Olesm and Selys’ tails froze up as Erin looked indignant.

“I’m not going to ask you to pay. You can stay in my inn for free! As long as you like!”

Ceria smiled and shook her head at Erin.

“That’s very kind, but I know you’re in need of money too. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“No, I insist. You’re Ryoka’s friend too, and I’m sure she’d want that. Besides, you can earn your keep! Can you cook?”

“Nothing you’d like and not with the ingredients from around here, I’m afraid.”

“Well—well, that’s fine. You can do magic. I’m sure I could find a job for you that would really help. Yeah. I could…hire you as a barmaid?”

“Not a good idea. I’m not the bar-serving type and I don’t do well with…males. Besides, what could a one-handed barmaid do?”

“Well, either way, I’ll let you stay as long as you like. Money doesn’t matter more than friends, after all.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

—-

Selys and Erin spent another hour talking lightly to Olesm and Ceria, and Erin even played one game with Olesm, winning handily, before they left. The last stop Erin knew she had to make was back to Krshia. To pay for the clothes, for one thing.

But she had an unpleasant surprise when she visited the Gnoll. Krshia still had everything Erin need in stock, but the Gnoll told Erin it would cost half against as much as it had last time Erin had visited.

“Food is far more expensive now. I will give you my best, but it will cost much more. And I cannot deliver it anymore. I am sorry.”

“What? Why?”

“My Street Runner, he is busy, yes?”

Krshia explained as she began packing items into a bag for Erin to carry.

“My Runner, he does many deliveries in the city now and elsewhere. Many were hurt and killed when the undead attacked. He has much to do and cannot make the trip through the snow to your inn. Not without charging more money.”

Selys nodded.

“Normally we’d be finished preparing for winter by now, but what with the attack and repairs, we’re shorttailed. Besides, winter never comes when you’re expecting it. Everyone’s really busy.”

Well, that meant Erin had to carry her goods from now on. She looked glumly at the massive shopping bag Krshia was preparing and imagined a trip back through the snow.

“Well, if that’s how it’s gotta be…”

“Mm. Again I am sorry. But do you have anything else to add?”

Erin blinked. She suddenly remembered one of the things she’d planned to get while in the city.

“Oh yeah. I’m looking for some special stuff while I’m here. Ground beef! I want a lot of it, and some cheese. Ooh, and some mustard! And bread. I need sliced bread, or buns. That’s even better. And tomatoes, vinegar, and um, eggs. I’ll take a lemon or two as well if you’ve got any.”

Krshia didn’t have any lemons, but she did have everything else. It was expensive—but the Gnoll told Erin she was lucky that the winter had just started.

“By the end of the season, such things will be too expensive for you and me, yes?”

“I’m just glad I still have money to pay for it. Business is slow and I need to make something amazing!”

Erin nodded to herself as Krshia finished packing the last of her additions into her bag. Erin reached for one strap, hefted the bag—

And felt all her confidence drain away.

“Hey! This is really heavy!”

“I am sorry, but you ordered much. Perhaps you should leave some and make two trips?”

Erin tried to imagine going back and forth twice in the snow and shuddered.

“I really don’t like that idea. Isn’t there another way? A sled, maybe?”

“Hey, I’ll carry it if it means I get fed.”

Erin turned. Relc was standing behind her, smiling down at her. And by his side was a familiar face, but one Erin wasn’t used to seeing again.

“Klbkch! Relc! What are you two doing?”

“Guarding, mostly. But we came by to see you. I’ve got a message for you, and Klb is just bored.”

The Antinium nodded politely to Selys and Krshia before turning to Erin.

“Good evening, Erin. I hope you are recovered from events a few days ago?”

“What? Oh yeah, I am. You’re okay, right Klbkch? Gazi cut you up bad.”

“I have fully recovered, thank you.”

“And me! I’m better too, thanks for asking!”

Relc interjected, puffing out his chest and showing Erin and the others a few new scars on his chest and arms. He looked at Selys as he smoothed the spines on his neck, but she only sighed and rolled her eyes.

It was good to see both were well, even if it was odd to see Relc so friendly. Erin remembered how he’d been before Klbkch had returned, but she put it out of her mind.

“So you can carry my stuff?”

“This? Of course. I carried stuff twice as heavy every day when I was a soldier.”

Relc grinned at Erin and flicked Krshia’s bag dismissively. The Gnoll sniffed at Relc as Klbkch addressed Erin.

“We would like to visit your inn tonight, Erin. If that is not an imposition?”

“What? No! Come on, by all means! I’ll cook up a feast!”

Erin smiled happily at the two guardsmen. For once, it seemed like everything was back to normal in a good way. Relc was ebullient as he seized Erin’s shopping bag.

“Great! I want a lot of food tonight! You can take the cost of me hauling this to your inn out of my tab, okay?”

Klbkch’s elbow shot out and rammed Relc in the side. The Drake yelped and glared at his friend.

“I was just joking. ”

“No. You weren’t.”

“Ants. This is why…”

Relc grumbled as he lifted the pack with ease. He looked around for support and found none. He scratched at the spines on his head, muttered under his breath, and then looked at Erin.

“Oh, hey. Your inn exploded by the way.”

Everyone stared at him. Relc looked at Klbkch, and then at Erin.

“What? Didn’t I say that earlier?”

2.10 T

“…know that I am the truth. Hear my words…obey…! Rise once more, from the darkness…!”

Even now Toren heard the voice in the silence. But he’d forgotten the words. They called to him in the darkness of his soul, pulling him towards the south. But his feet could not move, and though he looked towards the horizon, he could not go.

But he still heard the call vibrating in his soul. It was one of three things he remembered.

Toren was a Level 11 [Skeleton Warrior]. That was his purpose, his name and sense of being. That wasn’t one of the three things he remembered, though. It was just who he was. That was what the voice in his head told him.

The other voice in his head. Toren had many voices that told him things. Sometimes the skeleton had a hard time figuring out which ones were real. But he was getting better at listening.

He could listen and follow orders. Of all the things Toren knew, he knew he was good at that. He had orders, so he followed them. That was simple. Sometimes the orders weren’t.

Today the young woman in front of him had an extra snap in her voice as she shouted at him. That usually meant she was upset. Why was she upset? Usually when she was upset, it was because Toren had made a mistake.

But Toren was sure he’d done everything right this time. All night long he’d been pushing snow together like Erin had told him. He’d made a very tall wall, and that was good, wasn’t it? There wasn’t anything Erin could find wrong with his wall.

“Hey! How am I supposed to get out?”

Toren paused. Then he turned his head 180° and stared at the wall.

Oh.

Erin glared at him and told him to clear a hole. Toren did just that as she stomped back inside and slammed the door.

It was one of the things he’d learned. Somehow, despite all he did, he kept making mistakes. Erin would tell him to do something simple, like collect water. But then she’d say something like—

“ Don’t bring back fish in the bucket! How did you think that was a good idea? How—how did you even fit one in there?”

It was a mystery. Not the fish; anything could be squished into a smaller thing with enough time. But Toren had been created to serve Erin and it distressed him that he never seemed to do his job right.

He was a skeleton. He was bound to serve. This he knew. It was one of the three things Toren remembered. Even when he was being smashed into the ground by a mace or something was trying to break his skull in two, he remembered.

He remembered being made .

—-

Sight. That was the first thing that Toren remembered. Only it wasn’t sight, not quite. He didn’t see because he had no eyes. But he was aware of the world nonetheless, in ways that could only be described as sight by primitive language. He could sense colors, shapes, and movement.

Not well. Toren had seen birds and other things which could see farther than he could. If he looked too far in one direction he couldn’t make out details. But he could see, and the first thing he’d seen was a dancing mage.

At the time Toren hadn’t known it was dancing. Understanding, like everything else, had come in the rush of magic as it continued to build him. Basic concepts like sword fighting, gravity, general anatomy, and the idea of nudity were imparted to Toren, although admittedly he was a bit hazy on that last bit. It was important not to stare at Erin when she had less clothing, that was all he knew.

But the dancing mage. Toren remembered his bones rising together to form his mortal frame, and the disheveled mage dancing around in front of him. Perhaps it was dancing. It looked more like wild waving of arms and legs and incoherent laughing and crying. Which was close to dancing?

Pisces. That was the name of his creator. Toren only remembered because sometimes his orders pertained to Pisces. Orders like ‘don’t let him steal any food from the kitchen’, or ‘poke him with a sword’. Although when he tried to poke Pisces with a sword, this too was apparently a mistake.

But the mage had laughed and danced and cried as he pointed at Toren, as the skeleton was first being created. Toren remembered the words.

“I did it! I finally succeeded! The first! The very first!”

It wasn’t very coherent speech, but Toren remembered the mage had been happy. Because of him. It mattered little, but then had come the words.

“Hm. Ah, oh. Let’s see. Uh, that’s right. You were…I suppose I must use you in less-optimal tasks. Well then. Hear and know your purpose: you are to guard and serve the individual known as Erin Solstice. Protect her. Obey her words.”

The words had struck Toren like thunder and lighting, echoing around in his soul. They etched themselves into the core of his very being, words that would never fade. The first and last command.

Even now, as Toren shoveled wet, hard snow away from his wall he remembered.

“Protect Erin Solstice. Obey her. Be used in less-optimal tasks.”

They were the words that shaped his existence. One of the three things he remembered.

After that Pisces had gone back to the laughing and talking to himself. Toren forgot most of the rest. At some point the mage had come back and spoken at length. He’d used many complex words. Word like ‘render unto me total obedience’ and ‘forsoever work to advance the cause of my designs’, and so on. But that was after the words of binding, the words of creation. So they didn’t count.

The snow was hard to separate with mere fingers, so Toren picked up the piece of wood he’d used as a shovel and began to send snow flying into the air. In truth, he didn’t mind Erin’s new orders. He’d built a wall, and now he was getting rid of part of it.

A human or other sentient being might have objected to the wasted effort. But Toren didn’t have anything better to do, and he never got bored. He had a job and he did it. And he didn’t get cold or uncomfortable. He never got back problems from twisting around or bending over constantly like Erin complained about.

There. The snow was cleared away, enough to let a human pass through. Toren stared in satisfaction at the breach, and then wondered what he should do next. Make a bigger hole? Or clear more snow? It was hard, but he had to obey. Toren always obeyed.

—-

Erin came back later to give Toren instructions. By that time he’d managed to add nearly another foot to the height of his wall, an accomplishment he felt vaguely proud of, but which she didn’t comment on.

“Okay, here’s the plan.”

Toren looked at Erin expectantly as she shivered at him. She pointed in the direction of Liscor.

“I’m going to buy more stuff. Food. And I need to check on my friends. While I’m gone, I want you to find more firewood. Got it?”

Toren knew that meant Erin was going to Liscor. He’d never been to Liscor. Erin had told him many times he wasn’t allowed to go near the city in case he scared someone. But it bothered him when she went, because he had to protect her.

But she gave him orders, so he had to obey. The only problem was that while Toren understood firewood as a general concept, he had no idea where firewood might be found. Normally Erin burned broken chairs and tables. Did she mean that?

Erin frowned at Toren as he looked around, hoping there would be some handy broken tables nearby for him to use.

“I don’t know where any is. Go find some trees.”

Trees? Firewood could come from trees. It was a good order. Toren nodded and Erin eyed him suspiciously for a second before she turned and left. That was almost hurtful, if Toren had any emotions to hurt. He could be relied on. He would find a tree and obtain firewood.

Somehow.

—-

Toren was beginning to understand feelings. Or maybe it was that he was beginning to think of thoughts. He hadn’t before. Toren remembered a time before he’d been able to think about himself. Then he’d only obeyed orders as a dumb thing, mechanically. But ever since leveling up from fighting, and especially after the battle with Skinner, Toren had begun thinking more and more about complex things.

Things like – if Erin told him to gather fruits, did she mean rotting fruits lying on the ground with worms and bugs crawling over them? If Erin was screaming and telling him to get rid of a bug, did that means squash it, stab it, or take it outside? How many ways could he stab Pisces? Which ways would make the mage die faster?

It wasn’t that Toren had any particular animosity towards his creator. But one of his tasks was to protect Erin. Therefore, if Pisces ever attacked, Toren would have to be able to kill him. This all made perfect sense.

The winter landscape was full of snow. So much snow! Toren had never seen snow, and he was unaccustomed to moving in it. It was unfortunate how slow it made him move. He’d take two steps, fall in a snow drift, and spend precious minutes digging himself back up.

That was inconvenient, but fine. But Toren was also distracted by the dancing blue shapes circling overhead. They were…hard to see, and harder still to hear, but Toren could understand every language, and the language of the faeries was somewhat comprehensible to him. They laughed and followed his slow progress from overhead.

“Hark! Look sisters, the bag of bones is going to find the frail human some fire!”

“Does the stupid thing not know it has no axe? No axe nor sword.”

“How will it cut down a tree? With its teeth?”

Toren paused. He looked down at his empty hands. He’d forgotten his sword. Well. It wasn’t his sword because Erin wouldn’t let him wear it all the time. But it was a good point. He needed something to cut with.

Immediately, Toren turned around and began to walk back to the inn as the Frost Faeries circled around overhead.

“The stupid thing hears us! Hah!”

On his way back to the inn the faeries dumped snow on him twice, and then sent a gust of wind that blew him down a hill. But they got bored and left quickly because Toren only got back on his feet and kept walking. He wasn’t sure if they were enemies, but the Frost Faeries were too high up and he didn’t have a bow or arrows.

—-

The first trees Toren found were the blue fruit trees in the small orchard Erin had discovered long ago. The gray bark of the trees was the only thing that stood out against the white backdrop. All of the strange green leaves had fallen into the snow, as had the blue fruits. Only the trees remained; somber sentinels.

Toren raised the sword he’d taken from an adventurer long ago and wondered whether there was such a thing as a good tree for firewood. And how many should he cut down?

He decided all of them was a good start, and began with the tree closest to him. Toren raised his sword and took aim at the tree’s trunk. He’d gained a few skills from leveling up to Level 11. [Lesser Strength] was one of them. Now the sword wasn’t nearly so heavy in his hands, and Toren even felt like he might be able to decapitate an enemy in three cuts.

The skeleton raised the sword and brought it down and across in a mighty blow. The iron sword crashed into the bark of the tree—

And bounced off.

The impact nearly jarred the weapon from Toren’s hands. He lost his balance and then raised his sword again. He sliced at the tree, and his blade seemed to just bounce off the grey wood.

Toren didn’t frown. He didn’t bother to hesitate. He raised his sword and began hacking at the wood. After a while he switched sides because the sword blade was getting dull. In the end he dropped the sword and began kicking at the tree.

After about an hour, Toren had to admit that he wasn’t making much progress. The bark of the tree he’d attacked was barely scarred from his efforts, and his sword was dull and the handle was slightly bent. This tree wasn’t going to be so easily felled.

Toren paused, the snowflakes flurrying around his head. Some flew into his burning eyes and melted. The water ran out of Toren’s jaws.

Find firewood. That was what Erin had said. She told him to go find trees for firewood, otherwise he would have just cut up parts of the inn. But here were trees that he couldn’t cut. That was a problem.

Unless…maybe, just maybe these weren’t the trees Erin wanted. Aha! See, now that was the kind of advanced thinking that separated Toren from other skeletons.

Toren left the blue fruit orchard, congratulating himself on this newfound revelation as he walked through the snow. He wasn’t like other undead. He knew that from experience.

When the undead had attacked Liscor, Toren had been quite worried. He’d been worried Erin was going to replace him with a ghoul, or maybe a zombie or another skeleton. He’d been quite relieved when it turned out they were all trying to kill her.

But then, they’d all been obeying the creature known as Skinner. Toren had heard the commands from the giant worm-creature, felt the minds of the Crypt Lords trying to control him. But he was unique, in a way that allowed him to ignore their orders.

Unique. It was a good thing to be, Toren felt. He could do things other skeletons could not. For instance, when he fought, sometimes he got smashed, or his bones were scattered. But unlike the other skeletons, no matter how badly Toren got hurt, he could always get back up.

It was due to magic, and the mana that Erin was supplying him. Toren had a limit to the mana he could contain, but it was that force, that power inside him that brought his bones together or healed fractures. If he ran out, Toren might well die for good like his skeleton counterparts.

That was a concern that Toren thought about as he slipped into a hole full of angry spiders and got caught in their webs. They bit him constantly, hard enough to fracture his bones.

Now, breaks weren’t too bad. As long as the bone wasn’t shattered or scattered far away, the mana required to repair his frame wasn’t too high. Which was good, because Erin didn’t provide him with much mana.

Toren was no mage. But he understood Erin was generating some mana by living, and it went directly to him thanks to Pisces. But that amount was terribly, terribly low. Toren could vaguely sense the magic of others, and Ryoka, the other human who he wasn’t allowed to kill, had four times as much magic in her than Erin.

If she supplied Toren with mana, he’d probably have more energy to do…everything. As it was, he struggled hard and the Shield Spiders bit him until they realized there was nothing to really bite. They untangled him from their webs rather than let him stay and he left the hidden pit trap. He wasn’t sure he could hurt the Shield Spiders with his dull sword, and there were nearly forty big ones in the nest.

Toren continued on his way. He was looking for trees. Yes, things would be so much easier if he had a different supplier of mana. Ryoka, for all that she had more magic in her than Erin, was a candle compared to the bonfires that were Pisces and Ceria. Either one could sustain at least ten Torens quite easily. But Erin was Toren’s source of energy, and that was that.

—-

Toren wasn’t sure how far he’d walked when he first saw the clump of trees in the distance. They appeared as he crested the hill, a blob of brown in the snow. He went towards them swiftly, and saw it was a small forest! Of trees!

True, the trees did seem somewhat odd. Several of them were missing their bark entirely, and Toren wasn’t sure why. His general assumption was that something had eaten the bark. Toren didn’t really care. Trees were wood, and wood was what he needed. If he wanted to think about something—

Well, he tried not to think about anything except what needed doing. Unnecessary thoughts weren’t useful.

It was hard work, cutting through a tree with a dull sword blade. But while it was hard, it wasn’t impossible like the other trees had been.

Toren eventually managed to fell the tree, and even slice off a large bit through sheer dint of repetitive hacking with his sword. In truth it was his enhanced strength that did most of the work; by the time he’d finished cutting a slice of the tree away the sword he was using was well and truly useless.

The skeleton left it behind in the forest. He’d come back later if he needed it, and besides, he needed both hands to drag the large section of tree he’d cut away.

It was slow going, dragging a huge, heavy piece of wood through the snow. More than once Toren slipped while pushing his burden up a hill, and it would roll down right over him as he struggled to get up.

Yes, the journey was filled with struggles. Toren disturbed Shield Spider nests, suffered Faeries dropping snow on his head, and disappointed a bear who only knocked him sprawling once when she realized he wasn’t edible.

He pushed onwards, carrying the piece of tree, watching as a herd of hairy boars followed a Gnoll through the snow, and seeing far in the distance, the giant golems made of snow slowly forming and coming to life as he once had. He would complete his task. He would do it well. That was what Toren knew he had to do.

And at last, he was there.

Toren pushed the part of the tree trunk up next to the inn and wondered whether he’d be able to get another part back before Erin returned. Possibly, if he wasn’t attacked on the way.

But then Toren had a thought. He had wood. Perhaps it was firewood, but who could really tell? Was all wood the same? What if he had…not firewood?

He had to know. Toren found another a hatchet among the weapons he’d collected. He wasn’t sure it would cut better than a sword, but it might do. He began hacking apart the huge piece of tree he’d collected.

How odd! The bark on this tree was quite thick, and it actually came off quite easily. Toren managed to cut a nice big chunk out of the tree and carried it into the inn. He dumped it in the fireplace and looked around. Erin had shown him very carefully how to start fires and keep it going. He just needed the flint and tinder, and perhaps a coal if the kitchen fire was still warm.

It was not, but Toren still managed to get a small blaze going quite quickly. A few wood shavings here, and the flames caught and began eating away at the wood.

And it was firewood! Toren was happy, insofar as he could be happy. Satisfied was probably a better word. He had fire. And the wood was burning brightly, too! Toren gazed at the burning wood and then noticed something odd.

The bark was reacting to the heat. As the temperature rose from frozen to not-so-frozen, the wood and bark seemed to twist a bit, as if alive. Toren tilted his head slightly. Was this a bad thing? He’d never seen it happen with the other wood he’d burned.

Maybe it just needed to be hotter. Toren found the fireplace poker and poked the wood a few times. The bark-covered wood seemed to flex as the flames grew in the fireplace—

—-

Toren woke up later. He wasn’t sure when later was; only that was he was in pieces. The feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to him, though. He felt his head rolling back towards the rest of his body, and then his other bones joined him.

One, two, three…Toren lost count after a hundred and fifty. He had a lot of bones. Some were human, but others were Drake and Gnoll. He didn’t mind that; his ribcage was stronger than a normal Human’s, and he had thicker bones that helped withstand damage.

Most of the time, that was.

When Toren was fully reassembled he finally had time to wonder what had happened. What had happened? He’d been watching the firewood in the fire, and then—

“You blew it up! ”

Toren looked around. There was Erin! She was back! She could see he’d found firewood and—

Only now did Toren realize that something was wrong. Something was horribly, terribly wrong. It was a hard thing to notice at first. Here was the inn, and here was the outside. Normally these two things were totally fine, almost mundane. But Toren was quite sure that the outside shouldn’t be connected to the inn so…intimately.

Cold, biting winds howled into the massive gaping hole in the front part of The Wandering Inn. Toren stared into the gaping mess of destroyed furniture and upturned foundations and felt uneasy. That wasn’t right.

Something was horribly wrong.

Erin Solstice stared at her destroyed inn, at a loss for words. Toren watched her, anxiously. Did she know what had happened? She was just staring at the devastation. Did she want him to clean it up? Was it his fault?

“How did—I just—I told you to get firewood. How did this happen? I mean, it’s just firewood. How could you—”

Erin looked around and caught sight of the bit of tree Toren had brought with him. She turned pale.

“Oh my god. The boom trees. You cut one of them down? They explode! How did you not notice that?”

Oh. Toren didn’t understand exactly, but he put the pieces together. An exploding tree? It hadn’t done anything when he approached, but the [Tactician] inside him told him it probably had to do with the temperature. When it warmed up was when it exploded.

If he’d thought more about the oddness of the trees, maybe Toren would have realized that. So. Not all unnecessary thoughts were unnecessary. It was better to think more. An important lesson. Toren knew that was the case, but right now all he felt was…guilty.

Erin glared down at Toren.

“I—do you have any idea how much it’s going to cost to repair all this? In the winter? ”

Toren did not know. All he knew was that Erin was angry. Angrier than when he accidentally started tearing floorboards up for a fire. Angrier than when he kept adding salt to soup because she’d never said when to stop. Even angrier than when she said ‘give me a hand’ and he did.

She was really angry .

Toren was ready. He knew what happened when he made a mistake. Erin would shout at him or throw things, or tell him she hated him. But she didn’t do it this time.

The young woman dressed in thick winter clothing stared at her destroyed inn and slowly sank down and sat on the ground. She sat in the snow, despite Toren’s understanding that she didn’t like cold things. She bowed her head and when she spoke, her voice was thick.

“Go away, Toren.”

Toren hesitated. He’d never heard an order like that before. He’d never…never heard Erin speaking like that, either. He stared at her face. Wetness was rolling down her cheeks and freezing in the wind. Tears?

Tears.

The sight paralyzed Toren. But the words stuck in him. Go away. Go? Go where?

Erin didn’t look at him. She just pointed behind her.

“Go away. Just—just go away.”

Toren didn’t want to go. For once, he didn’t want to obey. But his feet marched him around and took him away. The skeleton slowly began walking as inside of him—

She was crying. That was what was called. Crying. She was upset; sad; dismal; heartbroken; sorrowful; blue. Toren understood the words thanks to the magic that give him understanding. He knew the words, but he’d never known what they meant .

Until now.

Toren walked down the hill slowly, head bowed. The Drake named Relc and the Antinium named Klbkch walked past him, ignoring Toren. The half-Elf, and two Drakes followed, all ignoring Toren, although the female Drake did stare at him and flinch away.

He took no notice. Toren walked on, unseeing, ignoring the slippery ground beneath him. He just walked away. Thinking.

He’d made another mistake. A terrible one. This wasn’t like his other mistakes. This time he’d destroyed part of the inn. He’d destroyed something important.

He—

Had made Erin cry.

Was it a bad thing? It wasn’t part of his orders. He was just supposed to obey Erin. Obey and protect and do non-optimal things. Nothing in his instructions mentioned making her happy or sad. So it didn’t matter.

That was what Toren thought, and he tried thinking that thought quite hard. But it didn’t help. The sight and memory of Erin crying disturbed him in a way he couldn’t explain. It was…

It was wrong. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t how things should have been.

Toren remembered the firewood. He’d found the trees. He’d cut the wood, and dragged it back to the inn. He’d done everything perfectly . If only he’d waited. If only he hadn’t tried to set it on fire.

If—

Toren stumbled and fell. He looked around. Where was he? White snow all around him, rolling hills and valleys around. Somewhere in the plains. He was lost. But that didn’t matter—he could always find Erin again. He was tethered to her.

But she didn’t want him. She’d told him to ‘go away’.

For how long? Forever? Toren didn’t want to go. But he had to. Those were the orders. They were one of the three things he remembered.

The voice called to him. South. He remembered the words.

“Rise once more, from the darkness. Come to me, my eternal army. Gather and know your time of return is at hand.”

It had spoken to him after Skinner died. He remembered it, a voice in his head. It had called the others, all the other undead. They’d left at the command, carrying the magical swords and shields and strange objects glowing with power out of the ruins. South.

Should Toren go south? The voice wasn’t his master. But it still called to him, one of the things he could never forget. It was tempting. So tempting. Erin didn’t want him. If she didn’t want him, he should go. He only made her sad and angry.

It was a thought that only came to him in the darkest hours of the night, when there wasn’t anything left to do.

Why was he doing any of this? Why should he obey the words in his head? They were just words. Why should they bind him?

The voice called to him. He should go.

Toren began walking south, away from the inn, away from Erin. To the voice. The voice would give him purpose, he was sure. But he stopped.

It was just—

Toren was a Level 11 [Skeleton Warrior]. That was what the voice in his head told him. But he never bothered to remember that. It wasn’t important. There were only three things Toren remembered. One was the orders that bound him to this world. The second was the voice which whispered to him, which spoke to an entire continent and called the dead.

The third was the music.

He heard it in the silence of his mind. It came to him even when no one was speaking, when Erin was angry or Toren was fighting. It wasn’t something Toren could control.

Time and again he’d tried to stop the sound. He’d hurled himself off the roof of the inn, stuck his head underwater to let fish bite at his head. He’d hit himself again and again, but the music always played on.

A faint strumming was how it started. A strange sound Toren had never heard before; a rhythmic strumming. And then a man’s voice.

When Erin had sung it, it had been her voice. But Toren had heard another voice, and it was in his head now.

A gentle croon, growing louder. And then the words.

“ Somewhere, over the rainbow. Way up high… ”

They echoed in his soul. A voice sung to Toren, telling him about a place beyond the rainbow. A place…where dreams could come true.

“ How to be brave. How can I love when I’m afraid? ”

Piano. Violins. Things Toren didn’t have words for because he’d never heard them before. But the music caught him and held him. He could never forget.

“ I have loved you for a thousand years. ”

Toren stopped. He stared to the south, towards the voice. But the music was louder. It touched him, and something in Toren was there to listen. Something beyond mere bones and magic.

He did not know its name. But it terrified him. But it made him rejoice. It was what he had that none of the undead had. It was his, and he could never forget it.

And it was a picture, a song, a moment. A young woman sitting in her inn, singing alone and surrounded by people. Singing with one voice that carried a song from another world on her lips.

“ I don’t know why you hurt inside or what was said to make you cry… ”

Toren clutched at his head. His jaws opened and he howled wordlessly. The music was in him. He could never forget.

Never.

Erin smiled at him as he held out a basket of blue fruit.

“Thanks, Toren. I guess you’re pretty useful after all, huh?”

She slapped him on the back as Toren contemplated his next move in the odd game of chess.

“Don’t think. Just go for it! I mean, think, and go for it. You can do it, okay?”

He rushed to Erin’s side, sword drawn as she screamed and cried out. She shouted a name in the night.

“Mom! Dad—!”

She wept and he stood guard over her until she stopped crying.

“Thank you, Toren.”

“Thanks, Toren.”

“Good job, Tor.”

Toren stood up. He shook. The voice still called to him from the south, full of power, echoing in the very fabric of his being. But it was a weak thing. Quiet. It couldn’t control him. Only Toren could control himself.

And right now he had his orders.

Go away. Just go away. But Toren remembered orders before that.

“I’m going to visit some friends. Don’t follow me into the city. Wait around the inn until I’m gone. Do something useful. I’ll be back before nightfall.”

He remembered every order Erin had ever given him. And she said that to him. Once. Long ago. But it still counted.

Do something productive. Do something useful. Toren remembered grabbing a fish out of the water and hacking it apart. Erin hadn’t been happy—but she’d said he did a good job in the end.

He wasn’t useful. He was worthless. He made the inn explode and that was bad. He couldn’t fight the adventurer with one eye and he couldn’t kill many things.

He needed to be more useful. He needed to be…stronger.

Yes, strong. Harder. Better. Faster. He wasn’t sure how he could make his bones stronger, but perhaps he could wear armor? That would make him slower, not faster, but better was more important.

He had to be better. Level up. But how? Fight things? He wasn’t allowed to kill Humans or Drakes or Gnolls or Goblins or Antinium or…a lot of things. What about Shield Spiders? What about Frost Faeries? What about the shadowy human that kept following Ryoka around?

Toren didn’t know. He had no idea. And that made Toren frustrated. For the first time in his life he felt genuinely irritated. He couldn’t think , and it made him angry .

Erin was the one with ideas. She had good orders. He had to go back, even if she would be angry.

She told him to go. But he should go back. He would go back. He would go back and Erin would give him orders. If she didn’t want him—well, then he’d think of something else. But he would go back.

Toren nodded. The blue flames in his eyes burned hotter, whiter. The dark sapphire color flared bright white-blue, and he turned with determination. He would be better.

The skeleton took two steps in the snow, walked right to avoid a tripping over a stone twice, and fell into the gaping hole as the snow collapsed around him.

Toren fell down, down, down! He bounced off of a rock, crashed into something hard, and then smashed into the ground so hard his bones scattered in every direction.

For a few minutes all was confusion. Toren reassembled himself as quickly as possible, trying to figure out what had happened. He’d—fallen? How? Why?

A hole. A break in the ceiling. Toren looked up. Yes, he could see something overhead. He’d fallen through a hole, some kind of chasm. Harsh stone crags shone in the faint light all the way down.

He was nearly four hundred feet underground, perhaps. But that wasn’t the interesting bit. The interesting bit came when Toren noticed the stone changed roughly fifteen feet overhead. From broken, normal bedrock and stone, the walls became smooth and refined. He was in some kind of…ruins?

Yes, ruins. Toren recognized it as being the same sort of corridor as the ruins where he’d went with Erin to find Ceria and Olesm. But these were different corridors, a different place. Where was he?

A vast stone corridor stretched out in front of him. Dark stone under his feet—a long corridor with two exits at the end. Toren stared, and saw bright yellow light coming from the right side and darkness from the other. He turned around and saw only darkness behind him. Some kind of passageway? Leading where?

The corridor wasn’t dark. Something was lighting it up. Toren looked around and saw glowing…runes on the walls. Strange shapes and symbols that glowed in different colors. And that was only what his eyes told him. He could feel this place, feel the nature of it.

Magic, pure and unrefined, hummed through the air. Toren could sense movement around him. Magical hotspots of power burning his otherworldly senses, more undead like him, and movement, struggling figures, shapes slithering, running around him. This place, this underground structure was full of life.

The magical runes around him lit up as something moved down the corridor. Toren saw something humanoid walking towards him.

A giant armored warrior appeared in the corridor, a figure clad in massive plate mail that would be too large for even Relc. Toren saw the strange warrior was holding a greatsword in one hand.

As the armored figure drew closer, Toren suddenly realized something was wrong. The armor was pristine, oddly so for a place this far down, but that wasn’t what was strange. What was strange was that the armored warrior had no head .

Tucked beneath the suit of armor’s other hand was a helmet. It was glowing—something was casting light between the slits in the visor. And the armored head was looking straight at him.

Toren looked around for a sword, a weapon, anything, but there was nothing in the corridor. And the armor was locked onto his position.

The skeleton could run, but he didn’t know where he was. And he wasn’t sure what was happening. So he waited. The magical creation walked towards him, footsteps echoing hollowly down the corridor.

It stopped about ten feet away from Toren. The enchanted suit of armor raised its sword and orange-red light like the lights of hell spilled out from the open cavity at its neck. Toren heard a horrible roar of sound, the screeching of metal on metal, so loud and furious that it sounded like something living.

It advanced, placing the helmet on its head and holding the sword in a two-handed grip. Toren stared at the armor.

It would kill him. Grind his bones. Destroy him. He would die if he didn’t fight or run. He knew.

There was no Erin to tell him what to do. Toren was alone. Alone and without a weapon. But that was okay. He had orders. He had a purpose.

Slowly, Toren opened his jaws impossibly wide, stretching them so wide his skull tilted backwards. He reached up, and with one skeletal hand, reached up into the cavity where his brain would have been.

The suit of armor stopped as Toren pulled something crimson out of his skull. The skeleton pushed and pulled it in the inside of his skull, wedging a…gem into the inside of his skull, anchoring it behind his eye sockets.

Toren looked up. The enchanted gem he’d taken from Skinner glowed in his head. He couldn’t know it, but the blue flames in his eyes were mixing with the crimson light from the gem, turning the flames in his eyes a deep purple.

The enchanted armor hesitated as Toren began strolling down the corridor towards him. The skeleton had no weapons, no armor of any kind. It was just a skeleton, but there was something about it that made the magic automating the armor and sword readjust its stance.

Toren didn’t care. He looked back above, where faint light was shining down from on high. Too far to climb even if he could find a way to reach the ceiling. But this place had been built. By something, for some reason. Toren understood buildings. They usually had an entrance and an exit that didn’t involve a hole in the ground.

There was a way out. All he had to do was find it. And if there were things that wanted to kill him, that was fine. Toren clenched his fist as the armored warrior began to thunder down the hall towards him. He ran forwards, mouth open wide in a wordless shout.

He was going back.

2.11

It was all gone. All over.

The Wandering Inn was finished.

Erin stared at what had been her inn and saw the writing on the wall. Actually, she didn’t.

Because there was no wall.

Nearly half of her inn had been blown outwards by the explosion. Walls, floorboards—even parts of the roof had been shredded by the explosive tree bark as it heated up from the fire.

For an added bonus, the bark had been flaming as it shot out of the fireplace. So the parts of the inn not hit by the shrapnel also caught on fire.

It was only because it was such a cold and windy day that the fire hadn’t eaten away the entire inn. As it was, Erin could see straight into the common room and parts of the upstairs from her position outside.

There was no repairing that. Erin wouldn’t even know where to start. [Basic Crafting] did not teach her how to repair the foundations. The spot where the fireplace had been—the center of the blast—was a crater, and Erin could see churned dirt where floorboards and the stone base should be.

The inn was gone. And Erin was homeless.

The feeling that hit Erin wasn’t exactly like despair. It was closer to numbness; a vague hurt feeling in her chest. Why? Why did it always have to be her?

She told Toren to go away, and for a while, she just sat in the snow trying to imagine what came next. What did come next? She had a little money, but not enough. She was an [Innkeeper] without an inn and no other useful skills besides chess.

She was lost.

Again.

That was the word that popped into Erin’s mind. Again. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. That thought created a spark, but Erin was so tired. She didn’t want to think of doing anything like picking up the broken timbers or finding actual firewood to replace the damaged wood.

She just wanted to sit here and stare at the remains of what had been her home.

“Wow. It’s totally gone, isn’t it?”

Erin heard Relc remark cheerfully as the Drake crested the hill. She’d beaten even him and Klbkch in her mad dash towards her inn. The Drake whistled as he looked around.

“What did this? I only saw the smoke and Tkrn said he could see the inn was broken from his spot on the walls. [Eagle Eyes]. Nice skill, right?”

“It blew up.”

“Yeah, I got that p— ow! ”

Erin heard a thump and the sounds of a Drake hopping around on one foot in the snow. Then Klbkch was squatting next to her. The Antinium regarded Erin gravely.

“I am sorry this happened, Erin. Was this an attack or some kind of magic?”

“No. No. It was trees.”

“Trees?”

Relc stopped hopping and cursing and looked mildly alarmed. He grabbed his spear and turned.

“Aw, no. Don’t tell me it was one of those cursed trees. Or a Dryad? I hate Dryads.”

Erin almost smiled, but she couldn’t.

“No. It was an exploding tree. Toren must have cut it down and brought it here.”

“An exploding tree? What?”

Klbkch nodded slowly.

“Erin must be referring to the reports of the deadly forest southeast of here. You will recall it’s one of the areas we avoid on our patrols.”

“Oh yeah. The place where that scouting party disappeared? Yeah. Wow. So the trees explode?”

“The bark does.”

Erin could see it now. She remembered how those trees had reacted when she’d hit one with a rock. They’d nearly taken her eye out with an acorn fifty feet away. If that explosive power were compressed into a nice little room…

“Well, there goes dinner. I’m hungry. You want to go to the Tailless Thief instead? I’ll buy the first round.”

Klbkch turned and looked around at Relc. Erin didn’t see his face, but the Drake raised his hands defensively.

“Hey, I was joking! Sort of. I mean…”

He waved at Erin’s inn and lowered his voice, although both Erin and Klbkch could clearly hear him.

“What’s she going to do? I don’t think a hammer and a few nails are going to fix that, do you?”

Silently, Erin agreed with Relc. Her inn was busted. What could she do? It was exactly like before. She couldn’t do anything.

It was so unfair. Why did this happen to her? Why—

“Oh no! Erin!”

Erin heard the voice a second before Selys nearly tackled her to the ground. The female Drake threw her arms around Erin as Ceria and Olesm appeared on the hilltop as well, looking winded. Selys stared at Erin’s inn and then at Erin.

“Are you hurt? Oh no, your inn! What happened?”

Ceria and Olesm stared at the destruction in shock as Erin muttered a few words and Relc loudly related the events.

“And then that stupid skeleton she has—Tors or something—must have put it on the fire. The tree explodes, and there goes her inn. Boom!”

“I don’t believe it.”

Selys kept saying that as she hugged Erin. Ceria looked gaunt and tired as she shook her head. Only Olesm seemed determined to remain optimistic. The Drake peered at a splintered board and stared around.

“Can this be fixed?”

“What? Are you crazy?”

Relc laughed at him. He gestured to the wrecked face of the inn.

“There’s no way she’s going to get that patched up by herself. You’d need a team of carpenters and a small forest, and neither of those is cheap, even if it weren’t winter! It’s over. The inn’s toast. History. Total dest—”

Ceria turned and kicked Relc hard in the stomach. He didn’t budge, but he narrowed his eyes at her.

“That hurt.”

With her good hand, Ceria flicked a sliver of ice towards Relc’s nose. The Drake leaned back inhumanly fast, but the shard missed anyways.

“Shut up.”

“Hey, I’m just—”

Relc dodged another shard of ice, this one larger and aimed closer to his head. He retreated, muttering insults.

Erin didn’t listen or see Olesm and Klbkch talking, or hear Selys assuring her that she could stay at Selys’ apartment or with Krshia. She just thought.

It was always the same. Always. Not in the same way, but the feeling was the same. And it was a sad thing, but Erin was used to the sensation. She was used to things like this.

“I’ve done this before.”

Relc stared at Erin.

“You’ve blown up your inn before?”

“No. But this—”

Erin couldn’t describe it. It was so familiar. Why? It was a pattern in her life.

Something bad happens. Get sad. Nearly die. That’s how it went.

But there was another level to that. Why did it always have to be bad? It was unfair? So why did it have to happen that way?

Erin was an expert at having bad things happen to her. So why couldn’t she turn a bad thing into a good thing? Or at least a not-so-bad thing?

She stared at her inn. Okay, now how did the script go? She’d stare at her broken inn, cry a bit, maybe freeze to death as she nearly fixed it, and then—probably the Frost Fairies would decide to bury the entire thing with her inside.

That was how the story went. But could Erin change the story?

“ Can it be fixed?”

“No! It’s hopeless! Let’s go back to the city! I’m freezing! ”

Erin ignored Relc as Klbkch looked over at her. He walked over with Olesm and Erin stood up. Ceria and Selys joined the circle while Relc edged closer and received cold stares from almost everyone else.

Klbkch nodded at Erin’s inn.

“I have already contacted my Hive. Some Workers will be here shortly to assess the damage. It may be that this can be repaired.”

“And I’m sure the damage isn’t that bad. It’s only the…side of the inn. I know a few [Carpenters] in the city. They might be able to help!”

Olesm smiled unconvincingly at Erin. Selys nodded and adopted the same too-optimistic tone.

“Yeah! And you could probably get enough wood to rebuild the inn. From Krshia. She might uh, know someone with a lot of spare building wood. They’re rebuilding a lot of the damaged buildings so…it might be cheaper?”

Erin nearly smiled, and then she actually did. It was ridiculous and hopeless. But she was used to that, wasn’t she? Keep smiling, keep trying. She shivered, and suddenly realized it was freezing.

Ceria snapped her fingers and muttered a few words. Erin blinked as the air around her suddenly seemed to lose most of its bite. Selys blinked and stopped crossing her arms together.

“What was that? ”

“[Lesser Resistance to Ice]. It’s a basic mage spell in my school. It won’t stop much of the chill, but it helps.”

It did. Erin smiled gratefully at Ceria and the half-Elf smiled crookedly back.

“What a fun surprise, huh? I’m really sorry about your inn, Erin. Let me know if I can help. I’m no good with movement and telekinetic spells, but even I can cast [Repair]. I can fix a few floorboards, at least.”

Olesm nodded.

“And I’ve got a hammer in my home!”

Erin smiled. Suddenly she was warmer, and not just on the outside. She had friends. Even in this cold winter, she had people who’d move mountains for her.

What else could she ask for?

“How about a jacuzzi?”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Klbkch had been silent as he stared at her inn. He looked up and turned to face Erin.

“I have contacted one of the Workers most skilled in constructions within my Hive. He will be on site shortly, but he informs me the inn can be rebuilt.”

“Really?”

Erin stared incredulously at Klbkch. He nodded calmly.

“Yes. But there are a few caveats. Firstly, the damage to the foundations is not inconsiderable. Although much of the building is still intact, the rest will need to be reconstructed and cannot be built from the fragments that remain. With a supply of wood however, another inn may be built, although it would be just as easy to build a new inn elsewhere.”

Everyone stared at him. Olesm opened his mouth.

“That’s not easy.”

Klbkch shrugged fractionally.

“I am no longer Prognugator, but I occupy a similar position of command. I have called thirty Antinium Workers with class levels that will assist in reconstruction shortly.”

Rather than stop, the staring increased. Klbkch shifted his position and looked at Erin. She blinked at him.

“You’re going to get the other Antinium to help me? Isn’t that…won’t your Queen get mad?”

He shook his head.

“It is a service we will provide for free, if you will assist us in other ways. My intent tonight was to discuss allowing Workers and other Antinium to visit your inn to play chess and learn. That cannot occur without an inn.”

“But the cost—”

“The Antinium will work for free. It will not take long.”

He hesitated and glanced at the façade of the inn.

“…Finding timber will be a more difficult matter. Lumber is in short supply in the city at the moment. It may take a day or two to locate enough. The Workers can begin repairing parts of the inn and seal the rest off from weather damage for now.”

“Oh.”

Erin sagged slightly. But this—was more than she could have asked for. And it was the same feeling. Help—someone helping her without her helping back. She looked around. Wasn’t there something she could do?

Her eye caught something untouched by the explosion. A section of a tree, roughly chopped away, bark still wrapped around the few branches and sections of the wood. Relc was sitting on it, looking bored.

“Hey, there’s more of the exploding tree.”

Everyone looked around. Relc stared down at his seat and slowly got up. As one, everyone slowly edged away from the part of the tree. Except for Erin. She stared at it with a frown.

“Why doesn’t that explode?”

Selys glanced at Erin nervously.

“Do you think it will? Should we get farther away?”

“No. But why doesn’t it explode? It should the instant you get near it or hit it.”

Erin thought to herself as Ceria and Relc wondered why their [Dangersense] hadn’t gone off.

“Maybe it’s the cold?”

“The cold?”

“Well, if Toren was in the forest, even he would notice if the trees started exploding. And the bark would have exploded if he was dragging the piece of tree all the way here. So why did it only explode inside?”

She imagined her skeleton. He wasn’t bright, but even he wouldn’t bring a dangerous object into the inn. So he must not have known the trees would explode. Ergo – a fancy word she’d learned in school – the trees must have seemed completely normal. Until they were inside.

Well, what would happen inside? Toren would probably light the fire with the wood. Not much else you do with wood indoors. And then…

Boom. That must have been the trigger. That was Erin’s hypothesis, and she decided to test it.

“Hey Relc, can you drag that piece of wood down the hill?”

He didn’t want to. But after some coaxing (threats) by Selys and Klbkch, he reluctantly stumped over and gingerly rolled the ungainly piece of tree to the side of the hill. And then, having ascertained the tree was probably not going to explode, he kicked it hard enough to send it crashing down the slope.

Erin was pretty sure that would have triggered the explosion, cold or not. But the bark didn’t so much as shiver. Well, that only added to her theory.

Next, Erin asked Ceria if she knew any flame spells. It turned out the half-Elf did, although she only knew one or two.

“It’s not my proficiency. Ice magic is, and you can imagine the two are different. But if you need me to light something…”

Ceria couldn’t throw fire that far or shoot fireballs, but once again Relc was the right Drake for the job, however reluctant he was to do said job. Ceria lit a bundle of boards and sticks Erin tied together on fire, and Relc set the burning wood next to the tree and dashed back.

He was so quick! He could cover the hundred meters from the tree fragment to where the others were waiting in only a few seconds. Erin knew the world record was something like ten seconds, but she was sure Relc made the journey in less time than that.

The Drake slid behind Erin and the others waited, tense. About thirty seconds after Relc had placed the fire next to the tree, Erin thought she saw the bark on the tree twitch—

The explosive tree bark wasn’t nearly as bad this far out, but a fragment of bark still bounced gently off Klbkch’s carapace as he shielded Erin. The others raised their heads and stared at the spot around the tree in amazement. Selys twitched her tail and blinked.

“Whoa.”

The snow around the piece of tree had been blown away in a rough semicircle, and the dirt had been kicked up as well from the force of the blast. It looked a bit like a bombshell crater, and Erin said as much.

“You mean you have exploding trees where you came from as well? What kind of place do you live in?”

Olesm shook his head she walked back over to the tree. Erin gingerly prodded the now bark-denuded wood and found it was wonderfully smooth. And amazingly, unharmed.

“The bark just explodes off and leaves the tree intact. That’s so weird.”

Relc rolled his eyes and shivered as he stood impatiently next to Erin. He hadn’t worn any more clothes than normal, even though it was so cold. His bare chest might be a display of how tough he was, but he still looked cold to Erin.

“Okay, you’ve found out that your trees don’t kill you unless it’s warm. So what?”

Erin pointed at the tree in front of her and looked back at Klbkch.

“Hey, Klbkch. You said the Workers needed wood. What about this?”

Relc blinked. Olesm clicked his claws together – more of a soft sound than a snap – and mouthed ‘of course’. Klbkch stared silently at the piece of wood. He didn’t say a word for a minute, and then nodded.

“Yes. The Worker tells me this wood appears to be quite similar to timbers he is used to working with. And if it can withstand the impact of such explosions, it should surely suit your needs.”

“Good idea, Erin!”

Selys cheered and Erin smiled.

“There’s an entire forest of these stupid trees. Probably enough for an inn, right?”

“Presumably so.”

Erin felt a sense of accomplishment. It wasn’t happening like other times. This might actually turn out right. But…could it turn out righter ?

“Um, you said it would be just as easy to build a new inn, right?”

“Correct.”

“Then—could you rebuild it closer to the city? On another hill, or something?”

Selys’ mouth fell open about the same time as Olesm’s did. But Ceria grinned from ear to ear, and Relc laughed. Klbkch looked amused and paused before replying.

“It should be possible. There are a few hills of sufficient height the Workers say may serve. Shall we inspect them?”

Erin smiled. The sun was coming out. The bright light made the snow blindingly bright, and it warmed her. The world was better.

“Thanks, Klbkch.”

“You are welcome, Erin Solstice.”

—-

The first of the Workers met Erin and the others at the hill they’d chosen. It was closer to the city—close enough that Liscor’s gates were actually visible from their position on the hill. It was…five hundred meters away? A mile? Five miles? Erin wasn’t good with distances.

It was close enough that she’d only need to walk leisurely for around twenty minutes to get there, which would be a huge improvement from her normal trek. And best yet, the hill Klbkch had approved was quite large. It had room for all the things Erin wanted.

“So the outhouse is going there, and I get a basement?”

Erin looked excitedly at Klbkch. He nodded calmly.

“The Workers will begin work right away. I will take twenty of them to collect the necessary amount of timber.”

“I could go with you. It’s far away.”

“I have memorized the map of the surrounding region and I am familiar with the location. You should stay here to supervise the construction.”

“Right, right.”

“I’ll stay with her.”

Relc yawned as the Workers filed past him. He leaned on his spear.

“I’ll protect her against…the wind.”

“You will come with us. Monsters may attack such a large group.”

“Aw. Do I have to?”

“I’ll go with you.”

Relc blinked as Ceria stepped forwards. Erin wanted to protest, but the half-Elf was adamant.

“Three fighters is better than two, and neither of you is a mage. I might be recovering, but I can still cast a few spells even without a wand.”

That made sense, but Erin was still worried about Ceria until Klbkch assured her she would come to no harm. When Relc said it, it just didn’t instill the same level of confidence.

Olesm and Selys stayed with Erin as Klbkch, Relc, and Ceria left with the wood-gathering party. They debated what they should do. Olesm was all for going back to the inn and playing chess, while Selys argued they should salvage everything they could so the Workers didn’t have to.

Erin was right with Selys and Olesm until she saw the next group of Workers appear over the hill. She froze, and then shouted and waved her arms happily.

“Pawn!”

The Worker raised his one good hand as the other Worker next to him helped him along. Erin ran towards him, laughing, followed by Olesm while Selys hung back.

It was hard to read the Antinium’s expressions, but Erin was sure that Pawn was smiling as she met him. He raised his hand, but she threw her arms around him in a hug. He froze, but Erin didn’t care. The sensation of hugging the Antinium was hard, smooth, and cool as she touched his carapace. She couldn’t describe it, but his outer exoskeleton felt alive, and that was unsettling. But not so much because it was Pawn!

“It’s been so long! How are you? Are you okay in the hive? Why are you coming to help?”

Erin bombarded Pawn with questions and only then noticed who was helping Pawn walk through the snow.

“Bird!”

The other Worker, one of the four survivors of the battle against Skinner and the undead, bowed politely in Erin’s direction as he helped Pawn towards the inn. Another unnamed Worker placed a chair down and Pawn sat down in it on the empty hill.

“Where are the others? Garry, um…Belgrade, and Anand?”

“Belgrade is still too injured to move, but the others are well. They serve the Hive elsewhere at the moment.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you too! Are you well?”

Bird nodded politely, but let Pawn take precedence. The Worker sat forwards in his chair and inclined his head at Erin, as if he was someone in a board meeting.

“Erin, it’s good to see you again. I am very well, and I regret I haven’t had time to visit you before. But things have been…busy after the battle against the undead. However, I am here now to assist you as best I am able.”

Erin looked around. Pawn and Bird were followed by ten more Workers. They didn’t wait, but instantly set to work. They trooped in the direction of her inn, walking steadily through the ankle-deep snow. None of the Antinium were wearing clothing, and Erin wondered if they’d be okay in the cold.

“You need not worry about the Antinium. We may survive in freezing weather for up to two hours before needing warmth. We will build a fire to warm ourselves before then.”

Erin smiled at Pawn. Like Klbkch, he was always quite calm, but Pawn had a more familiar air about him. And he seemed to know Erin’s thoughts quite well.

“I just can’t believe you’re here. And—is your arm growing?”

She suddenly pointed to Pawn’s side. Erin remembered the severed stumps of his three arms and one leg, but now it seemed like said stumps were growing longer. Pawn nodded, and gestured with his good arm to the healing spots.

“The Hive has several unique substances that allow regeneration of limbs among our kind. I will regain mobility within the month if all goes well. In the meantime, I will direct the other Workers in repairing your inn.”

“That’s so great. Really, it is.”

It didn’t excuse the events that had led to Pawn losing said limbs, but Erin didn’t want to get complicated. She beamed at him and Bird.

“So, you’re going to help? Do you know what’s happening?”

“Yes. The Revalantor has instructed us already. We will rebuild your inn here, Erin. It may take time to dig the foundation and cut the timber, but we should be finished by midnight.”

Erin’s eyes bulged, and she looked around at the empty hill, still covered in snow.

“No. Really?”

“The Workers need little rest and we all have a few levels in the appropriate classes. Moreover, we are here in number. We have already reconstructed much of Liscor. Do not worry. Your inn will be built better than new.”

Erin smiled at Pawn, and felt her eyes sting a bit.

“Well. Well…I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“I believe you will. I understand that the price the Revalantor wishes to ask of you is to allow Antinium to visit your inn to learn to play chess.”

Selys frowned and Olesm looked delighted. Erin was incredulous.

“What? That’s not a price. That’s—helping me!”

“It will help the Hive as well. Pardon me, I’m not permitted to speak too much of the details. But it will help.”

“Well—sure! I mean, this will already be a lot better. My inn was already full of holes, and now it’ll be closer to the city, right?”

Selys nodded happily.

“Now I’ll be able to visit after work rather than find someone to bring me all the way out there. And you’ll get a lot more business, I’m sure.”

“It could be for the better.”

Olesm agreed as he stared at Bird. The other Worker looked vaguely uncomfortable, but if Erin knew Olesm, the Drake was about to challenge Bird to a game of chess.

“And I can take less time shopping, and I won’t have to carry stuff nearly as far.”

It all sounded better. Erin felt a huge sense of relief and happiness in her chest. Selys tapped Erin’s legs with her tail as she smiled at her.

“Having your inn explode is one of the best things that’s happened to you, huh, Erin?”

“Yeah. I’m almost not mad at Toren anymore. I mean, it wasn’t exactly his fault.”

Erin sighed. It really wasn’t the skeleton’s fault. He was boneheaded, but not stupid . And he’d found firewood after all. She wouldn’t shout at him, she promised herself. Then a thought occurred to Erin and she looked around, frowning.

“Where is Toren?”

Pawn and the others looked around as well. It suddenly occurred to Erin that she hadn’t seen him in a while.

“Is he doing something for you, Erin? Running an errand?”

“No…”

Erin remembered what she’d said to him. ‘Go away’.

“Oh. I told him to leave after he blew up the inn. I guess he’s still gone.”

Olesm frowned.

“Will he come back?”

Erin floundered.

“Well—yeah! I just meant go away for a while. Not forever. He’ll be back soon, I’m sure.”

There wasn’t much Erin could do in any case. Toren’s…reduced…frame meant he was hard to spot at the best of times, and he was nearly completely invisible in the white snow. Erin asked Pawn and the other Workers to keep an eye out for him, and resolved to do the same.

He’d be back soon, she was sure.

—-

“So. I’m told your name is Klbkch.”

Klbkch glanced down slightly and nodded politely to Ceria as they walked together at the head of a small army of Workers. They were walking through the Floodplains of Liscor, or as Ceria thought of them at the moment, the Frostplains of Liscor.

It was cold. Ceria was specialized in frost-based magic and she didn’t mind the cold, but the trek combined with her recent weakness was making things harder than she would have liked. Nevertheless, she walked quickly, not wanting to slow down the expedition.

She was slightly regretting her choice to go with the Workers to gather wood in any case. She didn’t know Relc or Klbkch and she had a history of bad experiences with local law enforcement. But Erin liked Klbkch, which probably meant he was alright.

“I, uh, haven’t ever met any Antinium before. You don’t have a great reputation up north.”

“I am well aware. The perception of our kind is not undeserved.”

“But you’re a friend to Erin. That’s surprising, but I’m glad. She needs friends out here.”

“She is a unique individual. I believe you are a good friend to her as well. She went into the ruins to bring you back.”

“She did. She’s very brave.”

“She is.”

The conversation halted for a few minutes. Ceria stared around the bleak landscape. There weren’t many structures or…anything except on top of the higher hills. That made sense, considering what happened other parts of the year. Still, the open landscape was slightly disconcerting to her. Were it not for the Antinium, Ceria would feel lost in a landscape of endless white.

Ahead of her and Klbkch, Relc stormed through the snow, leaving a trail in his wake. He was scouting ahead, as the only person in the group with skills in that area.

“Spider nest!”

He waved his hand and stabbed his spear into a section of snow which collapsed inwards. A huge gaping pit opened up and Relc kicked the first Shield Spider as it crawled over the edge.

“Take that you little bastard!”

The Shield Spider flipped back into the nest as Relc laughed and poked the other spiders back into the nest. Ceria and Klbkch changed directions to walk wide of the nest. Ceria nodded at Relc.

“He’s the highest-level guardsman I’ve seen in my life. I saw him fighting Gazi. With his abilities, he could be a Gold-rank adventurer.”

“He has told me he does not care for danger anymore. He was a soldier. Now he is retired.”

“Gazi was a soldier, once.”

“Yes. She may be one again, if what we have heard is true.”

Ceria tried to imagine it. She remembered the King of Destruction’s first rampage, hearing of nations falling and cities sieged. She’d never been to Chandrar, but war had been speeding across the vast ocean when the King of Destruction had suddenly called an end to his grand ambitions.

“What will the Antinium do if he starts conquering nations again?”

Klbkch shrugged fractionally. He was armed with two swords, which matched his unique body. Ceria had never seen an Antinium with only two arms – it must mean he was a special leader among them. The other Workers certainly obeyed his commands without question.

“If it comes to war, the Antinium will act. Until then, I believe the Queens will be content to wait. The King of Destruction is far away.”

“True.”

More walking. Snow crunched underneath Ceria’s boots. And then Klbkch asked her a question.

“What will you do?”

“Excuse me?”

“I understand you will not be charged for the attack of the undead. But you are an adventurer alone, not counting the few adventurers who survived. Many have already left, and only the silver-rank adventurer is of any note.”

“Yvlon. She’s…silent. Still recovering.”

“Yes. Will you join with her and continue adventuring?”

“I don’t know.”

She’d lost everything. Sometimes Ceria forgot. She’d wake up or start doing something, and then it would hit her as she thought of the future. She’d lost all of her coin in the ruins, lost all of her magical artifacts except her robes, lost her friends, and her hand.

Everything.

Klbkch slowed as Relc raised a hand and shouted from ahead. There was something in the distance, breaking the uniform snowy landscape.

“Ah. There is the forest. We should remove the bark before bringing the trees back.”

He turned and began issuing orders to the Workers behind him in a clipped, short tone. Ceria watched the black-bodied Antinium move as she thought. Klbkch’s question had bothered her more than he could probably imagine.

What would she do now? What would she become?

Ceria didn’t know. She was lost. She only had one thing to cling to, and that was a certainty. There was something about Erin Solstice and Ryoka Griffin. Something different.

She’d figure that out first, and then decide.

—-

The first of the Workers were returning with boards and another group was beginning to dig what would become Erin’s foundation and basement when Olesm pointed at the sky and called out warningly.

“Uh oh. Trouble.”

Erin looked around, and her heart sank. High above in the sky, she saw a cloud of shimmering shapes, and heard familiar—and unwelcome—voices.

“Look, look! The wretched building is gone!”

“Something destroyed it!”

“Nay, it exploded! See the traces?”

“Hah! Serves the foolish human right! Look how she stands there like a lump!”

The Frost Faeries flew overhead, chattering as the Workers began trooping the pieces of the inn over to the new build site.

“And now the slaves are rebuilding the inn! With nails of iron and metal tools! Let’s curse their steps!”

“Break their foolish tools!”

“Destroy the new building!”

Erin waved her hand and ran at the Frost Faeries in a panic as they dove out of the sky at the oblivious Workers. The others stared at Erin incredulously as, from their perspective; she began shouting at faint blobs in the air.

“Wait, wait! Stop! Don’t attack! Please!”

The Frost Faeries halted, and one of them glared at Erin suspiciously.

“What do ye want? If ye want to beg, don’t bother. We hate all of cold metal and naught you or yer slaves can do will stop us!”

“But I need an inn! I mean, my old one got destroyed! Why do you hate me so much?”

They laughed at her, the faeries. One of them made a rude gesture and pointed at the working Antinium.

“We don’t hate ye, fool! You mortals are nothing to us but pests. Tis iron we hate! If ye’d take away the iron in the building, we might, might reconsider.”

Erin looked at her inn and back to the faeries.

“But how are they supposed to build an inn without iron nails?”

“Silly wench!”

One of the faeries laughed mockingly at Erin.

“Don’t you know? A nail can be more than just iron! Are you a fool? They can be made of silver, wood, steel—”

“Copper! Make them of copper, you daft cunt!”

That was really rude, but Erin ignored it. She ran over to the two Workers in charge, waving her hands desperately.

“Hey Pawn! Pawn!”

Pawn looked up from his discussion with Bird. Erin met them as they walked towards her and pointed to the site where the Workers were already digging into the soil and hauling stones into place to make the foundation.

“The inn. When you’re building it—can you use only copper nails?”

He conferred with Bird, and the nodded.

“We have a large supply of building materials available to us. It will be done.”

Erin turned back to the faeries and smiled hopefully at them.

“Well? Will that do? It’ll be a building without any bad iron—well, without much. And you’ll be welcome there as guests, okay? Promise!”

The Frost Faeries conferred, starring hard at Erin and talking with their small hands cupped. Erin waited, sweating despite the cold, imagining her and all the Workers buried underneath a hundred tons of snow. Faeries couldn’t do that. Could they?

At last, the faeries turned back to Erin and one of them nodded. She didn’t have a pleased expression on her face, but she seemed resigned. The other faeries were smiling gleefully, for some reason that Erin didn’t get.

“Well…alright. I suppose ye get a pass. This time. We’ve got better things ta do than deal with you lot, anyways.”

The faeries began to spiral back up into the sky. Olesm blinked at them and stared at Erin in amazement. Pawn and Bird ignored the faeries as they continued plotting out the inn, and Selys hid in the snow as they flew upwards. One of them called out as the herd of faeries flew off.

“We still don’t like you, human!”

Erin stuck her tongue out as the Faeries left. A snowball spiraled out of the sky and struck her in the face, but all in all, she decided she’d gotten off pretty lucky.

—-

Ceria, Klbkch, Relc, and the other Antinium returned an hour later, carrying long boards of neatly cut wood. Erin was amazed to see that each board of wood the Workers carried was perfectly cut to the dimensions the other Workers needed.

It was uncanny and sort of terrifying. As the thirty workers converged on the new inn’s building site, they worked without speaking or apparently, needing to look at each other. One Worker would be repairing a wall, and another Worker would slice a board of wood to fit the spot exactly.

It was the thing ants did. Telepathy, or some kind of hive mind. Erin was fascinated, but she didn’t have long to look. She was busy too.

Relc and Klbkch weren’t in charge of the workers so much as Pawn and Bird. The two former Workers knew their job well, and so they were the ones in charge. For their part, Relc and Klbkch used their superior strength to help lift things that would take more than one Worker. Relc by himself could lift something that would take two or more Workers.

Olesm and Selys didn’t have many applicable skills, but Selys was happy enough just to find things that had been knocked over or scattered by the explosion. She assembled small piles of pillows from upstairs, gathered Erin’s messy supplies from the kitchen, and made sure nothing else was damaged.

For Olesm’s part, he’d tried to help Selys, but kept blushing whenever he found some of Erin’s more private types of clothing. Selys eventually chased him away and he ineffectually tried to help Workers until Klbkch suggested he be useful somewhere else. In the end Olesm sat at one of the salvaged tables and played chess with Bird and Pawn.

And in the meantime, Erin wasn’t just sitting about. In point of fact, she was cooking. She moved about her kitchen, trying to ignore the oddity of it.

Her kitchen hadn’t been destroyed when the fireplace blew. And with the addition of a quick door to keep some of the hot air in, Erin could still cook food. She could hear the Antinium moving around and above her, recovering pieces of the inn, but she ignored that and focused on making food.

The Antinium had their own meals. They ate some kind of horrible mushy stuff that looked like regurgitated food mixed with—it looked bad and Erin was glad it was too cold to smell. And she had no acid flies to give them which broke her heart. But she could do something for her non-Antinium friends.

“Hey! You guys! I’ve got food!”

Erin called out as she emerged from her kitchen, beaming and holding a large plate full of her latest culinary achievement. Relc eyed her suspiciously and caught Erin as she tripped on an upturned timber. He caught the plate before it tipped over and eyed the food.

“What is this?”

Relc sniffed suspiciously at the round object Erin handed him. It was a hamburger.

An honest-to-god, real hamburger. Complete with a bun, mayonnaise on the side of the plate, and ketchup. Or catsup. Erin didn’t mind either word, but catsup always made her think of cat food.

It was easy. Erin had taken the ground beef she’d gotten from Krshia, added some pepper, an egg or two, and then squished it all together and made them into patties. Then she’d fried the burgers on a pan.

She didn’t have a grill, so Erin felt some of the authenticity was lost, but the burgers were made even realer with the addition of a bit of lettuce, a tomato, and cheese. All the ingredients were in Liscor, and cheap, too! Krshia said that while the city imported tomatoes and other vegetables from overseas, they weren’t as popular as other foods. She’d had to get the tomatoes from a fellow Gnoll who specialized in the rarer plants.

But that wasn’t all! Erin had made ketchup from the tomatoes and mayonnaise from the egg yolk and mustard. It was amazing. Amazingly hard to make, that was.

Erin had no idea making ketchup involved boiling tomatoes and adding all kind of complex spices. She still was miffed that mayonnaise used lemon juice and vinegar. But Ryoka had given her various recipes before she’d left, and they worked.

They worked!

“Try it! It’s really good!”

Erin had already sampled her wares, so to speak. She’d made a hamburger, eaten the hamburger, made another cheeseburger, and eaten it too. It was so deliciously good and reminiscent of home she’d actually teared up a bit as she ate.

Relc didn’t seem convinced, but he could smell the grilled meat and he was hungry. He took an experimental bite out of the hamburger and chewed. His eyes went wide.

Klbkch and Olesm got to the plate too late, because Relc had already eaten four hamburgers and Ceria and Selys each had one. Relc happily bit into the burgers as Erin yelled at him for stealing the other’s food and ran into the kitchen for more. Thankfully, she’d made a big batch.

Selys chewed her burger, looking happy. Ceria opened the lid of her hamburger and inspected it.

“It’s quite good! But I’ve never seen a food like this. Did you invent it yourself, Erin?”

“Nope!”

Erin shook her head happily as Olesm and Klbkch took a burger. Relc reached out and she slapped his hand.

“Wait until they eat theirs and then you can have one if they don’t want another. No, Ceria, it’s a popular food from my home.”

“Well, I love it. And it’s so convenient—it would make a great travel food.”

“That’s how people back home eat them! You can just walk around and eat!”

Ceria bit into her hamburger and chewed with her eyes closed. It still slightly bothered Erin to see an Elf—half-elf—eating meat so easily. But she was a fan, and as soon as they’d tried it, so were Klbkch and Olesm.

“You should sell these in the city! If you started on Market Street I’m sure you’d make a ton of money.”

Olesm commented as he took another burger from Erin’s plate and tried dipping it in the mayonnaise. Relc gave him a dirty look. Then Klbkch, Selys, Ceria, and Erin took another, and he threw up his hands and sulked.

There were no more burgers after that, but Erin tried making french fries. They made him so happy that Relc declared that he’d eat at Erin’s inn every night if she kept making the food.

Erin was ecstatic. And the work on her inn was progressing so fast that by the time she’d finished with the french fries, the Workers were dismantling her kitchen around her.

She left what had been her old inn—now only a few floorboards and broken wood—to stare at her new inn, made with shiny wood being coated with some kind of waterproof substance by the Antinium.

And by the time the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the Antinium were done. As promised.

The inn stood tall on the new hill, sides still tacky to the touch. They would be dry by morning according to Pawn, who told Erin not to worry about the damp surroundings. She hadn’t even known that was an issue with the wood varnish, but the Antinium had their own special array of substances.

Erin admired her inn even after the others had left, with full bellies, thanks, and an open invitation to visit tomorrow. Ceria had decided to return to the city with Olesm for one more night, as both were still technically supposed to be recovering.

Her new inn was just as big as the first, which was big. Erin could stand in the common room and turn around and feel the vastness of it. But more importantly from a construction standpoint, this new inn was made mostly with new wood, and it was in a lot better condition than the aged building Erin had found long ago.

The walls and roof were coated with a varnish the Antinium used. It helped protect the wood against the weather, but it also added to the integrity of the building. The nails were copper, and the building was fairy approved. Erin now even had glass windows, complete with shutters to keep the cold out and add privacy. Her kitchen was redone, and now her possessions were organized thanks to Selys’ [Receptionist] skills.

Best of all, and most importantly, the sign over the top of the inn was now painted in bright gold letters that shone when the light touched them. Erin had personally hammered the sign telling people not to kill Goblins into the ground. It was the only lopsided part of the entire affair.

And she had an outhouse. The Antinium dug through the dirt like…well, probably faster than someone with a shovel or a drill.

It was all perfect. Erin spun around in her inn and laughed until she was dizzy. And she was happy. For once she’d turned a disaster into a miracle.

She was happy. She was happy. So happy. But—something was missing.

For a long time Erin searched for it. She looked through the new upstairs, around corners, in the kitchen, under tables and chairs, wondering what it was. She walked back to the empty hill where her inn had once been, staring around, wondering what it was.

And then she realized it as she sat at a table. Erin looked around and didn’t see him. Toren.

Her skeleton still hadn’t returned. Erin had no idea where he was. She climbed up onto her roof and stared around for nearly an hour, ignoring the cold.

“TOREN! WHERE ARE YOU?”

Her voice, amplified by her [Loud Voice] skill, was thunder. Erin heard echoes as her voice bounced off hills. She shouted again and again.

“TOREN!”

She saw no movement, no familiar burning blue eyes. But then Erin heard something.

A faint voice, coming from the much-closer walls of Liscor. A familiar voice echoed as Zevara shouted from the battlements.

“HUMAN! SHUT UP! ”

In the end, Erin went to sleep. But she sensed it. Her inn was rebuilt. It was beautiful, remade, redone, better. But it still wasn’t finished. It was missing Toren. Until he was back it wouldn’t be complete.

She wondered…where he was.

[Innkeeper Level 19!]

2.12

Because it was magic, they were able to talk to each other despite being far apart. Over four hundred miles separated the two, but to Lady Magnolia and Teriarch, their conversation felt as if they were sitting side by side.

If he closed his eyes, Teriarch could imagine Magnolia sitting by him. Not the older, distinguished [Lady] of now, but the young girl of then.

Thirty years? Forty? He lost track sometimes. It seemed like it had all passed in the blink of an eye, a single beat of his heart. But now the girl full of laughter and mischief was gone.

In her place was a woman no less than the girl she’d replaced. But she was different. Youth and energy had been overtaken by—well, more energy, but of a different kind. Hopes and dreams became ambitions tempered by practicality. Impulse and instinct became wisdom. Recklessness transcended to grace.

He loved her for it. But she was growing older. That was something neither he nor she could escape. In time, she would die. Not now—not for many years still. Decades, perhaps. But she would die, and he would remain. Unchanging.

It was his nature, and Teriarch felt it weigh more heavily whenever he found someone like Magnolia. A rare mortal with a spark. It was their nature. They brought light and passion to his life, but like sparks and fireflies, they died all too quickly.

Because it was magic, they could speak even from this distance. Because it was his magic, they could speak without fear of eavesdropping, even from the most powerful mages living on the continent. But it still didn’t mean she could be here, in front of him. Magic could do many things, but it was only a means to an end, not an excuse for miracles.

Teriarch harrumphed irritably. But power necessitated safeguards, especially in Reinhart’s case. It would be difficult—even for him—to disable her complex protections and teleport her all the way here. And vice versa. His home was warded with more spells against intrusion than he could remember. No, transport was impossible.

So they talked. Because it was magic, they could hear the emotions in each other’s voice, sense the subtleties of their dialogue. Sometimes, Teriarch wished this were not the case.

“I cannot believe you let her find her way into your little cave and let her go without even asking her name!”

Teriarch winced and adjusted his spell so Reinhart’s voice was less loud in his ears. He spoke irritably into the air, his left eye twitching.

“Do not take that tone with me, Reinhart. I thought she was just some Courier – and an inept one at that. I healed her and gave her a mission. How was I to know it was the girl? Besides, I did ask her name at the end.”

“And I can see it did you a world of good. Well done.”

Some said Magnolia Reinhart, the deadly flower blooming in the north, was a [Lady] of unflappable grace and cunning. But Teriarch had known Magnolia for a long time, and she was far more direct and cutting with her remarks with him.

“She survived. I teleported her back to the city. Besides, your information didn’t help me locate her. I tried to scry her numerous times before and after I met her, to no avail. This is on your head.”

Magnolia’s voice cracked back through the magical spell, making Teriarch wince and wish he could cast a [Silence] spell on her until she calmed down.

“I told you her name, and she told you her name. Ryoka Griffin. If you can’t scry her, it must be your magic that’s at fault. Perhaps she’s warded in some way.”

“No magic could defeat my spells so utterly. No, there must be some trick to her name.”

It was the only explanation Teriarch could think of. Scrying required the exact name of the person he wished to see, or failing that, a piece of clothing or some part of them. He wished he’d kept some of the blood she’d dripped all over his cave, but of course he’d burned it all away.

“She must have lied to me, and to you.”

“How, pray? She doesn’t have any skills—or levels! She’s a girl without a class , Teriarch. Do you know how extraordinary it is that she made it to your cave without any help?”

Teriarch growled.

“I’m well aware. And my abode is not a ‘cave’.”

“Your little hovel, then. Your crack in the side of the mountain. Your little pit where you hoard shiny objects and hide from the world. I am telling you, that girl is important!”

Indignant, Teriarch opened his mouth to retort, but Magnolia rolled right over him, as she’d done so many times in the past.

“I asked you to tell me if she did anything unusual. But only now do you tell me that she threw off the spell you cast to make her deliver your ridiculous letter to Az’kerash.”

“It’s not ridiculous at all. It’s an important message.”

“It’s pointless . And a ring? Is it magical, or merely symbolic?”

“Of course it’s magical.”

Teriarch was somewhat miffed. Who would bother with nonmagical rings? He tried to regain control of the conversation.

“My message is—not as important as why Ryoka Griffin was able to break my spell. Are you sure she has no classes?”

“Very sure. Which is why I asked you to learn more about her.”

Teriarch ground his teeth together angrily. But Reinhart had a point. She always had a point. It was just that he disliked how her pointing things out tended to make it seem as if he was incompetent. He opened his mouth to retort and paused. Something was tugging at the edge of his thoughts. He frowned.

“Hold on. Something is approaching my cave—I mean, my place of residence.”

Teriarch muttered a word, and a picture appeared in his thoughts, depicting the surrounding area of the High Passes. He focused on the image and blinked.

His jaw dropped about three meters.

“I don’t believe it. It’s her.”

“Her? Ryoka? ”

“She’s in the High Passes, heading this way.”

“What? Why?”

“How am I supposed to know that? Silence, woman. I have to concentrate.”

Ryoka was running straight through the pass towards his cave. Well, she knew the location, but she wasn’t under attack. Teriarch frowned. Why was that?

Lady Magnolia’s voice shrilled in Teriarch’s mind, making him wince irritably.

“Make sure she gets here alive! You must—”

“Yes, yes. But she doesn’t seem to need my assistance.”

There was something to it. Teriarch could see monsters nearby, but they were moving away from Ryoka. Why?

Teriarch frowned, drew in a deep breath, and coughed. He felt a terrible stinging pain in his nose and nearly gagged as a faint odor assailed his nostrils. He looked around.

“What is that smell? ”

“What smell?”

—-

Half a day earlier…

I can’t do this. Dealing with pushy shopkeepers is one thing, but I can’t handle people. I just…never know what to say.

Garia and I took a break from Octavia once I’d pried my potion from her grip. I needed a break, and I also needed to tell her about the Horns of Hammerad.

I’d nearly forgotten she didn’t know. And the worst part was, she started asking me how their journey into the ruins had gone. She was so cheerful, and I wiped the smile right off her face.

I—didn’t know how to say it. I’ve never had to break bad news to anyone. And it was horrible.

She started crying. Garia just sort of folded in on herself and started crying. In the street, I mean. In front of everyone.

What are you supposed to do when someone’s lost someone? What would Erin have done? I just sort of patted Garia on the shoulder and waited for her to stop. But she couldn’t. I stood there, trying to calm her down and—

It took her a long time before she stopped crying. Her face after all that was…not a pretty sight. I gave her a handkerchief—a bandage I kept for injuries, really—and she told me she could find her way back to her inn.

That was it. I watch Garia as she stumbles down the street, eyes red and puffy. Damn it. What was I supposed to do? What was I…

People. It shouldn’t be like this. I shouldn’t have to deal with them. This is what comes of having people who think they know you. If I were alone I wouldn’t have this issue. And the Horns of Hammerad. They—

They shouldn’t have died. Not like that.

Sometimes I just feel so tired. But then I keep going, keep running forwards because that’s all I know how to do. I cling to what I know. Ceria is alive, and I owe it to the others to make sure she’s okay.

Money. Eighty gold pieces. Money for power, security, freedom. I never had to worry about that back home. I wasn’t rich—

Actually, I was. Having a father who counts as a big hitter in both politics and business means that I earned about as much as someone working just above the poverty line as an allowance. And that’s even without counting the things I got as presents.

Not a good thought. But it’s better than thinking of how miserable Garia is right now. Well. At least all of this has one good effect. I’m royally pissed when I walk back into Octavia’s shop, the accurately named Stitchworks.

She brightens up the instant I walk back in. The entire time Garia was upset, I could sense her watching us from the door. I think she was afraid I was going to leave with my potion before she could get another chance to study it.

“Oh, good. You’re back. What was that outside? Bad news for Garia? That’s a real shame; you let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, okay? The girl’s a good customer and I have a bit of a soft spot for her to tell you to truth.”

I just glare at her. Octavia doesn’t miss a beat. She’s ushering me inside in an instant, closing the door and locking it behind her. That doesn’t exactly worry me—if she wants secrecy that’s fine. But if she wants to try to rob me, I’m more than happy to introduce her to my shoe*.

*Yeah, shoe. I got a new pair and ditched the Gnoll boots I was wearing. They’re still tight, but I healed the blisters and at least these ones fit more or less. Damn snow. I hate running in shoes.

“Anyways, I’m sure she’ll feel better after a cry and a bit of a rest. Hot food—a bath—you and I, we’ve still got business to attend to.”

Octavia doesn’t quite point at the potion on my belt, but her eyes gleam with avarice. At least she’s honestly greedy. But it still annoys me.

The stitch-girl spreads her hands on her counter and takes a deep breath. Here comes the pitch.

“Now, I know I insulted you earlier with my offer. Well, I’m prepared to offer you quite a deal. Fifty potions, complete as soon as I brew them. I’ll trade that for…half of your potion, and I’ll even throw in—”

“Shut. Up.”

Gratifyingly, Octavia does. She blinks at me as I rub at my forehead. I try to get my thoughts straight. Why the hell am I back here? Oh yeah.

I point at Octavia, trying to keep my eyes off the stitches on her shoulders in case that’s rude or something.

“No offers. No deals. I don’t know how expensive this potion is, but I’m not selling it.”

Octavia’s mouth shoots open and I speak louder.

“ But I’ll give you some. A sample. If you stop talking and give me what I want.”

I have her attention. And Octavia seems to be smarter than your average…stitch-person, because she doesn’t try to sweeten the deal or talk.

“Here’s what I want to know. First—information about alchemy and your kind if none of that’s a deadly secret. Second, I want a consultation on how to get through the High Passes alive.”

For a second Octavia blinks at me, surprised. And then her eyes gleam and she smiles.

“Well, I know a good deal for me when I hear it. And you’ll give me part of your potion?”

I hold up one finger.

“One tablespoon’s worth.”

Octavia frowns.

“That’s not a lot. For as much information as you want, I should get at least half a cup.”

The potion isn’t that big. I glare at her.

“For what? Talking? I’ll let you have a 1/64 th of a quart. How’s that?”

She hesitates and I can see her working out the numbers in her head.

“Heh. I’d prefer a bit more than that. How about three ounces? That’s quite fair.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“No. Five teaspoons.”

“Six.”

“Five.”

“S—”

“ Five. ”

“I’ll take that.”

Octavia grins and gives in. She sticks out a hand and I take it. I can’t help but smile a tiny bit as I take her hand. She’s got a strong grip, and when we let go she smiles even wider.

“Even a small bit is worth quite a lot, you know. Far more than a few minutes or even hours of me talking.”

“I’d guessed as much.”

I probably could have bargained her down to one teaspoon or even a few drops, but that would be too much work. One of the few lessons my dad taught me that I took to heart was always know how much you can get away with in a deal and how far you can push the other side.

“So, you’ve got questions. I’ve got answers.”

Octavia steps out from behind her counter and motions to a chair, but I shake my head and lean on the counter. There’s enough paraphernalia and objects around her shop that I’d be more afraid of knocking something dangerous over if I sat.

“I’m interested in alchemy and how it works.”

“And me, let’s not forget that. Is this the first time you’ve ever met one of the String People, Ryoka Griffin?”

“It is.”

“Well, let’s start with that. I can tell you I’m just like you, more or less. I feel sensations and it’s not like I have any special tricks. I can’t throw my arm at you and strangle you like a Dullahan and I die if someone cuts me apart. Well—I might survive that so long as my head doesn’t get too badly damaged, but I burn easily. Sort of a trade-off, don’t you think?”

Octavia speaks easily as she finds a stool and sets it behind the counter so she can sit and talk. She speaks fast and clearly, which is actually something I prefer when I have to converse.

“Anything else? I can change my body, it’s true. But it’s not like I can just turn myself into someone else like that.”

She snaps her fingers for emphasis. I nod, and try to focus. Gather information. Ask the unspoken questions, the good ones.

“But you can change yourself? That fabric that makes up your body—could you change how strong you are, or what you look like?”

“I could do that. If I wanted to. I told you, I added some muscle for this job, and I guess I could add a bit more. But the fabric doesn’t expand forever, and besides, that messes with my body if I disrupt the balance. It’s all quite complex, you know. Just like alchemy. Which, by the way, isn’t easy to pick up if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I wasn’t. I wanted to know how it works in theory. And can you change the pigment of your skin and the arm itself? Could you use another arm for instance, or are you limited to your original…fabric?”

“Hah! A scholar, are you? I’ve never met a Runner like that. Only mages are that interested, but they generally know how alchemy works. What we do is take magical effects and imbue them into potions, or other objects mainly. We use reactions—like how flint and steel create sparks—just on a bigger scale to make potions that perform a certain way.”

Octavia points to her arms. The skin of her bare shoulder looks completely normal, and it’s hard to remember the cotton fabric that had been there before.

“My arm’s just cloth. It’s not special, although I suppose there’s something here that’s not just stitching and cotton, huh? Back home, people argue about it all the time. Generally, you could say it’s the majority of me that makes Octavia. Take too much of that away and I die, but given time I could completely change out all of my body and still be me.”

She grins.

“In war, soldiers often switch so many parts that sometimes a guy will come back looking quite attractive! It’s hard for a wife to find out her husband is even better endowed than she is.”

I have to laugh at that. Octavia chuckles too, and keeps going.

“I have dark skin because that’s what the folks around me sewed me with. I guess I could change it, but I don’t mind looking different even if other people do. Why? Does it bother you?”

“I’ve seen people with darker skin than yours.”

“Really? Where?”

Oops. Crap. Steer the conversation away. I shake my head.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ve been around. But your alchemy—how can you just say it’s a reaction? I’ve seen healing potions work and that’s no mere reaction. There’s magic in the potions.”

“Well of course.”

Octavia looks nonplussed. I suppose that’s just natural around here.

“But do you have to be a mage to make a healing potion? How does it work exactly?”

“I’m no mage. No, all you need are magical ingredients. You render them down by boiling and mixing and then you combine the right ones and…poof!”

She makes an exaggerated motion and laughs.

“Well, it’s not quite that simple. But you get the idea.”

“It still doesn’t make sense. How does magic work like that? It’s not a substance, or anything physical. How can you convert it into liquid form? Or—change the nature of it? Unless there are healing herbs of something you just boil into a liquid.”

Octavia laces her fingers together and cracks them.

“Wow. You’ve thought about this, haven’t you? Well, to answer your question, it’s about magic in things. Everyone and everything has magic in them. Usually it’s not much—just traces in rocks and grass. But something like a mana stone has quite a lot of magic, and often the magic has qualities.”

“Qualities? Like certain effects?”

“Something like that. Nothing too impressive; you can’t start casting fireballs from a flame salamander’s skin, although it will give you a horrible rash and a burn. But it has its own qualities. You can turn it into a salve or cream to resist fire, but if you want to use it any other way you need to change the magic into something else.”

Octavia spins away from the counter and makes her way to the large racks of potions. She carefully takes one out of a holster and shows it to me. This bottle is full of a clear, faintly grey liquid.

“This is one of the secrets behind alchemy. Magic exists in the object it inhabits, but it can be extracted and contained in things. Like liquid. This is a base liquid—something we can use to store the magic. If I take an ingredient—like the salamander skin and dissolve it in this substance, it can hold the magic and let me add more things to the mixture.”

“So that’s the secret.”

I gaze at the grey liquid and imagine it. Sort of like chemistry but with a million reactions. Take a base, add ingredients and pray like hell you get it right.

“Pretty much. Of course, alchemy isn’t as simple as just adding the right things together. Sometimes there’s the order that matters, and stuff like heat and time affect magic as well. You can’t use moon dew in a mixture unless the moon’s actually waxing and it’s night, and Goblin ears need to be boiled while you’re mixing or they congeal.”

Goblin ears? I try to let that one go, but it’s hard. Octavia keeps talking, showing me other potions.

“It’s unpredictable, and of course, dangerous. But that’s [Alchemy] in a nutshell. It’s not just potions like a lot of people think. Mind you, a lot is potions. They’re just the easiest way to mix a lot of ingredients. But I can make a tripvine bag as well, although cramming all the seeds inside before they sprout is a trick in itself. Does that answer your question.”

Mostly.

“Mostly, but I’ve got another question about you.”

“Go ahead. I don’t mind.”

I gesture at her arm.

“Do you need all the details or can you just use something that looks like an arm?”

Octavia looks mildly surprised. She flexes her arm.

“You saw that? Most people get too queasy to tell. Yes, we do need bones and other things. It’s hard to describe to you, since you Humans never really see inside your body, but there are more things than just bone and blood and flesh. Bodies are quite complex, you know.”

“I’m aware. But can you shape your bodies like other creatures?”

For the first time, the stitch-girl looks hesitant.

“If…we have to. I’ve never seen it myself, but you hear horror stories sometimes. It can go horribly wrong if everything isn’t sewn just right. Heck, if it were easy we’d just stitch armies together and conquer the world, right?”

“Hopefully not. Last question about you. Does the fabric type matter?”

Another quick smile.

“You’re fast. Yes, it does. Cotton’s what us normal people use, but I’ve seen some poorer folks use wool or rougher stuff. Quality does make us look…different, and it can make us stronger or quicker depending on the fabric. Canvas makes really heavy, rough people, but they can take quite a beating!”

“What about someone made from silk?”

Octavia’s eyes widen incredulously.

“From silk? You mean, their entire body? Dead gods, I don’t think I know anyone rich enough to do that. You barely see more than a bolt of silk on some fat lady around here anyways. It might be good, but I have no idea what that would feel like.”

“Huh. Thanks.”

“No problem! Now, is that all?”

Octavia’s eying my potion again. I sigh and cover it with one hand.

“Not yet. I had one more thing I needed help with.”

“Oh yes. The High Passes.”

Octavia wrinkles her nose and shrugs.

“Can’t help. Sorry.”

“What, you can’t do anything?”

“I’m an [Alchemist], not a miracle-worker. There are countless monsters lurking in there. I don’t have much that’ll stop them.”

“What about an invisibility potion? Or your stamina potions? A regeneration potion? Wouldn’t that help?”

Octavia taps the counter with one finger and shakes her head.

“First off—if I could brew invisibility potions I wouldn’t be in a small shop like this. And you wouldn’t be able to afford one anyways. And a regeneration potion? Ask me after I’ve gained fifty levels. Stamina potions I can make, and pretty good ones too. But they don’t make you run faster.”

“Give me the run down on them.”

“Stamina potions? Sure. Ready for the sales pitch?”

Octavia turns and puts the base potion on a shelf and pulls the glowing blue potion out again. I have the distinct feeling it should be green, not blue. But then, this world doesn’t have a few decades of video games to standardize color stereotypes.

“This little gem will restore your energy and give you a kick so you can run further and faster than normal. But that’s only the potion giving you a boost. If you tear a muscle, it’s not going to heal it, and you’ll still be using up energy even with the potion. When it wears off you’re going to crash hard. But if you need to run for three days straight…”

She sloshed the potion in the glass bottle. I nod.

“I could use some. But that doesn’t solve my problem with the High Passes.”

“Don’t go is my solution. That place is a deathtrap. Unless—if that’s the place you got the potion from, I say go for it and get me another one.”

Octavia shrugs as she uncorks the blue potion. She shoves it under my nose.

“Here. If you’re buying a potion, take a sip and make sure you can down it. I’ve had adventurers complaining they threw up before they could down some of my potions.”

The smell that wafts up from the bottle nearly makes me hurl, and that’s without tasting it. I push the bottle back and cough a few times.

“That smells awful. Can’t you do something about that as well?”

Octavia looks mildly offended. She gestures at the potion.

“Do you know how hard it is to add something like a flavor to potions without creating an entirely different effect? I’ve seen adventurers add a bit of lemon juice to their potions to make them taste better and have the entire thing coat them in poisonous foam. Don’t try that, by the way.”

Well, that’s a comforting thought. I try not to gag as Octavia sniffs her potion. She clearly doesn’t seem to mind the horrible odor, but then, she probably inhales that stuff all the time.

But for me, it’s making my eyes water. Hell, it’s like being skunked. I’d better ask how thick those potion bottles are. If it breaks in my pack, I’ll either have the street to myself or get kicked out of the city. Not that I wouldn’t mind the privacy—

I blink. Waitaminute.

“Hold on, I think I know how you can help me get through the High Passes after all.”

Octavia raises her eyebrows.

“Well, if it means getting paid more I can brew up anything you want. Within reason, of course. Is there something that you think will help?”

I nod. Am I going to regret this? But it’ll probably work. If not, I’m going to hate myself.

“Yeah, but I’ll need to buy some nose plugs as well.”

“Nose plugs? Hah! How many do you need?”

—-

Nearly a day later, I run towards the High Passes. What was it I thought the first time I came this way? Death and glory await? Something stupid like that, I bet.

This time I’m ready.

I run towards the high passes, mountains looming impossibly high in the distance. A range of mountains taller than Mt. Everest breaks only in one small part to let travelers through.

‘Small’ in this case meaning a gap that you could march a small army through. It’s all relative.

A tribe of Goblins runs towards me as I move towards the High Passes and snow changes to dirt under my feet. Looks like not even the Frost Faeries have gotten to this place yet.

The lead Goblin whoops and shouts as he runs at me. This tribe converged fast, and I’ve got the sneaking suspicion they might be the same group as last time. Do they just watch the High Passes or are they based in this location?

Well, they might be a problem. Bows and whatnot. But I’ve got faith in my new strategy, so I run on.

The first Goblin runs towards me, and then the wind changes. He takes a few more steps, and then his face suddenly contorts. His eyes bulge, and then he’s running in the other direction. The other Goblins pause for only a second, and then they scream and run.

Yep. It works.

Run on. Now the High Passes are growing larger, and I hear a howl in the distance. Carn Wolves. The massive rust-red wolves that like the taste of Goblins and Asian girls. Well, I think they’ll be less hungry than usual.

I’m right. The wolves don’t even get near enough to me to see before I hear panicked yelping and the wolves beating a fast retreat. I am untouchable. Invincible.

Into the pass now, and running quickly. The magic or rather, aura that surrounds me doesn’t stop working even as the rock walls grow higher around my head.

The evil goats with teeth scream and climb away from me. The High Passes empty of life ahead of me as monsters flee from my presence.

Yes, I’m safe. Totally safe, from everything. I run on while the monsters flee.

By the way, this isn’t due to me gaining a skill or class or anything. Octavia’s potion is doing all the work.

Me? I’m just trying not to throw up. I’ve failed three times already, and I think I might be going down for a fourth time. The smell surrounding me is unbearable , and that’s coming from a girl who’s been sprayed by a skunk more than once.

Question: what is the most feared animal from our world? I sort of gave it away, but it’s the skunk. Fuck hippos or great white sharks or army ants. Skunks instill a kind of fear in suburban neighborhoods that you just can’t match.

And what makes those little rodents so terrible? One word. Smell.

They stink. And because I had a bright idea, and because Octavia knows how to brew a decent potion, so do I.

Long story? Short story. I asked her to make something that would chase away everything that might hurt me, and she did. I used it on myself, and I regret doing it.

The smell of the potion she made was so strong that it made everyone leave the block when she brewed it. Even sealed in an airtight bottle, I practically got chased out of the city and made great time on the open road.

Applied to the skin? God. I wish I were dead.

I’ve got nose plugs in, and I keep holding my breath until I’m dizzy. But the smell—

It’s beyond indescribable. I keep hoping my nose will shut down, like it does if you smell something really bad for a long time. But though my eyes are tearing up and my nose is burning, I can still smell it.

It’ll never go away. I’ll be able to walk into a skunk nest and chase them all out.

Above me and to the left, a ridge of innocuous boulders suddenly shifts. I dodge away, but the gargoyles aren’t attacking. They unfurl their massive stone wings and leap away from me, climbing the cliffs.

Huh. Well, it turns out gargoyles do have a sense of smell. That, or I stink so bad even things without a nose can sense it.

But I asked for this. I have to keep remembering that. It’s all part of the plan. And I can survive this. And perhaps the silent, noxious run wouldn’t be so bad normally. Yes, if this were the only price to enter the High Passes I might consider it a deal. But there’s one type of creature that doesn’t seem bothered, even by the smell.

High overhead, a small cloud of faeries flies overhead and laugh loudly as the gargoyles finish running for the mountains. One of them swoops down and lands on my head as I run on, laughing and speaking loudly to her friends.

“Smell her, sisters! She stinks like marsh bubbles and a witch’s brew!”

“Worse!”

“Hah! Even the stony ones fear her stinkage! What foolishness!”

They flutter around me, and more settle on my head. I grind my teeth. These little demons followed me out of the city, much to my dismay. I thought they’d give up on me with an entire city’s worth of humans to bother, but no*.

*Yeah, that’s right. I was trying to pawn them off on other people. So what? If you had to deal with these supernatural freaks for more than five minutes you’d be ready to do the same.

One of the faeries laughs and pulls at my hair. I feel some hairs rip free of my scalp and I snap. That’s it. I know it’s a bad idea, but I swat at them and drive them from my head.

“Get lost!”

The faeries take off and my fingertip grazes one and goes numb. They’re too cold to touch, and they’re not afraid. One buzzes next to my face, sticking her tiny tongue out at me as she mocks me.

“Ooh, scary, scary! It bites!”

I growl at her, but she only laughs and flips me off. Where the hell did faeries learn that gesture?

“Why the hell are you following me, anyways? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The faerie looks offended and tilts her head away. She looks to one of her friends and remarks loudly to the air.

“Hark, the stinky thing talks!”

“Disgusting! It should die!”

My foot slips on a patch of the ice and I crash to the ground. Ow!

I pick myself up and realize a shard of rock is embedded in my hand. I pull it out, and blood wells out of my palm.

Those damn —

You know what? I’m just going to keep running. And it’s not because I know I can’t do anything to them.

I get up and run down the long, winding rocky path. At least my shoes protect my feet from the sharp rocks. Now, where was that damn cave? I only barely remember reaching it last time—I was nearly dead as I recall. But I think Teriarch’s place should be just up ahead—

I turn past a cliff wall and suddenly a massive gaping hole taller and wider than the gates of Liscor appears in my view. Well. I’m here.

I hesitate as I stare up at the faded yellow scrap of cloth anchored by a boulder over the cave entrance. Only now do I suddenly remember exactly what Teriarch is. Let’s see. Now that you’re really thinking over your life choices Ryoka, does it make sense to bother a possibly Elven mage of incredible power who gave you a task that you did not carry out? Yes? Well then, go right ahead. This has been a message from your brain.

I take a deep breath and instantly regret it. But I’m here, and victory belongs to the bold. Also, bullets in the head belong to the bold, usually instead of victory, but I’ve got to do this.

The Frost Faeries swoop down around my head, oblivious to my trepidation. They laugh as they fly into the cave, chattering still.

“Ooh, does the human think we’re afraid of caves?”

“At least she’s not smart enough to use iron. We’d freeze her nose off for that!”

“Shall we drop the ceiling on her? Or maybe—”

I hear the booming words as a rumble in my bones before I realize their words. A massive voice booms out of the cave, full of irritation and command.

“Pests. Begone!”

The effect of the massive voice is instantaneous. The Frost Faeries react as if struck. They scream and flee in every direction a second before a huge stream of fire blasts over my head. I throw myself to the ground as the heat cooks me then dissipates.

For a while all I can do is lie on the ground, shaking a bit. Holy crap. That’s a scary spell. I get up at last, not so much because I want to go in, but rather in case I need to run.

The same voice echoes from within, not quite as loud, but just as huge. It sounds out in tones of disapproval, addressing me.

“Enter, Ryoka Griffin.”

If I were religious…I’m not, so I just hope with all my heart as I enter. I hope I’m not about to die.

The cave is open and vast, not so much a cave in truth as a plane hangar, only a bit bigger than most of the plane hangars I’ve seen. It makes me feel as though I’m in some kind of other world, and huge as the cave is, it’s far from empty.

In no time, the rough ground changes from stone to smooth marble. The rough walls…still remain, but suddenly they’re covered by paintings, weapons hanging on walls.

Pedestals appear, holding magical objects and bookshelves full of old tomes share space next to odd things I can’t even describe. A mirror gilded with gold that doesn’t reflect my shape? A suit of armor made out of stone? A…keyblade?

The wonders around me are unreal, but that fits the sole occupant of the cave. There he stands, in the center. He waits for me, and I feel the change in the air as I draw close.

There he is, the person responsible for at least some of my misery over these last few weeks. A mage. A man? A mystery. A dragon.

Teriarch.

—-

The first thing he does is get rid of the terrible stench surrounding me. A click of his fingers, and now not only am I smelling fresh as a daisy, but the potion at my side is in his hands. I should say—in a bubble in his hands. It looks almost exactly like a bubble, as the delicate membrane swirls with all the colors of the rainbow in his hands.

He looks much the same as I remember. Which is to say, too perfect. Teriarch stands in front of me, nearly six foot six, an old man dressed in clothing fit for a king.

He’s like an archetype of humanity, a tall, faintly bronze-skinned man with white hair, but the physical presence and body of an Olympian god. He stands in front of me and looks down, his pointed ears and celestial eyes narrowed in disdain.

A massive golden-scaled Dragon stares down at me with annoyance. His massive wings unfurl and beat once, stirring the air—

A gust of air strikes me in the face and I blink. What was that? A spell? Teriarch looks irritated, and waves his hand. Whatever caused the disturbance in the air stops.

“Ryoka Griffin.”

I don’t know if it’s the magic or just him, but Teriarch’s voice is deep and resonant. He looks at me, and my knees go weak. And not just because he looks like some kind of unattainable vision of male beauty. He’s also scaring the crap out of me, and I can’t tell why. Maybe I just sense how much power he’s got in him.

“Teriarch.”

“It has been a while since I last saw you. And now, you show up just when—and bringing those pests as well. How curious.”

Holy crap, this is hard. My entire plan revolved around me getting here and I didn’t honestly think I’d manage to do this. But I’d completely forgotten how intimidating Teriarch is. Here’s a guy who can teleport me with a few words and shoot fire hot enough to scare Frost Faeries, and I’m about to—

“It’s nice to see you too.”

My first and last response to any situation is sarcasm, followed quickly by irony and scorn. Teriarch looks at me as if I’m a bug and shakes his head.

“Mm. And so I must ask you why you have returned. The last time I saw you, I gave clear instructions. You were to deliver a ring and a letter to the mage known as Perril Chandler, also known as Az’kerash. You have not done so.”

“Yeah. I’ve been busy.”

“Doing what?”

I gulp. Teriarch’s gaze is nearly impossible for me to meet. I stare just over his shoulder instead.

“None of your business. But I came back to tell you I won’t deliver your letter and ring to Az’kerash.”

“Why not, pray?”

“You cast a spell on me.”

“And?”

He looks completely disinterested. That’s enough to get me angry. I raise my voice.

“And I don’t like having people tell me to do things against my will. You cast a spell on me against my consent. For that, you can forget having me deliver anything.”

Teriarch blinks in surprise, and then his eyes quickly narrow at me. He shakes his head darkly, and I feel the ominous presence around me grow stronger. Fear is eating a hole in my stomach.

“Effrontery. You come here into my home and tell me—but that is your kind, isn’t it? But there is something more to this—this display of insolence, isn’t there?”

He strokes at his beard as he stares hard at me. Teriarch’s eyes narrow.

“You would not have returned after ridding yourself of my spell just to tell me you refuse to serve me. You want something else. Tell me why you are here.”

He points at me, and I feel like answering him. But I bite my tongue.

“N-no.”

He frowns. His finger glows, and his voice deepens.

“Tell me.”

He looks in my eyes and I feel something touching my mind. It’s the same as the first time I met him. I feel an overpowering urge to obey, to spill the beans and let him know everything and anything he wants.

But I fight back. I’ve done it once before. It took everything I had, but this time is easier. I refuse to open my mouth, and the pressure builds and builds before it suddenly stops. I shake my head and glare at him.

“No. Stop that.”

For the first time since I’ve met him, Teriarch looks well and truly floored. He stares at his fingers, and then back at me in disbelief.

“You—resisted my spell. How did you do that? You have no class.”

“It’s called willpower.”

“By willpower alone? That should not be—I suppose it might…”

He trails off, eyeing me with a bit more interest and possibly respect than before. He spreads his hands.

“Very well. What is it you wish to say? Why have you returned without delivering my ring and letter to Az’kerash?”

He’s still so intimidating, for reasons I can’t even explain. But I hold my ground. I have to answer back. I’m not going to just roll over, am I? Come on Ryoka! Sass this stupid mage! You can do it! You can throw some shade—you’re the shade master! That’s what they called you in school!*

*No, they didn’t. They called me ‘bitch’ and other uncreative names.

“I couldn’t find him. I checked the Blood Fields and found nothing. Oh yeah, I also found out I was under a spell and broke that too. Got a problem with that?”

“Yes.”

Whoever Teriarch is, he’s clearly not up with modern retorts. The proper response is ‘fuck you’ or something to that effect. He glares at me.

“The exact location of Az’kerash is irrelevant. I gave you his general location. It is up to you to find him and deliver the message.”

I glare back. For once, I think I’m being out-glared, but I don’t give in.

“How am I supposed to do that? I have no idea where he is. And why should I do anything for someone who cast a spell on me to make me do that against my will?”

He shakes his head as if he could care less.

“You are a Runner. I have made a request. The logic is simple. You will complete the delivery.”

I grit my teeth hard enough to hear my jaw creak.

“No. I won’t.”

“You will.”

I shake my head. It takes more effort than I could have imagined.

“I won’t.”

He growls at me. Actually growls!

“You agreed to fulfill my request. You were paid—”

“To collect your request and the payment. I was going to deliver it to the Runner’s Guild so someone could fulfill it. Possibly me. That’s how an unmarked request works. I didn’t agree to do the delivery myself, much less be enchanted and forced to do it!”

“So what will you do? Refuse my request? Destroy my delivery? Throw it away?”

Teriarch looms over me. Was he so tall before? He looks furious.

“Or did you just come here to complain , Ryoka Griffin?”

I stare up at him. Don’t flinch. Drop the bomb.

“No. I came to tell you that you’re being blacklisted.”

“… What? ”

My Runner’s pack is on my back. I flip it open and pull something out. The small Runner’s rule book I bought at the Guild. I open it and point to a passage I’ve bookmarked.

“Rule 21 of the Runner’s Guild states that ‘any Runner affected by spell or Skill may refuse to provide services and cancel any request made.’ Also, it says that anyone who attacks, hinders, or otherwise alters a Runner in the course of their duties can be banned from receiving or requesting any future deliveries. You can see it right here.”

I raise the book and throw it at Teriarch. He blinks and only a flick from his fingers stops the small volume from striking his face*. The look of irritation and incredulity on his face is almost worth whatever horrible fate I’m about to endure.

*Oh yeah. I threw the book at him.

He opens the book and flips through the pages, his face a portrait of disbelief. He looks up at me.

“You—cannot be serious . Do you know who I am?”

“No. Why not enlighten me?”

His left eye twitches.

“I am Teriarch, and I do not obey any requests of a mere—I will not be censured by you or the Guild of Runners.”

“Fine. In that case I won’t complete your delivery. You can have your ring and letter back.”

I open the belt pouch at my side and pull out the folded letter and ring. I thrust it at Teriarch and he blinks in disbelief.

“I’m keeping the potion, by the way. That’s also in the rules.”

“You cannot do this.”

“Watch me.”

For a second I think I’ve gone too far and the mage is about to explode. Teriarch’s face goes red, he yanks on his beard, and then starts shouting at the air.

“No. I will not— be silent, woman! ”

I’m too scared to make a comment about sexism, but Teriarch doesn’t seem like he’s talking to me. He paces back and forth, mutters darkly into the air, and then looks furiously back at me.

“I must have that delivered. And I will have you do it. No—! I insist! It will be so!”

“I’m not doing it without another deal.”

“Then ask! What is it you desire, human?”

Okay, keep your cool Ryoka. I gesture with my hand aimlessly at the entrance of the cave.

“I went to the Blood Fields, but didn’t find anything. You said he’d be there or surrounded by the undead, but how can I find them? This continent is big. I have no idea where this Az’kerash is. If you want me to do the delivery, you also have to give me some kind of map.”

Teriarch stares at me. He takes a breath, releases it, and nods curtly. His hand raises palm up, and he says five curt words that make my ears ring. I can’t even remember what he said, only that when he’s done, he’s holding a…stone?

Yes, a stone. Just…a rock. A smooth one, but not much larger than my palm. It’s completely normal, aside from the glowing arrow of golden light etched in the center, of course. It rotates around and then points southwest fixedly in his palm.

Teriarch tosses it at me and I nearly drop it. It’s warm .

“ Here. This will point without fail towards his magical signature. Would you like anything else? Or should I give you a flying carpet as well?”

“Do you have one?”

The look Teriarch gives me should fry me in place, but his gaze twitches just a bit to the right side of the room. No frickin’ way. But he recovers and when he points at me this time, the tip of his finger is glowing ominously.

“You will deliver the ring and letter to Perril Chandler or you will regret it, Ryoka Griffin. That is a promise.”

The sight of that glowing finger scares me more than a zombie trying to eat my throat or Gazi with her sword. I’m terrified out of my wits, but my mouth and body are on autopilot. I hold up a hand.

“Not so fast. Casting a spell on me means you forfeit the payment for the request you made. If you want me to deliver your damn letter and ring, make me a better offer.”

“Pay. You.”

A blood vessel throbs on Teriarch’s temple. I gulp.

“Yeah. Pay me. Or else. Asshole.”

I really, really should have shut my mouth before I said that last word. I wait for the fireball, but Teriarch just stares at me. I think…he might be too stunned for words.

—-

Teriarch stared slack-jawed at the impudent human in front of him. He had half a mind to simply blast her into little pieces, but it was a very small half. Really, the only thing in his mind besides shock and outrage was a tiny bit of admiration.

Tiny. Miniscule. But he’d never been challenged to his face quite so…so…so originally as this. Rules and regulations? As if mere words could restrain him.

But he had to admit, the rules did have a certain hold on him. He was a creature of his word; he might be above the law, but he respected it as a concept. And indeed, perhaps something he should pay heed to. He did little communication by Courier, but if he should indeed be banned…

“Very well. I suppose restitution can be made for your…inconvenience.”

The human stared up at him, unblinking. She was so strange. Who’d ever heard of someone willing to brave the High Passes not once, but twice? And to complain? About him casting a spell on her? It boggled Teriarch’s mind, but he wasn’t about to show weakness.

He tried to look around surreptitiously while trying to decide what was appropriate as recompense. He spoke offhandedly to Ryoka, trying to appear casual.

“I suppose forty gold pieces is not sufficient for such a task?”

The human narrowed her eyes up at him.

“That was the price for getting here and retrieving your request. You gave me a single potion as the price for delivery. That’s not nearly enough.”

Of course. Blast. Teriarch had forgotten how the request system worked. And even he had to admit, a single Potion of Haste was a paltry reward for even a simple delivery. He was just so used to commanding Couriers that he’d forgotten entirely what was worth giving.

Teriarch cast about, with his magical senses as much as his eyes. What could he give her that would placate her anger? He had quite a lot to give, but what was appropriate? A weapon? No, surely Runners wouldn’t use them. Jewels? Gold? Spell books? And how expensive was a delivery, anyways?

“Magnolia. What is the current rate of exchange in your wretched cities?”

Teriarch whispered the words, trying not to let the human see his uncertainty. He knew Magnolia was well-versed in the minutiae of human affairs, being one herself, but she was too busy laughing at him to reply.

Scale rot. Without her to help him, Teriarch was forced to bluff. He stroked at the wretched beard humans seemed to love and tried to look stern.

“For such an easy delivery, especially with the seeking spell, I feel some gold should be sufficient. Say…two hundred gold pieces?”

He had no idea if that was appropriate. The human girl paused, and then shook her head slowly. Tooth decay! She was probably offended.

“Two…hundred? Of course not.”

“Mm. Of course. Four hundred—no, eight hundred would be more appropriate, would it not?”

“P-possibly. Fine. I’ll accept that.”

Teriarch narrowed his eyes, but Ryoka had already schooled her expression to neutrality once more. He nodded slowly, still listening to Magnolia howl with laughter in his head.

“Very well. It is agreed.”

Below him, Ryoka nodded. She looked towards the entrance to his cave and patted her belt pouch where he could sense the letter and ring he had given her were stored.

“Right then, I’m off. I’ll complete your delivery when I have time. I’m heading towards Liscor in a few days anyways.”

Teriarch nodded. It was all he could expect. He’d let her go and hope she got there quickly—

He paused.

“Wait. What?”

—-

Teriarch doesn’t seem to quite get it. I take a step back as I repeat what I’ve just said. My heart is pounding out of my chest.

“I’m going. To do your delivery. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“Yes—no. Human—Ryoka Griffin, I have much to ask of you.”

“Too bad.”

Two more steps back. Teriarch frowns at me and raises a hand.

“You cannot leave just yet. I have questions for you, and you will answer them.”

I shrug at him as if I could care less.

“Too bad. I’m A Runner. I deliver your stuff. You don’t get to ask me questions.”

“What? No. You will stay here.”

Again, I feel the force of his magic trying to slow me, but this time I’m ready for it. I flip him the bird and turn.

“Try that again and I’ll double my fee. You hired a Runner, and that’s what you get. I don’t do interviews.”

I begin walking away. It’s terrifying, and I feel his eyes on my back. He raises his voice angrily.

“You cannot leave! Stop! I command you!”

I raise one hand in goodbye.

“ Come back here! ”

Teriarch’s voice is thunder, but I ignore it. I begin jogging out of the cave, tensed at any second for a fireball to turn me into a flaming pile of flesh.

But nothing happens. Instead, I hear Teriarch choking and spluttering in outrage. I increase my pace, and realize I’m close to the exit. Bright daylight greets me and I run out of the cave and back the way I come.

Behind me, I hear a roar of fury that sounds almost…bestial. But I’m too busy running to think about that. I sprint until I’m nearly two miles away from the cave before I feel like I can safely slow down.

My mind is in a whirl, but as I keep running without any consequences, I slowly, slowly relax. And then I realize: I’ve done it. I’ve actually done it!

I run down the High Passes. They’re still empty, and the sky is sunny and clear overhead. Well, even these damn winter days can be quite nice if you have a mage around to scare away the Frost Faeries.

My step is light, and my body is slightly sweaty, but quite bearable to be around. I’ve got a speed potion at my belt, a letter and ring worth eight hundred gold coins in my pouch, and a destination in mind.

And oh yes. I’m grinning.

Definitely grinning.

2.13

There were worse things to eat for breakfast than cold hamburger. That was what Erin told herself as she mechanically chewed and swallowed.

For instance there were…rats. She could be eating rats. Or—or nothing. That was even worse to eat because it was nothing.

Erin didn’t do well with cold mornings. She was like a lizard—which was not the same as a Drake. She liked to laze around in the heat and the summer.

And she was just a bit too lazy to bother with starting a fire, yet too cold to be entirely happy in her brand new inn. Klbkch and the army of the Workers had left her quite a supply of firewood, but Erin just couldn’t face up to the effort. Until she got really cold, and then she huddled around the fireplace with a half-eaten hamburger, shivering in her blankets.

When the inn was finally warm, Erin felt better about life. In fact, she felt great.

She had a brand new inn, and she had a hamburger in her stomach. And a second one in her hands. Erin knew she should stop, but it was a hamburger . Actually, this one had cheese so it was a cheeseburger, and Erin was tempted to make it a double cheeseburger. With bacon?

No. No, she couldn’t get too greedy. Or she’d get fat. Which was a problem, why…?

Erin wrestled with her stomach for a few minutes before she just settled on eating her hamburger. She had work to do.

Yesterday had been a day of triumphs. A day of exploding inns and rebuilding, and Erin was determined to stay on a roll. So the first thing she did was find her way to her kitchen and prepare for the day ahead.

“Ground beef? Check. Lettuce? Check. Tomatoes…no one likes tomatoes.”

Selys and Ceria could take their tomatoes or leave them. Relc tossed his in the snow, and Klbkch probably ate his because it was polite. Erin liked tomatoes, but if it could be left out of the sandwich, that was more money in her pocket and less money…in people’s stomachs.

She had plenty of cheese, and she had eggs for making the patties. Spices? Right there.

Erin tossed everything into her heavy shopping backpack. She could get more from Krshia in the city, which was her destination. She looked around.

“Hey Toren! I’m going. Stay here and—”

Erin paused. That was when she remembered she didn’t have a skeleton. She’d almost expected him to be here when she woke up. But he wasn’t.

Toren was gone.

“Where’d you go, Tor? When I said ‘go away’, I just meant go away for a while. Not…forever.”

He wasn’t gone. Erin was sure of that. She was so sure, she abandoned her shopping pack and ran around. It took her a while to find her hammer and nails thanks to Selys’s reorganization, but she quickly nailed two boards together and made a clumsy arrow with some wood scraps.

The place where her old inn had been was almost completely covered in snow when Erin found her way back. She stared around at the empty hilltop, and remembered a dark inn as she ran, desperate and hurt, through the night.

Once. But not now. Her new inn was better, and it would be best when he returned.

Erin raised the arrow made out of wood and planted it deep in the ground where her inn had been. It pointed roughly towards her new inn. Toren would see it, and come back. She was sure of it.

Erin was so sure that she made three more signs and placed them on hilltops around her inn. Just in case Toren forgot which hill her inn had been on and got lost.

It was lonely in her inn when Erin returned. It was beautiful, made of varnished smooth wood. It even smelled nice—again, thanks to the hamburger breakfast.

But it was empty. All of Erin’s friends had returned to the city, and Toren was missing. Ryoka was busy running up north, and Erin still had no customers.

She’d fix that. Erin’s face was determined as she hefted her pack full of hamburger components. It was time to visit the city.

And how easy it was to get to Liscor! Erin felt like she’d barely stepped out of her inn before she was at the gates. It was ten times better than her freezing trip of yesterday, but maybe that was also because she had warm clothing.

All this purchasing of food and clothing was eating away at Erin’s small cache of cash, but that was okay. She was in a good mood, and things were looking up.

“Krshia! Hey, how are you?”

Erin smiled as she greeted the tall Gnoll shopkeeper. Krshia looked up from her stall, mildly surprised. Normally Erin found her way to the market around midday at the earliest, but today she was here bright and early.

“Erin. It is good to see you, yes? I had heard you had much trouble yesterday?”

“Oh? You heard about that?”

“The guardsman Relc, he came by quite drunk yesterday talking about your inn that exploded. And then apparently was rebuilt in one day. He was quite drunk, yes? I wished to know if you were well. If you had not come today I would have gone to look for you.”

“You’re so nice. But I’m fine! And Relc was telling the truth. My inn did explode. It was totally gone when I got there. Boom. Half of it blown away. But then Klbkch and the Antinium came by and rebuilt it. Somewhere else. On a hill closer to here, I mean. So I’ve got a new inn! Isn’t it great?”

Krshia sniffed the air and shrugged.

“You are not drunk. So you have a new inn? That is good. I must see it soon. And talk, yes? Your friend Ryoka has left, but I would speak to her as well.”

“ Everyone wants to talk to me. Did you know I’m going to have a lot of Workers in my inn? Klbkch says he wants me to teach them how to play chess. Isn’t that great?”

“Really? How strange.”

Krshia eyed Erin as the girl unslung her pack and edged over to one of the large braziers. She watched as Erin felt at the temperature of the coals and reached into her pack. She took a frying pan out of her pack and after a few minutes of thinking, dragged the heavy brazier closer to Krshia’s stand.

“What are you doing, Erin Solstice?”

“Oh, is it too close? Sorry, sorry. I forgot your shop is made of wood.”

Erin adjusted the brazier, but Krshia shook her head. She gestured in bemusement at Erin’s setup. Erin looked blank, and then smiled widely.

“This? I’m going to cook something.”

“Really? Well, you may do so freely on this street I suppose. The fee is five silver coins if you make over four gold coin’s worth of profit, though.”

Erin didn’t think that was a problem. It sounded fair. She looked around and realized she had a small problem.

“Um, you wouldn’t happen to have a table I could borrow, would you? And maybe more coals? This is warm, but I want to refill it if it starts to cool down.”

Krshia nodded patiently and pointed to a folded-up section of wood leaning against her shop front.

“I have both. But what is it you are doing, Erin?”

“Making hamburgers.”

“What is a hamburger? Is it made of pigs or boars?”

“Nope! At least…I don’t think so. Let’s just call it a cheeseburger instead.”

“Ah. So it is made of cheese?”

“Um. Let me just get set up and I’ll show you.”

In quick order, Erin had all of her eggs in a row, her ground beef in the mixing bowl, and ingredients neatly packed off to one side of the table. The main space on the table was occupied by a bowl of mayo and ketchup she’d brought from her inn. She’d wrapped it with wax paper, but both condiments were slightly crusty. A spoon and some stirring solved that, and then Erin put out the platter.

It was big, and empty, and that was about to change. Erin took one of the patties she’d made out of ground beef and flipped it onto her frying pan. The metal had been resting in the coals and it was so hot the meat hissed as it struck the pan’s surface.

Krshia had been dealing with a Drake customer while she waited for Erin’s antics to start making sense. But when she heard the cooking meat her ears pricked up.

Erin fried her first hamburgers with an eye towards Krshia’s possible tastes. So it was barely a minute of cooking before she flipped the burger and let the heated metal take the patty just past ‘uncooked’ to ‘rare’. She used a spatula to lever the juicy burger onto a waiting bun, added some lettuce and a bit of sliced onion…cheese…and then, it was ready.

“Burger time!”

Erin presented her creation to Krshia and the Gnoll eyed the dripping cheeseburger suspiciously. Suspiciously, but with definite interest.

“Mm. What is this?”

“It’s called a hamburger. Or a cheeseburger. It’s really good. Try it!”

Krshia took the hamburger with one paw. Erin had made her patties big and her buns were equally generous. This was closer to a Burger King burger than the sad, small cheeseburgers you could get from McDonalds. Except that Erin’s burger was even bigger. The meat was half the burger, not some lesser percentage.

Even so, Krshia’s hand easily lifted the burger to her mouth. The Gnoll hesitated and eyed Erin. Her Drake customer was watching the burger with interest. A drop of grease fell from the burger onto Krshia’s fur.

She took a bite. Erin held her breath. But in her heart she wasn’t really worried. Because she knew the truth.

Maybe in this world different species preferred a variety of foods. And it was true that chefs who had [Advanced Cooking] could probably create dishes Erin couldn’t match. And possibly some inns had menus designed to cater to their clientele.

But. This was a hamburger. It had stayed as one of world’s greatest and most popular foods for over a century. The people of this world might have cuisine, but Erin had fast food. Their taste buds would never know what hit them.

Krshia’s eyes widened as she chewed the burger. She stared at the colorful green lettuce, the cheese and onions, and then swallowed. Erin waited.

Krshia took another bite. And then another. She was done with the burger in under a minute, and when she licked at her palm, Erin knew she’d won.

Other vendors on the street? They were about to go home hungry. The Gnoll frying slices of meat? Good luck making that into a proper meal. The Drake with kebabs? Prepare to be supersized. The other Drake with hot cider?

Actually, that sounded really good. Erin wanted to buy some.

She’d thought about adding other dishes to her impromptu road stall, but she’d wisely decided that there wouldn’t be enough space. Besides, while the brazier could make a great grill, pizzas required ovens.

As for drinks, a burger wasn’t complete without Coke or some other soft drink, but Ryoka hadn’t been able to tell her what went into the magic caffeinated drink. Erin had an idea to use animal fat and copious amounts of sugar to create something similar, but…no.

“How is it?”

Krshia looked at Erin and smiled. It was the kind of smile that spoke for itself. She bared her teeth and grinned. Her tail was sending bits of snow flying.

Erin smiled back. The Drake shopping at Krshia’s stall looked between both grinning females.

“I want one!”

—-

Selys found Erin nearly an hour later, and by that time Erin had already been forced to migrate away from Krshia’s shop. Not because the other Gnoll minded her cooking; it was just that Erin needed the space.

She had a line . Drakes and Gnolls lined up as she flipped hamburgers as fast as she could and coins clinked into the jar she’d put on her table. From her spot at the back of the line, Selys could barely see Erin as the girl tried to juggle flipping burgers, collecting money, and talking to customers and explaining hamburgers all at once.

The Drake took a deep breath, and then raised her voice as she pushed past customers in line.

“Excuse me, I’d like to get through. I’m not—excuse me, I’m not looking to buy a burger. I know that human.”

She elbowed her way to the front of the line. Erin looked up and wiped a bead of sweat off her face as she managed five burgers in her frying pan at once.

“Oh, hey Selys! Want a burger?”

“Yes, please!”

Selys turned and stuck her tongue out as the Drakes and Gnolls shouted and complained further down the line. And when a Drake stuck out her tongue, it went a lot farther than a human one.

“You look busy.”

“Yeah?”

Erin raised her eyebrows as she fumbled a hamburger on a plate and gave it to a Drake. The orange-scaled Drake tasted the burger experimentally and then, apparently satisfied with the taste, bit into it as he walked down the street.

“Yeah! You look like you’re overwhelmed. Need a friendly tail?”

Erin nearly dropped her frying pan in the lit brazier. She wanted to hug Selys.

“You are the best person ever. But don’t you have work?”

Selys shook her head.

“It’s my day off. Here—I’ll take over at the table. You just flip that meat.”

“Can do!”

Selys found a chair Erin hadn’t had the pleasure of using yet, and took a seat. She stared at the messy table. Ingredients mixed with some of the coins that had fallen from the jar. Grease was coating the snow and Erin had painted a clumsy hamburger on a sign and written a price next to it.

Selys regarded the price and shook her head. She crossed out the number on Erin’s sign and doubled it. Erin frowned at Selys.

“Selys! That’s expensive!”

“It’s worth it. And people will pay. Or do you see anyone leaving?”

Erin did not, although Selys was getting a lot of casual glares from her customers. But the line moved a lot faster now that Erin didn’t have to do more than concentrate on cooking. She slapped burgers together as fast as she could and reflected that when all was said and done, she was working in the fast food industry. Just like her teachers always told her she would if she didn’t study in school.

The only difference here was that Erin was making money hand over fist. Or claw. Or furry paw.

Gnolls and Drakes both loved the hot food. Erin had quickly learned that both species had a soft spot for hamburgers, but they liked their food cooked very differently.

Drakes preferred their burgers well done, which was to say, fully cooked and even black in places. It didn’t seem to bother them that much, but Gnolls were an entirely different customer. They liked their burgers hot, but still rare enough to be bloody—it was the rare Gnoll who requested Erin cook theirs longer.

They came for the shopping, but almost all of the customers in the market that day left with a burger. Erin had figured out the best way to serve her burgers was with a bit of wax paper so it could be held without spilling hot grease onto palms. You could even wrap it and take it somewhere else! Definitely a selling point.

The line didn’t seem to get shorter no matter how many burgers Erin flipped. Word was spreading about the human with the ‘meat sandwich’ as she heard it described, and it wasn’t long after Selys joined that she heard a familiar voice.

“She’s here! She has burgers!”

Relc’s unmistakable voice rang through the crowd, and not a second later she saw him and a few other guardsmen at the back of the line. The guardsmen—and one female Gnoll—stared in bemusement as Relc yelled at Erin.

“I want five—no, six! ”

She waved at him, which Relc apparently took as encouragement. He began pushing his way through the line, shouting.

“Watch business. Move aside!”

He encountered a lot more resistance than Selys did, but eventually Relc was panting and staring greedily at burgers as Erin loaded them onto a plate. He reached into his belt pouch and began to count out coins.

“You can get me my burgers and pay me five silver coins since I know you’ve earned enough already.”

“Thanks Relc—”

Erin got no further before Relc snatched a burger from the plate and tried to fit the entire thing in his mouth. He pretty much succeeded, although Selys looked away with disgust as he chewed with his mouth open.

“ Delish! ”

Erin eventually managed to shoo Relc away with more burgers for the other guardsmen. She heard Selys apologizing to the next customer – mainly in the sense of grumbling about rude guardsmen – and looked at her raw patty stack.

“Uh oh. I’m running out of ground beef again. Krshia!”

The Gnoll appeared with more ingredients, fresh from some butcher’s shop. She and Erin had a good system going on. Erin paid her, and Krshia gave her everything she needed. Maybe a less-trusting partnership would have had Krshia raising prices, but in this case she was still making quite a lot acting as a supplier for Erin’s burger needs.

Erin mixed a new batch of ground beef into patties, watched by hungry customers and curious shopkeepers. Krshia eyed Erin’s preparation with some consternation, but by that point Erin had already made the patties and it was too late for the Gnoll to interject.

Egg, spices, thick patty that made some of the Gnolls in line start to drool. Erin blessed her [Basic Cooking] skill because it made the process nearly automatic. She didn’t have to concentrate as hard, and she knew roughly when the burgers were ready. It was great. She raised her voice as she smiled at her line of customers.

“Alright. Who’s next?”

Her question nearly caused a brawl.

—-

Five hours later, Erin wondered what would happen if she fainted into the brazier. Would she wake up before Selys pulled her out or burn to death?

She was dog-tired, which wasn’t an insult to Gnolls. Erin kept telling Krshia that. It was just that she’d been standing in the same place making food all day long. Even with help, Erin was nearly ready to fall over.

She’d enlisted Selys as a full-time assistant, just to take down orders and help prepare ingredients. Selys didn’t have any cooking skills, but she was competent enough. And she was better at keeping order than Erin was.

And without Selys, Erin would have been buried by the amount of orders she’d received. The morning rush had turned into the midday rush which had gradually transitioned into the evening rush. But there were quieter points, mainly when customers staggered away from Erin’s stall clutching their groaning stomachs.

As it turned out, Erin had made one mistake with her setup. Her bowl of condiments had been well-received although her customers just dipped their burgers in the mayonnaise and ketchup, but she didn’t have nearly enough.

She’d run out of ketchup long ago, and the mayonnaise was only a mix of burger bits at the bottom of the bowl. And though Erin knew how to make more of each, she wasn’t keen on preparing any more, even if she’d had access to the ingredients. As it turned out, ketchup was hard and annoying to make.

It was just the sort of thing she’d have gotten Toren to do. If he was still at the inn.

The thought made Erin depressed, but the next customer who appeared at her stall immediately blew any thoughts of her skeleton out of her head.

“Oh. Selys. You’re working here?”

“Hawk. It’s rare to see you in the market. You normally shop elsewhere, right?”

“I do, but I heard there was something good to eat today. What’s this?”

Erin leaned against the edge of the brazier and yelped. She kept forgetting that the metal was hot . She needed a stool, or something to rest her aching feet. She heard Selys talking with her customer, but Erin had heard enough explanations to tune out most of the words.

“It’s called a ‘hamburger’. But it doesn’t have any ham in it. It’s meat with bread and lettuce, onions, and cheese. If you add cheese it’s called a ‘cheeseburger’.”

“How is it?”

“Try it for yourself. It’s only a silver coin.”

That was…extraordinarily expensive, given the cost of the ingredients. But Selys kept on raising the price of the burgers without issue. She heard the customer fishing in his belt pouch and then the clink of a coin.

“Thanks. Now, do you want your burger cooked fully or raw?”

“Cooked, thanks.”

“Erin—”

“I got it.”

Erin had already added a patty to her pan. She mechanically flipped the burger, listening to this Hawk and Selys talk. She finished the burger, tossed it on the pre-assembled bun, and put it on the serving plate. She held it out and then froze as for the first time she actually looked at her customer.

A tall…rabbit…man…stood in front of the stall, smiling at Erin. He was a rabbit. But he was shaped like a man. He stood on two legs—slightly curved forwards like a Minotaur’s with huge feet. They looked like paws, and Erin noticed he wasn’t wearing shoes so much as coverings made from leather.

His fur was light brown, with dark spots. He had one over his eye, which was pointed like a rabbit’s. And he had a pink nose! Erin nearly squealed or screamed or something when she saw that.

Hawk had two long, floppy ears that stuck out over his head, and he was clothed in loose clothing. He had pants and a shirt which did not disguise the fact that this rabbit was ripped. That threw Erin, as did the muscles on his arms.

“You’re Erin? Nice to meet you. I’m Hawk.”

Hawk the rabbit man smiled in a friendly way at Erin, although his eyes were on the burger on the plate. Erin gaped at him.

Selys coughed.

“Hawk is a Beastkin, Erin. I’m not surprised you haven’t met him before. He’s always running around the city.”

Erin heard her, but she was still caught on his name. She repeated the word incredulously.

“Hawk?”

The furry rabbit in front of Erin scratched at one cheek with a furry hand. He completely misinterpreted Erin’s reaction to his name.

“My parents were from Liscor, but they had no idea what kind of names my species used. So they chose Hawk. I would have preferred Hakss, but what can you do?”

“Oh. And uh, what do you do?”

Erin could think of nothing else, only that she wanted to continue talking to Hawk as long as possible. She could hear…a voice in her head. No, a song.

Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh…

If she saw a stuffed yellow bear she was going to lose her mind. But Hawk was real in a different way. He wasn’t like Rabbit, more like the rabbit-version of Usain Bolt. Yeah, that was probably closer.

Hawk rolled his shoulders and shrugged. He smiled again, exposing a row of teeth which…Erin had always wanted a bunny.

“I’m a Courier.”

Erin paused. She tried to remember what that was. Some kind of Runner? It sounded important.

“That’s cool. Do you see a lot of different places?”

Hawk looked slightly crestfallen that Erin wasn’t more impressed.

“No, we run long-distance deliveries from city to city.”

“Oh, like City Runners?”

Selys bit back a laugh. Hawk looked amused and shook his head.

“We’re a bit more important than City Runners. Couriers are rare. There are less than a hundred of us on the continent, I think. We take big jobs or none at all.”

“Whoa. So you’re like, special runners? How far do you run?”

“On any given delivery I’ll go around a thousand miles. Sometimes two, if it’s a round trip. It’s a dangerous job, but rewarding. Of course, I can protect myself. I’m considered—”

Hawk suddenly froze and his body was suddenly tensed, low. Erin had heard the loud crack of wood on wood too, but it was Hawk’s reaction that surprised her. He hadn’t moved so much as instantly changed positions.

He was staring down the street at the source of the noise. A Gnoll was tossing slats of wood onto a cart. The sound was loud, but Erin had heard much of the same all day. But Hawk’s ears twitched violently every time the wood slapped together and he winced.

“I wish they wouldn’t do that.”

Okay. He was jumpy as a rabbit and fast as lighting. Erin stared at Hawk, forgetting completely about everything else. And he had a tail! A tail!

He started grumbling about inconsiderate Gnolls and Drakes while Selys edged over to Erin. The Drake elbowed her in the side.

“ Don’t touch his tail. Remember Culyss?”

“But it looks so fluffy and poofy and—”

Erin couldn’t tear her eyes way from the fuzzy tail that protruded from Hawk’s pants. Selys rolled her eyes and twitched her own tail.

“Maybe you want to explain why you live in Liscor, Hawk? Erin hasn’t seen many Beastkin here.”

He nodded. It seemed like he was used to the question.

“Well, I live here. I was born and raised in Liscor ever since I was a kid, and it’s where I’m comfortable. My original parents left me here, and a Drake couple took me in. Liscor’s my home and where I love to live. Most of the time.”

He eyed the Gnoll who’d made the noise severely. Selys rolled her eyes.

“I still don’t know how you manage to sleep at night. There’s noise all the time—how do you sleep?”

“Soundproofing spells. It’s costly, but I make more than enough to pay for the magic.”

“There you have it, Erin. Our resident Courier is afraid of loud noises. Try not to shout around him.”

Hawk glared at Selys, but with no real intensity in it. He seemed to be a good-natured rabbit. Erin was still staring at his tail.

“I’m not just a Courier! I’m trying to become a [Chef] as well!”

“Right. And you’re doing research today?”

“Maybe I would if I ever got to eat this delicious thing.”

Hawk stared longingly at the burger on the plate, but he was too polite to take it. Selys nudged the human at her side.

“The burger, Erin?”

“Oh, right! Sorry!”

Erin remembered why Hawk was here and held the burger out to him. It was still warm thankfully, and Hawk eyed the rising steam appreciatively.

“Mm. This is good. I’m glad I came.”

Erin watched Hawk bite into his burger and chew, her jaw slack. Selys stepped on her foot again, and that shut Erin up long enough for Hawk to say goodbye.

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Erin. If you ever need a long-distance delivery, ask for me at the Runner’s Guild, okay? I’ll give you a discount, especially if you have more of these burgers!”

He stepped away, and then sprang down the street. There was no other word for it. His powerful legs blurred and he covered more distance with every step than Erin would with five of hers. And he was fast . In an instant he’d rounded the corner and was out of sight.

“No wonder I never see him.”

Erin breathed the words as she stared at the place Hawk had been. She turned and looked at Selys.

“You never told me there was a talking rabbit in Liscor!”

Selys looked perplexed. She looked at the empty street and shrugged.

“What, Hawk? He’s part of the city, and he’s always in and out. Why is he special?”

“He’s a rabbit…a—a bunny! ”

Erin couldn’t even find to words to explain why that was special. Talking Drakes? Okay? Gnolls? Totally normal. But bunny-men?

“If you’re interested in him, forget it. He likes Drakes, not Gnolls or Humans.”

Again, that statement threw Erin off a cliff metaphorically speaking. She hadn’t even considered—no! And what was that?

“He likes Drakes? But he’s a bunny! ”

“Don’t call him that to his face. He gets touchy, and he’s not a Courier for nothing. When the undead attacked he killed one of those Crypt Lords and quite a few undead by himself! He carried over a hundred people out of harm’s way as well.”

“What?”

“Yeah, he’s strong. Don’t let Relc hear you, but he’s probably one of the few people who could bother Relc. And if it came to a chase, I’d put money on Hawk.”

“And he likes Drakes.”

“I said that. Too bad Drakes don’t like him back.”

Erin couldn’t cope. She shook her head.

“He’s a cool guy. Fluffy. Nice. Why don’t any female Drakes like him?”

Selys looked awkward.

“No reason—well, I mean, it’s not like he’s a bad guy. You couldn’t ask for a nicer Beastkin. But he doesn’t eat meat. Or rather, he doesn’t eat much meat.”

“I saw that. He ate meat! But what’s the problem with not eating meat? That’s not a problem, right?”

“It sort of is. We—Drakes—can eat vegetables. We just don’t… like to like he does. And all he keeps offering us are dishes with carrots in them.”

“Carrots.”

It was too good to be true. But Selys just looked disgusted.

“It’s all he likes to make. Couldn’t he try something else when he’s courting? But no, it’s all carrots. Carrot pies, carrot soup, carrot salads, raw carrots, noodles and carrots, carrots baked into bread…”

“Shrimp gumbo, pan-fried shrimp, deep-fried shrimp, shrimp sandwich, shrimp burger…”

“ What are you talking about?”

“Just a joke. Sorry.”

“Anyways, we think it’s bland and not too good. If he could make the food sweeter or more savory…”

“What about carrot cake? That’s sweet.”

“What’s that?”

Erin sighed as she realized this was yet another thing she had yet to introduce to this world. Cake—well, she was pretty sure she needed baking powder for that. Maybe Ryoka could help. That would be amazing, because Erin missed cake almost more than she missed ice cream.

Sweet things were harder to come by in this world, especially anything made with sugar. Sugar itself was wickedly expensive—not that Erin remembered how much sugar cost when she went shopping at Meijers or at Costco.

She missed Costco. There was something nice about a store where you could buy a fifty pound bag of sugar and no one looked at you as if you were weird. Then again, it was nice going to Costco when your parents paid for membership and not you.

“I just can’t believe it. A bunny.”

“Rabbit. The correct term is the Long Ear Tribe of the Beastkin, but that’s too much work to say.”

“Right, right. But he’s so fluffy.”

“You keep saying that, but why does that matter.”

“It just does. Now, are you going to tell me more about him or am…I…”

Erin trailed off.

Market Street was usually full of people, but there was a lull in the crowds. And at the edge of the street, she could see into a distant alleyway. Someone was crouching in the shadows of a building.

A girl dressed in ragged clothes stared hungrily at the shops. Her face was thin, and she might have been beautiful if she was clean. She had bright red hair, dirty from being unwashed. She was staring right at Erin’s stand, where the smell of cooked meat was permeating the air.

For an instant, her eyes met Erin. There was animosity in her bright blue eyes, but when she realized Erin was looking at her, the girl’s eyes widened in panic.

“Erin. What are you looking at?”

“I just saw—”

When she looked again, the filthy girl was gone. Erin paused, and wondered if she was going crazy. But maybe the girl was some kind of orphan, like Hawk? Whoever she was, she looked cold. And hungry.

“Never mind. I uh, thought I saw a customer.”

“We’re running out. Might be a good time to call it a day. I know my tail is sore.”

Selys stretched and took a few steps as Erin wondered if the girl was going to come back. She probably didn’t have any money, but if Erin saw her, she’d give her a burger for free. She spoke to Selys, still watching the alleyway.

“When do we quit?”

“When you get tired. Or when we stop getting customers.”

Erin glanced at her table.

“We’re out of ketchup.”

“I’m not making any more.”

“That’s fair.”

Selys came to warm herself at the brazier. Erin eyed her and tried to speak nonchalantly.

“So. Bunnies.”

“Rabbits. Erin, it’s rude to say—”

“I know. I won’t say it around him. But he’s so quick! And he’s…ripped.”

“He does have a good body.”

“And he’s nice. I can’t believe it never works out with other Drakes!”

“We try, now and then. But you know, it just doesn’t work out. Every time it ends badly with him. Take me for instance. We were together for only two weeks before we broke up.”

“Wait. What? ”

—-

Two hours later, Erin walked back to her inn. She wasn’t alone.

“So you sold how many burgers?”

Erin had to think. Her arms were so tired that Ceria had offered to carry Erin’s mostly empty shopping bag back. But Erin had refused. Ceria might be well enough to leave the guardhouse, but she was still thinner than was healthy.

“I think…a thousand? It feels like that. Probably closer to six hundred. Maybe eight?”

“For a city with just over ten thousand souls, that’s a really good profit.”

“Yeah. But uh, a lot of people came back for seconds or thirds. Relc ate eight in total.”

“I can just imagine. But I’m truly glad it was a success. Even in the barracks I heard people talking about your food. Olesm tried to get one for us, but the line was too long.”

“That’s too bad! I’ll invite him over tomorrow and I’ll make you guys as many hamburgers as you want.”

Ceria waved her good hand at Erin.

“You don’t have to do that. Really, I feel bad imposing as it is. I can’t pay you right now.”

“Are you kidding? I don’t have to worry about money ever if I keep making this much every day!”

Erin indicated the jar she’d filled to the brim and her bulging coin pouch. She’d had a red letter day today, she could tell, even without counting the exact amount of her profits.

Erin had sent Selys off with enough silver coins to make the Drake walk awkwardly down the street. It was just as well the Watch had a strong presence in Liscor, Selys had said, or she’d have been really worried.

They came to the inn quite quickly. Erin was all too glad, because it meant she could put away her stuff in the kitchen. She still slept there, out of force of habit more than anything else.

“Take any room you want upstairs. I’d like to chat or—or something, but I’m so tired .”

“You go to sleep. Thank you again for letting me stay here.”

Erin waved a hand at Ceria and yawned hugely.

“You wan’ food? I got food if you didn’t have dinner.”

“I’m fine, really. Thanks Erin.”

Erin went to bed smiling. Her inn felt a lot less lonely with someone else in it. She wondered what Toren would think when the skeleton got back. Hopefully he wouldn’t bother Ceria too much.

The coins she’d earned were safely stored under a floorboard in the kitchen. Erin had seen that on T.V. once, so she’d asked Pawn to install one. Which meant that if anyone ever robbed her, she’d have to start looking at Workers funny.

But Erin was tired, and even thoughts of her missing skeleton and thoughts of Antinium sneaking into houses and robbing people blind couldn’t keep her awake. She drifted off peacefully and slept well.

Until she heard Ceria screaming.

—-

The sound woke Erin up from a pleasant dream about playing chess in Burger King. She heard Ceria’s voice cut through the night, high pitched and shrill.

Erin reacted with a speed born out of panic. She always kept a frying pan out on a counter, and it was that she seized as she charged out of the kitchen. She had no idea what was attacking Ceria, but she didn’t hesitate as she dashed up the stairs.

She’d put Ceria on the furthest room from the staircase—because the half-Elf had insisted she didn’t want to take any space. Erin ran into the room and saw Ceria sitting half-naked in bed, clutching at her hand and screaming. Nothing was attacking her, but her eyes were wide with panic and fear.

“Ceria! What’s wrong?”

The half-Elf’s head turned towards Erin. She didn’t seem to quite see Erin, but she clearly realized someone was in her doorway. Ceria shrieked and turned towards Erin, eyes wide with horror.

Her skeletal hand rose and the fingers moved . Ceria pointed at Erin and the girl ducked. A spike of ice caught some of Erin’s hair and ripped it out as it struck the far wall and embedded itself in the new wood.

Erin crawled to the door, heart pounding out of her chest. She scrambled outside and tried to make herself as small of a target as possible.

“Ceria! It’s okay! It’s just me!”

Erin shouted as she curled up into a ball on the far side of the wall. She wasn’t sure if the [Ice Spike] could penetrate the thick walls, but prayed Ceria wouldn’t fire again.

Mercifully, she didn’t. Erin heard Ceria draw in a shaking breath, and then her voice.

“Erin! Oh ancestors, what have I— Erin! ”

“I’m okay!”

Erin crawled past the doorway and waved her hands to reassure Ceria. Her friend’s face was deathly white.

“I’m so sorry . I didn’t mean—I thought you were—”

Ceria choked as she reached out for Erin. The girl immediately stood up and went to her. Ceria was shaking so hard the bed was moving.

“It’s okay! Really! It was just a spell! Are you okay? What happened?”

“A—dream. Just a dream.”

Ceria shook her head, and kept on shaking.

“I nearly—ancestors. I nearly killed you.”

“But you didn’t! And your hand! Ceria, did you see—?”

But Ceria wasn’t listening. She started to struggle in her sheets, trying to get up.

“I’ll go. I can’t stay. I’m a threat to you and—”

“No!”

Erin caught Ceria by the wrists. The blackened skin on her right hand was deathly cold and clammy to the touch, but Erin ignored it. She looked into Ceria’s eyes, trying to breathe calmly. Her heart was still racing.

“Ceria. No. It was an accident. Stay. Please. I don’t blame you.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks as Ceria looked at Erin.

“I’m so sorry. So sorry.”

Erin hesitated, and then hugged Ceria. The half-Elf shuddered at the contact, but didn’t push Erin away. She just trembled in Erin’s arms. She kept repeating the words.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

Erin didn’t think she was just talking about nearly hitting Erin with the spell. She held her as the night deepened and Ceria wept.

—-

It was a long time before Ceria could collect herself enough to stop shaking. She and Erin sat on her bed as the half-Elf stared at her hands, one good, one dead.

“I thought I was back in the coffin. Only this time, Skinner found me and opened the lid.”

Erin shuddered. Just the thought of his dead body made of skin made her stomach clench.

“I don’t blame you for attacking. If it were me I’d throw everything I had. And I’d probably have hit you, with my [Unerring Aim] skill and all that. Actually, it’s a good thing you were the one who got scared, huh?”

Ceria laughed shakily, but it was a laugh, and that’s what Erin wanted. She stared at her dead hand and shook her head.

“I thought I was still back down there with the others. I thought they needed my help. They’re dead. I keep forgetting.”

Erin’s heart caught in her chest. She closed her eyes for a second.

“I—”

She let the word trail off. There was nothing she could really say. Ceria was silent too, but then she raised her arm and stared at her limp skeletal hand, protruding from the blackened flesh. It had been days, but the skin wasn’t rotting and the bone still looked…normal.

“My hand—”

“It moved.”

Erin was sure of it. It had been just an instant, but you didn’t tend to forget a near-death experience.

“You moved your hand. Was it with magic?”

“No—at least, I didn’t try to intentionally. But I must have used some, I guess. My arm…I didn’t think the bones could still move.”

The yellow bones didn’t so much as twitch. Erin looked at Ceria’s hand uncertainly.

“Is it…because you know magic? Or maybe Pisces did something to it…?”

“Pisces can’t take control of a living body part. Or even one attached to a living one.”

Ceria shook her head.

“Then is it because you’re a mage?”

“No. It must be because I’m half-Elf.”

“Half-Elves are immortal?”

“Hardly.”

Erin felt Ceria chuckle.

“No, we’re just as mortal as any other species, although we live longer. But our bodies are closer to magic in nature. We can do…things that other species can’t. This must be one of them. It also explains why my hand is in one piece even though the flesh is gone.”

That was odd, now that Erin thought about it. She looked hesitantly at Ceria’s hand and chanced a question.

“How—did you lose it? Was it fighting Skinner?”

“Not quite.”

Ceria’s mouth twisted in self-derision.

“I was too frightened to fight him. I couldn’t even raise my wand. No, Yvlon and some adventurers were trying to get out and there were a bunch of undead in the way. I used a spell and the backlash froze my hand off.”

“A spell can do that?”

“Some can. It was bad magic, the spell I used.”

“But you saved them. That’s not bad magic. Or—was it like necromancy? Pisces does that, and he’s not bad. Just annoying.”

Ceria laughed again. Erin’s attempts to reassure her seemed to be cheering her ever so slightly.

“No—I mean, it was badly done. I was trying to cast [Glacial Spear]. It’s an advanced form of [Ice Spike], but I failed.”

“Oh?”

Erin didn’t get it.

“But you cast the spell.”

“Incorrectly. The way I did it, I just poured magic into an oversized [Ice Spike] spell. I used all my remaining mana up in one go, which was a stupid idea.”

“Why’s that? Isn’t it good to do that? I mean, if you could use a really big spell, why not do that all the time?”

Ceria chuckled now, and Erin was glad her stupid questions were making the half-Elf feel better. They sat together in the bed as Ceria’s breathing finally calmed down.

“If mages could use up all their magic in a single spell we’d be even more dangerous than we are. Imagine an army of mages that could devastate an army in a moment. No; spells are a lot more complex than that.”

“How so?”

Erin had resigned herself to never being a mage, but she was intensely curious about magic all the same. Ceria explained. It seemed to be easier for her to lecture than think about anything else.

“There’s a limit to how much mana we can infuse into a spell. Think of a spell as a…container. The good ones can hold a lot of magic and require a lot to activate. But a bad spell can’t handle that much magic. You can overcharge any spell in theory if you have enough magic, but too much and…”

She gestured to her hand.

“But that’s the odd thing. You said I moved it. And I cast magic with it. I shouldn’t be able to cast [Ice Spike] without injuring myself. Not without a wand. But this—”

She tried to flex her skeletal hand, Erin saw. But though Ceria’s face twisted with pain, the bony fingers didn’t so much as move.

“There’s something here. If I can still use magic with two hands and not just one, maybe…”

Erin didn’t like that train of thought. It sounded too active, and not nearly like the restful, peaceful thoughts she wanted Ceria to have. But then someone shouted outside and Erin felt Ceria tense up again.

“Erin! Ceria!”

It was a familiar voice, and it came from just outside. Erin heard furious pounding at the door, and then she heard someone throw it open. She’d forgotten to lock the door! Again!

Whoever was downstairs pounded into the kitchen first, and then came up the stairs two at a time. Erin heard someone running down the hallway, and then Olesm appeared in the doorway.

“Miss Erin! Ceria! You won’t believe what I—oh.”

Olesm paused awkwardly in the doorway. Erin was still in her pajama clothes and semi-decent, but Ceria preferred to sleep only in her underwear. She pulled the sheets up around her chest and Olesm turned away, blushing.

“Blight and rot Olesm, you’ve seen me naked before. And bleeding. Stop blushing and tell us what’s wrong? Is it more undead?”

Olesm turned and shook his head.

“No. Maybe? It’s something we found in the city! You see, after the Watch cleared out the ruins, Zevara was really worried more undead might appear, so she got the Council to find where we keep our histories. Well, we had to dig back to the oldest archives in some dusty house, but we found something about the ruins!”

“What?”

Olesm’s eyes were wide with excitement. He gestured, trying to make sense while words spilled over each other.

“They found a map. It shows the ruins, as well as the locations of other buildings underground. Apparently, the ruins we found was a tomb, and Skinner was assigned to guard it.”

Ceria’s fists—both of them—clenched in the sheets.

“So he wasn’t just a monster that found his way in there. What else?”

Olesm paused.

“It says he was one of the protectors of the tombs. But that was only a building for commoners—but it’s the rest that’s really serious. You—you might want to sit down.”

Ceria snapped at Olesm.

“We are sitting! Spit it out!”

Olesm took a deep breath, and when he spoke his voice only trembled slightly.

“The tombs are only a small part of the ruins. There are more. Underground. They’re all over the place, but that’s not the big thing. In the references, we found a passage we could read. It lists the titles of those placed in the ruins to guard them forever. And he’s there too. Skinner. Flesh Worm. Lesser Guardian of the Crypts.”

2.14 G

Rags wondered if today was the day she would die. It seemed like she asked herself that question every day. But never did she wonder if she was being paranoid. Because someday she would die. The only question was: was it now?

The young Goblin didn’t know. She only knew that if her death was today, was now, she’d go down fighting. That was how Goblins lived and died. Her blood sang in her veins, and she could hear nothing over the pounding of her heart.

She stood at the top of a snowy slope, staring down. Her quarry was below her. The Rock Crab slowly picked its way across the wintery landscape, testing the ground with a segmented leg before moving forwards.

It hadn’t noticed the sixty Goblins on the hill yet. That was the crab’s first and final mistake. Rags looked around. Her tribe of Goblins waited, crouched and holding their weapons in their small hands. She knew their hearts had to be pounding just as hard as hers was.

It was time. Rags unsheathed her sword. The bright bronze blade shone in the light from the grey skies overhead. Unlike the weapons of the Goblins around her, Rag’s weapon was new. It shone; she polished it every day. It was a symbol, but more importantly, it was sharp.

Rags raised the sword and the Goblins around her tensed. She screamed and her tribe surged down the snowy banks. The Rock Crab paused and began to slowly turn towards the horde of Goblins.

It was massive. For a Goblin, the Rock Crab was nothing less than a giant capable of crushing them with one of its claws. It did so now, seizing one of the Goblins running next to Rags and crunching the Goblin without any effort.

But for all a Rock Crab was terribly huge, and for all its armored shell repelled any attacks, it had one weakness. It was alone.

Rags slid as she drew within five feet of the Rock Crab. A pincer as large as she was grazed the top of her head and then she was sliding underneath the Rock Crab’s shell. She scrambled to her feet, trying to avoid the countless pointed legs as they stabbed into the snowy ground around her.

Everything was confusion. Rags sensed her Goblins running towards the crab, screaming in terror and fury. Their high-pitched shouts distracted the Rock Crab even more as it twisted around, trying to keep the Goblins at bay.

But Rags and a group of Goblins were already inside the shell. Rags raised her sword and stabbed up. She didn’t have to aim; the crab filled the air around her.

Her sharp blade punctured and cracked the carapace above her. Rags felt some blue liquid splashing down on her face and sensed other Goblins bashing at the Rock Crab’s legs, crawling up his body to bash at him from all sides.

The Rock Crab clicked , a noise that was nearly deafening in the confines of his shell. Then, suddenly, the world went dark.

Rags had no idea what was happening, until she realized the Rock Crab had lowered itself to the ground to prevent other Goblins entering. She heard a Goblin outside screaming as the rocky shell caught him in the midriff and crushed him to death.

Something moved in the darkness. Goblins had good night vision, and even in the shell some light still got in from outside. Rags saw a pincer move. The Rock Crab was trying to kill all the Goblins who’d made it in his shell.

Rags raised her blade and stabbed up again. The Rock Crab clicked in distress and threw itself against its shell, trying to crush her. But the shortsword was buried in its body now, and Rags hung on for dear life. She twisted the blade, trying to make the crab bleed. Blood spattered her body and arms.

The Rock Crab had made its second mistake. It had trapped the Goblins inside with it, true. It had even kept the Goblins outside from hurting it. But it had put the Goblins trapped with it against a wall. Either they killed it, or it killed them.

The Goblins inside the shell raised their weapons. Their crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness. The Rock Crab couldn’t see much, but even its pathetic eyes could see the glowing eyes in the darkness. It clicked once and raised its claws.

—-

When the rest of Rags’ tribe finally managed to worm their way underneath the shell by digging through the snow and dirt, it was already over. Rags sat in a pool of shell, guts, and blood, chewing on a piece of crab meat.

Goblins lay around her, some in parts, others just lying down because they were tired. They were all eating—although some were drinking the Rock Crab’s blood too. The inside of the shell was a scene of carnage, but to the Goblins it just looked like a buffet.

The rest of Rags’ tribe wanted to start devouring the Rock Crab as well, but Rags barked an order and they stopped. Instead, she had them lift the shell off the crab’s corpse. It was a lot of work, but the forty-some Goblins remaining could do it if they worked together. The shell crashed to the ground, taking an unlucky Goblin’s toe with it as the Goblins shoved it off the former occupant.

Now it was time to feast. Rags let her tribe begin hacking apart the crab as she sat in the snow and munched. The meat was bitter and tough, but it was filling and it was all a starving Goblin could dream of.

As she ate, Rags thought. This was a unique hobby among Goblins, but she was not a normal Goblin. Besides, she was also chief of this tribe. To be more accurate Rags was Chieftain of the Flooded Waters Tribe of Goblins who lived and died in the area around Liscor. She had responsibilities.

Now, how many goblins had died this time? Rags didn’t have a complete count of the Goblins in her tribe because they came and died so quickly, but she had close to sixty this morning. Now, she had closer to forty. Possibly forty-five.

They’d lost fifteen Goblins killing the Rock Crab. That wasn’t bad. It might have been terrible for any group of soldiers, people, or any other species in general, but Goblins were used to slaughter, mainly on their side.

Normally it took around twenty lives to bring down one of the gigantic Rock Crabs. The exchange wasn’t good, but it meant life for at least another week for a Goblin tribe. That was considered acceptable.

But there was another aspect to the numbers. Rags eyed the dead mixed with the crab parts and wondered how many were young, or female. She had only a dozen experienced warriors, and she’d hate to lose any of them.

That was another thing about Goblins. They fought together. Women, children—there was no difference. Goblins fought or died as one. There was no place to put the young.

If they died, they all died together. It was better than dying alone and starving.

True, the pregnant females and children generally stayed at the back, but their tribe didn’t have the numbers to hold their home and hunt Rock Crabs at the same time. Rags shook her head as she stared at a small head lying in a pool of congealed blood.

It was another day in the Floodplains of Liscor. She hadn’t died yet, but there was time. There was always time to die.

The Rock Crab sated even the hungriest Goblins after a while. Rather than leave the precious meat behind, Rags ordered the bulk of her tribe to take everything they could and bring it back to their home. In this case, it was a small cave they’d taken from the bears hibernating there.

Now, that had been a fight. Rock Crabs were one thing. They were terrifying behemoths of the plains, but they were slow. Bears on the other hand could catch a running Goblin and tear them to shreds.

Rags had led that encounter as well. She’d had her Goblins loosing arrows and throwing rocks at the bears and keep them at bay while she burned them from afar. She knew only three spells, but one of them was [Firefly]. It was a spell designed to attack from afar, and ever since Rags had learned it, her Goblins had been able to take on far stronger enemies than before.

As the majority of her tribe left, Rags barked an order and eight of her best warriors formed up around her. None of them were badly injured from killing the Rock Crab, and they all had the best weapons in her tribe.

Rusty swords, a sharp dagger, a club, and a hatchet. That was the might of Goblins, and compared to them Rags was a knight in armor with her small buckler and short sword. None of the Goblins wore armor outside of some leather and cloth; it slowed them down too much in case they needed to run away.

Now, where to? Rags’ priority for the day had been killing the Rock Crab. Ever since Winter had arrived, her tribe had been starving to death. They’d waited until this Rock Crab was far away from its friends before attacking. Now that they were full, Rags could finally think about other things.

First things first. Rags set off across the snowy landscape, her warriors ranging out around her. They knew where she was going. It was the first place Rags ever went when she wasn’t busy keeping her tribe alive.

The inn.

To the Goblins, The Wandering Inn wasn’t just a place to eat. No, for them it was closer to heaven. It was a miraculous place where they were safe from all dangers, had food to eat, and best of all in Rags’ opinion, she could play chess.

Chess. Rags loved chess. It was something so completely unlike anything else she’d ever experienced in life that even now after hundreds of games it still fascinated her. Chess wasn’t something you did that was just physical, like eating or crapping or killing. It was a game you played on the board, and also in your head.

It was wonderful. And it had given Rags an even greater gift, which was the [Tactician] class. She was looking forwards to playing. Today would be the day she finally beat Erin Solstice at a game. She just knew it.

Rags crested a ridge and stopped still. The inn was gone. No—not completely gone, but—

Destroyed. Rags stared at the broken windows, the collapsed part of the roof and of course, the walls that no longer existed. She could stare straight into part of the kitchen from her spot on the hill. Something massive had taken a chunk out of the inn. It was gone.

For a full second Rags stared in shock at the inn. Then she began to think. Goblins moved past shock and confusion fast or they died. So Rags quickly noticed that the inn might be destroyed, but its owner was still alive.

Erin Solstice, human, proprietor of The Wandering Inn, and The Destroyer as she had been named by the Goblins, stood around talking with several large black insects and two tall lizards as more Antinium moved around her.

What were they doing? They were… dismantling the inn? Rags saw a Worker pry a broken piece of timber off the inn and walk down the hill. They were going somewhere else with it.

And not just pieces of the inn. Some of Rags’ warriors murmured as a group of eight Workers lifted a section of wall and trotted down the slope with it held between them. They were indeed taking apart the inn, and it seemed to Rags that they were intending to build it somewhere else.

Curious. Rags analyzed the situation as only she could do. She was smart. Every Goblin knew it. That was why they’d accepted her as Chief.

So let’s see. The inn had been in one piece when Rags had seen it yesterday. But clearly something had happened. The inn was destroyed—possibly by a monster or something else, and Erin had gotten the Antinium to fix it. Only, they’d decided to build it somewhere else.

Even as Rags came to that logical conclusion, another of her warriors came up to her and reported that more Antinium were making their way across the plains.

It was clear that Rags wouldn’t get to play chess today, so, intrigued, she ordered the other Goblin to bring her to the site of the other Antinium.

Goblins could move fast when they wanted to. It was practically their only advantageous feature, if you didn’t count their size. So Rags and her small posse found the Drake, Klbkch, Ceria, and the twenty-odd Workers shortly after the group had reached the site of the Boom Tree forest.

Rags heard her Goblins murmur as they crept closer to the Working Antinium, supervised by the Drake, Ceria, and Klbkch.

The Antinium were moving like machines, systematically stripping each tree of bark before felling them with axes. They had everything Rags dreamed of in an army. They would never break or flee, and they moved together flawlessly.

What disturbed Rags greatly though was their location. She and her Goblins had crept through the snow, ignoring the freezing temperatures, to the edge of the trees. They’d done this against all their instincts, and Rags had only come this far out of curiosity.

Her curiosity being, why the Workers were still here and not fragments of flesh and exoskeleton raining from the sky at this point. She knew these trees. They were death.

In fairness, Goblins classified almost half of the world as ‘death’, but they had a far more nuanced view of death than other species. Their species had over twenty words for death, and that meant they could define death in an almost unlimited number of ways.

Goblins pessimistically defined death as a probability, or perhaps an inevitability depending on how you looked at it. For instance, a lone human traveler was only ‘possible death’ for a group of Goblins, and if a tribe was nearby the unfortunate human was only ‘death for one or two’. By contrast, the Rock Crab had been ‘near certain death’ for the individual Goblin or small party, but only ‘many deaths’ for a tribe.

But the trees here, this forest, was absolute death. Goblins avoided the area, having learned the exact range of the explosive bark from trial and error, as it were.

That was why Rags was astonished to see that the Workers were not only moving among the trees, but chopping them down without being perforated in a thousand places. Why? Was it magic?

No—none of the three people here was capable of magic like that, Rags was certain. She knew Ceria could do magic, but she also knew the half-Elf had been badly injured, as evidenced by her skeletal hand. Moreover, Rags saw no wand or stave, and she couldn’t sense any magic coming from Ceria.

And Klbkch and the Drake certainly weren’t capable of magic. Although of the three, they bothered Rags far more than Ceria.

Klbkch for instance. The Antinium was clearly distinguishable from the other Workers, thanks to his unique build. He was taller, leaner, and had only two arms instead of four. He was also ten times more dangerous than the others.

Rags still remembered his death. She hadn’t been part of the ill-advised group of Goblins that had set out to kill Erin and avenge their Chieftain, but she’d watched as the Antinium and one of the Workers had carved their way through the ranks of the Goblins. Even though they’d killed him in the end, it had only been because he’d been protecting Erin.

And now he’d come back to life. His body might have been changed, but he smelled and acted the same. That terrified Rags.

But while Klbkch was a silent enigma, he was nothing compared to the Drake. Rags knew he had a name, but she refused to remember it.

The Drake. He was known by the Goblins of the Flooded Waters Tribe, oh yes. He had killed more of their kind by himself than the rest of the other guardsmen combined. He was faster than any Goblin—faster than arrows—had skin tougher than metal, and he could kill even a Hob with his bare hands.

He was a monster. He’d killed the Goblins who’d raised Rags. He was her enemy, even if he didn’t know it.

But there was nothing to do about him but avoid the Drake. He could easily slaughter Rags and all the warriors she’d brought. No matter what Erin said, they had to keep their distance from him.

Speaking of which, where was he? Rags narrowed her eyes and scanned the forest. The Drake had been talking to Klbkch only a second ago, but now he was gone. Where had he gone? To piss? Or—

“ Got you! ”

Rags heard the terrible voice too late. She twisted, but Relc grabbed her out of the snow and threw her through the air.

The Goblin felt herself flying, a dizzying, rushing weightlessness broken by terrible pain as she hit a tree and bounced off. She landed in the snow, winded and curled up reflexively into a ball of pain.

She didn’t think for a few minutes, only lay there as she heard the Drake laughing and her warriors screaming. The screams grew fainter, and she realized they’d fled. As was only sensible. But it left her alone, and in only moments she heard voices above her head.

“I knew it! I saw one of those pointy-eared freaks poking his head out of the snow, and I knew she had to be nearby. It’s that stupid Goblin!”

“I am not familiar with this Goblin. You say you know her?”

That was Klbkch. Rags tried to uncurl, but the pain was still too much. The Drake replied irritably.

“Yeah. Erin took her in. Her name is Raggy or something stupid like that. She’s been hanging out at the inn and playing chess.”

“Chess?”

“Yeah. Crazy, huh? I wanted to get rid of the little bugger, but Erin won’t let me. Her tribe’s been causing chaos while you were dead, and now it looks like she’s got an ambush party waiting to attack us.”

She heard the menace in the Drake’s voice, and that made Rags move. Ignoring the terrible pain in her back, she uncurled and looked up. Relc and Klbkch were standing over her while Ceria stood just behind them, staring at Rags.

Was this the day she died? Rags knew she had no chance if it came to a fight. The Drake could kill her with one claw. But she stood up anyways and reached for her sword.

The Drake growled at Rags, looming over her.

“ Drop it. ”

His voice sent a thrill of terror down Rags’ back. But she still gripped the hilt of her sword with one hand. She was terrified of the Drake, but so what? Rags was always afraid, but she never gave into the fear.

Klbkch laid one hand on the Drake’s shoulder as he gripped the shaft of his spear.

“Calm yourself, Relc. I would not wish violence here.”

“She was spying on us. Don’t you think we should do something? What if they were going to attack?”

Klbkch’s voice was an oasis of calm. He pointed at Rags.

“Erin Solstice harbors affection towards them. If she discovers they have been slaughtered, she will react poorly.”

Calm, and coldness beyond anything Rags had known. She was sure that if his needs called for it, Klbkch would kill her without batting an eyelid. Not that the Antinium had eyelids.

“Moreover, I do not believe even Goblins would be foolish enough to attack a larger force by themselves. No, I think Rags and her group were following us to see what we were doing. That is all.”

The Drake glared at his friend. He pointed at Rags.

“They killed you. Killed. You. You’re telling me you don’t want to slaughter every one of these buggers we find? They’re filthy little cowards, the lot of them.”

The word burned Rags. But of course there was nothing she could say. Klbkch paused, and then went on without changing pitch.

“My feelings do not matter. Erin Solstice has been deemed important to the Hive, and for that, her cooperation is needed. Let the Goblin go.”

The Drake glared at his friend, but then he cursed long and loud. He turned, and Rags breathed out just slightly. Maybe, just maybe—

Relc turned back and raised his foot. Rags saw only a blur and then—

—-

She woke up with a terrible pain in her jaw. Rags knew it wasn’t broken, but it hurt!

Relc was gone. Klbkch was gone. But someone was standing over her, and it wasn’t one of her Goblins.

“Rags?”

Ceria the half-Elf bent down and reached out for the Goblin. Rags’ reaction was immediate. She rolled away from Ceria and sprang to her feet, backing away from the mage warily.

“I don’t mean you any harm. I just wanted to make sure—”

Rags pulled the small jar of acid from her belt and Ceria paused. Rags hadn’t dared reach for it with Relc because he was too quick, but she held it out between her and the half-Elf warningly. It was a threat; not something Rags intended to actually make good on.

It worked. Ceria paused, and stood up carefully. She regarded the little jar of acid, knowing full well how dangerous it was. But she didn’t panic. She looked Rags in the eye.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt. Relc shouldn’t have kicked you like that.”

So. It had been the Drake. Rags felt her chin. It felt like it was about to fall off, but if that was all she ended up with, she’d count herself lucky. But then why was Ceria concerned about her? Rags was still wary.

“I’m not looking to do anything with you. If I wanted to hurt you, I’d have done it while you were asleep.”

That was true. Rags hesitated, and lowered the jar of acid. Ceria watched her tuck it into her belt and shook her head.

“I need to talk to Erin about her giving you those. That girl—”

She paused and shook her head again.

“What am I doing, talking to Goblins? Look, I don’t really care what you and your little group were doing watching us. But I have a message for you.”

A message? Rags’ ears perked up slightly. Ceria looked serious as she pointed at Rags, and then out across the plains.

“Leave. The Watch is going to wipe your tribe out or drive it off in a few days.”

Rags absorbed the information silently. She didn’t doubt that it was true for a second. Not because she thought Ceria was honest, but because she’d predicted it was coming.

More patrols through the plains. More guardsmen spotting Goblins but not attacking them, just following them for a while. The picture added up. Ceria’s words just confirmed Rags’ hunch.

Ceria didn’t seem surprised Rags wasn’t surprised. The half-Elf thrust her good hand into her pocket.

“I don’t know if you really understood that, but I hope you did. Not that I want your tribe to live or anything. I’m just telling you this so Erin doesn’t get upset. I owe her a lot.”

That was true, but Rags didn’t see how it had any bearing on the current situation. She wasn’t Erin’s pet or anything like that. But it mattered to Ceria, clearly. The half-Elf looked at Rags balefully.

“I remember the last Goblin King’s rampage from the sea. He left a sea of fire and destruction across three continents. Even if others underestimate your kind, I know you can be dangerous.”

Goblin King? Ceria had known the last Goblin King? Rags was suddenly intensely curious. No Goblin she’d ever met remembered the Goblin King, but of course they all knew of what he’d done. But it was clear that Rags’ opinion of the late Goblin King was not Ceria’s.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t shed a tear if your kind died out. But Erin likes you and I owe you for rescuing me from the ruins.”

Ceria sighed. She raised her skeletal hand and stared at it for a second. Rags stared too. She’d never seen an injury like Ceria’s before. Of course she’d seen frostbite, but never a skeletal hand that stayed together like that. Was it magic?

“You know, if your kind didn’t steal or attack innocent people, you might actually be tolerated. Perhaps not. Even half-Elves live on the edges. But you—”

Ceria broke off. She paused, looked at Rags, and for a moment her expression softened.

“There’s no place for you anywhere in the world. You have my sympathies. From one outcast to another. But take my advice and get lost. Today.”

She walked away. Rags was left alone in the middle of the stripped clearing, only a cluster of stumps indicating where all the trees had been.

Now then, what was all that about? Rags had no way of making sense of what had just happened. She took a seat on a stump, perched on the edge, one hand under her chin as she tried to think.

Ceria had warned her. Rel—the Drake had expressed his hatred for Rags and her kind and Klbkch had seemed indifferent. Was any of it a lie? Rags wished she had a Skill to tell the difference.

She often thought of Skills, and the ways in which she could use them. It was an odd thought to have, because most Goblins didn’t have any Skills to speak of. But Rags had earned several, and increasingly, she’d begun to question which Skills she might one day obtain and how they might help her survive longer.

She ascribed these un-Goblin like thoughts to the [Tactician] class, but the truth was simply that if Rags had been a human, she would have been a genius. Since she was a Goblin, she was more of a legendary being in their eyes. She was one in a million—perhaps one in a billion.

Which still didn’t make Rags all that special. Goblins reproduced so fast that even some insect species couldn’t keep up. Their kind lived and died like mayflies, and their children were able to walk and fight within days of being born.

And they died just as quickly. So Goblins would mate and reproduce as fast as they could before their half-lives ended. Even in the winter, more babies would be born and die.

The Goblins would normally starve, even with kills like the Rock Crabs to sustain the tribe. So many new lives were a strain on any ecosystem. But that was why the dead were always brought back. They would be eaten, and life would begin again.

It was the way of things. But some days Rags wondered why it had to be this way. She wondered if there was something to do that would take her tribe out of this cycle of death that was their way of life.

Or failing that, her at least. Rags wanted to live. It was all she thought about. Living, and dying. But for the first time in forever, she actually had something that could help her accomplish her goals: her classes.

Goblins could level. It was just rare that they survived long enough to gain more than one or two levels.

For instance, every Goblin including Rags had at least one or two levels in [Scavenger] and [Warrior]. But what was interesting to Rags was that they seldom leveled up higher, even the old ones.

Goblins that had lived for three years or longer were only Level 9 in the [Scavenger] class. And the highest-level [Warrior] Goblin that Rags could remember was the old Chief. He’d been Level 18 in the [Warrior] class, and he’d been a Hob.

But Rags was unique. Not only did she have eight levels in the [Warrior] class – the highest in her tribe – she also had a [Mage] class, which was practically unique among Goblins. And of course a class that was unique, the [Tactician] class. Rags was a Level 11 [Tactician]. That practically made her a Hob herself, but she still hadn’t started growing.

Hobgoblins were the next step in Goblin evolution, insofar as Goblins ever evolved. They were still Goblins, but ones who, for whatever reason, entered a sudden growth spurt. Strong Goblins who were either Chieftains or stronger, faster, or tougher than normal would suddenly begin eating twice their weight each day. They’d grow constantly, until they were suddenly as tall as Humans and in some cases, twice as wide.

These Goblins were the leaders of tribes, the shock troopers in any Goblin group and the only way Goblins could take on deadly monsters. It was a given that most tribes would have around one Hobgoblin, or Hobs as they were known. The Flooded Waters Tribe’s single Hob had been their Chief—until Erin killed him, that was.

But while Rags had leveled up as much as any Hob, she hadn’t gotten any bigger. That happened too sometimes, but she was still disappointed. She would have liked to tower over the other Goblins, but being small also meant she was less of a target.

Her concerns over being a Hob were only a small part of the questions in her mind. Rags shifted in her seat and winced as her fist bothered her injured chin. She had to think. Thinking was one of the only things Rags could do, and if she didn’t, she and her tribe would die.

Why did Goblins not level up that much? And on the other hand, why had Rags leveled up so quickly? Was it just because she was special?

Then again, every Goblin in the tribe had leveled up at least twice after killing Skinner. Even the ones who’d only cut a tiny slice off of him. Why was that? What made Skinner different from a traveler on the road, or a Rock Crab?

Maybe it was because…he was dangerous. Because the Goblins had fought , against something truly dangerous. Because they hadn’t taken an easy fight, for once.

Were Rock Crabs easy to kill? …No. But it was practically a given that if an entire tribe of Goblins attacked, a Rock Crab was going to die. It was a safe fight for the tribe, if not individuals.

But Skinner—yes, Rags remembered that night. The Goblins had known he was weak, known he was running. But they hadn’t known if he was able to kill them. Over a hundred of them had charged, and if they’d been a tiny bit slower or if Skinner had been just a little bit stronger, they might have all died.

Yes, that was it. They’d risked everything. And that, surprisingly, was rare for Goblins. As a general rule, Goblins did not pick fights that were even remotely risky. That was tough since everything was stronger than Goblins, but they always attacked with overwhelming numbers, and by surprise if they could help it.

Maybe that was why Goblins didn’t level much. And Rags—she’d leveled because when she played chess she always did her best. And when she learned magic, she worked as hard as she could to listen and learn from the smelly mage Pisces. And fighting—

She’d killed all the Goblins who’d wanted to be Chief themselves. She’d led her tribe against many monsters already, always from the front. She was brave and she risked her life.

That was why. That was the key. That was what Rags needed to leverage if she wanted to survive.

In the quiet falling snow, Rags could think clearly. The cold was getting to her, but she had enough furs on to keep herself warm for now. And the winter air was clarity. It was a reminder of death, and how close her tribe was to it.

The cruel truth of it was, the Flooded Waters Tribe was the weakest in the region. While the humans, Drakes, and Gnolls living in cities and villages didn’t really regard Goblins as more than pests roaming the countryside, there was actually hierarchy even among Goblins. Tribes were their own separate entities that controlled a territory, fighting other tribes and roaming bands of wild Goblins to maintain their dominance.

Dominance of course being the right to prey on stray livestock and keep just under the radar enough so that high-level adventurers weren’t dispatched to get rid of them. It was still a lot of power, considering how many animals could be killed and how many useful little items could be stolen while keeping a low profile.

From a pure power standpoint, the Red Fang tribe to the north was by far the strongest. They were spread out around the entrance to the High Passes, and they had six Hobs in their tribe. They dominated the other tribes occupying the grasslands in that area, although the Goblins stayed away from the Human cities where adventurers lived.

To the south, around the Blood Fields, the Broken Spear Tribe was another barrier to any movement. They ruled that area with an iron fist, much like their Chieftain. He was no Hob; like Rags, he was a smaller Goblin, but one taller than normal. He wore armor made from Shield Spiders as did much of his tribe, and they had even managed to tame the deadly creatures. If the Red Fang Tribe and the Broken Spear Tribe ever fought, it would be hard to say who’d come out on top.

Other than that, the only other major Tribe in the region was the Ghostly Hand Tribe. They lived further south than the Blood Fields, but they alone would occasionally travel north through Liscor. The Broken Spear Tribe left them alone, mainly because even they feared the Ghostly Hand Tribe’s Chief. She was a terrible [Shaman] capable of raising the dead, and several Goblins in that tribe knew basic magics. They used poison and traps to fight, and they were just as deadly to other Goblins as their enemies.

All three tribes were so far above Rags’ small tribe in terms of hierarchy that it was impossible to compare them. She couldn’t even imagine challenging one of their Chieftains, only imagine the mutilated corpse that would result from such an act.

But they had to leave this place. Ceria had said, and the writing was on the trees.

Actually, nothing was on the trees, including bark. The Workers had stripped almost every tree around here of bark, even the ones they hadn’t cut down. Piles of thick bark lay rolled up in the snow.

Rags got off her stump and wandered over to one of the rolled up pieces of bark. She squatted down and inspected it with utmost care.

Yes, this was definitely the death of this forest. A cross-section of the bark showed Rags that there was definitely a layer of detachable wood—cushioned by something soft and almost jelly-like in between. Was this what exploded to make the bark fly so far?

Hm. Could she use this? Why wasn’t the bark exploding now?

It had to be the cold. Rags could think of nothing else. The bark was hard and the in-between substance was sludgy and stiff. If it warmed up, what would happen?

They had to leave. But to where? Rags had made overtures to the Broken Spear tribe to the south already. It was warmer down south, and she’d had the idea that her tribe could inhabit the Blood Fields if necessary. But she wasn’t sure their Chief would even acknowledge her, much less grant her safe passage.

Failing that, she might be able to negotiate passage north. The Red Fang tribe was vicious, but they might grant her some space far north if she offered them tribute every week. It would be desperate, but far better than certain death. Rags could weigh the options in her head; analyze the odds of survival thanks to her [Tactican] class and skills.

But—all of that was still running away, wasn’t it? It wasn’t how you leveled. That was the key. If Rags wanted to be stronger, wanted her tribe to be stronger, they had to stop running eventually.

But running was what Goblins were good at.

Cowards. That was what the Drake had said. It burned Rags just to remember. But what hurt most was that she couldn’t dismiss it. It was true.

Goblins were cowards. Maybe that was why they were so weak. Maybe…it was that Rags had to change. The nature of what it meant to be a Goblin.

Cowardice. It was a bad word. Goblins had no real word for ‘coward’, just words for those Goblins who ran when their tribe needed them, or stabbed each other in the back. Actually, Goblins who stabbed others in the backs weren’t thought of in a negative light. Stealth was a very valuable skill.

But cowardice was a bad word in other species’ languages. Rags understood that. The word was like a burn on your head, making you smaller, less important. Coward.

What was the opposite of that? It was a word Goblins didn’t really know. It meant ‘foolishness’ or ‘stupidity’ in their language, but Rags had heard Erin say it once. She’d been talking about how Rags played. It was a better word. A good word.

Courage.

And it lit something inside of Rags. Something. A feeling she’d only felt once or twice. The first time she’d set foot in Erin’s inn. The feeling she sometimes got as she played chess and when she was in the middle of a battle.

Yes…she did know one place that would be a challenge. A challenge beyond challenges. A place of death. Possibly even worse than the High Passes. The death beyond death.

In point of fact, the place of ‘death beyond death’ was no more than a small crack in the side of one of the distant mountains. Technically, it was part of the Red Fang Tribe’s territory, but as a general rule, all Goblins avoided the area.

Rags closed her eyes. An image—sounds—engulfed her. She went back inside her head, not just back in her thoughts, but back . Back in time.

Memory. A huge glistening mass of slime rears up and engulfs the first Hob. He drops the two-handed battleaxe and screams as the creature engulfs him whole.

The slime rears up, nearly twelve feet tall. It’s not simply clear jelly, but colored sections that swirl together in a hypnotizing miasma. Crimson redness engulfs the Hob’s form like mist within the creature’s liquid form; when it clears, the goblin is gone.

The tribe’s [Shaman] raises a staff and croaks a few guttural words. Spinning arrows made of blue light strike the slime, vaporizing small bits of its mass.

The amorphous slime does not scream, but purple gathers around the places where the missiles strike, like antibodies rushing towards an injury. It rolls quickly towards the [Shaman], but two of the remaining Hobs move to block it.

The Scale Slayer Tribe battles the slime for thirty minutes before they retreat. One of their Hobs staggers away, half her face melted. The small Goblins limp away, burned, many beyond saving. They will die that night.

This is the third tribe that has sought to conquer this strange place. The abundance of strange plants gathering around the cave is not worth the death that comes out. They leave the slime to feast on their dead, and it is remembered. This is a dying place. It must be avoided at all costs.

Rags blinked, and woke up with a gasp. She realized she was being carried, unevenly propped up on other Goblins as they made their way back to their den.

Where was she? Rags looked around and realized she’d left her forest. Sometime as the ancient memories of her people had engulfed her, her warriors had come back and found her. They’d carried her back rather than disrupt her trance.

That was no good. Rags shouted and thumped the Goblins beneath her. They lowered her to the ground gently and she looked around.

She was…around two miles away from the forest where they’d found her. Good. That was good. Rags shouted and her warriors reacted with dismay. But she was insistent, and soon they had returned to the forest and ended up returning to the Goblin’s den, carrying the bark the Workers had left.

Rags lugged along a huge roll of bark, still thinking. She ignored the grumbling of her warriors around her as they carried equally heavy burdens. They would obey her, complaints or not.

She was a Chief. The Goblins may have resisted her at first, but once she had claimed her position, her status was undeniable. She would lead, until one stronger challenged her, or she fell.

A Chief was essential to any tribe. Without one, the Goblins were aimless, no matter how many of them there were. A Chief could direct them, give them purpose. Wandering bands of Goblins or weaker tribes were absorbed into a strong Chief’s tribe, and Rags had added one tribe and a few lost Goblins to her tribe just as countless Chiefs before her had done.

But being a Chief was more than just about leadership. It was also something that connected all Goblins. There was power in it, just as there was power in [Shamans]. Goblins gave their Chiefs and Shamans their abilities.

In a [Shaman]’s case, the more Goblins that were in the tribe, the more power their spells had. But a Chief took something different from their Goblins. They took memory.

It was something every Chief could do. They could remember things that had happened to their tribe, things that had happened years or even centuries in the past. This could be extremely valuable, as Goblins remembered strategy or good places to hunt or hide. But it only worked with enough Goblins.

With a small tribe, Chiefs could remember the last generation’s memories, or maybe a bit further back than that. But with a huge tribe numbering in the thousands? Rags was certain any Chief of such a tribe would be able to remember backwards thousands of years. Perhaps more.

In her case, she’d remembered the place where Goblins had discovered death. Death, in the form of a small rift in the mountain from which monsters and horrible things emerged every now and then. It was something to consider, but Rags had no time to ponder that. Because when she returned to her cave, she found more death.

A severed head sat in the center of the small cave that Rags’ tribe called home. The other Goblins sat around it, staring at the head and then at Rags as she laid the boom bark in the snow. She walked towards the head slowly. It was staring at her.

Rags knew the face of the Goblin who had died. She was a Goblin she’d chosen a week ago as a messenger. She’d sent the Goblin to the Broken Spear tribe to talk to the Chief and bring back a message. And the Goblin had, after a fashion.

The head was a clear answer to Rags’ request. The young Goblin’s head rolled across the ground before coming to a stop. It was still bleeding; the blood hadn’t clotted entirely yet.

That meant something. To Rags, who understood death, it meant that her messenger had not been killed until only recently. An hour—perhaps less?

It meant that the Broken Spear Tribe’s Chief hadn’t just killed her messenger there and then, but had the Goblin brought close to Rag’s territory and killed the Goblin then. It was a message within a message. It meant ‘we can do this to your entire tribe if we want.’

It didn’t change the rest of it, though. Rags stared into the vacant eyes of the Goblin.

Dead.

It was always like this. This was why…this was why she had to do it. Even if it meant death. She had to try, try to brave the ‘death beyond death’ to stop this from happening. Erin had done it, once. If she could do it, Rags could too.

Erin Solstice was a terrifying human. She had killed a Hob by herself, something that even Silver-rank adventurers had trouble doing. In a straight up battle, their tribe would have supported the Hob while he cut down a party of adventurers one by one. But the previous Chief had been overconfident as he hunted Erin down like prey, and she had killed him.

She was stronger now, Rags was sure. Erin had gone through fire and violence and now she had people who would help her, and strength. She had been able to kill the creatures in the ruins with just a frying pan. And afterwards, she’d hurt the adventurer with the huge eyes.

Adversity. Rags had to prepare her tribe. So she buried the head and sat and thought.

Burying the head was a sign of deep respect. It meant that the Goblin who’d died was not merely food. The Goblins would have buried their last Chief if Klbkch hadn’t done it for them.

Rags watched her Goblins eat and warned the rest to leave the bark in the snow, well away from the fire. She wasn’t ready to test the effects of warmth on the bark just yet.

Let’s see. What did she have to challenge certain death with? She had…forty five Goblins. A paltry number, compared to the hundreds of Goblins in the larger tribes.

What else? Poorly maintained weapons, aside from her short sword. Wood clubs, a few metal weapons. Nothing useful.

They had slings, adapted from the Red Fang tribe to the north. Rags had instantly adopted the weapon when she’d heard of it, going against the traditions of her tribe. The new weapon had led to more kills from scavengers, and an increase in the Goblins’ ability to harry their enemies.

She had only six small jars of acid left, and Rags knew that Erin wasn’t able to harvest any more acid flies so long as the winter lasted. Rags had several potions taken from travelers, but she had no idea what they did. She regretted losing the one Ryoka had taken back, but that was that.

They had potions, a few weapons, Rags’ magic and superior armaments, and enough food for a few days thanks to the Rock Crab. And they had the bark. And…something else.

Rags went into the back of the cave and kicked Goblins until they moved aside to let her get to the Chief’s spot. She had something there. She reached under her small nest of dried leaves, grass, and cotton, and pulled out a tangle of wires and metal.

This was what Rags had. It might be the key.

The Goblins of her tribe stared with interest as Rags brought the remains of the crossbow out and laid them close enough to the fire so she could see, but not close enough to burn anything.

Rags inspected the gleaming metal and tried to think. This was a crossbow—or it had been. Rags had found it next to a pile of death, and the humans had named it. So she had taken it, but she had no idea how to fix the crossbow.

In truth, she had no idea what a crossbow really was. She thought it was like a strange box that fired twice, maybe tied together, but the pieces of the one she’d found in the ruins didn’t look like that.

At any rate, the problem here wasn’t so much that Rags didn’t know what a crossbow was—she had the pieces. But she had no way to put it back together.

Rags poked at the wires, stared at the wood. Then she did a very Goblin thing. She reached out behind her, and punched the Goblin sitting behind her. He grunted, and she pointed to the mess on the ground.

He had no idea what to do, so he reached out and punched the Goblin behind him. That Goblin had no idea what to do either, but he punched another Goblin to ask. And meanwhile, Rags was ‘asking’ another Goblin, and the other Goblins kept asking too.

And then one Goblin punched wondered if the metal had once been held on something. The idea of a bow had made her think of that.

Rags remembered the splintered black wood and the memory made her realize the Goblin was right. Another Goblin thought the pieces would go something like…this. Another Goblin disagreed. More punched each other, but all the Goblins were thinking now.

Within an hour, the Goblins had figured out what was missing from the crossbow. They needed wood. Sturdy wood, so the metal could be pulled back like… this! And then, yes, then you could put something in the slot. An arrow? It would fly far and strike hard, they were sure.

They had a few Goblins with a level or two in [Crafter] or [Carpenter]. Rags called them over and showed them the pieces. The Goblins muttered and then grabbed firewood and began to carve.

Meanwhile, Rags’ own mind was on fire. She looked at the metal, and then ordered more Goblins to recreate the designs of the crossbow with metal. They had plenty of scrap metal, and now all of her tribe was curious.

They hit problems, though. How were they supposed to fasten the metal to wood? Rags inspected the pieces of the crossbow, and found the black metal screws. Such was the craftsmanship of the Dwarven crossbow, the wood had broken while the screws remained intact, unbent.

Screws? That was way beyond the Goblin’s level of technology. But wait—the Workers were still working on that inn. Rags sent a group of Goblins out to see if they could find anything.

They came back with a bucket stolen when no Worker was looking. The nails and metal in the bucket weren’t like the industrial, mass-produced items of the modern world, but to Goblins, they were still a miraculous thing.

Rags watched the original crossbow being reassembled by her Goblins, and then considered the issue of ammunition.

Bolts. Now, that was another problem. Like anything metal, Goblins didn’t make so much as scavenge. They didn’t have enough arrowheads for their archers to make arrows as it was, and it seemed these crossbow bolts would require different shaping of the head and shaft.

Rags set a few Goblins to cutting lengths of woods anyways while she tried to figure the problem out. They could probably fashion enough crossbow bolts for her, but they’d be made of wood and not metal, which would decrease the power. And wood was hard to come by in the winter, and harder still to manufacture without proper tools.

They couldn’t use wood for all the crossbows. So then what? What could a crossbow fire besides wood?

…Practically anything.

If you couldn’t make enough arrows, change the crossbow. Rags squatted down next to the team of tinkerers and soon, they’d widened their prototype crossbow and removed the string. Now it more closely resembled a sling mounted on a stock.

It took hours, and the entire tribe working into the night, but with a superior model to copy, the Goblins eventually came up with something that made Rags’ heart skip. They placed it next to the remade crossbow, two mismatched weapons, but two deadly ones nevertheless.

Rags loaded the Dwarven crossbow, pulling hard with both hands to cock the mechanism. Then she took one of the crude bolts one of her Goblins had made and fired a round outside. The bolt disappeared as the crossbow kicked Rags back into the cave. The Goblins were in awe.

The second crossbow was different, but no less important. Rags, massaging her chest, let another Goblin fire the first shot of that one.

This crossbow took a small stone rather than a bolt. The Goblin placed it carefully in the leather sling and drew the bow back until a small ring of metal could catch on the release of the crossbow. He aimed the bow at the cave wall and pulled the trigger.

Goblins dove to the ground as the small rock flew across the cave and shattered on the stone wall. Rags blinked as a shard of stone struck her on the forehead. She began to kick the Goblin who’d fired it, but she was elated nevertheless.

The new crossbow the Goblins had created was a stone-shot crossbow, not the advanced versions of crossbows as they exist in the world today. It had a lot less range and accuracy than a crossbow that used actual arrows, but ammunition was plentiful. Goblins could load it with small stones or even roll clay and dirt into pellets and bake them near a fire until they were hard.

Rags had her Goblins make more crossbows, as fast as possible. This revealed more problems, mainly in the construction process.

The materials the Goblins used to make the crossbows were shoddy, old, rusted iron and splintered wood. Two crossbows broke on the first firing and one’s drawstring snapped and nearly blinded the Goblin using it. But they worked.

By the end of the night, the Goblins had six working crossbows and several Goblins had earned the [Tinkerer] class. Rags was internally elated, although she wasn’t sure about the class itself.

That was the other thing. Goblins had different classes than humans. Weaker ones, Rags suspected. Instead of the [Warrior] class, a Goblin could as easily gain the [Scrapper] class. Instead of [Carpenter], some got [Crafter]. And [Tinkerer]. She was sure there was a better class that would replace it if she gained enough levels.

It went something like this. [Scrapper] became [Warrior] at Level 5 or thereabouts. And if you reached Level 20, Rags had heard some Goblins gained a different class and new skills.

She desperately wanted to level for herself and find out. But it was better, yes, far better to think of her tribe’s competency in battle first.

Rags’ internal [Tactician] was going wild at the thought of using the crossbows. They had good range, and unlike slings, they could be loaded and left alone until they were needed. Rags could open any battle with a volley and let the less-able combatants pelt her enemy while her warriors engaged at close range.

Yes, they could be a game-changer. Rags wanted these new crossbows in the hands of every one of her Goblins. Rags had visions of sixty Goblins firing all at once. What could they kill with that? The Rock Crabs had too much armor, but with these new weapons, they wouldn’t have to kill them. They could hunt birds without worrying about ammunition.

They could stop eating their dead.

As for her crossbow, Rags could barely load it even with help from other Goblins. But she was fairly certain that a bolt from that would kill even a bear if she hit it in the eye. It was a weapon fit for a Chief.

Rags went to sleep that night, head buzzing with thoughts. But at the back of her mind was the knowledge that this was only the first step. She had something—now she needed to turn that into a way to survive her coming trial.

[Leader Class Obtained!]

[Leader Level 2!]

[Skill – Aura of Command Obtained!]

[Tinkerer Class Obtained!]

[Tinkerer Level 1!]

[Skill – Basic Repair Obtained!]

—-

The Goblins left their cave the next day. It was a chaotic, messy move, but Rags shouted and used her new Skill to make her Goblins organize themselves much faster than they would have normally. They set out through the snow, skirting dangerous spots, scavenging for wood and deposits of clay to make ammunition for their new weapons.

It turned out they could use ice for ammunition as well, although only jagged bits of ice and not compacted snow. Rags located an older cave using her Chief’s memories and her Goblins worked all night to make more crossbows. She tested the boom bark by lighting a fire far away outside and sending a Goblin out to toss a roll into it.

When the Goblins picked themselves off the ground, Rags decided she’d found a very useful trap. But she made sure to bury the bark deep in the snow outside the cave, nevertheless.

They came to the opening in the side of the mountain the next day. Rags halted her tribe outside, ordering them into loose ranks. By now, she had fourteen crossbows not including her own, and she’d distributed slings and bows among the rest.

This was it. Rags stared at the small opening and felt her heart racing. Was this the day she died? She’d enter as carefully as possible. If anything dangerous came their way, she’d retreat.

But she had to level up. Her tribe had to be stronger. That was the truth that had revealed itself to Rags. She wanted to live. So she would dance with death until she did.

Death or levels. Life or death. She unsheathed her sword and pointed at the small rift in the rock. A hundred feet in, and the place would change. Two hundred and they’d start traveling downwards. Three hundred, and no Goblin would ever return. That was what the memories told her.

The Goblins tensed, weapons at the ready. Rags inhaled, and then the breath caught in her lungs.

Something was moving from within the darkness. The Goblins around her froze in terror. Rags lowered her sword and raised her finger. She knew three spells. The [Firefly] spell blazed in her mind.

Then it appeared. Horror washed over the Goblins, undiluted, pure terror. As the purple flaming eyes touched them, the Goblins and Rags felt fear. The same fear that had come from Skinner.

Pumping, bony arms. A lithe frame, mainly because there was no meat on it. Light illuminated bone as something dashed out of the darkness, running as fast as he could.

Rags’ jaw dropped.

A familiar skeleton charged out of the ruins, pursued by a massive suit of armor. To the Goblins, the armor was even more horrifying because it was clearly made for a Minotaur or something even larger. It was missing its helmet, but the enchanted armor glowed with orange light that shone from seams in the armor and the open hole at the top. It held a massive greatsword raised in both hands as it chased Toren into the snow.

Rags and her tribe watched Toren run straight towards them. They eyed the magical armor, considered their crossbows. They looked at the armor, at Toren, at each other.

They screamed as one, and ran.

Side Story - Mating Rituals

“You have not had sex yet. This is a bad thing, yes?”

Erin paused with a large forkful of boiled beef and vegetables halfway to her lips. She stared open-mouthed at Krshia and then swiveled her gaze to stare at Selys. The Drake winced and avoided her gaze.

“Um. Okay?”

Krshia leaned over the table and regarded Erin intently.

“It has been weeks since we have known each other. But you have not mated with anyone. This is a bad thing, I am thinking. We must do something about that.”

“We must?”

“Hrm. Yes. That is why Selys and I have invited you. It is a matter which we would discuss.”

“Here?”

Erin looked around the room. They were in a restaurant. Actually, the restaurant was actually a tavern, but Erin liked to think of it as a restaurant. They were pretty much the same thing, but taverns usually included more drinking.

This was a Gnoll tavern though, which meant most of the customers inside were furry. A few Drakes were present, but the staff and cooks were Gnolls. Krshia had suggested the place and Erin had happily accepted.

It was rare that Erin got a chance to leave her inn. But business had been slow, Selys had a free day off and Krshia had mentioned the tavern had good food. So Erin had locked Toren in the inn, joined up with the other two, and come here. They’d spent a fun few minutes talking and ordering food – bloody mutton for Krshia, breaded fish for Selys, and boiled beef for Erin. The food had arrived, they’d begun to eat, and then sex had happened.

Not literal sex, but the thing about even discussing sex was that it did odd things to the mind. Erin stared down at her beef, sitting in a light marinade of broth. It was soft and practically fell apart on her spoon. It looked and smelled delicious, but suddenly Erin was imagining sausages. For no particular reason, of course.

That was the thing about penises. They could appear out of nowhere in a heartbeat. Erin put down her spoon and stared at Krshia. Then her eyes swiveled to Selys.

“Sex? Um. You want to talk about sex?”

The female Drake followed her eyes as she chewed her fish.

“Not just sex. Guys. Males . I was just curious and I mentioned it to Krshia, and she said—”

“You have not had sex. You should. Selys agrees.”

Krshia nodded while Selys shook her head, waving her hands as Erin stared at her.

“ I didn’t say Erin should have sex. I just thought it was, um, something to talk about. That’s all.”

“Oh.”

Erin sat back in her chair, staring hard. Sex was sex. She knew all about the birds and the bees, although they certainly didn’t look anything like birds or bees up close. She could handle a discussion about private parts, and she certainly wasn’t squeamish but—

She looked around. She was in a nearly full room full of, not to put a fine point on it, males. Some females, but lots of males now that she looked. And she and her two friends were sitting at a central table talking fairly loudly.

“Um. Should we talk about it here? I mean, sex is…is…”

Krshia and Selys stared at her blankly. Erin turned red. Selys laughed.

“Erin! We just want to talk about relationships. We’re not going to talk about, you know, how it is .”

“Unless you wish to.”

Selys and Erin stared at Krshia. Selys cleared her throat nervously and looked at Erin.

“We don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I was just curious about whether you were you know…interested. I thought you might be lonely, and Krshia—”

“Thought I didn’t have enough sex. Right.”

Erin stared down at her food. Perhaps if she looked at that she wouldn’t have to meet the two stares directed her way.

“Well I—hadn’t given it much thought, really? I’ve been busy with the inn and all. And um, I hadn’t really thought about a relationship. With someone else, I mean.”

Krshia frowned.

“But you are young. Now is the best time to be mating with others. What holds you back?”

“Nothing! I just—it’s not like people my age go around having sex all the time. Right?”

Erin looked at Selys. The Drake avoided her gaze.

“Well, I wouldn’t say all the time, but once in a while is nice, Erin. And it’s not like you have to have someone special. You could just ah, have a special night once in a while.”

Erin took a moment to figure that one out.

“You mean a one night stand?”

“If you wish to stand it would be a long night. But pleasurable, perhaps? I may try that.”

Selys choked on her drink. Erin thumped her on the back while she tried to stop blushing.

“Look, I’m no expert. It’d be nice, sure, but it’s just not something I’m looking into.”

“But why?”

Selys coughed and looked at Erin.

“It’s not like there are many humans around. I mean, you could meet up with one of those adventurers or merchants that come by, but there are options , you know? It’s a big city.”

“Options? What do you…oh.”

Krshia regarded Erin intently as the human girl’s eyes followed a passing Gnoll. Erin stared wide-eyed at the tall, six-foot tall furred hyena and tried to think of something as a response.

“I um, I—”

Krshia sniffed at Erin and frowned.

“Perhaps you are afraid of Gnolls and Drakes? You do not like scales or fur?”

“What? No—I don’t mind that. I just—I’ve never—”

The Gnoll brightened.

“Oh? So you would not mind mating with one of my kind? It is good.”

“Well mind is—look Krshia, I really haven’t thought about this. Mating, I mean, having sex is something that I don’t know if I’m ready for. Here I mean. I uh, where would I start…?”

“Taking clothes off is a good first step. It works for me.”

Erin turned and glared at Selys. The Drake laughed as Krshia nodded to herself.

“Perhaps it is fear, then? The first time having sex with another not of your kind is odd. I remember my first Drake. It was odd, but exciting.”

Erin looked at Selys. The Drake was staring at Krshia.

“Selys. Have you…?”

Selys jumped. She looked around wide-eyed, not happy at being in the hot seat.

“What, me? No! I mean, I’ve just stuck with—there’s a lot of fur on Gnolls. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I thought Erin would like to meet one of my friends.”

Krshia frowned.

“Drakes? No. If she is to break her wait, a Gnoll is best.”

“I’m not sure that’s true—”

“I have compared the two. I prefer my kind.”

“But that’s you. I think Erin should have a fair choice, that’s all.”

“Mm. But she should know what it is she chooses. There are differences, yes? It would be good to teach her.”

“True…”

Erin stared at Selys and Krshia as the two talked and wondered if she could run away. Probably not. Krshia could track her down and she’d just continue the conversation when they next met. Unless Erin never came back to Liscor. That was an option.

Was it hot in the tavern? Erin looked around. She was sure it hadn’t been this warm when she walked in.

She caught sight of a Gnoll sitting just across from their table. He was a young…Gnoll, and male. He’d probably come here for a quiet meal, but now he was front-row to a conversation that he clearly wanted to hear and not hear at the same time.

“Erin.”

Erin jumped and looked at Krshia. The Gnoll was smiling at her.

“We think you should learn of our kind, so you may find a partner to sleep with. It would be good to learn of in any case, and you will then have many opportunities, to mate, yes?”

“Yes?”

She nearly said ‘no, please don’t tell me anything.’ But although part of Erin was horrified this conversation was taking place in public, another part of her was curious. Curious—not committed or anything. But since they were talking about that kind of thing…

“So there’s a big difference between Drakes and Gnolls?”

“And humans. We may walk on two feet, but we do some things very differently.”

Selys cleared her throat.

“Or so I’m told. I haven’t seen much.”

“I have.”

Krshia nodded.

“Many things are different. Pleasurably so, but it is good to be warned. If you would mate, you should be ready. I can describe them for you, if you wish.”

Erin still had yet to touch her meal, but she picked up her drink and took a hefty swallow. It was one of the mildly alcoholic beverages on offer and right now she was wishing there was more alcohol in it.

“Describe? What?”

“Male parts of course.”

“Oh. Um, right. Well—okay. Actually, I have a question about that. Do you, um, what do you call them? Male parts, I mean.”

Selys and Krshia exchanged a look and smiled.

“What is it that humans call their male parts?”

Erin told them. Selys frowned.

“Penis? Vagina? That sounds so…so…ew. It doesn’t sound good. Put the penis in the vagina? Is that what you humans say to each other when you’re doing it?”

“Well, we don’t say that . We have other…words.”

“Mm. I think I understand. Males make many names for their pride, is it not so? I have heard them call it their sword, or their spear. Although it is a weak spear if it is just made of flesh.”

She laughed loudly, and Erin was aware that the other guests in the room were listening to their conversation. Selys didn’t appear to notice.

“Really? I’ve heard—um, well, most Drakes call it the ‘second tail’.”

Selys blushed fiercely as Erin tried not to laugh. The Drakes in the room studiously avoided looking anywhere at the three females. Krshia didn’t even bother containing her laughter.

“It is a good way to say it! I have heard my kind call it their small fang. Very small, in some cases.”

Erin tried not to, but she had to laugh as well. Krshia smiled.

“They make much of their male parts, do they not? But Selys, now that we speak of small things I had a question for you.”

“For me?”

The Gnoll nodded as she bit into her bloody meal and chewed.

“I have heard it said that your people have not one, but two lower tails among your kind. It is said often among, but although I have checked, I have never seen two, only the one.”

“Two…?”

Erin stared at Selys over her drink. She tried to imagine it and got very odd images in her head.

“That’s a common misconception. Drakes don’t have two. That’s lizard people.”

Selys scowled around her mug. She flicked her tail on the wooden floor angrily.

“We’re nothing like those freaks. We have one. I mean, I don’t have one but guys have one. Anyways, what would you do with two?”

“I can think of a use.”

Selys looked at Krshia blankly while Erin turned beet red. The Gnoll snorted at them.

“Younglings. Never mind. If you do not know yet, you will find out. Although maybe you have tried—?”

“Um, so how is it?”

Erin changed the subject frantically. She looked at Krshia and Selys.

“You said you’ve um, been with humans and Drakes and Gnolls. Anything uh, stand out?”

Selys snorted into her food and Krshia laughed again.

“Much stood out, but not so much with humans. It was disappointing, the one time I tried.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I had heard humans were not so different than Gnolls or Drakes, but there is a difference down there.”

Krshia made a gesture that would have been immediately censored on television. Erin was fascinated, though.

“Really?”

“Yes. Humans are regrettably small.”

“Small?”

This was bad. Erin had somehow gotten sucked into the conversation. She hadn’t meant to, but her sense of embarrassment and shame had taken a hike for a while and she was now horribly, definitely interested in the topic at hand.

“Um, how small are we talking here?”

“This big?”

Krshia spread apart two fingers. Erin frowned.

“No—they’re not that small.”

“Are you sure? I have seen them for myself. Very small, yes? Hard to see.”

“Really? That’s so disappointing…”

“No—no, they get bigger. It’s a reproductive thing. Once the guy gets, um excited, it—”

Erin broke off. Krshia was grinning and Selys shook her head.

“We’ve seen it, believe me, Erin.”

The Gnoll nodded.

“Ah. They become larger? Then that explains much. The one I saw remained small. No matter what I did.”

“I suppose the guy was just…nervous.”

“Frightened.”

“It is regrettable. But at least his tongue still worked.”

Erin sucked in her lips as Selys suddenly found she was ready for another drink. Krshia smiled at her.

“So how large do they become, Erin Solstice? Large enough to be useful, I hope?”

Now she was on the spot. Erin turned red—well, redder. She was in a state of permanent blush, but she did her best and spread apart her hands.

“Um. This big?”

Selys and Krshia looked at Erin’s hands. Krshia shook her head.

“…No. Have you not ever seen one?”

Erin blushed.

“Well, it’s not as if I could measure—is it bigger?”

“Smaller, I hope.”

Selys murmured. She showed Erin a much smaller span with her hands.

“That’s normal. At least, it is among most Drakes. Not that I’m an expert.”

“Mm. This is what I have seen.”

Erin and Selys stared at Krshia’s hands. Half of the inn’s patrons – the male half – furtively peeked around their mugs.

“Huh. So Gnolls…”

“They have the biggest, yes.”

“Size isn’t everything.”

“Is that what humans say? Drakes don’t say that.”

“Neither do Gnolls. Size is good, yes? Too much is bad. But not enough is not enough.”

Krshia elbowed Erin.

“You would agree with that, yes? A good size makes much difference.”

“I uh—”

Embarrassed, Erin took a long drink of her drink. Alcohol was good. It made all her embarrassment go away if she drank enough. But Krshia probably required a barrel, because she was still extolling the virtues of the proper penis.

“Mm. A good one is thick. Hard, strong—”

“Barbed.”

Selys sighed happily. Krshia and Erin looked at her. Erin’s cup was firmly anchored to her mouth, but she had lost her thirst completely.

“ Barbed? ”

She looked at Krshia. The Gnoll made a face.

“They are not spikes. But more like—ridges? Hard parts of flesh. It is not bad. Enjoyable, given time.”

“Ah. I see.”

Silence fell over the table for a few seconds. The Gnoll server took that moment to dart in, deliver the drinks and refills and run for it. Erin stared at her food. She’d eaten a bit of her plate, although she had no recollection of doing so.

After a moment Selys learned forwards and lowered her voice.

“That reminds me. I’ve been meaning to ask you this, Erin. I have a bet with a friend of mine. She says humans do it but I never believed her…”

A thousand images flashed through Erin’s mind, a thousand clicked internet links she regretted (and a few she didn’t). She braced herself as Selys hesitated. At last the Drake asked the question.

“Do humans really put it…in their mouths? ”

Erin stared at Selys. The Drake was deadly serious. Erin looked around. Half a dozen males lowered their heads instantly. The other half were too slow and pretended to be ordering a drink.

“Um. Yes?”

“No.”

Krshia and Selys both looked at Erin in disbelief. The girl shrugged awkwardly.

“What? Yeah, we—I mean humans do. Not me, but it happens.”

“Erin. That’s really disgusting.”

“Mm. It is unusual. But perhaps not so much?”

Krshia looked at Selys thoughtfully.

“What? But Krshia, just think about it. One of those? In your mouth? ”

“Yes, but I have heard it said that Drakes use their tongues very well. Is that not so?”

Erin’s gaze was suddenly riveted to Selys’ mouth. Her long tongue flicked out as the Drake covered her mouth with her hand.

“That’s different! And I certainly haven’t—but the mouth? Do you eat it?”

Krshia made a face.

“That would be disgusting, yes? Surely—”

Both Drake and Gnoll stopped at the look on Erin’s face. She stared fixedly at one wall and said nothing. After a moment Selys cleared her throat and changed the topic.

“I just don’t understand it. It’s weird.”

“Oh come on. You’re saying Gnolls and Drakes don’t do that at all?”

“No.”

“No.”

Erin looked from Krshia to Selys.

“Why? I mean, I’m not saying it’s great but—”

“I think it would be hard to convince males to put anything in a female Gnoll’s mouth they did not wish to lose. It would be risky, even at best.”

Krshia bared her teeth and Erin saw her point. Erin had canines. Four, to be exact. Krshia’s mouth was all canine and very sharp to boot. She had very pronounced canine teeth, which made Erin think of a dog. Which hyenas were, if she remembered her biology right. Half dog, half cat or something.

Selys had pointed teeth too, and Erin wondered how sharp they were. She’d seen Selys bite through their meal of beef without any effort. Where Erin had to grind away at the occasional gristle, Krshia and Selys had easily chewed their way through the food.

“I see your point. Um. I guess it’s just a human thing. It goes the other way, too, you know.”

“Other way? Oh, you mean guys using their tongues. That happens with us.”

Krshia nodded.

“They do that all the time. It is an important first part.”

“Duh.”

“Long tongues. Very good.”

Erin shivered. She had goose bumps and the conversation was getting even more awkward.

“I uh, okay. That’s a lot of information. So—so there are big differences.”

“Not so big. All the parts are generally the same. It’s just the details that change.”

“Indeed. But if you were to have sex, I am sure you would enjoy it very much in any case.”

Suddenly the conversation was back to her sex life. Not a topic Erin was too keen on. She raised her hands defensively.

“Look. I appreciate the concern, but I don’t really know anyone in the city. I mean, okay, I know some people, but it’s not like I’m desperate or anything. I mean, who would I even…?”

Erin paused.

“Are you saying I should um, date someone I know? Like Relc?”

Krshia shrugged, but Selys shook her head vehemently.

“What? Of course not. I mean, not unless you wanted to. And you could do a lot better than Relc. I mean, just look at him.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

Selys looked at Krshia, but the Gnoll looked blank. She sighed and tried to explain.

“Relc? Oh, he’s a soldier, Erin. He still is, even if he’s retired. He might be good for one night, but then he’ll be chasing someone else’s tail. Besides, he’s, you know…”

Selys’ tail lashed and she looked around before lowering her voice.

“Sort of ugly, you know?”

“He is?”

“Haven’t you seen his face? His jaw and the way the face looks just don’t match. And his scales…”

Selys glanced at her audience and realized she’d lost them.

“Well, trust me, he’s not a looker. Now, if you were talking about Olesm, I might see your point. He’s quite nice to look at.”

“He is? I mean, he is. So you’re saying…”

“Well, maybe. But there’s a lot of competition around him.”

“There is?”

Selys nodded seriously.

“He’s a [Tactician], smart, and he’s got good prospects for a better job in the future. A lot of people I know are interested in him.”

“Hrr. He is acceptable, I suppose. If Erin was interested in him. Is that the case?”

“I hadn’t thought about it. Ever.”

“Well, is there anyone you are interested in?”

Erin had to think. She only knew a few other males.

“Um, well, there’s Pawn.”

Both Gnoll and Drake stared at her. They exchanged knowing looks.

“Oh.”

“I see.”

“I didn’t mean that! I just meant he’s another guy. I’m not interested in him. At all.”

“That is good. I do not know anyone who would ever mate with an Antinium.”

“I’m not sure if they even have a way to have sex, to be honest. They seem pretty…smooth down there.”

“Right. And they’re bugs.”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

“And I’m not into bugs.”

“Oh, I knew that.”

“Obviously.”

Erin narrowed her eyes at the other two. Selys cleared her throat.

“Well, who else is there?”

“…Pisces?”

“No!”

Krshia and Selys looked relieved.

“Well, if there is no one you know that you wish to mate with, it may be good to find one, yes? And we may help. We can tell you those who would be good at sex rather than those who are deficient.”

Selys nodded.

“I don’t want to judge, but that is pretty important. My friends all say it matters to how happy they are. I’ve heard some of their tail mates are—well, I don’t want to name names, but some of them hardly last any time at all.”

Krshia nodded, frowning seriously.

“I have had the same experience. Many night unsatisfied because he was unable to last. It is a frustrating thing.”

“Really? How long—or short is it for you, Krshia?”

The Gnoll considered the question.

“Hm. A short time would be…fifteen minutes? Good sex is usually half an hour or longer, yes? Usually closer to an hour, but there is not always enough time so…”

She glanced up and saw Erin and Selys staring at her.

“What? Much of the time takes place with the end, yes?”

“The end?”

“The knot.”

“The what? ”

Erin thought she remembered hearing how dogs had sex. But if Gnolls—her eyes swiveled to Selys and the two shared a moment of shared interest and horror. Selys looked at Erin.

“Half an hour. Do humans…?”

“I don’t think so. Um. Probably not. The longest video I watched was—”

Erin tried to suck the words back out of the air, but then she realized her audience.

“…No. I think the average is around five minutes?”

“ Five? ”

“I mean, they can go longer. Why?”

“I usually—I mean, Drakes usually go for around ten minutes. At least.”

“Ten minutes. Wow. That’s pretty impressive.”

“It’s nice. I wish they spent more time afterwards, but you know males. Once they’re done, they’re done. ”

“Mm. It is good to hold each other afterwards, yes?”

Erin could see that. Or rather, she could see Krshia and some Gnoll doing cuddly dog things, or even embracing like humans. But when she looked at Selys and thought of two Drakes…the closest she could get to intimacy was rubbing each other with their scales. It didn’t sound pleasant. Sort of like sandpaper grinding against each other?

“Well, I can see you two get out a lot.”

“Not that much. I’m not—we’re just saying. It’s once a month.”

“Or once a week.”

“I haven’t found anyone good recently so it’s been sort of quiet.”

“I had sex yesterday. It was enjoyable, yes?”

Erin and Selys stared at Krshia. The Gnoll shrugged.

“You’re very…open about all that, Krshia.”

Krshia grinned.

“My people, we have very good noses, yes? There is no use hiding such things so we have no need for modesty. And besides, smelling is good. It tells us many things.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Like when we are in estrus. Ah—that means when we are in our mating period. Then males come to us. And we also know when we are pregnant. It is a good thing to know.”

“Right. Oh, right! Pregnancy! How do you deal with that?”

“What do you mean, Erin?”

“Well, um, you’re having sex, right? What if you get pregnant?”

There were certainly no condoms lying around here, and Erin was pretty sure that not a lot of mages would be specialized in birth control. Unless there was an [Gynecolomancer] class or something.

Krshia cocked her head at Erin.

“It is a simple matter. There is a tea we may brew that stops such things.”

“Oh.”

Erin felt silly. Krshia nodded sagely.

“Mm. It is a good tea. Tasty. I gave you some to drink when you visited my home, do you not recall? You seemed to enjoy it.”

“I did? I did. Of course I did. And I drank it. Which is totally fine.”

“Yes, it is good. I will give you some herbs to brew your own. Not that you would worry with a Gnoll.”

“That is good. I uh, wouldn’t want to have a litter. Or lay an egg.”

“We don’t lay eggs! Again, that’s lizards you’re thinking of!”

“You don’t lay eggs? Really?”

Erin stared at Selys. The Drake squawked angrily at her.

“No! We’re Drakes, not lizards!”

That meant they were mammals, if Erin remembered her biology class right.

“Oh, sorry Selys. It’s just you know, I thought Drakes were like Dragons and…”

“We don’t lay eggs. We’re descendants of Dragons, but only in some ways. We don’t lay eggs or hibernate. We. Are. Not. Lizards.”

Selys’ tail lashed the ground angrily and she flicked her tongue out as she glared at Erin and Krshia. The other two exchanged silent glances, but said nothing. Selys took a long, soothing drink from her cup to steady her nerves.

“So, when would you like to have sex?”

Erin sprayed most of her drink on the floor, but she still covered Selys with quite a bit.

“Oh, gross. Erin! ”

“ Selys! ”

“It’s just a question. And it’s not like you have to grab the first guy you see. But we could introduce you to someone, nice, you know?”

“No. I don’t know. And I’m not going to—I’m far too busy to—”

“It would take just a moment, yes? We could leave and you meet several young ones I know. I am sure they would be eager to learn your scent.”

Erin stood up, agitated.

“Look it was fu—it was very nice talking to both of y—I’ve gotta go.”

She turned, and fled. Selys and Krshia watched Erin rush out of the tavern. The Drake picked up a napkin and started wiping her face.

“I think it was the idea of smelling that got to her. Humans don’t usually sniff each other.”

“Mm. They should more often. It is good to know what your partner smells like.”

“Well Erin’s not going to be smelling anything anytime soon if that’s how she reacts to meeting new guys.”

“This is true.”

The two paused, and looked at each other over the table. After a moment, Selys spoke.

“Fifteen copper pieces says she takes a Drake first.”

“Hrm. It is agreed. But you will lose the bet. I have a good young one in mind for Erin.”

“And I know a guy. Several guys, actually.”

“Well, we shall see who she picks.”

More silence. Selys picked at her plate. She wasn’t really hungry, anymore. Being covered in spit tends to do that to even the hungriest diner.

“…So. Half an hour? Really?”

Krshia grinned at Selys and snapped the bone on her plate with her paw. She began to lick at the marrow.

“Would you like to find out?”

—-

The first suitor Erin met knocked on her door the next day. She opened the door and found a Gnoll grinning toothily at her, holding a bouquet of strange, smelly orange flowers. She recognized him. He was Tkrn, one of the city guardsmen.

She was tempted to close the door in his face. But instead, Erin put on a smile.

“Um, hi. It’s Tkrn, right? What can I uh, do for you?”

Tkrn, the friendly Gnoll guardsman who Erin wished was a little less friendly at the moment, smiled widely at Erin.

“I am here to give you a gift, Erin Solstice.”

He held out the bouquet. Erin recoiled as Tkrn shoved the noxious weeds in her face. Erin coughed.

“What’s—that?”

Tkrn looked puzzled. He waved the flowers and Erin tried not to pass out.

“These are flowers. Humans like flowers, yes? I have chosen some that are especially smelly for you.”

“And why do you want me to have them?”

“I have been told you are seeking a mate. I am here to court you. For this, I must have flowers. That is how it is done between humans, no?”

It wasn’t her [Dangersense] that went off, but Erin’s natural instincts that started clanging in her head at this point. She stared at Tkrn and wondered whether she could just shut the door. No. That would probably be impolite.

She was tempted anyways, though. Erin glanced at the flowers.

They stank . Erin was reminded of dogwood, the trees that stank of rotting fish in every spring around her neighborhood. She pushed Tkrn’s offering aside and coughed twice.

“No thanks. I don’t want—I mean, humans don’t give each other flowers that much. Not anymore. I think. Flowers are nice. These are…smelly. But what would I do with them?”

“Eat them?”

“Humans don’t eat flowers.”

“You don’t?”

Tkrn stared at the flowers and scratched his head. Then he tossed them to one side.

“Well, I have more gifts! Here!”

He dug at a pack at his side and handed Erin a ring. She stared at it.

“That’s a ring.”

“Yes! It is what humans have before they can mate, yes?”

Erin stared at the ring. It wasn’t even set with a precious gem. It was a nice ring. A wooden, carved ring one might buy as a souvenir. She knew she shouldn’t blame Tkrn, but she felt insulted it was so cheap.

She glared at Tkrn.

“Krshia put you up to this, right?”

His eyes went wide, and Tkrn adopted an expression of unconvincing innocence.

“No. I am here of my own free will.”

“Really?”

“Really. Krshia may have mentioned to me that you were looking for mates—”

“I’m not looking for mates.”

Erin said it flatly. Tkrn looked disappointed.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Fairly sure. Very sure. Anyways, I don’t have fur or—or any other Gnoll parts. I’m probably hideous to you, right?”

He grinned at her again. Erin was caught by his wide spread of sharp teeth. Yes, she could definitely see why oral sex only went one way in Gnoll culture.

“I find fleshy things attractive. ”

Now that was a statement to give Erin goosebumps, and she wasn’t sure if it was in a good way or not. It was definitely creepy either way, though.

Tkrn smiled at Erin again.

“You have very good teeth. And your hips…are wide. Very fertile, yes?”

“No—I—”

“If you accept my gifts, I would mate with you. Or if you wish, we could get to know each other.”

“Get to know each other? How? I mean, I’m not interested but—what do Gnolls do on their um, first date?”

The Gnoll perked up and smiled even wider.

“We could learn each other’s scent. I could smell you.”

“Smell me? Um…”

Erin’s mind flashed ahead of the conversation. She thought about dogs and where they smelled each other.

“Oh no. Hell no.”

“No?”

Tkrn looked confused, and hurt. Erin raised her hands.

“No. Bad—bad Gnoll. I’m not interested. Go away.”

“Are you sure? I could lick you, too. Or—I could kill something and bring it for you!”

“No.”

“What about grooming? I could groom your hair. You humans don’t have much, but I’m told you have more underneath your clothing. If you—”

“No! No grooming, no smelling, no licking, and no killing! Go away!”

“But I haven’t even—”

“No! Shoo!”

Erin waved her hands at Tkrn, patience exhausted. He looked hurt, but she pointed.

“Go back to the city! And tell Krshia I don’t want a mate! I mean boyfriend! Go away! I mean it!”

Tkrn stared at Erin. When he saw she wasn’t about to budge, his face fell, and his ears drooped. He looked so much like a dejected dog Erin had a nearly uncontrollable urge to reach out and scratch him behind the ears. But she didn’t. That could lead to petting, and there was petting and… petting. She wasn’t about to entertain the idea of either at the moment.

“I understand. I am sorry to have taken your time.”

“Um, right. Thanks?”

Erin closed the door, heart pounding. Why did she say ‘thanks’? It was better than saying sorry, at least. She didn’t hear anything from outside for a few seconds, and then Tkrn moved away.

Well, at least he wasn’t going to stay and howl outside her window. That was probably a racist thought, but Erin didn’t care. She was going to hit Krshia—

Erin thought about Krshia. The Gnoll looked like a basketball player on steroids covered in a carpet. She was going to yell at Krshia, politely, and at a distance.

At least Tkrn hadn’t pressed his case, though. No meant no even in this world, which was good. Very good.

Erin sighed and turned to go back to squishing blue fruits into juice. But she paused. Was something…?

The faint splattering sound was her first clue, but the smell quickly confirmed it. Erin opened the door.

Tkrn paused as he faced the wall of her inn, a few feet away from the door. Erin’s eyes were drawn to his crotch, but another, more pressing question came out of her mouth.

“Are you…peeing on my door?”

—-

The second suitor was suave and smooth-talking, a lady’s man, except that he was a Drake. His name was Culyss and Erin liked him even if she didn’t like him.

He met her at the door with a small gift – a necklace with a piece of metal hammered into the shape of a pawn chess piece of all things – and charmed her with a few jokes. Before she knew it, he’d invited her to invite him in and they were sitting in her inn, talking.

At some point she must have asked him about his tail. Erin couldn’t help it. It was a tail , and unlike the Gnoll’s fluffy tails which she was used to, the tails of Drakes were long and flexible.

“My tail?”

Culyss seemed surprised by the question, and even more so when Erin asked if she could touch it. She was curious what it was like. His eyes went wide for a moment, but he agreed more readily than she would have thought.

That was how she ended up sitting at a table as he faced away from her, stroking his tail, poking it, and feeling it ripple underneath her hands.

It was fascinating for Erin, not least because it turned out the tail was pretty muscular for something that Drakes dragged along behind them to keep their balance. IT could flex, twist, and even manipulate objects if a Drake put his or her mind to it.

And it had bones. Erin pressed at the tail and Culyss made an odd sound in his chair.

“Gently. Gently! Ah…”

“Oops, sorry. Am I hurting you?”

Erin looked up in concern, but Culyss had a faraway look in his eyes. He shook his head vehemently.

“No—no. Please continue.”

She did. The scales were fun to touch, and Culyss kept twitching every time she stroked the tail. It was like having a weird pet snake in her lap and Erin was fascinated when he curled the tip around her hand.

Eventually, she got bored and Culyss stopped moaning. He got up hastily from his chair as she released his tail.

“Thanks for letting me do that.”

“What? Oh, no.”

He shook his head at Erin.

“Thank you. I’m ah, I, ah, should go.”

“What, already?”

Erin was disappointed, but Culyss seemed insistent. He was also covering his groin with his tail.

“I will return. Later. I would love to further our relationship.”

They had one? But Culyss wasn’t Tkrn and he was friendly enough. He bid her farewell at the door, smiling warmly at her.

“It was very nice to meet you.”

Erin blinked at him.

“Um. Sure?”

—-

It took about two hours for Erin to realize what had happened. Her first clue was when she wondered what a healthy young male would need to cover, and then her second clue came when she wondered whether Drake’s tails were sensitive. Her third clue was when Selys practically kicked down her door.

“You stroked his tail? Erin! It was only a first date!”

“I didn’t know! I didn’t know! ”

Screaming ensued. When Selys asked Erin if she’d at least enjoyed it, Erin threw a chair at her. But that was mostly to cover her blushes.

—-

After Selys had left, Erin buried her face in her hands, ran around the inn until she tripped over a chair, and then curled into a ball in the corner and tried to will the last hour into not having happened.

Ten minutes might have passed, or perhaps an hour. Erin was brought out of her reverie by a sharp poke to the side. She yelped.

Rags poked Erin until the girl uncurled from her ball and glared at the small Goblin.

“What?”

Rags pointed at one of the tables and glared at Erin.

“Oh, right, today’s chess day, is it?”

Erin sat up. Her face was still red, and she felt like burying her head in the ground. But chess was chess, and at least in chess she could forget.

That was how she ended up playing Rags, talking about the entire sorry affair as the small Goblin agonized over each chess move.

“It wasn’t like that when I was younger. I mean, most of the guys I met outside of school were in chess clubs or at tournaments.”

Rags glanced up at Erin as the other girl took her bishop. The Goblin scowled, which Erin took as an invitation to keep talking.

“Sometimes they stared at my breasts, but those guys usually lost. The serious ones and I got along fine. Chess is chess, y’know? They hit on me a lot, but I wasn’t interested.”

Erin paused. She had to be honest.

“…Much.”

Her opponent stared down at the chess board. She was in checkmate. Rags made a sound of disgust and began resetting the pieces.

“Oh, sure, there were some guys I liked. But if I started dating them, it always became about whether I was better than they were. If a girl was better than they were…”

Erin sighed despondently. The pickings got pretty slim around the 2,000 Elo level, regardless of gender. And she wasn’t into older guys.

“I sort of thought I’d meet someone cool at a chess tournament one day, or in college. I never met anyone else really exciting anywhere else.”

Except online. Erin vividly recalled mysterio_Gamer12, who she’d had a relationship online with. They’d met through chess games and she’d been certain he was a handsome guy.

…That was until she found out that mysterio was actually a Polish girl who thought Erin was a guy.

“That was one awkward Skype conversation.”

Rags glared at the board. It wasn’t Erin’s inane remarks that bothered the Goblin, so much as the fact that even when Erin was chatting away she still could wipe the floor with any opponent.

Erin sighed despondently as she took another of Rag’s pawns to add to her growing collection.

“It’s all so—so sexual , here. I mean, overtly sexual. It’s right in the open. Some Gnolls don’t even have pants , just loincloths.”

She moved another piece and Rags nearly flipped the chess board.

“And now Culyss—I didn’t know stroking tails was how Drakes, um, expressed affection. Selys was saying that he’d be quite happy to show me tricks with his tail. And Krshia said that Tkrn was just marking my inn so other Gnolls knew he was courting me. Does—does that mean every time a Gnoll decides he likes me he’ll just start peeing on my walls?”

Rags took Erin’s queen. Erin checkmated Rag’s king. The Goblin threw up her hands and shrieked .

“That’s the game.”

Erin watched as Rags began slamming pieces back on the board.

“You don’t have to worry about all that, do you?”

Rags looked up at Erin warily.

“Sex, I mean.”

All she got was a blank stare in return. It occurred to Erin for the first time that Rags might not actually know what she was talking about.

“You know. How babies are made? You do know how that works, right?”

Rags shook her head slowly. Erin hesitated. Now that she thought about it, how old was Rags? Old enough to know about the birds and the bees? But then, did Goblins really tell each other about that?

Maybe she should mention it. Rags was a chieftain of her Goblin tribe, after all. That had to mean she got some advances.

“Um. Okay. Wow. How should I put this?”

Erin played one more game with Rags as she tried to explain about how sex worked. Halfway through the game, Rags looked up, dropped her chess piece, and stared at Erin.

“It’s true. That’s how it works. And then a baby pops out nine months later. For humans, anyways.”

The Goblin backed away, mouth open in horror.

“Well it’s not like you have to do that. Look, it’s perfectly natural!”

Erin raised her hand but the Goblin shook her head. She stumbled over a chair and then turned and ran towards the door.

“You can use protection! I mean—”

It was too late; the Goblin was already running for the hills. Erin stared at the empty doorway and sighed.

“Oops? But maybe it’s a good thing she knows.”

—-

The final consequence of Erin’s impromptu health lesson came the next day when Culyss returned for a second date. Erin was hiding in her inn on the second floor, pretending not to be home. She’d spotted him walking up the hill, and she was dreading the conversation.

What would she say? ‘Oh, hello Culyss. Sorry, but I didn’t mean to give you a tail-job, I was just curious.’ It sounded even worse in Erin’s head, but she knew she’d have to say something.

As it turned out, Erin never had to have a painful conversation of any kind. There was pain of course, but it only happened to Culyss.

The Drake was knocking on the door of the inn when he heard the high-pitched screaming. He turned around and managed to scream once before the mob of angry Goblins overwhelmed him.

The small group of Goblins yanked him off his feet and began beating him with sticks. Culyss shouted for help as his gift of delicate soaps were trampled into the grass. The Goblins shrieked with fury as they pounded him.

Erin watched from her window. As far as she could tell, all of the Goblins were female, but it was hard to be sure. It was the small clues she picked up on. The female Goblins were a bit smaller than the males ones, usually had more clothing (although this was not a hard and fast rule), had more of a slant to their eyes and tended not to pick their noses as much. But her real instincts told her it was how savagely they were beating poor Culyss.

Male Goblins tended to fight as dirty as they could in a life-or-death battle. But the female Goblins here seemed to be aiming exclusively for the Drake’s groin. Even the most pissed-off male would probably have held off at jumping up and down on Culyss’ crotch while the other Goblins held his legs apart.

After a few minutes of hurt, Culyss managed to roll out of the mess of Goblins and run for it. Erin watched the other Goblins chase him back towards the city. Well. It looked like Rags had explained the link between sex and babies to the rest of her tribe.

“And all this time none of them realized?”

Maybe they already had known. Maybe this was just some good-old fashioned revenge on males in general. Erin wasn’t sure whether to applaud the Goblins or feel bad about Culyss. She settled for making herself a cup of blue juice and sipped at it in the privacy of her inn.

Now she just wondered how she was going to explain to Rags about the tea. Maybe pictures would help?

—-

Culyss never came back to the inn. Erin was happily alone, and only had the occasional beat-up Goblin meekly following an indignant (and empowered) Rags for company. That state of affairs lasted for two days, until Selys and Krshia came knocking on her door.

Neither one of them was happy. There was apparently the matter of the unresolved bet, and Erin was indignant that she’d been bet upon in the first place.

“It was just for fun , Erin!”

Selys protested as she hid behind Krshia. Erin hesitated, chair still raised over her head. Krshia sighed and gently took the chair away from her.

“It is regrettable, yes? Tkrn and Culyss were not ideal, but they would have been good for a few nights at least.”

Erin glared at Krshia, cheeks red.

“I said , I didn’t want any—I’m fine where I am!”

“But you are angry. Mating would help, yes?”

“No!”

“Oh come on, Erin. We just wanted to make you feel better! And Culyss did like you, even before you…you know…”

“I don’t want to hear it. That never happened!”

“I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like you’re a half-elf prude or something. What’s wrong with a bit of sex, Erin?”

Erin paused. She stared at Selys, who was glaring at her, half-offended. She could feel herself blushing. Erin stared down at her feet. When she spoke, it was quietly.

“It’s nothing. I know you two mean well, but…it’s just—I haven’t—I know how it works but I’ve never actually—”

Krshia and Selys exchanged a glance. Suddenly, everything clicked for the two of them.

“Oh.”

“I see.”

Krshia scratched at her head, and spoke frankly.

“I made a mistake. Tkrn—he was not a wise choice. I told him of you because I thought he would be good. For relaxing, yes? He is good, but not good enough for a first time, yes?”

“And Culyss is—yeah. He’s not first time material. Sure, he gets around but that’s for experienced girls. What you need is—someone else. Someone better. ”

Erin sniffed. Suddenly, Krshia and Selys were being very understanding. They left her alone.

“It’s not like I don’t want to give it a shot, it’s just…”

—-

They came back an hour later. And this time, they brought gifts.

Horrible, horrible gifts.

“Here.”

Erin stared down at the object Krshia was pressing into her hands. She accepted it, only because the other alternative was to have it keep pushing into her breasts. She weighted it in her hands.

“Oh my god. This isn’t what I think it is, is it?”

Krshia smiled encouragingly at Erin.

“What else could it be, I wonder? It is for you, Erin. Until you find a mate, this will do.”

“And I have one too!”

Selys waved her ‘gift’ in the air and Erin’s eyes tracked it. It was almost hypnotic. The Drake offered it to Erin, but Erin really didn’t want to take it.

“You think I need this. Both of you?”

Selys and Krshia beamed at her. Erin stared down at the wooden instruments in her hands and tried not to look or feel them in her hands. If she had to categorize the two, she had a…a Drake one, and a Gnoll one. The Gnoll one was bigger. It was fairly heavy in Erin’s hands and she stared at it, mesmerized.

It was very realistic. Erin stared down at the large bulge halfway down the replica. She was almost completely sure that guys didn’t have a knot. But it seemed Gnolls resembled dogs in more ways than one.

Krshia smiled and nodded as Erin looked over her gift.

“It is carved well, and polished, yes? Much care has been taken so there will be no splinters while using.”

“ And you can wash them.”

“Mm. That is helpful, yes? And this way, you need no one else to be happy.”

Erin stared at her gifts. She didn’t know what to say. She was literally speechless.

She looked up. The Drake and the Gnoll were still smiling at her, probably expecting her to say something about their well-chosen gifts.

Erin opened her mouth, smiled, hesitated, and then slammed the door shut. Krshia and Selys stared at the wooden door as they heard Erin bolt the door.

“Do you think she’s mad?”

Krshia shrugged.

“Mm. She is shy. But I will let you know if she uses the gifts. It will likely be today or tomorrow. It is not good to be stored up, yes?”

“I suppose so. But um, maybe don’t tell me. I don’t need to know.”

“As you wish. But it was a very good one you bought. Very real.”

“I know, right? There’s a great store that makes them. You have to ask because the shopkeeper obviously can’t put them on display, but they do all sizes.”

“Really? I shall have to visit this store for myself.”

Erin listened to Krshia and Selys talking from behind the door. It sounded like they were going to visit it right away. And Krshia said she’d know when Erin used—

Well, that made things simple. She couldn’t go into the city…well, ever now.

Erin covered her face in her hands. That was a mistake. The two replicas bumped into her face and she immediately lowered them. She stared at the two long, wooden, hard…she put them on a table and turned around.

Toren stared at Erin, dustrag in hand. She froze in place. His twin blue flames stared first at the wooden penii in her hand and then at her face.

Even though he was dead, the skeleton somehow managed to judge Erin with his eyes. Or maybe it was just her. Erin scowled. She threw one of the dildos and he dodged it.

“What are you looking at?”

2.15

There’s an art to it. Like all things, tact is essential. A smile is important, because your first impression is probably your last. Always remember to be courteous, professional, and efficient.

I can do that last bit. For the rest…I’m working on it.

“Delivery.”

The blue-haired girl who opens the door blinks at me. I blink back. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone with dyed hair. But, as I quickly see, it’s not exactly an intentional dye-job.

The [Alchemist] brushes a bit of the blue dust out of her hair and raises a small cloud. She coughs, and I step back.

“Are you Rikku?”

She nods, eyes streaming. I hold out my package, a heavily wrapped…potato. That’s growing. A green sprout is coming right out of the top. Oh, and the potato is bigger than a baby. Probably the size of about two babies if we’re using that as unit of measurement.

It’s heavy. And I feel like it’s still growing. The run out to this small cottage had me feeling like my backpack was moving the entire time. Gah. I regret this entire delivery, but at least it’s nearly over.

“Got a Seal?”

Maybe it was thinking of [Alchemists] that made me accept this particular request. It was a mistake either way. Turns out a lot of requests are often magical or perishable, or in this case—both.

The oddly-named Rikku disappears back inside her hut and I wait impatiently, hoping the potato won’t explode or eat my head off. I’m not sure what it’s for and honestly, I don’t want to know.

Still. Rikku. That’s an interesting name for someone around here. It sounds almost…Japanese. Something from my world.

Then again, there is a place named Wales around here, so I suppose people just choose the same names now and then. I still have yet to run into a Lenny or a George, though. Although I did meet this one guy named Adrian a while ago. That sounds almost normal.

But then, who am I to talk? My name’s Ryoka. That’s probably weird to a lot of Americans back home.

Anyways, potato. I want it out of my hands and into the hut before it does something weird. It was a rush delivery—lots of pay to move it as fast as possible. I can see why. Plant this thing in the ground and you might actually get a magic beanstalk in the morning.

At last, the door opens and Ms. Blue Hair emerges with an equally blue Runner’s Seal for me. What the hell happened in there? Do I want to know?

No.

“Here’s the package. Careful—it’s heavy.”

She takes it. She’s stronger than she looks, but I guess [Alchemists] have to be. I nod to her as she opens her mouth, probably to say thanks or something.

“See you.”

I’m running down the grassy hill and out the dirt road before she can even reply. Well, at least this time I said more than five words. It’s an improvement.

I don’t do well with people. I really don’t. It’s not even that I hate humanity in general. It’s just that I find conversations with strangers really, really awkward*.

*Yeah. Have you ever sat next to that silent person on the bus who just stares at you and then looks out the window the entire time? That’s me. It’s not that I don’t hate your guts – because I do, if you’re taking the seat next to me – but it’s just so awkward that I can’t deal. Seriously. Go away.

But being social is a skill I’ve got to learn here. Who would have thought? All those times my parents sent me to camp or cotillion, I’d get sent back or just disappear until they had to send out search parties and the police. And yet here I am, trying to be social.

The key word is trying. It’s really hard, okay? But I am trying.

I have to.

But hey, there is something to be said for brevity, right? As I power down the winding dirt road, I try to remember which delivery this is. Sixth one today? Or is it eighth?

It’s been a day since I pissed off Teriarch and got myself an eight hundred gold contract. You’d think that I’d be halfway towards the Blood Fields or wherever that magic stone is pointing me this time, but I’m still up north. Running deliveries for silver and copper coins.

I’ve got my reasons. First off, even if Teriarch’s delivery is really important, he’s an arrogant jerk and he can wait. Second, I need to prepare.

The last time I went down to the Blood Fields I ran past Shield Spiders, a few other monster types, but nothing more. I got lucky. But there’s no telling how many bandits or what-have-you might be out where I’m going, so I need some equipment.

It’s been made…painfully clear to me that I don’t have the skills to take down anything above the ill-equipped bandit or Goblin raiding party. I’ve got Teriarch’s potion, true, but I’m regarding that as a measure of last resort, rather than my first option.

So I’m lingering here, mainly because I’m waiting for some of my new equipment to finish being created. Or brewed. Concocted? Whatever the correct phrase is, Octavia’s doing it for me.

Her stink potion worked wonders in the High Passes. It was so effective, I got out of there even though Teriarch had taken it away. All the monsters were still gone, and I made it safely back to Celum without issue.

Now, I’m not going to carry around a bottle of that nightmarish stuff unless I can be sure, absolutely sure it’s not going to leak. Even stoppered up that potion somehow still smells. Octavia’s working on a more secure container, but she’s also got a few more projects to focus on.

The cost of hiring an [Alchemist]? Eight gold coins, both for the testing and experimentation process and delivery of the finished items. That’s insanely expensive, but Octavia wasn’t even sure some of the things I wanted were possible. I’ll get a refund if she can’t complete some of the things I want, but I think she’ll manage it. And if that’s the case, it will be eight gold coins well spent.

My bare feet churn the pleasant, warm dirt path. It’s so wonderful I half-wish I didn’t have to get back to the Guild to turn my Seals in. This is one of the few spots the Frost Faeries haven’t yet swept over, and as such, it still looks like it’s in the last stages of fall.

Mm. What a weird world this is, where winter is a product of creatures, not weather patterns. But is it like this across the world? These Frost Faeries seem quite slow—not to mention inefficient. I almost wonder if winter isn’t so much a world-wide event so much as a rolling condition that sweeps across continents, possibly changing course at the whims of the faeries. That would be quite interesting.

But of course how would I prove my hypothesis? Books are sort of low on my priority list right now. I don’t have much time to read, and I need to save up as much gold as possible for more important things. The lack of libraries in this world is offensive*.

*Public libraries, that is. Any wealthy merchant or noble probably has their own library of books, but I don’t see them letting me in. Hell, back in my world I needed to put on sandals every time I wanted in to a library.

Information. It becomes clearer with every passing day that even if I’m discovering some more fundamentals of this world, there’s an entire lexicon’s worth of data I haven’t even considered yet.

So what to do? Erin knows less than I do about some things, but she knows several groups of people who might have a lot of information. That Gnoll named Krshia, Klbkch, possibly Pisces…the only question is whether talking to them is worth the risk of giving secrets away.

I could try and contact BlackMage, or another one of the users in my iPhone if I knew how the spell worked. Pisces was able to recover the messages however briefly—could I send a one-time text to one of them?

Maybe. It seems risky, especially since it’s been proven that the iPhones can be hacked by magic as well. And anyways, I don’t know what the situation is with them. People can say anything, but even if we’re all in another world, we’re all still human. Politics, greed, and prejudice didn’t disappear with our old world.

No, no. Right now I need to focus on the task at hand. Teriarch’s delivery is my highest priority. Eight hundred gold will help me, Erin, and Ceria immensely. Moreover, it’ll help me with my next task as well.

Because I have a goal now. It’s to become a Courier.

The logic is simple. A Courier is considered to be an important figure, even vital depending on how you look at it. There’s influence there, and respect. They’re pretty much the same as a Gold-rank adventurer, or even higher. If I attained that position, I’d be able to go across the continent and ask questions and take deliveries anywhere I wanted without raising suspicion.

Plus, Couriers get paid a lot more than even City Runners for their deliveries. If I could support myself that way Erin wouldn’t need to worry about her inn. It would let me save up, use the money to…

Well, the larger plan’s still hazy at the moment. But Erin was always right. If I look too far ahead, I’ll trip on the things right in front of me.

Speaking of which—I hop over a jagged rock in the road. That would have hurt. But barefoot runners learn to watch the ground constantly, so the odds of us ever stepping in something horrible are pretty remote.

Hm. The things we see and don’t see. Is there a way to find out where the other people from our world are? We all have iPhones, so we should be able to locate each other that way, right? How did the magic find us? Just saying it’s magic is kind of cheap. Did it home in on some aspect of our iPhones? Are they sending out signals somehow?

Oh no. The GPS!

I halt in my tracks and throw my backpack to the ground. Ryoka, you idiot . How did you not consider that? Your GPS is the first thing people would think of. They could have been tracking you all this time! Everywhere you’ve gone!

My iPhone glows and I urgently tap my way into the Settings app. Then I pause. My heart stops trying to overload in my chest.

It’s already turned off. Right. Of course. I remember I turned off the GPS in my iPhone the day I got it, so my parents couldn’t spy on me. A smart move, since that was pretty much the reason why they let me have it.

Okay, that’s a relief. I close out of the settings menu. Battery’s still good, too. 30% or thereabouts. I could listen to some music while I run, come to think of it. It’s been a lone time since I took out my iPhone, but I want to conserve the battery now that Sostrom’s…

“What’s that, Human?”

And just like that, my day goes straight down the toilet. The air around me freezes, and I look up. A Frost Faeries is hovering over my shoulder, staring down at my glowing phone’s screen with curiosity.

God. I thought Teriarch had chased them away. But no, apparently nearly being fried only grants me a day’s reprieve. I glare at the Frost Faeries and put my iPhone back in its worn case.

“Go. Away.”

The faerie just sneers at me. They never listen to what I say, or respond to my comments unless it’s because they want me to answer a question. She flutters around my iPhone until I tuck it away in my pocket. Then she shouts in my ear.

“Don’t ignore me! Tell us what that is! It is a thing of iron, but not. And it makes light without magic or fire! What is it?”

Another faerie flies lazily by my head. They don’t seem to need to flap their wings as much as a normal bird or insect. She points at my pocket, talking to her friend. The faeries always seem to travel in groups of at least eight or more.

“’Tis an object born of smog and flame, from another world! She brought it here, this foolish wench!”

That makes my head snap up. I stare at the faerie that’s spoken.

“Another world? What do you mean by that?”

She looks at me, and then away. They have no interest in answering any of my questions. But I desperately need answers. Just what did she mean by that? Does she mean what I think she does? If so—

The first faerie flies down and perches on my head, freezing the skin with her tiny feet. She bends down so her head appears upside-down in my vision.

“Smelly human! How does a mortal like you know the old smoker?”

I have no idea what she’s talking about. And as much as it pains me, I’m curious, so I respond.

“ What old smoker?”

The faeries exchange an incredulous glance as they hover around my head. They chatter to each other, staring at me and shaking their small heads as they do.

“Does she not know? She just talked to him!”

“I think she’s as daft as the other one.”

“Two heads and not a brain between them! How sad!”

“How funny!”

The fairy on my head leans down and slaps the skin on my head. I wince and grit my teeth. I really, really want to pluck the stupid faerie off my head, but the only thing that’ll do is give me frostbite. She’s giving me a headache just by standing there, but the faeries can get a lot colder if they want to.

“‘Tis the one of fire living in yon cave I speak of, you fool! The old grumpy one! How do you know of him, mortal and pathetic as you are?”

The one in the cave? They must mean Teriarch. But why would they call him…?

The fairy stamps on my forehead again and I wince. That’s it. They’re getting nothing out of me. I glare at the faerie and say nothing. If they can be rude jerks, so can I.

“Oh, ignoring us, eh? Well ignore this! ”

Losing patience, the faerie on my head takes off. I know what’s coming and brace myself. A second later, a snowball catches me on the back of the head, making me stagger as I run. She laughs, and suddenly the entire herd decides that they want to join in.

The warm air and sunny skies turn cold and blustery, and snow begins to fall from the sky as the Frost Faeries work their magic, bringing winter to this last spot. The ground freezes under my feet, and all around me, snowballs the size of my fist pelt me from all sides as the faeries fly around me.

I run on, trying to ignore the cold snow as it strikes my face, my chest, my back, and my legs. I know they’ll stop. The faeries act just like bullies. They get bored if you don’t respond. They’ll stop throwing snow any second now.

Any…second…now…

—-

Ten miles down the road, I stop and drop my pack so I can pull out my snow shoes and a fresh change of clothes. Not to change with; just to wipe all the snow and ice off my body.

The last of the Frost Faeries flies off, laughing, and I silently curse them as I shiver. I’m drenched , and nearly hypothermic from the pounding they just gave me.

Who knew tiny faeries could throw snowballs so damn hard? But they’re gone—at least until they get bored and come back to torment me some more.

“God damn it.”

I never thought I’d hate anything as much as I did faeries. Seriously. They’re worse than dogs that aren’t on leashes or broken bottles on the road. I’d rather run barefoot through a forest full of pine trees than have one of those faeries following me.

And why the hell do they bother only me? It’s like they enjoy making my life a misery more than anyone else’s. Isn’t there some way I can get rid of them? They don’t like iron, but it doesn’t seem to work nearly as well as the old stories say. Half the time I see some poor fellow raising an iron horseshoe at the fairies only to get blasted off his feet by a gust of wind.

And what was that they were saying? It was something about Teriarch. They wanted to know why I knew him? Do they know of him? He was able to chase them off, which is pretty unique.

Old smoker. Why would they call him…?

…No. No, that’s not right. It can’t be. I mean, that would be obvious. I would have noticed that instantly.

Wouldn’t I?

Teriarch is just a mage. A mage who looks suspiciously Elven, and he doesn’t do anything to hide that. And he uses weird expressions…and he has a cave…

…And a lot of valuable treasure in the cave…and he can conjure really hot flames…

No. I would have noticed earlier, surely. Why didn’t I? The pieces all add up. But Teriarch—did he do something to my head?

Of course he did. He did it once. Why not twice?

Magic. How can I tell anything’s real? It could make me believe anything, couldn’t it? Too much more of this and I’ll doubt my own memories. What if there were things I said or did around Teriarch, or things he told me that he’s erased from my memory?

Think. Cognito ergo sum. That is all I know. Ergo sum cognito. I am a thinking being, that much I can believe. But…

Omnia quae scis forsitan species vana sit. I think that’s accurate. My Latin’s rusty.

… If I take this off-hand quote from the Frost Faerie seriously – and how else would I interpret it? – then why didn’t I notice it? Magic? Or maybe I noticed it and was made to forget.

How do you undo a memory spell? Is one on me? Could you even check?

Slow down, Ryoka. Any more of this and you’ll turn into a conspiracy nut. Not that all conspiracies are wrong. Turns out the government is spying on us, half the wealth of the world is held in the hands of just eight people, and magic and other worlds do exist.

Yeah. I’m in trouble.

I run on, trying to get somewhere indoors before the melted ice and winter weather kills me. It’s time to turn in my Seals anyways. I could use a hot bath, a hot meal, and a hot bed. Hell, I’ll eat and sleep in the bath if I could.

Yeah. A bath sounds really good right now. One short stop at the Runner’s Guild and I’m off to an inn.

That’s the problem with plans. They never work out quite as well as you’d hope.

—-

“Seven deliveries on one day? Come on Ryoka, I know I said we needed help, but try to leave something for the rest of us.”

“I’ll think about it.”

I smile faintly at Fals to let him know I’m joking. He laughs as if I’ve said something hilarious, and just like that, the conversation continues without any unpleasant silence.

I’m sitting in the Runner’s Guild, taking a moment to warm up and waiting for one of the receptionists to get back to me with my pay. Just so coincidentally, Fals happened to be done with his deliveries, so he came to sit next to me. He started talking, I didn’t bite his head off, and so here we are.

Mind you, we’re not the only Runners in the guild. A lot of people are inside, warming up. Including one person I was rather hoping died in a snowbank somewhere.

Across the room Persua glares daggers at me. If she had one in her hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if she threw it. I meet her gaze steadily, unblinking. If she wants a staring contest that’s fine. I can stare for at least five minutes before I need to blink.

Fals notices and casually moves his chair so his head is in the way. I look away and across the room I hear Persua laughing loudly at something.

When I’m in the Runner’s Guilds in these cities everything shrinks down, and all the little personal relationships and vendettas come right out of the woodwork. Remember, in this place Fals is the big shot Runner that all the female Runners and receptionists love. And Persua hates my guts because he seems to like me. And Garia likes Fals, which makes everything that much more complicated.

She’s not here right now, which actually makes me slightly relieved. We hadn’t spoken after I broke the news about the Horns of Hammerad, and I’m not sure what to say.

Meanwhile, Fals is doing his charming thing, which is to say he’s greeting all the Runners who come in by name, and talking animatedly with them. He’s a social guy. A good guy, perhaps. I still remember the problems I had with Magnolia and the Guild, but I’ll acknowledge he does his job better than any other Runner in the guild, including me. I might be faster, but he has a good relationship with all his clients.

Fals leans over the table, one leg bouncing gently on the floor. He, like all the Runners, is generally restless when seated. That’s one thing all of us have in common. We like to run.

“Liscor, huh? That’s a ways, but the Runner’s Guild in Esthelm might have a few requests going down that way. More if they know someone’s willing to do the route often.”

“Hm. Sounds good. I’ve got a…friend down there so I’ll be heading there a lot.”

Fals’ eyebrows rise, but he masks his surprise.

“Well then, I’ll talk to the Guildmaster down there when I’ve got the chance. We don’t deal much with the Drakes and Gnolls, but that’s because they seldom come north to trade. It could be good to open up a conversation again.”

I nod politely, and try not to say anything he’ll regret. Of course he’s surprised I have a friend. I’m surprised just saying it.

Guildmasters, huh? From what I understand, the ones in each local Runner’s Guild are retired Runners. The same goes for the Adventurer’s Guilds. The staff is either hired help or people too injured or old to work the jobs themselves. It’s a good system that gives work to people who’ve contributed to the guild.

Fals looks at me and then coughs politely.

“I was—wondering if you’d like to grab a bite at a pub later. I know a good chef who just learned the [Advanced Cooking] skill.”

Crap. This is what I was afraid of. I hesitate. Fals is a probably a good guy, but I’m not interested in him. I’m just not. But then, I can’t just refuse outright. I try to think of an excuse, and then the door opens.

Fals and I look around, and then both of us leap to our feet. Our chairs crash to the ground.

“Garia!”

She stumbles into the room, unsteady on her feet. Her hand is clasped to a bandage around her temple, and blood is running down her left cheek. One of the Runners by the door seizes her before she can topple over.

I don’t remember crossing the room. But I’m next to Garia before anyone else, peeling back the bandage. Fals hovers over my elbow anxiously.

“How bad is it?”

“I can’t see. Get out of the light and get me some water. And—a potion.”

I’d nearly forgotten about healing potions. I’m remembering all my first aid training. I snatch a water bottle someone gives me and use a length of cloth someone else gives me to wipe gently at the blood. It doesn’t look like Garia’s skull is fractured, just bleeding, but I need to check.

Breathing? Good. Pulse? Strong. If the head injury is bad, I need to avoid aggravating it. But first aid training is always given with the theory that the injured person will receive more complete care later. This world doesn’t have doctors or hospitals, just [Healers]. If she’s injured, I might be the most-qualified person to help her.

Garia shudders a bit as I dab at the blood, but sits still. Her eyes are unfocused. Crap. I pray she doesn’t have a concussion. But that might be better than a broken skull.

Fals pushes a healing potion into my hands.

“Here.”

“Hold on. I need to check…”

I feel as gently as I can around the injury. That does make Garia moan, but I need to know that nothing is broken. If it is, a healing potion might make the bone knit wrong.

Garia’s skull isn’t broken. I don’t even think the bone is cracked. She’s just lost blood. I uncork the potion and pour some around her injury.

It begins to close as Garia whimpers. She grabs my arm—so hard I can feel her pressing down on my bone. But I don’t tell her to stop.

In a few seconds the injury is closed and Garia lets go. She takes a few deep breaths, and then looks at me.

“Thanks, Ryoka.”

I stare at her. She’s still pale from loss of blood, and the healing didn’t do anything for her concussion, if that’s what she has. I grip her shoulder to steady her while I look into her eyes.

“What happened?”

As if I don’t know. But Garia just shakes her head. Her lip trembles. She looks at me, and then Fals, on the edge of tears.

“I got attacked.”

—-

The story comes out as the other Runners find Garia a padded seat. We have her sit down and the entire room congregates around her. It surprises me, but then, I’ve never been in the Guild long enough to see someone come in injured.

Whatever you might say about Runners and their pack mentality, they do look after their own. One Runner gets attacked and everyone’s at risk. That’s why the receptionist comes out from behind the counter with something alcoholic for Garia to drink, and Fals sits next to her while the other Runners crowd around, listening to her story.

“It was bandits. They came over a hill when no one was around and tried to cut me off. Some were shooting arrows, and one had a club. I tried to out run them, but he got me—”

Garia gestures to her healed head and the dried blood on her cheek. She doesn’t seem to notice as another Runner wipes the blood off.

“Bandits? On the main road?”

Fals shakes his head and some of the other Runners exchange glances.

“They must be getting desperate. I’ve heard there was a band around here that was preying on travelers…”

“Can’t believe they hit one of us in the daylight. And arrows? Normally they just try to rob us, not kill.”

“How did you get away?”

That’s what I want to know. Garia blinks up at me.

“I—was saved. I was on the ground when someone else attacked the bandits. I don’t know who. A traveler, I think. Maybe another Runner?”

Fals frowns worriedly, and glances at the map on the wall. The main roads and cities are all marked.

“Someone from Wales? We could ask the Guild if they had anyone coming this way.”

“Should we go out and see if we can find them? If it was one person—”

“They either got away, or the bandits got them by now. We wouldn’t find anything and we’d only put ourselves at risk.”

The other Runners argue in the background. I’m still intent on Garia. Fals asks the question I was going to next.

“You got away? Why were you still injured? Didn’t you have time to heal yourself?”

“I—I just kept running. I didn’t think to heal myself. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.”

“Why not? You lost a lot of blood. A healing potion would have stopped you from collapsing like you did.”

“I—don’t have one. I can’t afford it.”

Garia blushes and turns red. She stares down at her feet as the other Runners look somewhere else. Of course. Of all the City Runners, Garia’s one of the slowest, even if she can carry a lot. She runs for only a few silver pieces at best, usually coppers.

The others are silent, but then Fals pats Garia on the knee. She looks like she’s going to cry from embarrassment.

“Nothing to be ashamed of. You got here on your own two feet, after being hit by a club. I couldn’t do that.”

The other Runners agree. Fals turns, and calls out.

“Don’t we have anything hot to drink? Not alcohol—can someone get a mug of goat’s milk? And food. And a blanket! Garia’s nearly frozen here!”

Some Runners immediately make for the doors at his words, and the receptionist darts into a back room to look for a blanket. I stare at Garia.

Not even enough for a healing potion. Jumped by bandits on the road. It’s never happened to me, but then I run so fast that maybe it wasn’t an issue.

Just when I think I know this world, something like this happens to remind me that you don’t need horrible monsters. Humans are evil and cruel enough to each other.

Fals is still trying to get Garia to sit still and calling out for something warm to drink and a blanket. I look at her, and the other Runners, and decide she’ll be fine.

Quietly, I make my way out of the crowd of people and towards the door. I slip out. I’ve got someone I need to visit. I was going to see her anyways, but now I’ve got two reasons to talk to Octavia.

—-

I hear the screaming just before I push open the door. Damn it. What now?

I flatten myself against the side of the boarded up windows, listening hard. Octavia’s screaming inside. Will I get a face full of explosion if I open the door? No time to wonder.

Yank open the door, throw myself out of the way. Nothing explodes. I rush into the shop and see Octavia in the center of it.

The dark-skinned young woman is screaming and clawing at her face.

“My eyes! It’s in my eyes! ”

A bright red—no, vermilion -colored potion is sitting on the table in front of Octavia. It’s uncorked. Immediately, I cover my own eyes and hold my breath, but it doesn’t seem to be toxic.

And—I’m pretty sure I know what it is. And if it is what I think it is, Octavia’s only making it worse by wiping at her eyes.

I make my way as quickly to Octavia as I can without knocking anything over. She’s clawing at her face, but her eyes are streaming so badly she probably can’t see.

“ Aaaaagh! I can’t see! ”

“Octavia! It’s me!”

I grab at her hands.

“Don’t rub at it—you’ll just make it worse!”

She isn’t listening to me. Octavia’s fingers are at her eyes, and she’s fighting me as I try to restrain her. She’s strong—maybe stronger than me.

“Octavia, listen to me, stop—!”

Her fingers dig into her eyes and I freeze. Octavia screams, pushes with her fingers, and her eyes pop out of their sockets.

I see the fleshy orbs moving, and then they’re in the air, real and horrible for one second, attached by red string to the sockets. And then—

Two cotton pieces of fabric stitched together to look like eyes land on the ground. I stare down at them, and see the orange-red stain of the potion soaking the front of the cotton.

Octavia sighs, and relaxes in my grip. She speaks normally to me as she turns two gaping empty sockets my way.

“Oh, hey Ryoka. Can you find my eyes on the ground?”

I stare at her. Octavia’s face is still flesh, but without her eyes I can literally look into two empty sockets. They gape at me, and I feel my lunch coming up.

“I—”

“Oh wait, it’s the sockets, isn’t it? Sorry.”

She closes her eyelids and I can finally look away. I pick up both eyes very gingerly, and press them into her hands. Octavia smiles.

“Thanks, Ryoka. I wasn’t expecting that to hurt as much as it did. Wow. Good thing you came along, or I’d be looking for these forever.”

I nod dumbly, and then realize she can’t see me. Octavia carefully feels at the table in front of her as I stare at her.

“You’re…okay?”

“Oh, sure! Sorry if I scared you—I was just testing that potion you had me make. It’s strong stuff, let me tell you. Worth every copper piece you invested, and as soon as I clean the mixture off I’ll be happy to show you the others.”

She fumbles around, nearly knocks over the pepper-spray potion, and steadies it just in time.

“Hey, Ryoka, I’ve got a basin of water around here. Can you find it for me?”

Silently, I locate the bucket and put it in front of Octavia. She tosses the eyes in and begins to scrub at them gently.

“Hm. Feels like the oil in the potion is sticking rather well. I know I’ve got a cleansing potion on my shelves. Can you grab it? It’s green with streaks of blue.”

It takes me a few minutes to locate the correct potion, but when I give it to Octavia she adds a tiny bit to the water. It instantly turns clear, and less than ten seconds later she pulls her eyes out of the water and gently pats them down with a towel before popping them back into her face.

Octavia turns and beams at me, blinking a few times and wiping her eyes.

“Whew! Sorry about that. It’s always a challenge getting the cloth clean after a spill. I should just keep the cleansing potion on my belt, but you know how it is.”

I stare at her. I just can’t quite erase the image of her sightless gaze from my head.

“You’re…okay?”

“Just fine, thanks for asking! I’ll admit it hurt a lot getting that stuff on my eyes, but I can safely say that this potion’s complete. I’d ask if you want to try it, but you can’t pull your eyes out of their sockets, so just take it on faith, huh?”

I blink at the pepper potion as Octavia lifts it and recoil.

“Get that out of my face.”

“Oops, sorry, sorry. Let me just cork that.”

Octavia stoppers the potion before handing it back to me. I gingerly shake the potion and watch the thick liquid sloshing around inside.

“One pepper potion, ready to blind anyone you really don’t like. It should cover a lot of space. Just make sure you don’t throw it upwind or you’ll be just as blind when it hits you.”

“Got it. I mean—thanks.”

Yeah, a pepper potion. To be more accurate, this is this world’s equivalent of pepper spray. Octavia took every hot pepper and painful substance she could and mixed it into something that would probably make mace look like lemon water.

And yes, I asked her to make it for me. I just didn’t expect her to test it out on herself.

I eye Octavia’s eyes. They’re still a bit red and the skin around her face is a bit irritated.

“You’re sure you’re okay? That stuff is giving you a rash.”

“Eh, it’s not worse than anything I get from spilling acid on myself. I might try and get it fixed later, but I’m fine for now.”

Of course. Stitch-people wouldn’t need healing potions. Or if they did, it would only be as a last resort. But it’s far easier just to replace some fabric or stitch something together.

“…Well, good. I uh—”

I shake my head and remember why I’m here.

“Do you have any healing potions? Good ones. I need one.”

“Healing potions? I’ve got lots! Any particular potency you desire? The good ones are all over a gold coin’s worth.”

“I need one for Garia.”

“Oh?”

Briefly, I explain to Octavia what happened. The stitched girl’s eyes widen.

“That’s terrible! Of course I’ve got a healing potion. The girl needs it! Here, I’ll give you a discount. Garia can pay me back.”

She reaches for a potion, but I stop her.

“Garia said she couldn’t afford one. She’s not rich, so she could probably afford only a few silver coins’ worth.”

Octavia frowns.

“That’s…not really enough. I suppose I could give her something weak, but if she’s running she’ll need a strong one.”

“Right, so give me a healing potion that’s only a few silver coins. Here’s the payment.”

I place a gold coin and four silver coins down on the counter. Octavia’s eyebrows shoot up and she stares at me.

“Ah.”

“Got a problem?”

She hesitates, and then pushes the coins back towards me.

“Keep it. Garia’s a good kid, and she’s been a long-time customer of mine. I’d hate to see her get hurt—more than she already is, I mean.”

That surprises me, but Octavia takes a yellow potion off the shelf and puts it on the counter.

“This one should be worth only a few silver coins. And best yet, she can use it sparingly if the wound isn’t deep. Tell her I’ve got more in the shop. Tell the other Runners, too!”

“I will. Um. Thanks.”

Awkwardly, I take the potion. Octavia smiles at me.

“Now, is that all? As you can see, I’m still in the middle of testing and creating some of the things you asked for, but I’ve got some if you need them.”

I hesitate, then nod. I might as well. I’m not due to head back to Erin’s inn for a few more days, but better safe than sorry. Garia’s just illustrated that point.

“I’ll take whatever you’ve got ready. How many did you manage to complete?”

Octavia turns and moves to a small crate, talking as she opens the lid and shows me what’s within.

“The pepper spray potion is ready, although I didn’t come up with a way to spray it like you asked just yet. But you can still hurl it. I’ve got two bags done, and two more bottles for you.”

She hands me some bags with the drawstrings tightly closed. They’re supposed to be special cloths that won’t let anything through, but I make sure the knots are tight before I put them in my pack.

Octavia places a warning hand on my arm before she gives me the two other potions.

“Careful with these. I had to buy enchanted glass for both. There’s a cork on the top—pull it out and the glass will weaken so you can smash the bottles if you want. But be careful. Break it anywhere near you and—”

“I’ll be careful. You’ll keep working on the other two?”

“Of course! When you come back I’ll have multiples of each. And then we can talk about another deal, perhaps? I’d love to work on any more projects, if you’ve got the coin.”

“I should, when I get back.”

I store all the potions in my pack, carefully wrapping them in the blanket I bring for long runs. I nod at Octavia.

“I’ve got to get back to Garia. I’ll see you—”

“—Later. You Runners are always busy. Come back soon, and with more coin!”

I leave the shop and jog down the street. That was an exciting few minutes, but the most important thing is that I’ve got a potion. With that in mind, I double-time it back to the Runner’s Guild and nearly run into another Runner coming in.

“Sorry.”

“My fault. You first.”

He grins at me, and I nod and walk inside. I haven’t seen him before, but then maybe he’s from further away. I find Garia and the others more or less where I’ve left them, only now Garia’s got food and drink in front of her and a blanket on her shoulder.

Fals looks over as I walk towards him. He raises his eyes.

“Ryoka, where have you been?”

“Getting something. Here.”

I take the potion out and put it on the table in front of Garia. She goes wide-eyed at the sight of the glowing mixture.

“Free of charge. Octavia’s compliments. She says she’ll give a discount to any Runner who wants a healing potion.”

The other Runners murmur appreciatively, and I feel more than one hand slap me on the back. Well, maybe Octavia will get some business from this after all. Probably as she intended.

That thought’s unworthy of her. She gave me the potion for Garia’s sake. She might have known it would engender goodwill, but that’s just good business sense along with a kind heart.

Garia stares at the potion and then up at me. She turns red again.

“I can’t—this looks expensive. I can’t take this. I’ll pay you—her back.”

“It’s a gift. Take it and use it.”

“But—”

Fals nudges Garia gently and winks quickly at me. For once I’m grateful he’s here.

“Listen to Ryoka, Garia. Octavia knows she can get us buying her potions if she can prove she’s got quality. Besides, you need something for emergencies like today.”

He pauses and snaps his fingers lightly.

“I’ve got a spare wand with a single cast of [Slow] enchanted in it. It won’t stop arrows, but it should let you get away from any group of bandits next time. You can come by my room later and pick it up.”

The other Runners like that notion. One offers a stamina potion, and another tells Garia he’s got a dagger she can have. The good mood lasts right up until I hear the high-pitched voice from just opposite me.

“ Some of us make enough money to provide for ourselves. We don’t need to bother other Runners.”

I look up. Now, why couldn’t the bandits have attacked Persua? She sniffs at both me and Garia. Her eyes flick towards Fals, and then shoot daggers at Garia.

“What’s the big deal? Garia got away with only a little scratch. If she were faster, she wouldn’t have been caught at all.”

I’m no expert, but even I know that was the wrong thing to say. A lot of Runners glare, but to my disgust, some seem to agree with Persua. Bastards.

“Anyways, Garia should pay Ryoka—I’m sorry, I mean Octavia back for the potion. We all earn enough, don’t we? At least, I do.”

Garia’s face is a tomato, and my chest is too tight. My hand clenches. Can I punch her? She’s not too far away. I could turn her stupid face into a paste before anyone could stop me.

But—no, damn it. I can’t do that. I loosen my hands and force myself to smile at Persua. She wants to use words? I can do words.

“Oh, really? How much do you earn, Persua? I’m curious. Do you earn a few silver coins each day or are they all copper? I earn quite a lot. Want to compare numbers?”

Persua’s sallow* face goes slack, and then she gives me a look of pure, unrefined hatred.

*Still not sure that’s the right word.

“At least I don’t run off whenever I please. I’m a dedicated Runner to the Guild, not some aimless drifter.”

That was weak. I open my mouth to retort, and Fals breaks in. He glares at both of us from Garia’s side.

“Persua. Ryoka. Not the time.”

She tosses her hair and I close my mouth, ashamed. Damn it. That was catty. I should know better, but Persua—

I’ve never had girls in high school run me over with a wagon. Just try to push me down the stairs. Persua’s on a whole new level. But Fals is right.

He waits until he’s sure we’re not going to start anything, and then turns back to Garia. He talks to her soothingly.

“We’ll ask the Watch to put a few patrols on the roads. What happened to the ones who jumped you, Garia?”

She shudders, and begins to speak, but someone cuts her off. A tall guy steps forwards and raises his voice.

“They’re all dead. I’ve reported the incident to the local Watch.”

Everyone looks at him. Garia opens her mouth and gapes, and I realize I’m standing right next to the guy who I saw outside the Runner’s Guild.

The tall Runner who I saw entering the Guild nods to the other Runners. He looks with interest at Garia’s head and speaks to her.

“Good to see you didn’t get too badly hurt, Miss Runner. I was worried, but you got away before I could look for you.”

Garia’s eyes widen, and she tries to get to her feet. Fals stops her, but Garia points her finger at the newcomer.

“You—you’re the one who saved me!”

He’s not quite as handsome as Fals is – someone broke his nose once, and it was never set quite right. But he’s got something the other Runners don’t, and that’s a presence. He looks like some of the athletes you see in the Olympics and in sports—someone with enough self-confidence in what they do that it shows in everything they do.

Fals smiles at the new Runner, and gets up to extend a hand.

“ You saved Garia on the road? Thank you, from me and everyone in the Guild.”

“Think nothing of it.”

The stranger returns Fals’ handshake and smiles in reply. His eyes flick towards me, and then at the other Runners.

“It’s a good Guild you’ve got here. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Valceif Godfrey. I’m a Courier from First Landing. I’ve come down this way to do a delivery to the city of Liscor.”

He nods at the stunned room.

“Pleased to meet you all.”

—-

“I can’t stay. I’ve got an important delivery to make.”

That was the first thing Valceif said after the uproar had died down enough for him to be heard. He balanced on the balls of his feet, looking from Fals to the map on the wall.

“In truth, I’d like to have been on the road an hour ago, but I had to take care of those bandits and deal with the local Watch. And…I’m lost.”

He stands in the center of the room as if he’s used to the looks of amazement he’s getting. I’m the one who’s not used to it. The other Runners, both City Runners and Street Runners, are treating this guy as if he’s some kind of rock star. Even Fals looks amazed.

“It’s great to meet you. I’ve only seen two Couriers before, and never this far south. My name is Fals. I’m sorry the guilds didn’t notify us you were coming down this way, ah, Valceif.”

“Call me Val. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fals.”

“Can we get you anything? You must be tired. Again, if we knew you were coming…”

Valceif shakes his head.

“I haven’t stopped running since I passed Invrisil. Unless you’ve got a mage in your guild, I’m not surprised you haven’t heard I was coming this way.”

A mage in a Runner’s Guild? I could see how that would be helpful, but that speaks to a far larger guild than the small one here. And did he say he came from Invrisil? Isn’t that the city six hundred miles north of here?

Fals looks like he can’t believe it either, but Val just smiles.

“I’m fine. Truly. I wouldn’t have stopped, but I’ve never come this far south and the snow makes it hard to tell where I’m headed. If you could point me to one of the main roads, I’d be grateful.”

“But we’d love to talk to you. If it’s not an imposition—I know a lot of Runners aspire to be a Courier one day. Could you spare an hour from your journey to rest?”

Again, the Courier declines.

“My delivery’s a priority. I can’t stop even to chat. Apologies, but I’ll be coming back up this way. There will be plenty of time then.”

Fals nods immediately. I wonder what’s so important that a Courier wouldn’t even be allowed to stop to rest.

“We can have a Runner show you to the spot. We also have a map if you need one—”

“A Runner is fine. Preferably someone fast?”

Fals nods. Flustered, he looks around. Well, this seems like a good opportunity. I raise my voice and step forwards.

“I’m heading down that way myself. Mind if I join you?”

The other Runners look at me, and Val glances questioningly at Fals. He nods, relieved.

“Ryoka is the fastest City Runner in the region. She can take you to the road fastest.”

“Well then, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to move out soon. Is that okay with you?”

He raises an eyebrow at me, challengingly. I think I almost like this guy. He’s confident, not just cocky. He reminds me of other athletes I’ve met.

“Give me five minutes. If that’s not too long?”

Fals looks like he’s going to inhale his tongue, but Val grins broadly.

“Five minutes is fine. I’ll be here.”

I nod and move towards the counter. The receptionist is staring at Vals behind it, but she jumps and looks at me as I cough.

“I still need my payment.”

“What? Oh! Of course! Just let me—”

It takes her slightly longer than five minutes to get me my coin, mainly because her hands are shaking so bad. But eventually I have my money and I secure my pack as I tighten my shoes.

Vals nods at me and extricates himself from the crowd of Runners.

“Ready to go?”

“Follow me.”

He turns and nods at the room.

“Runners, Miss Garia. It was a pleasure to meet you all.”

“Thank you for saving—”

Oops. The door closes behind me and Val. We’re already out the door. I glance at him. He’s a Courier? I wonder how fast he is.

As if he’s reading my mind, Val glances at my feet and then at the open street.

“Slippery road. If you want to take it slow, I’ll match your pace. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll be on my way.”

“I have business in Liscor too. I might join you.”

“You’re welcome to.”

If you can . Neither he or I need to hear the unspoken words. I grit my teeth. My body’s tired, but this is a challenge. This is a race . Me against a Courier. Time to see how high the bar is.

“Let’s go. Try to keep up.”

I don’t break into a sprint right away. Unless you’re running a race that’s a terrible idea. But I do set a fast pace through the city.

Val keeps pace effortlessly with me, and I can tell he’s watching me as I run. I know because I’m doing the same.

“You have good form. It’s nice to see someone else who knows how to run.”

He says that, but that’s my line. When I first came to this world, I thought no one else knew how to run properly. Even Fals tends to waste a bit of motion in his movements, and most of the Runners don’t have good posture or form.

But Val runs like any athlete on the track. Short stride, center of gravity light, stepping with the fore and middle of his foot rather than landing on his heels. He and I both run as if we’re falling forwards, bodies relaxed, feet flashing across the frozen ground.

The city disappears behind us and I decide it’s time to test how fast this guy really is. I move into my fast run, the speed I run at in a marathon. Val doesn’t even blink as he speeds up.

Huh. Okay…

I move faster. I’m at a dead-run now, racing speed. He stays right next to me, not even blinking. So I sprint. I push into the ground and take off. My feet might be hampered by these damn shoes, but even with them I can go terrifically fast.

The world blurs around me and becomes a tunnel. I strike the frozen earth with my feet as fast as possible, leaving a flurry of powdery snow as I dash ahead. That should do it. That should—

Val runs right next to me, legs flashing through the snow, grinning. Not mockingly; not even in challenge. He’s enjoying the run, and he’s right next to me as I run as fast as I ever have.

You’ve got to be—

“You don’t have any Skills, or Classes, do you? That you can run this fast is truly impressive.”

Val shouts that over the rushing wind. I can’t even spare the effort to look at him—I’m putting everything I have into the run. But I hear his voice, not even out of breath. I feel like I’m gasping for air over here.

“That’s what the pinched-face girl in your Guild told me. She doesn’t seem to like you.”

Persua? In five minutes—she talked?—what a bitch.

Can’t even think. I try to increase speed, but Val doesn’t even look strained.

“I don’t want to hurt your pride, but I do have a job to do. You’re quick, but I need to get to Liscor by tonight at the latest. So—pardon me.”

He runs a tiny bit faster, so he can nod back at me. Then he says two words.

“[Double Step].”

The world is a blur around me, but Val was like the center of a focused lens. Since he and I are keeping the same pace, it’s like we’re the only two people in a world of blurred colors. But when he speaks, he suddenly blurs forwards.

I can’t believe it. But suddenly, Val is taking two steps for every one of mine. His feet aren’t just blurring on the ground—I can barely see his legs moving. He accelerates forwards, running twice as fast as I do.

In seconds, he’s a hundred meters ahead of me. It’s like I’m standing still while he’s running. That’s how fast he’s moving.

The blur of motion that is the Courier accelerates to the main road, and then seems to pause. Suddenly the blur reverses direction and Val appears by my side, effortlessly keeping pace with me.

“I’ll see you in Liscor! I’m looking for some strange person who plays chess there. I’m told a Drake [Tactician] is the best player in the city. After I locate him we can have a drink or two.”

I can’t do anything else but nod. Val grins, and raises two fingers to his forehead. He accelerates, and then he’s moving faster than I am, faster than any human from my world has ever moved. He dashes down the snowy road, kicking up massive spays of snow into the air.

In less than a minute, he’s pulled so far ahead of me he’s a speck in the distance. I lose sight of him shortly after that.

I slow down and stop sprinting. My shoes slide a bit on packed snow, and I feel my feet rubbing at the leather and chafing horribly. I probably already have a blister or two, but that doesn’t concern me at the moment.

My heart is beating out of my chest. The cold air burns my lungs. I feel my body trying to recover as my legs scream in agony. I stare down the empty road, and say one word.

“… Fuck. ”

2.16

She was a Queen, and he was not. In theory, that meant that he would obey her every whim. But theory is a poor substitute for reality, and the Antinium had long ago learned that a single entity could not be trusted to make the best choice every time.

So the position of Prognugator had been established, and much work had gone into their being. Each Prognugator was able to assist their Queen by handling the lesser affairs of the Hive, and even caution her if they believed she was in error.

Such incidents were rare, but they spoke to a system that worked. And yet, this particular Antinium was neither Prognugator nor another Queen, and still he had authority of his own.

Klbkch, newly reincarnated Revalantor of the Free Antinium, was technically above the rank of Prognugator. He could ignore even his Queen’s instructions, such was the nature of his duties.

Still, there was a difference between willful disobedience for a higher purpose and rebellion. Klbkch still obeyed his Queen’s orders in normal affairs, and she could question his actions much as he could hers.

Such as now.

“ Glass windows? Why, Klbkchhezeim?”

Klbkch lowered his head as he knelt before his Queen.

“I deemed it a necessary expense, milady. The Hive can easily afford the cost, after all.”

“‘Can’ does not mean ‘should’. Moreover, you were rebuilding an inn that the human destroyed herself. Why waste the Hive’s resources on such a trivial thing?”

“We have more than enough funds to spare.”

This was true, but what of it? The Queen knew their Hive had enough gold to buy windows for much of Liscor. They provided valuable services with their Workers, although they took care not to take away too many jobs from the local citizenry.

In fact, they regularly under- produced when providing services. The Antinium’s Workers could construct and deconstruct buildings overnight if they so chose. They were efficient, tireless, and didn’t need to bother with measuring tools or work from a blueprint.

It would be a simple matter to take over much of Liscor’s industry, but that would invariably lead to economic disaster. And the Hive was meant to work together with other species, not drive them apart.

So while the Free Antinium occupied a vital slice of the economy, they still left plenty of work and opportunity for business with other species. They bought many goods—food, crafted items, and clothing, despite having little need for any of it. The Hive could produce all of the Antinium’s needs, but no one had to know that.

None of that justified needless waste. The Queen stared hard at Klbkch.

“Explain. Is this a gift to be offered this human child, or a bribe of sorts?”

“A gift, my Queen. Goodwill offered so that she might assist us with our tasks.”

“Hmf. I see.”

Klbkch spread his hands. He had only two, which bothered the Queen still. But it was something he had requested, and the efficiency of his new form would become evident in time.

“We need Erin Solstice far more than she needs us. And I believe her help should not be coerced. Small gifts and assistance rendered may benefit us in the long run.”

“The fact that it is her , a single human who has achieved the dream of the Antinium bothers me deeply, Klbkchhezeim. Why her? Why now? Why, after so long does it appear to be so simple? ”

Klbkch tried to calm the agitation he sensed in his Queen. He spoke calmly and clearly.

“Perhaps because we have been foolish and adopted the wrong approach. We had no idea how to go about accomplishing this impossibility. And perhaps—because Erin Solstice is no ordinary human.”

“I see.”

The Queen did, and in more ways than just what Klbkch said. She knew he was keeping a secret from her regarding the human known as Erin Solstice. She did not care. Klbkch was loyal and if she did not trust him implicitly, he would not have lived past the day. He just irritated her sometimes. But then, they’d been a pair, the two of them, for longer than she could remember. It was just their way.

“The new one, Ksmvr. He struggles to take up your mantle.”

“Is that surprising? He is new. Give him time.”

“I would have killed him for his failure before.”

“He did not know. I have rectified his thinking. And a Prognugator is needed in the Hive.”

“Mm.”

The Queen shifted. There was much she didn’t like about the current situation. That was odd, considering that they had finally achieved part of the Antinium’s dream.

“What else goes on in the world above?”

Klbkch nodded. He paused, thinking. A Worker would never pause, and neither would a Soldier. But neither truly thought. Thought was something the Queen had learned to value above all else. She waited, patiently.

“The Listeners to the south also report a group of Gnoll warriors heading towards the city. They are led by a high-level warrior, and all belong to the Silverfang Tribe.”

“Interesting. The same tribe as before? Gazi the Omniscient slew the last group of warriors. What merits such great need that they would risk a second party?”

“Erin Solstice, perhaps. Or maybe a confluence of events.”

“Hrm. See to it they do not disturb the plan.”

“Yes.”

“Anything else?”

“The Listeners report a Courier has come delivering a package from the north. He is already in the city, asking after the Drake named Olesm.”

“At least this does not involve Erin Solstice.”

Klbkch paused again, and then, for the first time in years, the Queen heard humor in his voice.

“Not quite, milady. He asks after the best chess player in the city. He believes that is Olesm, but…”

The Queen shifted in her spot in the cavern, moving her bloated body. Her voice rose, and the Soldiers standing guard at the entrance to her room stirred.

“Why does the world turn upon one small human? What makes her unique!?”

The wrath of his ruler did not faze Klbkch, and his voice cut through her ire as he raised it.

“Perhaps because she is part of a grander picture, my Queen. One I have not put together yet, but it includes Erin Solstice. And she is not alone. Ryoka Griffin, Erin Solstice…they are pieces. I believe they are connected with the other anomalies found by the Hives.”

That stopped his Queen. She paused, and took in the silent messages he sent her across the telepathic link.

“It must be discussed. Find out more. I will speak with the others. In the meantime, others come from three Hives. They will wish to see the Abber—the Individuals. Ensure all five come to no harm.”

“With your permission, I will send them to the inn—under guard—with other Workers to continue learning to play chess.”

“Do so. Do what you must, Klbkch. I will keep the affairs of the Hive in order, regardless of what must be done above.”

“Thank you, my Queen.”

She sighed. She’d lost her closest confidant, her second feeler and her blade and shield. Her duties weighed on her more heavily.

But. But this was a time of change. A time of glorious revelation and success. She could feel it in her core. Just a little longer, and perhaps…

“They will be here soon. Do what can be done with this innkeeper until then.”

“Yes.”

There was nothing left to be said. The Queen raised a languid feeler and paused. A final thought made her speak.

“…Are you quite sure she has no more of those acid flies?”

“Yes, milady.”

“What a pity.”

—-

Once upon a time, there was an old city. A millennia ago, it stood tall and proud, a kingdom rich in both magic and wealth. But like all things, it eventually faded. The people’s hearts grew small, or perhaps the rulers grew arrogant and cruel. Eventually, the city fell to corruption from within.

They sealed their doors, and built terrible weapons. The survivors created traps to protect their wealth and loosed monsters in the walls of their homes. They sealed away the most powerful of their relics, daring any to claim them from this place of death.

Or something. Erin wasn’t too sure on the exact details, but the ancient ruins were apparently a big find, and everyone was excited and terrified.

Excited, because you might find the one ring of power in the ruins. Terrified, because Sauron himself might be down there, ready to poke your eye out.

Either way, the story made no sense.

“How the heck do you forget about an entire city?”

Olesm shrugged helplessly as he considered his next move. Erin waited to see whether he thought losing the bishop or the knight was a better idea. True, traditional thought on the matter said that bishops were more valuable over time, but the knight could threaten her king. Until she took it out with a little trap with a knight and her queen, that was.

“It surprised the Captain as much as everyone else. I mean, it was a fluke discovery. We were looking for something that might identify the species of monster Skinner was, and then we found a nearly complete map and some ruined texts in a book.”

Ceria watched as Olesm carefully saved his bishop from certain doom. Erin snatched away his knight and began advancing on Olesm’s king as they talked.

It had been a long time since either Olesm or Erin had played chess. So both had taken the time to play a few games after they’d established that a second Skinner was not about to rip their faces off.

Really, Olesm could have waited until tomorrow. But since sleep was pretty much out after Ceria’s nightmare, they’d stayed up, fortified by hot food and games of chess. Well, Olesm and Erin played chess. Ceria just watched.

“You’d think someone would at least remember, right?”

“I don’t know. It was a long time ago, and I suppose if the ruins were never found people would just forget. It could have been thousands of years old. Some of the ruins people find date back to the time when Elves still roamed the earth.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Zevara says—well, she’s worried whether this is a magic dungeon or just an old one. Skinner sort of points to it being magical, which would be trouble.”

“Um. Aren’t all dungeons magical?”

“No…at least, a lot of dungeons have magical things in them it’s true, but a magical dungeon has some kind of source of mana. It—well, Ceria, can you explain?”

“Yeah.”

The half-Elf nodded. She went to fold her hands behind her head and stopped.

“Magical dungeons are special because they essentially don’t run out of monsters. And they’re a completely different magnitude of dangerous than a non-magical dungeon.”

Erin captured one of Olesm’s pawns and he groaned.

“Why?”

“The mana in the dungeons attracts nastier monsters. Plus, it might make them stronger. Add that to the fact that whatever’s producing the mana is usually incredibly deadly, and some dungeons never get fully cleared. The nearby cities and nations just post guards and hire adventurers to keep the monster populations on the higher levels in check and pray nothing really bad comes out.”

“Sounds awful. And there’ll be more things like that Skinner?”

“The tombs were more like a non-magical dungeon, despite the undead. So, no. The rest of the dungeons might be far worse.”

Erin shuddered.

“Is there any good news?”

Olesm shook his head, but only because Erin was about to checkmate him.

“Maybe. It could be good for business. When adventurers hear there’s a huge dungeon here, they’re going to flood into the city.”

“I thought they did. Then they ran away.”

“Those were Bronze and Silver-rank adventurers. But a confirmed magical dungeon this old? It’s going to pull in Named Adventurers and Gold-rank adventurers, possibly even from other continents.”

“Whoa. Sounds good. And bad.”

“Mhm. Am I in checkmate?”

“In two moves you are.”

Olesm sighed and tipped over his king. He looked at the board sadly and shook his head.

“I thought the few levels I gained would make a difference, but that’s not the case.”

“You’re getting better.”

Erin reassured the Drake. She glanced out one of her lovely glass windows and frowned at the sky. It was getting light outside.

“Hm. Odd. I thought I’d get a few more visitors by now.”

“Visitors? Do you mean the Antinium? Or the Goblins?”

“No, I meant visitors. Guests. People I don’t know who want to buy lots of food and give me money.”

Erin sighed. She glanced out the window. The city was visible in the distance, but she didn’t see any people heading her way.

“You see, I was selling those hamburgers all yesterday and I was sure everyone would come rushing here tomorrow to buy more. But maybe they’re all not hungry? Or still sleeping?”

Olesm fidgeted as he reset the board.

“Oh. About that…”

Someone pushed open the door. Erin turned around, beaming.

“Hello, welcome! Come in and—oh. It’s you.”

Pisces kicked snow in from outside as he stumbled into the warm room. He looked around distractedly, and then lurched over to Erin.

“Ah. There you are. Your inn moved. Why did it move?”

Erin scowled at him and wondered if this was a sign of how her day would be. Pisces was not her favorite guest. In fact, she’d prefer to have almost anyone in her inn but him.

But she paused and reconsidered as Pisces approached. He seemed thinner than normal, and his robes were even dirtier than normal. When had she last seen him? A day ago?

No—not since they’d come out of the Ruins with Ceria. Normally Pisces appeared at her inn every other day at the minimum. Where had he been?

The mage’s messy hair was a sparrow’s nest, and his eyes were bloodshot. But he was grinning manically as he approached. He held something clasped between both hands, and Erin eyed it warily.

“Pisces. Why are you here?”

“I’ve just made a tremendous—no, exceptional achievement in the field of necromancy. I have formulated a new branch of magic, by myself.”

He glanced around and only now seemed to notice Ceria and Olesm.

“Ah. Springwalker. Drake. Greetings.”

Ceria raised one eye at Pisces. She didn’t seem surprised by his disheveled state.

“Pisces. What madness have you cooked up this time?”

Erin wasn’t sure she wanted to know. But Pisces was clearly eager to show her. He opened his hands.

“Behold!”

He lifted one hand to show Erin what was on his palm. Erin blinked down at something small and—crawly?

“ Gyaaah! Spider! ”

She flipped his hand up and the spider landed on Pisces’ face. He screamed.

“Get it off! ”

The small spider scuttled off his face and onto the ground. It sped towards Olesm and the Drake yelped and toppled out of his chair. But the spider ignored him. It sped up a table leg and crawled underneath the bottom of the table to reach the top. There it paused, silently facing Olesm.

“Spider! Squash it!”

Ceria caught Erin as she raised the chessboard to smush the horrible thing. The half-Elf held her back as Pisces got back up off the ground.

“Don’t hurt it! It’s my creation!”

“What?”

Pisces was breathing hard. He shakily pointed at the spider as it stayed stock still, facing him.

“It’s dead. Undead, to be precise.”

Erin stared. As instinctive fear left her, she realized what Pisces was saying.

“No. You made an undead spider? ”

Pisces gestured at the small spider as if it were something to be proud of.

“I may be the first [Necromancer] in years to master the animation of a species without bone. I even learned a new Skill. And leveled!”

For a few seconds, Erin debated hitting him, or the spider. Then she gave up and just accepted this as horrible reality.

She looked at the spider. It was quite small, now that she wasn’t staring at it close-up. That didn’t make it better.

It looked like the spiders you heard about in Australia or the Amazon, the ones which could kill in a single bite. It had a black body, but red crimson chitin plating its legs.

That was right. This spider looked like it had armor on its body, not just carapace. Erin shuddered. It stared up at her without moving, just like any other undead. But it was a spider . That made everything far worse.

“Okay. You’ve officially made the most horrible thing in existence. Undead spiders. Good for you. Now take it out of my inn.”

Pisces blinked at her. He gestured again at his spider.

“But it’s my latest creation. It’s a marvel. It—”

“Take. It. Out. Or I’ll squash it.”

Pieces stared at Erin. Then he scowled and pointed. Instantly, the undead spider leapt off the table and scuttled out the open door. Erin closed the door behind it and shuddered.

“Can’t I have anyone normal visit my inn for once?”

Pisces found an overturned chair, considered it, and took one that was already upright instead. Erin glared as she righted the overturned chair.

“Well, I believe my efforts have been noticed. I would like a meal, if you please. I’m quite famished.”

It was a strange thing. Both Erin and Ceria eyed Pisces at the same time, and both could tell the other was thinking of smacking him on the back of the head. That made them smile.

Olesm looked like he would have enjoyed throwing a few chess pieces at the mage as he gathered them up. But he held himself back. Instead, he sat at the table and reset the board as he spoke.

“I don’t see why a spider is that impressive. True, it’s a unique form of Necromancy, but is it more impressive than an army of zombies?”

Pisces sniffed. He splayed his hands on the table and looked pointedly at the kitchen. Erin ignored the look.

“It’s more of a revelation that Necromancy can be applied to more unusual corpse types than anything else at the moment. Animated spiders would only be useful for ambushes or reconnaissance in the military context. Bone and flesh is easier to use, but it’s the improvement I wished to bring to your attention.”

He nodded at Erin.

“As you might recall, you questioned me about the possibility of using non-humanoid remains to create undead. I took up your challenge, and thus the fruits of my labor were made manifest.”

Erin vaguely remembered needling Pisces about that. She regretted ever bringing the topic up.

“Great. Now you can make undead spiders. Keep them away, and we don’t have a problem. But that’s not something I really care about. I’m more interested in one skeleton. Toren.”

Pisces looked at Erin with a slight frown, and then around the inn.

“What about my creation? Is something…wrong with him?”

Erin tried to explain as briefly as possible what had happened. Pisces rolled his eyes when she told him about her order to go away, but he seemed attentive to the problem, at least.

“He’s gone. I can’t find him anywhere. You wouldn’t happen to be able to find him, would you?”

The mage paused, and closed his eyes.

“Odd. I should be able to tell where he is, but I cannot.”

Ceria took a seat opposite Pisces.

“I thought [Necromancers] could tell where all their creations are, regardless if they bound them to someone else.”

“Normally that’s true. But I’m—not sensing his aura anywhere nearby.”

Erin stared worriedly at Pisces.

“He’s not dead, is he?”

“He’s undead.”

He sniffed at her. Erin raised a clenched fist threateningly, and Pisces spoke faster.

“What I mean, is that he’s still animated, but I can’t sense his location. I would know if Toren had been uncreated, but I can’t locate him. It’s almost as if…something is interfering with his aura.”

“Magical spike? A concentration of mana?”

Pisces nodded at Ceria.

“Something like that. I could try to get closer, but that would involve a lot of work.”

“Well? What’s stopping you?”

Erin propped her hands on her hips and stared at Pisces. He blinked at her.

“Why would I do that? The skeleton will return sooner or later, regardless of your orders. It is in his nature. Besides, I’m quite hungry. As I said. Would you bring me a menu, or your dish of the day?”

“Of course! Because all I want to do is make food for a mage who brings spiders into my inn and never pays me!”

Erin raised her voice and grabbed at her hair. Pisces was impossible. Ceria punched him in the shoulder and Pisces gave her a hurt look as he rubbed at his shoulder.

“If your skeleton isn’t back by tomorrow I’ll take a look. But I need food to cast magic, and I’ve been sequestered by myself for the last few days. A few hours won’t make any difference. And I am a valued customer. Unless you were expecting other patrons?”

“I thought I’d have hundreds of customers by now! Or at least ten!”

Erin stomped around her inn, wondering what she could get away with serving Pisces that would take the least amount of effort. She pointed furiously out the window at the city.

“I made over four hundred hamburgers yesterday, and not one person’s coming here for another! Why’s that?”

“Hamburger? Interesting. I will try one.”

Olesm coughed into a scaled hand as Erin made a strangled sound.

“I can explain that, Erin.”

She looked at him. The Drake looked apologetic.

“I saw a lot of shopkeepers and vendors on the streets as I was coming here. Only a few were open that early, but all of them were selling those hamburgers.”

“What?”

They’d taken her recipe? Well, it wasn’t her recipe, but it still felt like theft.

Erin stared at Olesm, hurt. That wasn’t fair. Actually, it was. Erin didn’t own the hamburger recipe and it was really easy to make, but it still felt wrong. Ryoka had warned her. Erin just hadn’t expected the copying to happen overnight.

“But I’ve got more than just hamburgers! I’ve got other food I’m totally ready to make.”

“Really? I’ll sample all of it for you and give you my considered opinion.”

“I’m sorry, Erin. But that’s how it works. You have a really good idea, and the others decided to copy you. They’ve got your recipe down quite well. The only thing they haven’t managed to figure out is how to make the red and white stuff.”

Mayonnaise and ketchup. At least Erin still had that , although the two condiments were such a pain to make it didn’t make her feel any better. She slumped into a chair and sighed.

“Great. So much for a full house tonight.”

“Sorry about that, Erin. If it helps, I think you’ll still have Relc and Klbkch tonight. And probably some of the Antinium too.”

Ceria patted Erin on the back. Erin nodded. It was good that she had a customer base, but her hopes had been dashed. She’d really thought she had something special.

“…Alright. I guess I can make a stupid cheeseburger or something.”

Pisces raised a finger.

“This ‘hamburger’ interests me more, actually. I prefer meat.”

“It’s the same thing! ”

—-

Erin had slapped together a fast cheeseburger and served it to an appreciative Pisces when she started to feel a bit better. She sat down with Olesm and Ceria, listening to the mage’s appreciative noises and thought today might not be that bad.

True, it was a disappointment about the customers, but—

Someone knocked on the door to her inn. Erin’s eyes widened and she stopped beating Olesm in chess to smile at the Drake.

“Aha! See? First customer of the day.”

He blinked at her as Erin raised her voice.

“Come in!”

The door opened. But instead of the Drake or Gnoll that Erin expected, a human stepped into her inn. He shook some snow off his shoes and stepped into the room.

“Good day. I’m looking for a Drake named Olesm. He wouldn’t happen to be in here, would he?”

“What?”

Olesm looked up from his game of chess as the young man who’d entered spotted him. In a few steps he was at Erin and Olesm’s table.

Erin blinked up at the guy, so surprised that she nearly didn’t wonder how he’d moved so fast. He was a human? A human guy?

Yes, he was a normal human being. He had tanned skin, black hair, and a slightly crooked nose. He was dressed in traveling attire, and he looked like he was in great shape.

Olesm stood up.

“I’m Olesm. Um, are you some kind of messenger?”

“I’m a Courier from First Landing. I’ve got a delivery for the best chess player in the city of Liscor. Would that be you?”

The Drake’s eyes went wide, and he looked from the Courier to Erin.

“A Courier? That’s—I mean, yes, I am the best chess player in Liscor, but Erin here is far better than I am. What’s this about?”

“I’ve got a package. It’s got no listed recipient, but the instructions I was given were to deliver this to whoever recognizes this drawing.”

The Courier fished in his pocket, and pulled something out. Everyone in the room stared at a worn, faded, piece of parchment. Erin recognized it instantly as he unfolded it.

The ink had run in places from water stains, and someone had spilled something orange on a corner of the parchment, but on one side she saw a simple chess puzzle, with her listed solution on the back.

On the other side, a complex little chess game she’d once struggled with had been solved in four moves. Olesm took the piece of paper from the Courier and inspected the scribbled lines next to the puzzle with shaking claws.

“It’s…correct. Correct! I struggled for over a week on this one. Someone else figured it out?”

“Ah, so you are the creator of this…thing?”

The Courier lifted a thick, wrapped bundle out of the rucksack on his back. Olesm blinked at him and shook his head swiftly.

“Me? No, I barely solved it. Erin’s the one who made the puzzle.”

He pointed at Erin and she blinked and turned red as the Courier turned to her. He was taller than her by a good few inches, and he scrutinized her hard.

“My apologies. You’re the creator of the puzzle? My name is Valceif. Val. I was told to deliver this to you.”

“Me? Oh, I’m Erin. Erin Solstice. I uh, did make that, but I didn’t expect anything in return. Just…a letter, not anything else. What’s this about?”

“I really couldn’t say, Miss Erin. I’m simply a Courier. Someone put a generous request up for priority delivery to whoever sent this piece of paper. I’m supposed to give it to you, if you did make it.”

“I did. But…what is it?”

Val glanced down at something in his left hand.

“Hm. You’re not lying, so that makes you my recipient.”

He offered her the package, but Erin was still metaphorically ten feet behind the conversation. She blinked at his hand.

“How do you know I wasn’t lying? Is that a Skill?”

Val shook his head. The Courier opened his palm, and showed Erin a clear bit of quartz hanging from a leather cord. The clear stone was glowing yellow.

“Just a gem with a [Detect Truth] spell enchanted on it. Standard-issue for Couriers.”

“A Courier? That’s like a super-important Runner, right?”

He smiled, briefly.

“Some might say so. We’re just more competent than City Runners, that’s all. We do long-distance deliveries that are too important to entrust to anyone else. Someone paid a lot of gold to get this to you, Erin. I’d be pleased if you took it off my hands.”

She reached out for the package, and then hesitated.

“What should I do? I don’t have any Seals on me! You need one, right?”

He shook his head.

“It’s fine. Couriers use a different system than City Runners and Street Runners.”

He held up the wrapped package, and for the first time Erin noticed something odd about it. The object had been wrapped in layers of some kind of brown canvas fabric, but a black ribbon bound the object together. And in the center of the ribbon, a strange runic stone was embedded.

It glowed with black light. Ceria whistled and Pisces looked up from his meal to stare at the strange object. Val tapped it gently.

“This is a Courier’s Seal. It will record this location, your faces and identities, and the time I completed my request. Any mage will be able to ensure I delivered my package to the right recipient this way.”

“Oh. So—so it’s going to take a picture of me?”

“Something like that. Just place your hand on the seal, and it will do the rest. Don’t worry; it won’t hurt you.”

That didn’t sound reassuring, but Val was insistent, and Erin was intensely curious. Gingerly, she put her palm on the stone.

The black light glowing from the stone turned immediately white. Erin snatched her hand back, but the stone didn’t do anything else. It just fell off the ribbon, and Val caught it as the package began to unravel slightly.

“My delivery has been completed. Thank you.”

“Um, you’re welcome. I mean, thanks!”

Erin took the wrapped object and looked at it, at a total loss. It wasn’t that heavy—it felt rectangular and hard under her hands. She looked at Ceria desperately.

“What should I do. What is this?”

The half-Elf shrugged. She stared intently at the package. Even the Courier seemed interested. He coughed into his hand.

“You’re free to dispose of the package, but it’s nothing dangerous. The mage at my Guild would have detected that. It’s a delivery to you.”

“Well then…should I open it?”

Olesm nodded eagerly. He stared at the piece of parchment in his claws and then at the package.

“It must be from whoever sent that puzzle in the first place! Open it, Erin!”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to see what it is as well. I’ve come a long way and the curiosity is eating away at me.”

Erin blinked at Val, and then nodded.

“Of course. Sure! First Landing…that’s far, right?”

Pisces snorted and Ceria laughed. Val looked amused.

“Very far.”

“Well, um, have a seat if you want. This is an inn. Right, it’s an inn and I’m the innkeeper. I can get you food and I have a bed if you’re tired. Just as soon as I…”

Erin carried the package over to a table next to the one Pisces was at. The mage stood up, and he and Ceria walked over as Olesm and Val stared at the unassuming package.

Erin held her breath as she undid the black ribbon and pulled away the brown fabric. What could it be? She barely remembered sending the chess puzzle out, but someone had spent lots of money to send her something back? What could it be?

The last of the fabric fell away to reveal what was within. Everyone crowded closer to look, and then stared. Olesm’s face fell, and Erin felt disappointed.

It was…a chessboard. Just a chess board. It was made of gloriously smooth wood, and there was a deep richness to the set that made Erin think that she was holding something worth thousands of dollars in her world, but it was just a chess board.

It didn’t even have any pieces with it.

For a second, everyone stared at the chess board, and then Pisces snorted and went back to his hamburger. Erin stared down at the carved piece of wood, disappointed and even more confused than before.

“What’s this? It’s just a chess board. Why would anyone send me that?”

Ceria poked the board and shrugged.

“It looks nice. That’s quite a nice grain of wood there. A solid piece of Afzelia if I’m not mistaken.”

Erin had no idea what that was, but it sounded expensive. Even so, the chess board mystified her.

“What good is a chess board without pieces, huh?”

That was sort of the point . You didn’t need a chess board—the pieces were what mattered. You could play on the ground with lines drawn in the dirt if you had the pieces. But what good was a board?

Olesm scratched the spines on his head.

“Maybe it’s a gift to whoever made such a good puzzle?”

That made sense, but Erin wasn’t sure.

“It was just a puzzle. It wasn’t that hard. I know a lot more that are even worse.”

Olesm’s tail sagged.

“What? Really? But I worked so hard on it!”

Erin bit her tongue and tried to take back her words.

“I don’t mean it’s easy. No—you did a great job, Olesm! It’s just that I don’t get why anyone would spend this much money sending something just for a chess puzzle.”

“Some rich folks are like that. It could just be a gift of appreciation.”

Val nodded at the chess board, and Erin jumped to remember he was still there. He frowned at the board.

“It doesn’t explain why the sender was in such a hurry to get it here, but I suppose some people are simply impatient. But there was no request for a reply, just a confirmation of delivery.”

Was that curious? Erin thought so. What was the point of sending a chess puzzle if you didn’t send another, even harder one back? That was how it was supposed to go, and she was really looking forward to a dialogue. Back in her world, she’d done that with several people online…

The Courier shrugged, and rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck gently.

“Well, it’s a mystery. But I’m glad I was able to find you. I searched the entire city for the better part of an hour before I was told Olesm might be in this inn. And then the inn turned out to be in a different spot than I was told.”

“Oops. Um, yeah. We…moved a few days ago.”

“It only took me a few minutes to find the correct one. Don’t worry about it; the signs were helpful.”

Val smiled, and Erin smiled back. He had an openness to him that she liked.

“Well, I guess I’ll use this later. It’ll be good if we play more games of chess. For now…”

The wrappings Erin tossed in the kitchen. She could reuse some of it, and the brown fabric looked tough. She put the board on a table in one corner of the room and forgot about it the instant she turned around. Erin looked at Val and realized she had an opportunity here.

“Um, Val? I’m really grateful you came all the way here. And I’m actually an [Innkeeper], and this is my inn. So…would you like something to eat before you go?”

The Courier had been stretching, possibly about to run out the door. But at Erin’s words he paused, and grinned. He looked around the inn and nodded.

“I’d love that. Do you have anything you recommend?”

Erin smiled slyly, and Olesm and Ceria had to grin.

“How about a hamburger?”

Pisces raised one hand and called out.

“I shall have another!”

—-

Ryoka ran through the night and into the next day without stopping. It was willpower and desperation that kept her moving. Only that and one of Octavia’s stamina potions.

Every time Ryoka took a gulp of the terrible, blue liquid she wished she could rip out her tongue. But a second later energy would flood through her veins like a bursting dam. She ran ahead, legs forgetting the aches they kept reminding her body of, sprinting down the frozen road by herself.

But no matter how fast she ran, she knew she would never catch Val. He was so fast. Beyond fast. He’d surpassed the human limit. Her limit.

A horse would have been hard-pressed to keep up with him. No—he was probably neck and neck with a galloping horse. Maybe faster.

God. Ryoka closed her eyes for the briefest moment as she ran on. She’d always thought she could take on the challenges of this world by herself, without magic or classes. With some clever tactics and Octavia’s alchemy, Ryoka had thought she might qualify as a Courier. But Val had shattered that illusion.

He could run twice as fast as she could. That wasn’t just cheating. It was reinventing what it meant to be human. If people could beat horses without machines…

Maybe it was time to rethink her ideals. If that was what Ryoka could attain, maybe…

Ryoka’s melancholic thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light far off to her left. She paused, slowed, and changed directions in a heartbeat. Something was lying in the snow, around a mile away.

It was small at first, but as Ryoka approached she realized the object was actually huge. She stopped as the snowy ground grew muddy underfoot.

It was a…massive suit of armor. It lay spread-eagled on the ground, in an area of ground that was no longer covered in snow. The snow had melted, and something had turned the wet grass into a muddy landscape.

Ryoka slowed as she made her way across the broken earth and churned and muddy ground. What had happened here? A battle of some kind. But this armor…

As she stepped next to it, Ryoka realized that this armor wasn’t normal at all. It was plate armor to begin with; black metal hammered together to create an imposing behemoth. And behemoth was the right word for this armor. It was massive.

Even Calruz—even he would have found the armor a loose fit. But that wasn’t what attracted Ryoka’s attention. No, it was another aspect of the armor that bothered her.

It was battered . There was no other word for it. It looked like someone had bashed every single square inch of the armor with hammers. The black metal was dented in places—in others, Ryoka found holes where something small had punched through the metal.

Crossbow bolts? Ryoka doubted it, but that was the only thing she could think of. Either that or a huge longbow had done this damage. She’d seen only one broken crossbow in her entire time in this world, but something had punched through the armor.

But that brought another question to Ryoka’s mind. She squatted down next to the damaged piece of plate. It had no helmet, so she could peer inside without a problem. And what she saw was an absence of any blood or flesh.

There was no blood on the armor. Anywhere. That was the oddest thing. With all this damage, there surely should have been some blood or a corpse nearby, but the armor was simply empty.

Ryoka looked around. Someone had fought there. There should be some bodies. But there weren’t. She saw something else sticking out of the ground and headed towards it.

A massive, broken sword was embedded in the ground twenty meters away. Ryoka stared at it and noticed how something had cracked the blade in two different places.

“What the hell…?”

Just by following the muddy ground, Ryoka could see a terrific battle had been waged in this area. The swath of muddy ground was nearly two miles across, and reached all the way back to the foot of a mountain in the distance.

Ryoka followed them to an odd opening in the rock. It looked like the opening to a cave, but very small. It was just large enough that the massive armor might have fit through, but it was too thin to let anything wider through.

The human girl peered into the darkness of the cave, but couldn’t see anything. She went back to the armor, and regarded it.

“Steel?”

She was no metallurgist, but Ryoka guessed that was the case. It rang as she knocked on the armor with her knuckles. Iron would have been more of a thunk.

Who had the resources to make something so expensive? Ryoka was almost tempted to try and see if she could salvage the armor, but it was so wrecked she didn’t know if it was worth it.

It was probably worth it either way. Ryoka mentally marked the location as something to come back to. After a moment of hesitation, she buried the armor in the snow so it would be less visible from the road.

But who had fought here? Who was the wearer of the armor, and who had destroyed it? There were no clues.

Just another mystery to solve. Ryoka groaned as she stood back up. More tracks led into the crack in the mountainside. Something had gone in there, but Ryoka wasn’t about to follow.

For one thing, she was exhausted . For another, she had an aversion to entering dark caves where something with a crossbow might or might not be lurking. And for a third reason, she had a Courier to catch.

She was only a few hours away from Liscor. Ryoka made her way back to the road and set off. Her body hurt. She wanted another sip of the stamina potion, but Octavia had warned her it could only stave off exhaustion for so long.

Ryoka ran through the brightening morning, thinking only of the end. She could have food, a place to sit, and hot water when she got to Erin’s inn.

But when she arrived at the place where The Wandering Inn should have been, Ryoka only saw an empty hilltop. She stared up at the empty spot and looked around. No. She was definitely in the right place. But…

“…Where the hell did it go?”

—-

The inn’s glass windows were full of warmth and light when Ryoka finally found it. For a few minutes she just leaned against the wall of the inn, too exhausted to do anything else. Then the tantalizing smell and heat from inside called to her, and she pushed the door open.

The room was beautifully warm, and the instant Ryoka entered, she saw a familiar face. Ceria sat at one table, smiling and laughing with Olesm. Pisces sat across from them, munching on a familiar food. Erin sat at a table and laughed with Val—

Val.

Ryoka stopped in her tracks as Erin got to her feet. The Courier inclined his head at her and said something apologetically. She waved it away as she walked towards the kitchen.

“Another hamburger? Coming right up!”

Ryoka stared at Val as he leaned back in his chair and sighed happily. He had several empty plates on the table, and he looked like he’d been in the inn for quite a while.

He looked towards the open door, and saw Ryoka. Instantly, Val smiled.

“Ryoka? What a surprise! I didn’t expect to see you here! Did you just get in?”

Everyone in the room looked up at the sound of her name. Erin halted in her tracks, and beamed.

“Ryoka!”

Ceria got to her feet, and so did Olesm. Ryoka walked slowly forwards as her friends approached.

Erin went to hug Ryoka or do something friendly, but then she halted a few feet away from the running girl. Olesm sneezed, Erin coughed, and Ceria leaned away from Ryoka. She couldn’t blame them.

She stank.

“Sorry. I just got here. Ran all night.”

Ryoka knew she was drenched in sweat, melted snow, and not a bit of mud. But Erin waved at her face and smiled anyways.

“Wow, that’s fast! Here, take a seat and I’ll get you some food. And a towel. Do you want a drink? I’ve got this alcoholic drink I bought from Krshia…”

Ryoka sat at the table opposite Val and stared at him. Erin hesitated.

“By the way Ryoka, this is another Runner. A Courier, actually. His name is—”

“Val. We’ve met.”

“You have? That’s so weird!”

Val nodded. He didn’t seem bothered by Ryoka’s pong.

“We just met in a city north of here. Ryoka actually helped me find my way here. But I didn’t think we’d meet in this inn. You’ll never believe this, Ryoka, but it turns out my destination was here all along. I was delivering it to this innkeeper, Miss Erin.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it was a chessboard!”

Erin excitedly pointed to the chessboard in the corner of the room.

“I guess it was because I sent this puzzle to someone. And they gave me a chessboard. Well—it’s not that amazing, but it’s cool that we all know each other!”

“Oh?”

Ryoka’s face was completely blank. Erin blinked at her, but Val leaned over to her.

“I think Ryoka would do better with some food and drink in her. Water, not alcohol.”

“Oh, right! You must be starving! Coming right up!”

She was so tired Ryoka didn’t even question the hamburger. But she did nearly tear up, especially when she bit into it.

A proper hamburger. Not crap fast food. She ate two before she even realized what was happening and drank six glasses of water. Slowly—the food she’d take, but she had no intention of vomiting in this new inn.

“…And then they gave me windows, see?”

Erin was finishing explaining how her inn had moved from its previous location. It was a disjointed explanation, but Ryoka got the gist. Exploding inns? She had no idea what to make of that.

“Well, I am glad to have discovered this inn. I’ve never tasted food like this. I’d love to take the recipe back up north. I’m sure the innkeepers up there would love to learn it.”

Val sighed as he rested his hands over his full stomach. Erin smiled crookedly.

“It can’t hurt to tell you, I guess.”

There was something behind her words, but Ryoka’s head felt like static. She was full, and dog-tired, but she had another thought as she looked at Pisces and Ceria, arguing over something in the corner.

“I’ve got a problem.”

Everyone looked at her, and Ryoka realized she shouldn’t have blurted it out. But it was too late now. Ryoka’s exhausted mind couldn’t handle subtleties, only the thing that had bugged her all the way here.

“Can you tell if someone’s cast a mind-altering spell on me?”

She addressed that comment to Pisces and Ceria. The two mages blinked and exchanged a glance, and then came over to sit at their table.

“Mind magic? What, did someone hit you with something, Ryoka?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. Can you test me?”

It was just something the faeries had said. But the only people Ryoka even remotely trusted were the two in front of her. Ceria and Pisces exchanged another look and nodded. They were oddly in synch at times.

“There’s an easy way to tell, although it’s odd. Normally, a spell that messes with the head will remain concealed until the victim is aware of it. And naturally the magic prevents them from realizing something’s off. But if you think there’s a spell on you, this should work.”

Ceria explained as she raised her hand. Her fingertips were glowing green. Across from her, Pisces closed his eyes as his fingertips glowed blue.

“[Detect Magic].”

Pisces and Ceria cast the spell at the same time and glared at each other. The room suddenly lit up.

Ryoka and Erin gasped as Val suddenly exploded in colors like a Christmas tree. Magical auras swirled around him, concentrating on spots about his person. His pockets, places at his belt—

“ Tree rot.  You were right, Ryoka!”

Ceria pointed at Ryoka. She looked around, and noticed a shining coming from her as well. It was hard to see, but there was something…swirling around her head? Something bright, like a halo of smog. Erin stared at it.

“Hey! Your belt is glowing too!”

It was true. Some of the potions on Ryoka’s belt were glowing faintly, but one of them—the orange-pink potion Teriarch had given her was shining with light. Val whistled.

“There’s some magic here.”

Pisces and Ceria had their own aura of glowing colors as well. In fact, only Erin and Olesm were without their aura of colors. The inn was full of magical auras shining from different locations. Val, Ryoka, Ceria, the chessboard, Pisces…

“Well, there’s something strong affecting you, that’s certain.”

Both mages canceled their spell and the inn faded back into the normal range of colors. Everything suddenly seemed drab and ordinary. Ceria stared at Ryoka’s head, and shook her head.

“You’re enchanted. And with something so powerful that I don’t know that I can do anything about it. Sorry, Ryoka.”

“I know I can’t do anything about that.”

Pisces sat back in his chair, wide-eyed. He took Val’s drink and drained it.

“That’s Tier…6 magic? Tier 7? Who did you anger so to make them use that on you?”

“I have an idea. Damn.”

Ryoka sighed, frustrated but vindicated. She was right. And maybe the faeries were…nah. It couldn’t be. But how could they tell?

Val frowned at Ryoka, and then fished in his pockets.

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you? Hold on; here. Take this.”

He took something out of his pocket and showed it to Ryoka and the room.

“I’ve got a powerful charm I use to ward against that kind of magic. It’s worth several thousand gold pieces, so it should remove anything that’s affecting you.”

“Oh! I know those!”

Erin peered excitedly at the charm dangling from Val’s hand. Ryoka recognized the object as well. It was a dreamcatcher, a circle in which someone had woven threads together in a symmetrical shape, like a spider’s web.

The only difference here was that this dreamcatcher was a far smaller version of the ones Ryoka and Erin had seen – barely longer than a thumb. And the frame was made of metal, not wood. But the threads were beautiful, each one a shimmering line of color that made a tantalizing pattern in the center of the charm.

“Here. Just put it against your head and it will dispel any magic on you.”

Val handed the dreamcatcher to Ryoka, and she looked at it dubiously.

“Are you sure?”

He shrugged.

“It’s not a one-use item, and if you’re enchanted, you’ll need something powerful to remove it. Consider it a favor from one Runner to another.”

“Huh. Uh, thanks.”

As soon as she accepted it, the small charm began buzz. Val nodded.

“You’re under the effects of something.”

Ryoka lifted it up, and suddenly the buzzing became a low whine. Val frowned.

“It shouldn’t be making that sound. Wait a—”

Too late. Ryoka pressed the charm against her head. She felt the metal warm, and then it cooled. Ryoka lowered the charm, and stared at it, bemused.

“I don’t know if anything hap—”

Something clicked in her head. It was like Ryoka suddenly going through déjà vu, only a thousand times stronger. She blinked. Memory, forgotten memory rushed into her head. Along with a word.

One word, echoing in her head.

Dragon.

The whine coming from the dreamcatcher suddenly turned into a shriek. Olesm clapped his hands over his ears and Pisces and Ceria ducked.

The dreamcatcher exploded , throwing Ryoka backwards. Val moved like a whirlwind, and Erin gasped as fiery fragments disappeared inches from her face.

Ryoka was catapulted over the top of a table, knocking Pisces’s empty plate off. She crashed hard to the ground as porcelain shattered under her, and felt something wrench in her shoulder.

“Ryoka! Are you okay?”

Erin crouched next to Ryoka, peering anxiously at her friend’s face. Ryoka was alright, albeit bruised and dazed. But she didn’t respond right away. Her eyes were flickering. The dreamcatcher had worked.

She remembered. She remembered everything.

2.17

Ryoka stumbled into the cave, bleeding. Dying. Every step was agony. She felt her sliced flesh and fragments of rock embedded in her skin cutting away at her sanity.

Pain. She didn’t know why she was still moving. But as Ryoka stumbled forwards, the rough stone turned to marble. The room filled with treasures made of gold and magic.

She left footsteps traced in crimson as she walked forwards, forgetting her hurts for a second. The wonders around her were far more glorious than anything she’d ever seen in a museum. Artwork as beautiful as a Louvre masterpiece hung next to swords that glimmered with magic. Yes, it was in the air.

Magic.

Ryoka felt her heart beating faintly in her chest. She heard rushing wind, but then the cavern wall opened up and her heart did stop.

Because in the center of this cave of miracles was a Dragon.

A Dragon. A massive creature four times the size of a house, slumbering on the cold marble. A creature straight out of myth and dreams.

Serpent. Wyrm. Drake. Arach. Naga. Ormr. Tanniym. Vovin. Draak. Drage. Draeke.

Dragon.

The massive dragon was sleeping in an open space in the center of the cavern. Ryoka stopped. She stared. His scales shone as the light touched them, so brilliant that her heart ached.

Her eyes filled with tears. Ryoka sank to her knees as her blood covered the marble floor. She didn’t care. It was worth it. This was worth it.

It was worth seeing this before she died.

“Hm. Who’s there?”

His head moved. The dragon opened both eyes and stared down at Ryoka. She gazed into two massive pupils, mismatched colors of heliotrope and cerulean. Celestial lights shimmered within the moving pupils.

For a moment, Ryoka understood magic. She gazed into the center of it; the reason why it could exist. A fragment of the truth. A piece of forever. A dragon’s eye.

Her eyes rolled back up in her head. Ryoka fell forwards and her nose broke as she toppled onto the floor.

The Dragon grumbled deep in his throat. He looked around, and tsked at the blood trail.

“I’m going to have to clean that up as well, aren’t I? And fix the nose. And use a memory spell. Honestly, this is why humans are…”

—-

She remembered.

“Awaken, human.”

Ryoka opened her eyes. She sat up at once and felt no pain. She was healed? Healed! How?

It was a miracle. But then Ryoka noticed the old man standing in front of her. Long white robes covered a body only lightly touched by age. His mismatched eyes gazed down at her as he gestured at her.

“Rise, human.”

Ryoka stood up. She couldn’t help it. She gaped at the old man who had pointed ears and flawless features.

“Mm. You must be exhausted from your travels. I confess; it was unusual for me to find one in such bad shape. But I have healed your wounds. I presume you are the Courier I requested?”

Ryoka blinked. She stared open-mouthed at the old man. He frowned at her.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

The human girl made no reply. Teriarch looked around, frowning.

“What? What is—”

He turned his head towards the cavern wall and paused.

“Ah.”

Teriarch’s illusory human form was perfect. He looked exactly like a normal human, albeit one made in flawless perfection and with slightly elven features. But he had forgotten one important aspect.

Ryoka stared at the shadow of the dragon looming huge on the wall behind Teriarch. It stretched out from his robes, lengthening impossibly until it perfectly reflected the dragon, not the illusion.

“My god. What—”

Teriarch sighed. He pointed at Ryoka, and she felt her head go blank.

“Let’s try that again.”

—-

Memory flooded into her. Words.

Teriarch stared hard at Ryoka as she stood, immobilized by the magic on her. He frowned, tapped at a lip.

“What has happened in the world since I have been asleep?”

Ryoka blinked at him. Since he was asleep?

“How long have you been asleep?”

“Ah. Well, I mean…”

Teriarch blinked at Ryoka a few times, and then waved his hand in front of her face.

“Forget that.”

Ryoka blinked. Teriarch frowned at her. He paused, and then spoke.

“I wish to know of any ongoing major wars between multiple nations, new technologies or spells developed, legendary monsters sighted or slain—import of that nature. Tell me all the news you have heard of in the past several years or so. What has transpired while I have been…secluded here?”

The human girl paused, and then shrugged. Even bound by the truthfulness spell, her tone projected quite a lot of insolence.

“Dunno.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t pay attention to world news. You probably know more about what’s going than I do.”

Teriarch harrumphed and glared at Ryoka, but the truth spell on her was still active. He changed tact.

“Do you at least know if Magnolia Reinhart still lives?”

“…Yes.”

He nods sagely, stroking his beard.

“Indeed, indeed. That is good. Well then, have you heard of a strange child known as Ryoka Griffin? She is a Runner, like you, although presumably high-level in the [Runner] class, unlike you.”

Ryoka opened her mouth and Teriarch continued, irritated.

“Although why Reinhart wants me to find the wretched girl, I can’t imagine. Do I look like I have the time to search for one annoying bratling all the time?”

“…Didn’t you just say you didn’t know if Magnolia was alive?”

Teriarch paused and then pointed at Ryoka.

“Forget that too. I do not know Magnolia Reinhart.”

He paused, and then amended his tone. Teriarch looked at Ryoka.

“Now, tell me where Ryoka Griffin is. Reinhart said—blast!”

He poked Ryoka in the head again and she forgot. Teriarch closed his eyes.

“This is why…”

—-

Ryoka paused as she stared at a massive broadsword hanging from one of the walls of the cavern. It was far too large for any human to use, or even a Minotaur. Teriarch stroked his beard proudly.

“Ah. Are you admiring my collection? That was a giant’s weapon, once. I took it from him when I—well, it was another time. Note the exquisite tempering of the blade.”

“All this gold and magical items…”

Ryoka stared around at the room, freed from Teriarch’s spell. She looked at a pile of ruby gemstones, each one larger than her fist.

“I’m…a collector.”

“This isn’t a collection. This looks…like a hoard?”

Teriarch waved his hands in Ryoka’s face hurriedly.

“This is not a hoard. You will not think it is a hoard.”

Ryoka blinked emptily at the air for a few seconds. Teriarch paused. Then he spoke conversationally.

“Do you like my collection? I have amassed it from every corner of the world.”

She gazed around, taking in the magnificence of the room for the first time. Ryoka had to admit, it was impressive beyond belief.

“How did you collect it all here? It looks…magical.”

“Oh, it’s quite magical. But I have my ways. And besides, when you can fly, amassing such things is fairly simple.”

Ryoka stared at Teriarch. He paused, and swallowed.

“Flying with magic, is what I mean. Not that I know of any other ways to fly, of course.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Right.”

“Of course. Ahem. Do note the Orb of Scrying. It’s embedded in pure jade and enchanted with several enhancing spells that increase the range and scope of the spell itself.”

Ryoka glanced into it and froze. Teriarch stared at her with concern.

“What? Did I leave it on?”

He looked over and cursed.

“Tamaroth’s beard!”

The Scrying Orb was reflecting the room they were standing in. It showed a small human girl standing right in front of a golden dragon. This time Teriarch’s expletive made the cavern shake.

Teriarch thrust one claw at Ryoka as she turned to run. He spoke curtly.

“That’s it. Forget everything except the part where I gave you your instructions. Get out. Come back in two minutes.”

Ryoka turned around and walked out of the cavern. Teriarch cast an irritated glance towards the magical orb and his tail flicked the globe off its pedestal. It shattered in an explosion of mist and magic against one wall.

“Wretched thing.”

—-

And once more. One last memory made Ryoka shudder on the hardwood floor of the inn.

The stink potion was keeping all the monsters away. Ryoka had to smile as she walked towards the entrance of Teriarch’s cave. But she froze. Down the winding canyon path, she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

It was just for a second. But Ryoka saw it duck back behind a large boulder as she whirled. She froze in place, and her hand went to her side. She had a knife she used for camping and other tasks at her belt. Normally she’d fight with her hands, but…

The thing peeked out its head again, and Ryoka’s hand gripped the hilt so hard her knuckles cracked.

It looked vaguely human. It had a human head, a normal torso and legs that protruded slightly around the edge of the boulder. But it was naked.

And it wasn’t right.

Its face wasn’t right. One of its eyes twisted right until it was nearly vertical, and the other one was looking in the opposite direction of the first.

A tiny pupil stared at Ryoka from across the hundred feet that separated them. Then the thing came out from behind the boulder, and Ryoka froze. Her mind was overwhelmed by horror. It shouldn’t move like that. It shouldn’t—

It reached out for her, one horrible clawed arm stretching out, out across the long distance. Flesh stretched like gum, skin rippling and peeling to reveal something red and pulsating inside. Ryoka couldn’t move. Her body was filled with true terror. The thing’s finger reached out for her face—

And a roar of fury filled the air. The creature looked up, and suddenly its hand retracted in an instant. It turned and ran as a massive shadow turned the world around Ryoka dark. She looked up.

Teriarch flew overhead, golden scales lighting up even parts of the mountain as the sunlight bounced off them. He landed with a crash on the ground that sent Ryoka to her knees. She couldn’t do anything but stare at him.

Teriarch’s massive head snapped towards the thing and it fled, running in a jerking, halting manner back around a bend in the canyon. He breathed fire after it—a concentrated jet of flames that missed his target by inches. Then the creature was gone.

The dragon—Teriarch—sighed and looked around at Ryoka. The her of then had no idea who he was, and she could only stare up at him, transfixed. His voice was like an avalanche heard from far away as he spoke to her.

“You must be warier, Ryoka Griffin. Darker things lurk in the High Passes. They do not smell—or if they do, they have different opinions than we do.”

He shrugged, as if the encounter meant nothing. To him, it did not.

“Come in, then. We have much to discuss. Forget what you have seen here. It will only burden you.”

Then and only then did the Frost Faeries return, laughing, and the Dragon flew back into his cave, and breathed fire. The memory of the…thing…vanished from Ryoka’s mind as she went to confront Teriarch.

She had forgotten. But now she remembered. Ryoka remembered it. She knew. And the knowledge was glorious. She had seen one. Seen a legend in the flesh.

A dragon.

—-

Erin stared worriedly at Ryoka as the young woman lay on the floor, staring blankly up at the ceiling. She looked around at Val and the others.

“Shouldn’t we do something? It’s been thirty minutes already.”

Ceria shook her head. She was sitting in a chair, watching Ryoka intently. Other than moving Ryoka so she wasn’t lying at an awkward angle, she hadn’t let Erin or anyone else touch her.

“It’s best not to, especially if she’s experiencing something magically. Movement can mess with her perceptions and affect her mind. Unless you’ve got a different opinion, Pisces? You know more mind manipulation spells than I do.”

Erin looked at Pisces. He was inspecting Ryoka just as intently. She remembered that he did know some spells that created illusions, like when she’d first met him.

But he just shook his head absently.

“This is far beyond my abilities to comprehend. There was a warding spell mixed into the first spell, did you notice?”

“ I did.”

Olesm said that from a far table. Val nodded. He was crouched next to Ryoka, studying her face.

“So did I. That spell took out a powerful charm. I need to see a [Mage] about that. I was told my charm would catch any spell and remove any enchantment.”

“Now there’s an empty boast.”

Ceria’s words were the last thing spoken for a while. Everyone watched Ryoka sleeping—or dreaming—in silence.

Erin worried. She wasn’t sure if she and Ryoka were good friends—they’d barely spent more than a day together, although they had rescued Ceria and fought monsters, so that had to count. But she cared about Ryoka. Not only was she Erin’s only lifeline to her world, but Ryoka knew how to do things Erin did not.

It seemed like an hour had passed, but probably only a few minutes had when Ryoka suddenly sat up, gasping and clutching at her head.

“Ryoka!”

Erin leapt forwards, but Val was closer. He steadied Ryoka with one hand as she flailed and grabbed at his arm.

“Easy. Ryoka, are you okay? Did the charm work?”

“What? What? I—I’m okay. Yes. It worked.”

Ryoka stared around the room, wide-eyed and out of breath. Ceria abandoned her seat to come over, and Olesm moved one table closer.

“What did you see? Did you remember anything important?”

“I—it was—”

Ryoka closed her eyes. When she opened them, something flickered behind her gaze as she shook her head. Erin saw a tinge of sadness—joy, even a bit of fear, but most of all, what she could only say was wonder in that look. It was an expression she’d never seen Ryoka make.

It looked…innocent. Not like Ryoka’s normally unreadable expression or her dour face.

“It’s a secret. I’m sorry. But I can’t say.”

“Damn. I thought as much.”

Val shook his head. He was picking up fragments of the burnt dreamcatcher off the floor. Erin really, really doubted he could fix them, but maybe they were still useful? She began to help him pick them up.

“I’m uh, I’m sorry about your charm.”

Ryoka stared at the pieces on the floor, and then her singed clothing. Val sighed as he nodded and Erin looked at him.

“Was it expensive?”

“You could say that. I paid over a thousand gold coins for that charm.”

“A thousand— ”

Pisces choked and spat out a mouthful of water. Ceria stared at the blackened remains of the dreamcatcher and Ryoka turned pale.

“I can pay you back for it. I’ve got a delivery—”

Val waved a hand at her, shushing Ryoka. He looked at her seriously.

“Just tell me, from one Runner to another. Was it worth it?”

Ryoka hesitated. Then she nodded fervently.

“It was. It was worth anything and everything.”

“Then forget about the cost. It was my decision to lend it to you—I’ll take it as a lesson on giving things away. Although whether it was a mistake or not…”

Val shrugged. Then he grinned.

“Today is full of surprises, huh?”

Pisces and Ceria gaped at Val, and you could have picked Olesm’s jaw off the floor, but Ryoka only smiled. She flexed her hand and stared past it. She smiled, with such genuine feeling that Erin was taken aback.

“Thank you. It was worth it.”

“Think nothing of it. We’ve got to look out for each other, right?”

A thousand gold coin’s worth of magic didn’t sound like ‘nothing’ to Erin, but Val just swept the few burnt pieces into a bag and put it in his belt pouch. And that was it. Debt forgiven. That was so awesome Erin didn’t have words for it.

Val was a stand-up guy. Erin smiled, ran into the kitchen, and came out with a steaming burger which she put in front of him.

“I can’t pay for that, but have another hamburger on the house.”

It had been meant for Ryoka, but the other girl was still staring at nothing, and Erin didn’t think she’d mind waiting a few more minutes. Val eyed the hamburger. He’d already eaten four, but his stomach rumbled. He smiled up at Erin.

“You are very kind. But ah, could I have some of that red stuff on it? What did you call it?”

“Ketchup. But that’s extra. Pay up.”

Val blinked at Erin. She grinned.

“Kidding!”

—-

Ryoka was still trying to get her head back together when Erin came back with her food. Absentmindedly, Ryoka raised the burger to her lips and bit.

Perhaps it was a testament to nostalgia, Erin’s improving skill at cooking, or Ryoka’s state of starvation, but that was what brought her back into reality. Yes. A well-made hamburger could erase even the wonder of meeting a dragon.

At least for ten seconds, which was roughly how long it took Ryoka to inhale the burger. Erin brought her another, and Ryoka repeated the trick.

“Are you sure you should eat so fast?”

Erin asked Ryoka, as the second hamburger became crumbs before her eyes. Ryoka just blinked at Erin, and the girl threw up her hands.

“Fine. But if you throw up, you get to clean it up. Toren’s still missing, and I’m not doing it.”

“That’s fine. Can I get two more? Three?”

It was so good to eat food from her world! But Ryoka did slow down as Erin brought the third hot hamburger out. She was just ravenous, both from her run and her memories.

Val sat next to her, munching on some french fries Erin had made. He dipped one in ketchup and eyed Ryoka.

He really wasn’t what she’d expected. And the charm he’d lost because of her—

“Thanks again.”

He shrugged.

“It happens. Better that I found out my charm can be overloaded than get into trouble down the road. Besides, the mage that gave it to me will give me a discount—she had better since she promised it wouldn’t ever break. A few deliveries and I’ll be able to buy it again.”

“Really? How much do you make per delivery?”

Val rolled his eyes towards the ceiling as he munched on a fry.

“Forty gold coins? It can go over a hundred or two hundred if the area’s dangerous or if I need to get there quick.”

“ Forty—? ”

Ceria choked on a piece of potato and Olesm thumped her on the back until she spat it out. Val looked amused.

“It’s not that much. The nobility has enough gold to throw around, and any Gold-rank adventurer or higher earns a hundred times that much if they get lucky in a dungeon.”

“Money’s different where you come from, I guess. Here, gold coins are worth a lot. ”

Erin said that as she refilled both Runners’ glasses. Olesm nodded, but Val shrugged.

“There’s a different kind of currency among high-level classes. Once you get past Level 30, you become one of…a thousand on the continent? Something like that. Your skills become in such high demand that you’ll earn more money than anyone else. And of course anyone with a class that involves managing land or selling or buying goods earns thousands of gold coins each month.”

Ryoka had to shake her head, although the parallel to her world wasn’t that far off. Erin sighed wistfully at the thought of all that money and then took a seat at Val’s table, smiling at him.

“Well, I’m happy you came here. Unlike some people , you pay for your food and you also helped Ryoka. So anytime you want to come back here for a night or to eat food, I’ll be happy to serve you.”

Val looked regretful.

“I doubt you’ll see me in the near future. I don’t often get deliveries this far south.”

“Really? But you’re a Courier. Don’t you go everywhere?”

“To an extent. But my area’s usually around First Landing. This is far, even for me. In truth, I’m surprised I was called on to do this delivery. Normally there’s another Runner who makes the run around here, but apparently he was busy due to some problem with the undead in the area.”

“Another Courier?”

That was the first Ryoka had heard of this. She wondered if it were a Drake or a Gnoll. Val nodded, and gestured to the window facing Liscor with one thumb.

“He’s a Beastkin named Hawk. I’ve met him a few times. He’s fast enough to get to First Landing and back. I don’t know why he didn’t take it, but apparently there’s been some trouble with the undead around here so he couldn’t.”

Hawk? Ryoka didn’t know the name either, but Erin did. Her eyes widened.

“Oh, I met him just yesterday! He’s so cute! ”

Ryoka blinked at Erin. Cute?

Val laughed loudly, and nodded a few times.

“Hah! He is, isn’t he? Just don’t say that to his face. Hawk is even better at fighting than I am, and he gets touchy when us humans make fun of him.”

“But he is. I mean, he also eats meat. Isn’t that weird? ”

“Why? He’s not like an animal rabbit, and don’t Drakes eat lizards?”

Val and Erin glanced over at Olesm. The Drake was trying to teach Ceria how to play chess, but when he heard that he looked around, an uncharacteristic scowl on his face.

“We’re not lizards! ”

“Sorry!”

Val raised a hand and turned back to his conversation with Erin.

“In truth, I’m surprised I was needed at all. This place has two people with a Courier’s speed. One’s Hawk, the other I know of only by reputation. You haven’t heard of him, have you? He’s known as the Gecko by some of the Couriers who’ve met him.”

“Gecko? Like a lizard?”

Olesm’s shoulders hunched. Erin threw a rolled up cloth napkin at his head and it bounced off.

“I’m not talking about Drakes!”

She looked at Val and Ryoka and shook her head.

“I’ve never heard of someone named Gecko either. Weird. There’s all these famous people in Liscor that I don’t know about.”

“Well, perhaps he—or she—is only famous to Runners. I suppose other people wouldn’t care as much.”

“Hm. Well, you know, Ryoka’s a really fast Runner. I bet you she could be a Courier too!”

Ryoka and Val looked at Erin, and Ryoka felt her cheeks heating up. She opened her mouth, but Val cut in.

“A Courier needs a lot of experience. Maybe someday, but right now I’d still call her one of the fastest City Runners I’ve ever met. Which is even more impressive since she doesn’t have any levels.”

“Well—I guess. But Ryoka’s good! Can you give her a hand? Like, I dunno, talk to people about giving her a test or something?”

Val rubbed at his chin thoughtfully and nodded.

“If you’d like to try becoming a Courier, I could try and get some Runners Guilds to give her some long-distance requests. Ryoka, what do you think?”

Val looked at Ryoka. She blinked at the table, slowly.

“Mm.”

Both Val and Erin looked at Ryoka and realized the girl was falling asleep right on top of her food. Ryoka’s head was so full of static she barely heard the two changing seats. The stamina potion had worn off, and all she wanted to do…was…sleep…

Ryoka’s head came down. Her face smushed into the burger and she sat up quick. What time was it?

The sun was still out, and Val was still in the inn. But he was standing by the door, talking to Erin.

“This is a nice place, and your food is unique. I’ll do some shopping around the city and come back here tonight. Unless you’re expecting a crowd?”

Erin made a face.

“I was , but it turns out everyone in the city’s making hamburgers but me. Come on over and I’ll have tons of good food, okay?”

“I wouldn’t mind more of those fried potato things. Even if you’re only serving hamburgers, I’ll be back.”

“I’m going to make Philly cheese steaks!”

“Why does everything you make have the word ‘cheese’ in it? Cheeseburgers, cheese steaks…I mean, cheese isn’t the main part of it, so why…?”

Olesm scratched at his spines. He looked around for support and found none.

Val opened the door as he gave Erin a salute with two fingers, and then recoiled. Several Frost Faeries were hanging outside the door, laughing. Val eyed them warily.

“I hate those things. They plague me on runs and I can’t lose them no matter how fast I go.”

“Hah! The slow manling thinks he can lose us? What a joke!”

Val ducked as a snowball sailed through the inn’s doorway and knocked all of the chess pieces off the board Olesm and Ceria were using. Amid the Drake’s anguished cry, he ducked out of the inn, running fast towards Liscor with the faeries in hot pursuit.

Erin propped her hands on her hips and shook her head as she stared out the window.

“We’ve got to do something about those faeries. They’re really mean. You won’t believe what they did to me earlier, Ryoka. Ryoka?”

Ryoka’s head was lolling, but she jerked upright and looked at Erin.

“What?”

“…Nevermind. You know, I’ve got a lot of beds upstairs if you want to sleep. We can talk later.”

“—No. No, I’ll stay awake until tonight.”

If she slept now, Ryoka would never get to sleep tonight, and she didn’t fancy staying up for 24 hours in a row just to fix the problem. She scowled, and pinched herself hard.

“I’ll be fine. What are you going to do?”

Erin shrugged and stared at the position of the sun in the sky.

“I was planning on opening the inn all day, but since no one’s coming…I guess I’ll buy more food for tonight. I want to stock up, and Selys wants to go to the bathhouse together. Want to come? You can meet Krshia and wash…everything…off.”

That sounded good to Ryoka. Not the going to Liscor or meeting the Gnoll part, but a hot bath would be bliss. She nodded.

“Okay.”

She was still exhausted as she and Erin walked into the city, leaving Olesm, Ceria, and Pisces to mind the inn. Erin said she had faith in Ceria to keep the other two out of trouble, and it looked like they were all going to play chess instead. It turned out that [Mages] liked the game almost as much as [Tacticians].

Stamina potions. Ryoka knew it was only that which had allowed her to reach Liscor so fast, but she was determined never to overuse one again. She felt like her body was lead, and every few seconds her eyes would start crossing and go blurry unless she concentrated.

Talking was even harder, but Ryoka was curious why Val had come to Erin from so far away.

“You sent out a chess puzzle?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t a super hard one, but pretty hard. I guess it interested whoever sent the puzzle in the first place, because they sent me this expensive chess board. Why? Is that a bad idea?”

Erin looked at Ryoka as the other girl walked along, frowning at her feet.

“It could be. Not a good idea to give away secrets. Could be a…bad thing.”

Ryoka was having trouble thinking. She’d tried to explain the value of indiscretion to Erin before, but Erin just wasn’t as leery of giving away secrets as Ryoka was. Probably a personality thing.

“If you’re too good…it might be a problem.”

“Really? Being good at chess is a bad thing?”

It might be, if the person sending the chess board ever came looking for Erin and uncovered secrets about her. That was Ryoka’s paranoia speaking, but it was still a possibility.

Then again, given the thousands of other things that could go wrong, maybe she shouldn’t worry.

Ryoka followed Erin mechanically into the city, ignoring the route they took until Erin paused. Ryoka sniffed. A familiar scent was in the air—that of roasting meat. She looked around.

Market Street was full of shopkeepers and pedestrians. But in the winter chill, a third group of seller had appeared, and that was the food vendor. But unlike days previous, they weren’t selling a variety of dishes to the cold and hungry public, but one, very familiar food product.

Hamburgers.

Every Gnoll and Drake on the street was selling them as they cooked the meat over braziers, exactly as Erin had done on the first day. They were all in competition, but it seemed the people on the street were still hungry enough to give everyone some business.

Each vendor had a queue, and a unique lure. Some had added different varieties of cheese to their cheeseburger; others had their own blend of spices, or different kinds of meat. One enterprising Drake had even created a quadruple-patty hamburger that Ryoka would dearly have loved to try.

The Gnolls and Drakes paused as they spotted Erin down the street. They didn’t quite meet Erin’s eyes, but neither did they stop flipping and selling burgers. Ryoka stared around and inhaled the scents of grilled meat. Damn it. She was getting hungry again.

“Well, now I know where all of my customers went.”

Erin scowled and kicked at some snow on the ground.

“Let’s go find Krshia.”

As Ryoka stumbled after Erin down the street, Erin glared at the food vendors.

“Hey, is there anything I can do to them for stealing my stuff? Can I claim copyright or plagiarism or something?”

“Enforce copyright? Not unless you’ve got an army. Or a really big hammer.”

Ryoka scowled at the spinning ground. She saw Erin was opening her mouth – probably to ask what kind of hammer – when the girl turned and smiled.

“Krshia!”

The large Gnoll smiled as she came out of her stall to greet Erin. She sniffed at Ryoka, and the girl tried not to scowl directly at her.

“It is good to see you this day, Erin Solstice. And I notice you have brought your friend.”

“Yeah! Ryoka just came in yesterday. Oh, and you’ll never guess what happened this morning, Krshia! I met this Runner named Blah and he blah blah blah…”

Ryoka tuned out Erin’s voice as she tried to stay upright. Coming here had been a mistake. All she wanted to do was bathe fast and fall asleep. But Erin would talk to her friend, and then Ryoka would probably have to sit in the bathhouse for hours, talking…

God. She couldn’t deal with this right now. Ryoka just wanted Erin to finish whatever she was doing, so she could go back and sleep.

Music. Music would help.

Ryoka felt at her pocket. Her iPhone was still there, nice and safe in its case. She pulled it out and turned it on. She needed music. Something to keep her awake. Something with a beat.

She scrolled down the list of songs, frowning at the small letters. Ryoka had over ten thousand songs on her iPhone, and that was no joke. She had a 32 GB model, and since she’d also uninstalled almost every app besides a few essentials, her iPhone was just a glorified music player that could do magical conference calls.

Mind you, not all the songs were good, or even acceptable. Ryoka had far too many songs she’d downloaded in the indiscretions of youth and never bothered to delete. But finally she found one she liked. This one was a classic.

A heavy bass thumped in Ryoka’s ears with a steady drum beat. She waited, tapping one toe for Freddie Mercury. She grinned as the music swept her away.

“Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet, machine guns ready to go.”

Another One Bites the Dust by Queen thundered in Ryoka’s ears as she turned the volume up to maximum and left it that way. She had no fear of annoying Erin as she talked with Krshia—one of the things Ryoka spent lots of money on was good headphones.

Freddie Mercury had a voice that spoke to Ryoka’s heart. She opened her eyes, smiling, and noticed something odd across the street. One of the Gnoll shoppers had stopped, and he was doing something odd. Ryoka frowned.

Was that Gnoll…bobbing his head? Yes. He was.

And over there. Krshia had stopped talking to Erin and she was tapping her foot. To the beat.

“Are you happy are you satisfied? How long can you stand the heat?”

Ryoka looked around. Every Gnoll in the street had suddenly stopped, to the bewilderment of the other Drakes and few humans. Yes. They were all nodding to the sound of the music.

Shit.

Ryoka stopped the song. Instantly, the other Gnolls looked around at her reproachfully.

Son of a…they could hear the music even from across the street. Of course. Ryoka wanted to slap herself. They were like dogs . Their hearing was far better than a human’s.

Krshia nudged Erin and pointed to Ryoka’s iPhone.

“Mm. Your friend, she has something very interesting, yes?”

Ryoka scowled, tucked the iPhone back in her pocket, and crossed her arms. She glared. Erin winced, and whispered to Krshia.

“She’s sort of grumpy because she’s tired.”

Ryoka heard that, and it only made her mood worse. Especially because it was true. She looked at Erin pointedly.

“Time to go?”

She said it like a question, but it wasn’t. Erin hesitated, but Krshia had already gathered her order. Apologizing, Erin left.

“Hey. What was wrong with that? Did they hear your music? Why’s that a bad thing?”

“Because they could realize that I have technology not from this world. And—and—”

Ryoka shook her head. Something about conspiracy theories and uncovering the truth? She needed to lie down.

“Let’s just go. You said there was a bathhouse?”

“This way. But uh, your iPhone—”

“I’ll leave it. With my clothes.”

“Right.”

—-

The bath did do wonders for Ryoka, enough so that she managed to apologize and even add a little to Erin and Selys’ gossip. Not much though; Ryoka just lay back in the warm waters and enjoyed being.

Unfortunately, due to some cosmic fate, it seemed that Erin’s mood was inversely proportional to Ryoka’s own. The instant they got back to her inn and found that no new guests had come by the entire day, the normally upbeat innkeeper lost her good cheer.

Erin stared around her empty inn and threw up her hands in disgust.

“Is every inn, pub, and tavern selling hamburgers tonight?”

Selys nodded as she shook snow off of a travelling cloak.

“Pretty much. Even Peslas is selling them in his inn.”

Erin slumped against a table and put her head down on the smooth wood surface. Ryoka exchanged glances with Selys. She felt she should say something encouraging, as a friend. Something helpful.

But what?

‘Shit happens. Get over it?’

‘At least it’s not raining?’

‘We all die some day, every one of us?’

…No. Ryoka decided not to say anything. Selys patted Erin on the shoulder, and looked around the inn for help.

Pisces just blinked at her, but Olesm piped up. With dreadful forced cheerfulness, he held up a chessboard.

“How about we all play some chess? I’m sure that will make us all feel much better. Ceria and Pisces really like the game as well!”

Ryoka volunteered to play, and Selys was stuck cheering people on since she had no real interest or skill at chess. As it transpired, she and Olesm were better players than the two mages, so both Ryoka and Olesm took on Erin.

Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake. Good as they were, even they weren’t close to a match for Erin. She beat them in brutal one-sided matches and then sulked at a table.

Ryoka gave up. She didn’t know how to cheer people up—she barely managed to stay happy herself most of the time. She pulled out her iPhone and stared at it. Then she threw caution to the wind and showed it to Pisces again.

“Can you cast [Repair] on this?”

The mage’s eyes flicked over Ryoka’s iPhone with unconcealed interest and avarice.

“I do know the spell. May I ask what’s wrong with this, ah, device?”

“It’s running out of…it needs mana, I guess you could say. Look, can you fix it?”

“If I do…would you permit me to inspect this object for a few minutes?”

“No. That won’t be possible.”

“Well, if that’s the case…”

Pisces shrugged as if there was nothing he could do. Ryoka ground her teeth, but then Erin spoke up.

“Do it. Or I’ll throw this at you.”

Erin didn’t raise her head, but she was holding a fork. Pisces hesitated. He was clearly thinking of Erin’s uncanny skill at throwing objects. He sniffed.

“Very well. [Repair].”

This time her iPhone didn’t change noticeably, but the screen flickered for just a second. When Ryoka looked again, the battery was at 100%. Perfect.

Ryoka flicked to her songs, but then she noticed Erin was staring at her phone. Right. Erin had told her that she’d left her phone back in her home when she was teleported here.

The look in Erin’s eyes was pure longing. She pointed hesitantly at the iPhone in Ryoka’s hands.

“Can I see it?”

Ryoka hesitated. Normally, her response to anyone touching her iPhone was to lay hands on them in an unfriendly way. She never lent it to anyone. But Erin—Erin was different.

Reluctantly, Ryoka handed the iPhone over.

“Here.”

She couldn’t even say ‘be careful with it’, because it could be repaired with a single spell. But it made Ryoka’s insides twist with embarrassment as she realized Erin was going through her songs.

“Oh my god. You’ve got Pokémon on here? That’s awesome!”

Her cheeks lit up. Ryoka was tempted to snatch the iPhone back, but it was too late. She gritted her teeth.

“It was a phase. I put lot of songs on there as a kid and a teen. I don’t listen to them anymore.”

That was a flat-out lie, but Ryoka would be dead and rotting before she admitted to listening to some of the songs she had on her iPhone. She’d gone through a lot of phases she wasn’t proud of.

“Oh man. This is just—”

At least Erin was happy. Ryoka saw her face light up, and realized she should have given Erin the iPhone a long time ago. She’d taken it for granted and listened to the music sometimes before she slept or as she ran, but Erin had nothing from their world. Ryoka took a seat as Erin closed her eyes and smiled.

Ceria eyed the earbuds in Erin’s ears with interest. They were sports gear, which meant they could stick in the ears even when Ryoka was running over rough terrain. They didn’t leak much sound, but Ryoka saw the half-Elf’s head tilt and her ears twitch ever so slightly.

“That’s so odd.”

Pisces was listening too. He had one finger touching his earlobe, and Ryoka saw a glowing blue aura around the tip of his finger and ear. She scowled, but both mages seemed to be having trouble listening to the faint audio that was making Erin smile.

Olesm and Selys looked at the mages and at Erin with clear interest, but they could hear nothing. Olesm prodded Erin gently.

“What is it? Can I hear?”

Erin looked startled, but then she nodded.

“Oh yeah, sure. This thing has speakers, right Ryoka?”

“That’s not a good—”

Ryoka trailed off and gave up. Ceria had already seen it once anyways. And besides…

“Sure. Yeah. Go ahead.”

Erin pulled the headphones out of the jack and the iPhone immediately began playing. Ryoka heard “Hey There Delilah” playing quietly in the silence.

The four guests in the inn froze. They each reacted differently.

Ceria’s eyes went wide as she heard the strange music she had listened to once before. Memory flashed in her eyes, and her eyes filled with tears and she took a seat. Ceria closed her eyes and remembered.

Olesm stared at the iPhone, mouth open, showing rows of sharp teeth. He listened with innocent wonder and his tail slowly began to wag to the sound of the gentle beat.

Selys blinked a few times, and then she took a seat, listening hard to the lyrics and closing her eyes.

Pisces—he stared out the window at the fading light in the sky without saying a word. He brushed at his eyes as the song ended.

And Erin and Ryoka listened and forgot for a moment they were in this world. Both girls felt pricking at their eyes. Erin wiped hers with her sleeve, and Ryoka just shook her head.

“Is there a way to make it louder? The volume’s maxed out, but…”

Erin trailed off as she clicked through the settings. Ryoka didn’t have a good solution besides buying a pair of speakers, but Pisces reached for the iPhone.

“A simple problem. Allow me.”

He tapped the metallic casing of the iPhone and whispered a spell.

“[Amplify Sound].”

Suddenly, the iPhone was loud enough to fill the entire room. Erin jumped, and then grinned as she stared down at the iPhone.

“Whoa. That’s so much better than speakers.”

Ryoka stared at her phone, suddenly very interested.

“How long does that spell last?”

It might be a terrible idea to play music while running in dangerous spots, but on the open road…Pisces raised one hand upwards and shrugged.

“I may be able to prolong the spell for several days with sufficient remuneration.”

“ I can learn that spell in less than a day.”

Ceria frowned at Pisces and he scowled at her, but Erin still focused on the iPhone. She put a hand on her chin, and then slapped her forehead loud enough to make everyone look at her in concern.

Erin was suddenly excited. She halted the current song and held the iPhone out to Pisces.

“How loud can you make this?”

“How loud would you like it to be?”

“Really loud. Super loud! Loud enough to be heard even in the city.”

Pisces nodded, and frowned as he adjusted the spell, whispering words too quiet to hear. Ryoka eyed her friend.

“Erin. What are you doing?”

Erin turned and grinned at Ryoka.

“Getting customers!”

When she hit the play button on the iPhone, the sound that emerged nearly blew out everyone’s eardrums. Erin clapped her hands over her ears, but she was grinning wildly.

“Perfect! Now you all stay here and I’ll go get some business!”

She ran out of the inn. Ryoka followed her, and saw Erin climbing up to the roof. She shouted at Erin, but the other girl didn’t stop. Erin stood on top of the roof, and opened her mouth.

“Hey! It’s music time! Let’s start with a classic! ”

Ryoka clapped her ears to her head. Erin’s voice was loud! It had to be a Skill—it sounded like Erin was shouting into a megaphone. But then Erin touched the iPhone and Ryoka realized what she was about to do.

The drumbeats that started blasting through the air sounded like air cannons going off. But in a second Ryoka heard the guitar playing chords she knew by heart. Erin took a deep breath, and then she starting singing at the exact same time Kid Rock did.

Ryoka gaped at the ceiling as Erin began singing, perfectly matching the lyrics to the music. The only difference was that Erin changed the lyrics from boy to ‘girl’ and man to—a really fast ‘woman’, which Ryoka entirely approved of. Erin sang along with the song, projecting her voice out across the open plains and towards Liscor.

The sound pulsed through the inn, so loud that Ryoka could feel bass in her bones. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face, especially when she heard Erin try to sing along with the female chorus.

“Whooaaaoh? Wooaaaoh!”

Erin belted out the rest of the song until the last note. Ryoka expected her to stop, but Erin just switched to the next song. And then Ryoka heard something that made her blood chill.

No.

Thundering drums. The sounds of jungle wildlife. A cinematic orchestra, straight from the movie trailer Ryoka had ripped the song from.

No. She didn’t. But she did. Erin had the iPhone on shuffle. Ryoka started towards the door, but it was too late.

“This one’s from Tarzan ! How did the lyrics go? Wait, I remember! Here goes!”

Ryoka listened in half-pain, half-amazement as Erin sang along with the song. How the hell did she remember the lyrics? But now Ryoka could practically see Tarzan on the screen in front of her.

As the song ended, Erin shouted down at Ryoka in a slightly-less loud voice.

“Oh hey, you’ve got tons of Disney songs on here!”

Ryoka covered her eyes with one hand. But she couldn’t stop grinning, even so. She remembered the songs right out of her childhood. Erin clicked through the songs, and then Ryoka heard a familiar drumbeat. Erin listened with a grin to the sounds of characters from Mulan falling down, and then her voice echoed off the city walls.

God. She even remembered the parts that weren’t part of the song.

It was amazing. Erin wasn’t a great singer, but she sang far better than Ryoka ever could. Ryoka had taken lessons from a professional along with a bevy of other lessons from tutors her parents hired, but she didn’t like singing. But even though Erin’s breathing was out of synch and she sometimes sang an entire octave off, the passion she put in her songs made up for all of it.

Ryoka stood in the kitchen as Erin sang a “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan, and then ad-libbed to the wordless “Circle of Life” song from Lion King. And like the animals from Pride Rock, her words were the herald to a flood.

They came out of the city in ones and twos at first, and then the few became a stream which became a flood of people. Drakes, Gnolls, and humans too, following the sound of music.

They stood around Erin’s inn, listening to her as she belted out her world’s greatest hits filtered by Ryoka’s tastes. But there was the thing—hate the music or love it, Ryoka had a lot of the billboard’s top 100 songs across each passing year, and each one was preserved perfectly on her iPhone.

To the listeners, it was like hearing each classic the very first time. And this was a world that had never heard pop, rock, rap, or half of the musical styles evolved over a hundred years to the art forms they were today.

The audience was spellbound. Or rather, they were absorbed into the music, because the last thing they were doing was sitting still.

The Drakes and Gnolls were dancing! Ryoka saw what looked like classic ballroom dancing mixed with wild break dancing from a familiar Drake guardsman. The Gnolls had their own moves as well, and they moved to the beat in a way Ryoka could only call primal.

“Oh my god. It’s a mosh pit. ”

She couldn’t hear the sound of her own voice. Erin had somehow managed to turn up the volume of her song, and she was drowning out even the roar of the crowd below.

One of the people right below the inn was shouting up at Erin. Zevara had [Loud Voice] as a Skill as well, or she had a great set of lungs, but the iPhone combined with Erin’s voice was loud enough to drown the angry Drake Captain out.

Ryoka grinned as she heard Erin switch songs. She ducked into the inn and saw Ceria, Selys, and Olesm all scrambling to cook burgers as Erin sang her heart out on top of the inn.

“This one’s called Apologize! And it’s directed at you, Zevara! ”

Zevara tried to climb up the side of the inn, but other people in the crowd dragged her back. Erin countered by launching into “I Gotta Feeling”, and the rest was history.

Ryoka realized people were streaming into the inn as well. She made her way inside, and saw a huge press of bodies, held off at the kitchen by a wide-eyed Olesm. He was trying to keep order, and failing.

Somehow, Ryoka ducked through the crowd and shoved her way into the kitchen. She saw Ceria and Selys desperately trying to make Erin’s hamburgers. She’d left plenty of ground beef and ingredients, but the Drake and half-Elf were trying to make burgers and serve them to the hungry people outside while frying the meat. In Ceria’s case, one-handed.

“Here! Let me!”

Ryoka had to shout in Selys’ ear before the Drake surrendered the spatula. Ryoka began flipping burgers and dumping them onto a plate while Selys began adding buns and ingredients to the burger. She had no skills, but Ryoka knew how to cook.

The bass made the oil in the skillet bounce , but Ryoka started cooking as the beat blasted through the air. She flipped and served as fast as she could, losing herself to the music and the work. A scaled or fair-skinned hand was always there to take whatever Ryoka made.

She took her place serving food as well so Olesm could retreat and rest for a few moments. It wasn’t like taking orders though; people shoved money at her and grabbed food. Ryoka soon found herself covered in a mix of grease and food particles.

But they were selling everything and anything. Hamburgers were just the start; the people in the inn were demanding anything they could drink or consume, and Ryoka and the others struggled to meet the demands.

After they ran out of ground beef, they sent Olesm down to buy more and started cooking whatever Erin had in the kitchen. The crowd didn’t care; bowls of buttery noodles disappeared as fast as extra-crispy fried potato slices.

Olesm appeared thirty minutes later—an age—with welcome fresh supplies. Not only the ground beef; he’d bought everything he could in the market.

He’d also managed to badger Relc and Klbkch into helping Krshia roll up kegs of some kind of ale up to the inn. They nearly got mobbed by the crowd until Olesm set up one of the tables outside with the barrels and as many mugs as he could gather.

That opened the floodgates. Ryoka had thought people were flooding the inn before; now they couldn’t even see the floor. People crowded around, snatching mugs as money found its sticky way into a jar that had been filled with black flies. Klbkch took the flies.

Ryoka took only one moment to take a break. She staggered outside and saw that the inn wasn’t the only place doing business. Even as Erin sang on, more enterprising vendors had hauled out wood stands onto the grass and mud. The snow had long melted from the sheer body heat generated by the crowd.

Movement in the air made Ryoka look up. Above Erin as she stood on the inn, glowing blue shapes were flying through the dark night sky. Frost Faeries.

They were hovering in the air, dancing around, flying in complex patterns and laughing as Erin sang. For once, they seemed to be too caught up in the music to play any pranks. But one of them had…a mug? Ryoka saw the faerie empty the liquid and hurl the mug down into the crowd.

It shattered across the back of Relc’s head, but Ryoka didn’t think he or the people around him even noticed. They were caught up in the unfamiliar music, and the feeling in the air was pure excitement.

Erin started singing “All the Single Ladies” and half the crowd went wild. Ryoka had no idea Drakes even used rings, but then she saw a few on tails. And then she saw a few rings disappear and people start slipping off in pairs as the night progressed.

—-

How long did it last? Ryoka didn’t know, only that after a while even the adrenaline and music couldn’t keep her upright. She stumbled around, serving the waning crowd. At one point she saw Zevara shouting at Erin as the girl paused to take a drink and eat some food Ryoka passed up to her.

“People are trying to sleep! Stop singing!”

“ No! ”

It was a roar from the crowd below. Zevara looked around in disgust, and Erin tossed down the rest of her water. She stood up, and the cheering nearly deafened Ryoka.

“You can’t stop this! Yeah, you can’t stop me! Because—hit it!”

And of course she just had to sing “Can’t Stop The Feeling”. Ryoka had forgotten she  had that song on her iPhone. Why? Oh, right, because it was catchy. Ryoka couldn’t help it. She moved her feet to the song. Just a bit.

…She might have danced with a Gnoll, and found herself competing to see who could perform more tricks with Relc. Ryoka knew how to do standing backflips; it turned out Relc could do that and break dance, but no one in the world knew how to moon walk.

For one glorious night Ryoka forgot about everything. She danced, laughed, and let the music sweep her thoughts away. She saw Erin laughing and dancing on the roof, and laughed too. The songs carried Ryoka up on a rush and carried her away until suddenly there was only darkness and silence.

From somewhere on top of the inn, Erin turned off the iPhone and stopped singing. The Drakes and Gnolls stumbled back towards the city, and Ryoka realized that the world was spinning around her.

Olesm and Selys had already staggered upstairs, leaving a trail in the trash strewn about on the floor. Pisces helped Ceria climb the stairs, and then wandered unsteadily out of the inn.

Ryoka looked at the stairs and didn’t even bother trying to ascend. She saw Val wave at her as he walked upstairs, waved back, and collapsed in a chair.

Her eyes closed. Ryoka was asleep before her head even fell back.

She slept, and dreamed of dragons.

—-

[Innkeeper Level 21!]

[Skill – Advanced Cooking Obtained!]

[Skill – Advanced Crafting Obtained!]

[Singer Class Obtained!]

[Singer Level 6!]

[Skill – Perfect Recall Obtained!]

[Skill – Control Pitch Obtained!]

Erin heard the words sometime right before she passed out. She woke up – still on top of the inn’s roof just past dawn, mainly because she was slipping off.

She nearly fell getting to the ground anyways, but managed to save herself just in time. Erin stared around the trashed landscape, and wondered if the snow would hide it all. No. She’d probably have to clean it up.

That went double for the inside of Erin’s inn. She took one look at the chaos and covered her eyes. But that wouldn’t help.

Without Toren, none of the dirty dishes and messy tables would miraculously clean themselves overnight. Erin stared around the trashed room and wished with all her heart that her skeleton would come back.

She hated cleaning up messes. Dust was what Erin was good at.

But something caught Erin’s eye as she stared around and tried to find a place to start cleaning. An oddity.

She knew no one had come by after the last patron had staggered out and Ceria had gone to sleep upstairs. But something had moved in the night.

Everything in her inn was the same as it had been when Erin had passed out. Except for one thing.

Erin stared at the chessboard Val had delivered to her, sitting at the far end of her bar. The rows of orderly pieces stared back at her, nice and uniform.

But—she’d never put any pieces on the chess board. And as Erin hesitantly stepped closer, she saw something else.

The pieces were transparent. Each one had a ghostly quality to it. They looked like a medieval set of chess, with vaguely human pieces in all the right places. But wisps rose from the pieces like smoke, and they had a faintly unearthly quality to their substance.

They looked like magic , and the coolest pieces Erin had ever seen in her life. And they were all perfectly set up in their starting positions on the board.

Except for one piece. A white pawn piece had moved up two squares, occupying one of the most traditional opening spots in the game. Pawn to E4. King’s Pawn Opening. Erin stared at it.

“Whoa.”

2.18

Erin woke up with a huge smile on her face. Today was the first day of the rest of her life, and for once, it was all amazing.

Slightly less amazing was the huge mess in her common room. Erin’s huge smile reduced in diameter, but she maintained a cheery outlook. True, her inn was trashed, but the money.

“The money!”

Gold coins, silver coins, copper coins. She had far more of the copper coins than anything else, but Krshia had given her several gold coins as she’d brought goods up from the city throughout the night. Erin had a huge jar of money, and next to it was an even bigger jar, again filled with money.

And next to that…

Erin had to hug herself, she was so elated. It had worked! Her crazy idea had worked, and she’d earned so much!

She had to give some of it away, of course. She hadn’t paid Selys or Ceria or Olesm for their help, and Ryoka had cooked up all the food! She wondered if the prickly girl would accept being paid. She would, right?

If only Toren was here, life would have been perfect. That made Erin’s smile slip, but just for a second. He would have cleared up this mess overnight and be staring creepily at her in the morning. But without him she’d have to do it.

Well, it was a fair price for a wonderful night. Erin sighed, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work. She could get a head start before she made breakfast. Something involving eggs and bacon, she guessed. It would be too much work to mix pancakes.

As Erin began to hunt for dustrags, buckets of melted snow, and of course a mop and broom, she thought about last night. She’d leveled. So many times! Erin knew Level 20 wasn’t actually that high—Selys had told her almost everyone got to that before they died. But still. Level 21!

And the [Singer] class. Erin was surprised by that, but she had wanted to sing her best on the roof. And what were those skills?

[Perfect Recall] and [Control Pitch]. Did they work? Erin focused.

Yes. They did. Amazingly so, in fact! Erin could remember every lyric, every verse in every song she’d ever sung. And what was more—

“Testing, testing, do , re , mi , fa , sol , la , ti, do! ”

Her pitch was perfect. Even someone with an autotuner couldn’t have improved her voice. It made Erin feel weird; like her voice wasn’t her own anymore. But that feeling soon gave way into a greater desire to sing!

Ryoka had taken away the iPhone right before she fell asleep. But Erin could still sing without the device. Besides, it was still enchanted and would probably blow Erin’s eardrums out if she used it.

Now, what song could she sing? Erin remembered her warmup, and smiled as the lyrics popped into her head.

She bent to pick up a discarded dress, gingerly holding it between two fingers, and looked out to the brightening sky. Erin opened her mouth, and sang.

“ Do, a deer; a female deer, re, a drop of golden sun…! ”

—-

Ryoka woke up to the sound of music. Because she had a hangover, this was a terrible, horrible experience. Each new verse was a nail being jack-hammered into her skull, and the pillow Ryoka pressed over her head was taking too long to suffocate her.

The heinous singing floated down from below, accompanied by the loud clink of porcelain being stacked together or silverware being organized.

What Erin had forgotten was that last night, everyone had imbibed quite a lot of alcohol. She’d drunk it too of course; but Erin was immune to alcohol’s effects and so she was the only person waking up this morning without a hangover.

After Erin got to la , Ryoka could bear it no longer. She seized the nearest object she could reach, staggered out her door and hurled it down the stairs. It turned out that she’d hurled her bedside dresser, and it crashed into pieces as it hit the ground floor.

Ryoka heard the shocked exclamation from Erin. She grunted something and stomped back to her bed.

“Rude!”

But the singing stopped. Ryoka rolled back into bed and caught far more than forty winks.

When she woke up at last, it was an hour or two later and Ryoka was hungry. She stumbled out her door, and found everyone else was getting up as well. Their synchronization was probably due to the fact that the sun had hit all of their windows at the same time, and Erin still hadn’t bought any curtains for her new inn.

Sleepy faces, and wincing expressions. Ryoka nodded to the others.

“Ryoka.”

“Ceria.”

“Val.”

“Olesm?”

The Drake staggered out of Ceria’s room and paused. He looked around at the other people in the inn. Slowly, he backed into the room and shut the door.

Ryoka stared at Ceria. The half-Elf shrugged. She didn’t quite meet anyone else’s eyes as they walked downstairs.

They found Erin bright and cheerful, and a steaming bowl of scrambled eggs, a plate of greasy bacon, and bread. Ryoka could have hugged Erin, but she was more interested in eating.

“So. How did you all sleep? Um, sorry about the singing.”

“I quite enjoyed it. It was an unusual song.”

Val smiled at Erin around his breakfast. Ryoka grunted. Ceria nodded as she massaged her temples.

“What a night. I can’t believe half of what I remember. And what I do remember—”

She broke off, not looking at Olesm. And he was pointedly not looking at Ceria. Ryoka eyed his twitching tail. Erin didn’t seem to notice either reaction. Instead, she pointed excitedly at the chessboard on the table.

“Guess what, guys? Look at this! The chessboard I got was magical! ”

Everyone looked around. Olesm dropped his fork and Val whistled as he saw the ghostly pieces.

“I thought something was off. Well now, that’s not something you see every day.”

Ryoka frowned.

“What is it?”

“Some kind of duplication spell and magically connected board, I would guess. Obviously.”

Ryoka turned her head, and saw Pisces lurch into the inn. He looked – and smelled – like he’d been sleeping outside. The trash that fell from his robes attested to that fact.

“Pisces.”

“Ceria. I see you are having breakfast. Allow me to join you.”

Pisces inserted himself at Ceria’s table, much to her displeasure. Erin glared at Pisces, but she didn’t oust him from the inn. Instead, she looked back at the chessboard.

“So it’s like a magic chessboard that allows you to play against someone far away? Cool! I had…one just like it back at home!”

Ryoka glared at Erin while Pisces and Val raised their eyebrows. Olesm was busy inspecting the board, murmuring excitedly over the ghostly pieces. They did look quite impressive, especially as it turned out that the ghostly wisps followed the pieces as the Drake tried moving them across the board.

“They’re cold!”

The pieces were indeed cool to the touch, and Ryoka imagined holding solidified air as she touched them. Erin stared at the board, and the pawn moved on the other side.

“Well, this is an invitation to play if ever I saw one. Sounds like fun!”

Ryoka tried to quickly run through the consequences of playing a game, but she couldn’t think of too many. Besides, whoever had sent the board clearly knew it had arrived.

Erin reached for a piece, but Olesm’s tail twitched and she paused, seeing it. The [Tactician] hesitated, and then looked at Erin pleadingly.

“Can—can I play a game? I wouldn’t want to impose, but I’m curious…after you’ve played a few games, do you think I could try?”

“Well, why not now?”

Erin moved aside and gestured Olesm into the seat. The Drake gaped at Erin and Ryoka smiled in her seat.

“What? But no—I couldn’t do that!”

Olesm protested as Erin pulled back the chair for him. She shook her head at him.

“Oh come on. It’s not like it’s that important who plays first. And besides, the other person has no idea who I am. Go on! I need to clean up anyways.”

“If you’re sure…”

Olesm’s hands were twitching as much as his tail as he sat at the chess board. Hesitantly he peered at the pieces, and then moved a pawn forwards.

While he was waiting—and Ryoka wondered if he’d be waiting for a long time given the time zones that could be involved for the other player, she looked at Ceria. The mage was looking at Olesm, but she turned to Ryoka and also turned red when the human girl nudged her.

“What? Ryoka?”

“I’d like to talk with you about learning magic later. If you’re not too busy?”

Ceria smiled wryly.

“Not at all. I’ve got a few things to do this morning, but would a few hours from now be fine?”

“Sounds good. I’m going to run and then rest some more. I’ll meet you back here.”

“It moved! It moved! ”

Olesm’s excited voice caught everyone’s attention. Ryoka glanced over, and saw a piece had indeed moved. Olesm was transfixed, but then he cautiously moved a piece. After a few seconds, the invisible opponent replied.

That was impressive. It hadn’t been what, more than a few seconds? Had the mysterious sender been waiting for someone to make a move? Ryoka liked chess, but she wasn’t nearly as fanatical as Erin and Olesm were.

“I’m going to stay here and clean up while Olesm plays, and then I’ll play. It’ll be a fun day!”

Erin collected plates and cutlery as she announced that fact to the room. Ceria nodded and gestured at the mage at her side.

“Pisces and I will visit the city. I want to see Yvlon and he’s going to get new robes.”

“I am?”

Pisces looked dubiously at Ceria. He plucked at his much-stained robes.

“My current garments are quite suitable.”

“They are not.”

Everyone agreed with Ceria’s statement. The half-Elf pointed at Pisces.

“You’re disgusting. You’ve still got that gold we paid you for Ryoka’s leg—use some of it!”

He hesitated, and rose to follow her as she walked towards the door.

“Ah. About that. You wouldn’t be able to give me a small loan, would you?”

The door shut behind them. Ryoka and Val left soon afterwards. That left only Erin and Olesm in the inn. Erin kept tidying up, getting rid of stains, forgetting everything in the rhythm of work.

It wasn’t easy. But it wasn’t hard either. In truth, only the stains and bits of food particles that got into cracks in the floorboards and under chairs and so on irked Erin. Now, why couldn’t she have gotten [Advanced Cleaning] or something instead? Although her two skills did sound useful. Erin wondered what kind of food she’d be able to make tonight. Hm. What should she make tonight?

After a while, she heard an odd thumping sound coming from Olesm. She looked, and saw his tail as smacking the ground as Olesm stared at the table. There was a helpless look in the Drake’s eyes.

“Olesm? What’s wrong?”

He turned to her. Olesm looked like he was about to cry as he pointed to the chess board. The white chess pieces were covering the board, while only a King and two pawns remained on his side.

“I—I’m sorry. I can’t do anything.”

—-

Ryoka inhaled the fresh, cold air as she stepped outside. Winter. Ah, winter. She wasn’t a fan.

The cold and snow made it impossible for her to run barefoot, and so she hated the winter. That was all there was to it.

Technically, Ryoka could run barefoot in the snow. Some runners could even run through freezing water in the winter; she’d seen Youtube videos. But it was a bad idea to do on a long run, and dangerous. Besides, her parents had freaked out when they learned Ryoka was doing it, so that was that.

Val appeared next to Ryoka and began doing the same sort of stretches she was doing. She glanced at him, and wondered if they were thinking of the same thing.

A morning run. It was the best time for it. Her body was stiff, and her head was still fuzzy and hurting from last night. No help for it but to run it all off. Daily morning runs were a part of Ryoka’s life—if she wasn’t going on a delivery today, she wanted to run for a while.

“Are you going for a run? Want company?”

Val’s offer surprised Ryoka. She stared at him for a few seconds before replying.

“I’d just slow you down. You’re way faster than me.”

It didn’t even hurt to admit. There was such a huge difference between them it would hurt more to deny such an obvious fact. But Val didn’t seem to think so. He scratched at his neck and looked at Ryoka.

“That may be true, but why would that stop us running together? I don’t have to use Skills. In fact, I prefer not to. [Double Step] and [Quick Movement] might be great for long distances, but they make me far too tired to do whenever I feel like it. So, that run?”

“…Sure.”

It was odd. Ryoka wasn’t a social runner. On the track team in high school, she’d been just as antisocial as anywhere else. In fact, she was even more ostracized there because she was the track team’s best runner and she didn’t get along with anybody. A pariah who showed up for events and track meets and nothing else.

That had been her parents’ fault as much as hers. They’d forced the coach to let Ryoka train by herself, since she would anyways after the track team finished. A bad decision. One of many Ryoka hadn’t protested or had made over the years.

She hoped running with Val was a good idea. She let him set the pace, and he led her here at a reasonably fast jog through the snow. Not too fast; she soon realized he wanted to talk as they ran, which was another unknown concept to her.

“That was one wild night, wasn’t it? I’ve seen celebrations in cities that didn’t reach that level. And the music! Dragons above, I’ve never heard anything like it!”

“It was good, wasn’t it?”

Words didn’t capture that night for Ryoka. It wasn’t magical or anything life-changing, but it was special all the same. It was…slightly magical, okay. It was a good night. A rarity for her.

“And that device Erin was using—was that yours? It makes music?”

“It—plays back music.”

Ryoka fished out the iPhone from her pocket and showed Val. It was off, and he peered at it curiously before picking up the pace.

“I don’t understand it, but I’ve seen objects that record sight and sound. And smell. I assume it’s like that?”

“It’s from where Erin and I come from. You can think of it as magic. It’s close enough.”

Perhaps it had been a mistake to give away that she had the iPhone, but that conversation with the others had illustrated just how borked the idea of keeping their world secret was. Besides, there was a benefit to giving some things away.

“Let me know if you meet someone who has something like this, though, will you? I’d be interested in meeting them.”

“I would too, especially if they’re anything like you and Erin!”

“Well, they might be. But I haven’t met anyone else.”

Ryoka felt her legs warming up as they ran through the wet snow. The sun was warm on their skin, and she was feeling better by the second. Nothing beat a good run, and surprisingly, the conversation didn’t hurt either.

“Again, I’ve got to thank you. That charm you had—I want to repay you somehow. It was extremely expensive.”

“Like I said, forget about it. It’s one favor from a Runner to another.”

Ryoka shifted uncomfortably. What Val had said sounded a lot like what she’d heard Fals saying all the time.

“Still. It’s not a small thing. A thousand gold coins—”

This time Valceif made a face and slowed down so he and Ryoka were next to each other. He looked at her seriously.

“Ryoka, we’re Runners. When one of us needs help, other Runners give what they can. If we need someone to help carry a delivery, we ask. Because we are alike, you and I. Today you needed help; tomorrow I might be the one in trouble, or someone else. I’m just paying back favors I received in the past.”

She considered that. Val looked around and sighed.

“Look, I’m not too happy about losing that charm either. But that’s how life works. We lose and we win. The last Runner who helped me out took two arrows pulling me to safety after a [Bandit Lord] jumped me. It’s the least I can do.”

Ryoka nodded. Then she lowered her head.

“Damn it. I’m a fool.”

“What? Why?”

Ryoka tried to explain as best she could. It sounded terrible and confused to her ears—she wasn’t used to talking about…anything with anyone. But Val seemed to get it. He slowed slightly as he thought.

“Hm. I understand what that Fals guy was saying, but that’s not exactly how I view it. It’s a problem with small-time Guilds. Here—”

He changed directions as he jogged through the snow. Ryoka followed him, and noticed they had just avoided a suspiciously flat spot.

“Shield Spider nest?”

“Other Runners warned me they like to hide in the ground during the winter. Good thing they’re the only dangerous monster that lays traps—at least, during this time of year. I’d never come here in the Spring or Summer without preparing a wand or two.”

Val shook his head.

“Still better than Crelers. Dead gods, I can’t stand those things. But where was I? Oh, right. Small Guilds like that are different than what I’m saying. There it’s ‘follow the rules or get out’. But Couriers don’t answer to our Guilds in the same way. We back each other up if we’re in danger, but no one bosses anyone else around. What that Fals guy and the guild wanted you to do—I’d be on your side as well.”

“You would?”

That surprised Ryoka, although perhaps it shouldn’t have. Val clearly wasn’t one of the Runners in a guild, and he’d treated the other Runners like a different kind of people.

“We’re a community, not a cult. And it’s not like I go around tossing charms at everyone I meet. If that pinch-faced girl wanted help for instance, I would have let her get hexed all day long.”

He gestured at Ryoka as they powered up a steep hill.

“You’re different. That Fals guy, the girl I saved—”

“Garia.”

“—Right. Well, they’re only going to become Couriers if they get really lucky and learn a good skill. That doesn’t seem likely to me. But you’re faster than them without levels. And you’ve got the grit to run all night to get here.”

“You think so? But I don’t—I don’t have any levels. I could never run like you do.”

Ryoka admitted that with a lot of regret. She’d always assumed that levels were just a cheap trick, a way to cheat or play someone else’s game. But of all the things in the world, seeing Val run like that had tempted her the most.

“If—if I decided to level up, maybe that would be better. Smarter. More sensible.”

She’d expected Val to agree with her, but instead he seemed wary of the idea.

“I personally don’t think it’s worth it.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for one thing, and please take no offense, but—you’ll never reach my level if you start now. I know [Warriors] and other classes level up faster if they kill stronger enemies and so on, but [Runners] gain levels differently.”

“How so?”

“We level up based on how far we’ve run, and how challenging it is. True, you could do some horribly hard runs, but even then, I doubt you’d hit Level 10 by the end of the year, and it would just get slower from there. No, I’d say you’ve got your own unique style without levels. You should continue as you are.”

That was the first time Ryoka had heard that opinion. She glanced at Val’s profile and his bent nose.

“You think so? No one else I’ve met shares your opinion.”

“Well, it’s a preference thing. And besides, you probably don’t know this, but Skills aren’t the same even for people with the same class.”

Ryoka had inferred something like that from comments from other Runners, but she hadn’t ever heard it from the horse’s mouth so to speak. She let Val go on as they ran a slow circuit of the Floodplains of Liscor.

“Skills are—how should I describe them? They’re like a gamble, but a safe one. As you level up, you’ll definitely gain some good skills and some not so useful ones. But you can generally predict which ones you’ll get based on your class.”

“Ah. A pool of options?”

Val lifted a thumb up and inclined his head at her.

“Precisely. There are rare skills you can get like [Double Step], and not-so-rare ones. For instance, almost every [Warrior] is going to get [Thick Skin] if they go for close-range combat sooner or later. But they might get it at Level 5, or Level 50. Well—not Level 50.”

“Why not—wait, there are rare skills every 10 levels?”

“Good guess! Yeah, I got my [Double Step] skill at Level 30. And of course sometimes you can learn a rare skill, but that takes training and some luck. I suppose if you had a class you could learn something that allowed you to move faster but…”

“Not worth it. Right. But how can I run faster without classes?”

“With magic, of course. I’ve met people like you before. People without levels, I mean. That’s how they overcome the problem.”

Ryoka slowed and her foot skidded over a patch of ice. She caught herself and ran after Val as he paused for her to catch up.

“You have?”

“Yeah. I meet them now and then. People of all kinds choose not to level. Well, they’re not too common as you can imagine, but I do run across them now and then.”

“Are there any differences between them and others?”

“Attitude? The way they get treated? Nothing else.”

That was disappointing, but maybe…Ryoka tried to keep the conversation going while she thought.

“And you think I can become a Courier even without Skills? With magic?”

“It’s possible. You just need the right equipment—the right magic if you’ve got the talent. Not all Couriers are fast. Some run a bit slower than you, but can’t be stopped. There’s a [Marksman] among us who rides a horse. She snipes anyone getting in her way from two hundred feet away.”

“Hm. So build up my résumé until I’m famous enough, huh?”

“Your what? Oh, you mean take a lot of prestigious requests? Yeah. Get a name for yourself as a trusted Runner and it’ll happen. You just need to take requests no other Runner will do.”

“Well, I’m on a good start.”

“Oh? How so?”

Ryoka hesitated. But she’d talked honestly with Val so far, and she wanted to be on a level. Besides…she told him briefly about Teriarch’s request, leaving out all of the really interesting details.

Val whistled.

“Eight hundred gold pieces? You’re kidding. That’s…no wonder your guy was expecting a Courier.”

“Well, it was forty gold pieces and a potion until I started bargaining with him.”

“Hah!”

Val had to think as they ran on. Ryoka had asked him whether he knew of the lands past the Blood Fields, omitting any mention of undead or the person she had to find, Az’kerash.

“The Blood Fields? And the southern lands, huh? You’ve got a problem there, but I’m not sure I can help you. I’ve only been down that way once or twice.”

“Pity. I’ll manage.”

“You shouldn’t have to go in there uninformed, though. And while I might know—hold on, let me see if I can find the other Courier nearby.”

“What?”

Val reached into a pouch at his belt. He pulled out…a stone, of all things. It was vaguely like the one Teriarch had given Ryoka—a normal smooth stone, although this one was inscribed with glowing symbols rather than an arrow.

They lit up as Val touched a finger to the rock. Ryoka heard nothing, but Val must have heard a voice, because he began talking to the air as they ran.

“Ah, hello? Am I speaking to Hawk? This is Valceif of First Landing. I’m in the area, and I was wondering if you had time to consult with me and another Runner. We’re just outside the city, running. Would you like to—? Thanks.”

He tucked the stone back into his pocket and looked at Ryoka.

“I’ve called Hawk, a Courier who does runs around here. He’ll be with us in a few seconds.”

That was no exaggeration. Barely ten seconds after Val had spoken, Ryoka spotted something hurtling towards them out of the city gate. She barely caught sight of the Runner himself; the snow geysering up behind him was what caught Ryoka’s eye. He intercepted the two Runners within seconds, and the snow cascaded down around them as Hawk, Beastkin, giant talking rabbit, and Courier of Liscor appeared.

“Valceif! I’m surprised they sent you down here!”

“Hello, Hawk. Well, you know how it is. You were busy, and I was nearby and they needed a rush job so here I am.”

The two Runners clasped…hands. Ryoka stared at Hawk’s large paw, and at his furry face and at…him.

She couldn’t deal. No. No—she was lost. He was a giant rabbit. This wasn’t just seeing a Drake or a Gnoll, this was a talking rabbit with pants and a six-pack. Ryoka’s mind was dissolving at the edges.

“And this is Ryoka Griffin, a City Runner. I was hoping you could help her. Ryoka, meet one of the fastest Couriers on the continent.”

“Hawk. I’m the Courier around here. Please to meet you, Miss Ryoka.”

Ryoka took the paw gingerly, and shook it. He had…five fingers, but four toes on his feet. The fur felt smooth and warm in her hands and she met his brown eyes and tried to smile.

Val took over the conversation. He briefly explained Ryoka’s delivery, adding a few details she thought were unnecessary.

“She’s a City Runner, but a step above the other ones. I was hoping you could give her some advice.”

Hawk smiled at Ryoka and shrugged.

“Well, I can keep you from running into too much trouble, but there’s always some war or skirmish going on down there. It’s risky for a City Runner or even an inexperienced Courier. You might want to reconsider going down there, Miss. How much are you getting paid? Is this request really worth it?”

He wasn’t precisely arrogant, but he seemed too relaxed to be taking the conversation seriously. After seeing how fast he ran, Ryoka couldn’t blame him for thinking she was small-fry.

She steeled herself. Rabbit or not, he was still a person. Remember that. Erin made talking to other species look so easy. She grinned at Hawk, and decided to take him down a peg. Just a peg.

“You could say that. My delivery’s worth eight hundred gold pieces. Think it’s worth doing?”

Hawk tripped, but caught himself before he face-planted in the snow.

“Eight h—”

He eyed Val. The other human was grinning at him. Hawk smiled ruefully, and nodded at Ryoka in apology.

“Well, I’ve underestimated you, I can see. But my point stands about the danger, especially if you’ve got something that might attract attention. Want to give the request to me? I’ll do the delivery and cut you in on a hundred gold pieces.”

Ryoka shook her head. She wasn’t about to trade the request, even if it would mean no risk to her. After what she’d learned about Teriarch, she just had to fulfill his request, for more reasons than one. Val looked at the other Courier reprovingly.

“Hawk.”

The rabbit man raised his hands defensively.

“I’m just asking. Okay. I thought you weren’t being serious, but I’m sorry Miss Ryoka. Right then. This is a serious delivery.”

“And she’s doing it.”

“I just offered.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.”

Ryoka gestured to her belt pouch, where the letter and ring were hidden.

“Besides, what I’m delivering is spelled to only be carried by me. You’d probably die if you tried to take it.”

“That’s…an important detail. Right. Well, advice I’m happy to give. What do you need to know? Travel routes? Current battlefields?”

“All of the above and local monsters and so on. Ryoka’s never been down that way.”

Hawk nodded. His ears twitched and he looked out at the pristine snow around them.

“Mind if we run and talk?”

“It’s fine with me. I know a good route around here with some nice flat spots. Want me to lead?”

“Sounds good.”

“Go ahead.”

They set off. Like Val, Hawk adjusted his pace so Ryoka could comfortably keep up. It felt odd, being the slowest person in the group. Hawk began to talk as they ran together.

“Now, do you know where you’re going or do you have a moving target? If it’s something like one of the Walled Cities, you’ll be able to get there pretty easily. If not…”

“I’ve got a spell that points me in the right direction. I have no idea where I’m going.”

Val groaned.

“I hate those.”

Hawk nodded. The rabbit took long, easy strides that made Ryoka envy him. He didn’t even seem bothered by the snow as he ran through it. Well, he had pads on his feet…paws.

“Tricky. If you’re going by spell, you could run right into a monster nest or one of the war zones down there. There are a few conflicts going on, and any Human running past is going to get shot at, Runner or not.”

“What? Soldiers don’t attack Runners! If they know you’re a Runner, they should leave you alone!”

Val looked indignant, but Hawk only smiled at him.

“If you can prove you’re a Runner before they fill you with arrows, be my guest. Besides, they use spells that blast an entire area, so there’s no guarantee you won’t be caught up in one. My advice is just stay away, but if you’ve got to head into one of those zones…”

He began listing locations off, and Ryoka tried to memorize them. Val pulled out a map of the area and began marking spots for her. Another gift. She tried to refuse, but he told her it was only worth a gold coin or two. In response, she tossed two at him as they ran.

“Just be careful. You can talk to soldiers if they aren’t trying to kill you and usually get past, so that’s not the real problem.”

“What is?”

Hawk leapt straight over a five foot high drift of snow and landed lightly. He turned and ran backwards while Val and Ryoka went around it.

“Things to watch out for? I’d start with the Gnolls. Keep away from them unless you’re absolutely sure you know which tribe it is. Some are friendly towards Humans and other species, but others will try and eat you. Believe me, I know from experience.”

He scowled, rubbing at his neck. Ryoka could just imagine the conflict that would arise…she looked at Hawk and decided she would never be able to eat rabbit again. Not that she was particularly a fan in the first place.

“There are several nasty Goblin tribes down that way. Don’t underestimate them; they’re not like the normal ones around here. Um—there are lots of monsters, but they’re mostly hibernating or hiding in the winter. Watch out for Snow Golems, though. They’re practically invisible in the snow. Oh, and Wyverns. The white ones come down from the mountains sometimes and they love the cold.”

Ryoka knew what a Wyvern was, but she couldn’t believe the other thing Hawk had said.

“Snow Golems? Do you mean giant snowmen?”

“Snow things. ”

“Right. Sorry.”

“Common mistake. I suppose you’ve seen what happens when some stupid brats make a snow Drake and forget to give it clothes? Imagine that, only ten times bigger and with icicles with claws and teeth. Plus, they can hurl snowballs filled with rocks.”

Hawk shuddered.

“I hate them so much. If you ever know you’re getting close to a group of them, bring some kind of fire spell with you.”

“And Wyverns—keep an eye on the sky. If you see anything overhead, even if you think it’s an eagle, make sure you’ve got somewhere to hide where they can’t reach you. They can dive incredibly fast, so be careful if it’s cloudy.”

“And you’re not going to talk me out of this, despite the danger?”

Ryoka looked at both Couriers, amused. This sounded almost as bad as the High Passes, but then she’d just been told by everyone that it was suicidal to try to go there. Both Val and Hawk shook their heads. Val gestured at her as they began to circle back in the direction of the inn.

“If you’ve taken the contract, you’re bound to deliver it. And if you’re the type to give up just because you might die, you’ll never become a Courier.”

Ryoka grinned, and Hawk and Val returned it. It was odd, being in sync with other people.

“Anything else?”

“The undead. Be very wary of them.”

This time Hawk looked completely serious.

“You weren’t here for the undead that attacked, were you?”

“I saw the aftermath.”

“Yeah, well…they weren’t nearly as bad as the ones you can find around the Blood Fields. I mean, there was that big one, but individually, the worst undead out there were Crypt Lords.”

“That’s nasty enough. They’re commander-types.”

“Yeah, but they were commanding zombies, skeletons, and ghouls. Not scary. But a lot of the undead you can find down there are leftovers from the Necromancer.”

“Oh.”

Ryoka looked between human man and rabbit man.

“The Necromancer? You mean the one who raised the undead army? What kind of undead are we talking about here?”

Hawk shuddered.

“Horrible ones. Smart ones. He enslaved wraiths and ghosts and built new types of undead. Look—just before you go, buy some emergency gear. Something to get you away quick if you run into a group of them.”

Ryoka felt at the potion at her belt, and remembered the ones she’d gotten from Octavia.

“I’ve got some stuff. And four healing potions and three stamina potions. Enough?”

“Should be.”

“As long as you don’t stray too far from the roads. Healing potions are only useful if you’re alive to use them. Best trick is not to get hurt.”

“Agreed. Just don’t get hurt.”

“And don’t give up! Delivery or die!”

Ryoka had to laugh. Both Couriers were like her. It was amazing! She took a breath and quoted from memory.

“‘Neither rain nor snow, nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds’, huh?”

Both Val and Hawk looked at Ryoka in astonishment.

“That’s quite good! Where did you hear that?”

“Oh, it’s a quote from my home about Couriers.”

“‘Neither rain nor snow’…yeah, I like it!”

Hawk nodded his head and Val did as well.

“We might just have to use that line! Thanks, Miss Ryoka.”

“Call me Ryoka.”

‘Miss’ seemed to be this world’s way of being polite, almost like Japanese honorifics. She bowed her head at the other two Couriers as they slowed on their approach to the inn.

“Thank you, both of you. I owe you a lot. I’ll repay the favor someday.”

“Bah. It was nothing.”

Hawk waved a paw dismissively. And then he grinned at Val and Ryoka.

“Talk is cheap, but meeting other good Runners? It’s great to meet other people who can run ! You wouldn’t believe how slow the ones around here are. And hey, maybe we can go back to that inn for some more hamburgers afterwards, hey?”

Val and Ryoka paused. Ryoka remembered how many she’d eaten yesterday, for both lunch and dinner. Val was clearly thinking the same thing.

“No.”

“Not for at least a month.”

Both Val and Ryoka said it at the same time. Hawk looked slightly hurt.

“Why not? You were both at the inn last night, weren’t you? The one with the music? It was great! I must have eaten eight of the things, and then I got some tail, if you know what I mean.”

He grinned at Val and made a wiggling motion with his paw.

“Drakes. So slippery, you know?”

Val and Ryoka exchanged a look. Val looked at Hawk.

“Tail? You don’t mean—”

Ryoka’s mind literally shut down at the idea of Hawk eating eight hamburgers and then finding a female Drake and…

Neither human spoke, but they both accelerated at the same time. Hawk had to increase his stride to keep up. He glared at them as he kept pace.

“Oh come on! Do you think I’d be into fleshy people like you? I’d rather kiss a Minotaur first. At least they have something covering them! Furballs, you humans are so touchy. ”

—-

Olesm was not a Drake given to arrogance, but he still had his pride. It had been badly crushed, beaten, and stomped by a certain human and the undead, but it was still pride nevertheless.

He’d leveled up, risked his life, and tried to learn to play his favorite game as best he could. He’d learned from the greatest chess player in the world—Erin, and he thought he’d made something of himself.

But now he knew the truth. The cold waters of reality were lapping around his head, and Olesm was too downtrodden to even bother trying to swim.

He felt Erin come over, and wished, wished , he was the kind of person who could capture her heart. But he was a [Tactician] – not a good one, not nearly as good as one in Liscor’s army – but he had a special skill. He could read people, and she wasn’t interested in him.

At all. Oh, she liked him, but Olesm knew it wouldn’t be more than that. And of course, he’d found someone—

It was just that she was like a beacon to him, a font of knowledge and unexplained mystery that stirred his soul. And he had let her down. He could barely look at Erin. Shame made Olesm’s tail droop.

“I—lost. Three games in a row. I couldn’t even put up a fight.”

Erin stared curiously at the chessboard as Olesm cringed. He couldn’t even bear to see how badly he’d been demolished. It hadn’t even been a battle, really. Just the other player pushing Olesm’s head down into the waters and holding him there while he drowned.

“Huh. That other guy’s good. Or girl. Probably a guy, though.”

“You can tell what gender he is just by looking at the board?”

Olesm’s tail drooped ever further. Erin was so far above him—

“No! I just mean—well, all the Grandmasters back home were mostly guys. Girls didn’t play chess as much so I meant…hm.”

She stared at the board, and then started resetting the pieces. Olesm stared glumly at the board.

“I think I made him mad. Or—disappointed him. I’m so sorry.”

After the first game, the other player had reset the board quickly. But this time he – or she – let Erin put all the pieces back. Yes, Olesm could feel the disapproval radiating off the pieces. It scourged him, and he couldn’t deny it. If he had found out that the player who’d come up with that marvelous puzzle was just someone on Olesm’s level.

Olesm lowered his head to the table. He would apologize, leave the inn, go to the city, and not bother Erin again until he was ten levels higher. He would—

A hand brushed the spines on Olesm’s head and he jerked. Erin patted him gently on the head as she took a seat at the table.

“There’s no reason to be mad for playing someone worse than you are. Everyone has to learn. If this guy’s mad, I’ll teach him a lesson for you.”

Erin flipped the board around, and moved a white pawn. Olesm hesitated, but his pulse suddenly began to speed up.

“He’s quite good.”

“I know. I could see. So—I guess I’ll take this seriously.”

“I’ll just—I’ll give you some—”

Olesm backed up until he was a table’s length away from Erin. He waited, with bated breath as she stared at the board. Then, almost reluctantly, he saw a knight move to F6. His spirits sank again.

This was…what had Erin called it? Oh, yes. Alekhine’s Defence. It was an aggressive opening to counter with, and it hinted that the other player had grown tired of playing Olesm. At first he’d played very cautiously, but now—

Erin smiled. She moved another piece forwards—a knight to C3. Almost instantly, the other player countered, moving his knight again, but Erin didn’t stop. She started playing pieces rapidly, as soon as the other player moved his.

Olesm could feel the shock running through the board. The other player had probably just realized someone else was playing—Olesm hadn’t moved his pieces so quickly, and certainly not with such skill.

For five whole minutes, the game paused, and Olesm could feel the other side recalculating. When the game resumed, it was slower, and the other player took his time thinking his moves over.

“Oh.”

It was a soft sound, in the gentle silence of the inn. It came from Erin as the game was more than halfway done. She’d made a mistake, and the other player had taken her queen. Olesm stared at the board in shock, and then at Erin. She was surprised, but she just looked at the board and started recalculating her position. He heard her murmur as she tapped her chin.

“He’s quite good. Yeah.”

And then—

She grinned. It was an expression like many of the bright smiles Olesm had seen and felt before, but this one was different. It made his scales tingle.

Because there was a light in Erin’s eyes he hadn’t seen before. And as she moved the next piece, punishing the bishop that had stolen her queen, he thought she looked…

Hungry. Yes, that was it.

Whatever else you might say of Erin, her skill at chess was indisputable. In this world, chess had lived in the minds of a few players for less than three years. But Erin had grown up playing chess as a child. She had breathed and lived the game, playing more matches in a year than Olesm had in his life.

Erin had grown up studying over 1,500 years of chess. She’d learned from Grandmasters and countless games she could look back on. Chess strategy had evolved much since the origin of the game, and Erin had learned to play at such a level that even among the 600 million players in the world, she still stood close to the top.

To Olesm, she was a god of chess that had come to this world. He had never beaten Erin; never even come close. But it is lonely, standing alone at the top. Only once he’d seen Erin challenged—only once had he ever seen her lose.

She’d played a hundred Workers at once and then taught them an Immortal Game. And then she had played one of her own. Olesm still remembered that game.

It must have been so lonely, afterwards. To play against players who couldn’t even make her take the game seriously. But now. But now—

Erin played silently, sitting with her back straight against the chair, posture perfect. She didn’t look around, didn’t chatter happily as she played. For once, she was concentrating completely on the game. And as the game drew close to its ending, her responses got faster, her concentration even deeper.

At the end, Erin took the black King, and Olesm remembered to breathe again. Erin sat back in her chair and laughed in delight. And that sound was pure and made him realize that she was happy.

Happy to have won. But happier to have played.

“Come on. Another game?”

Erin started resetting the board, but she tapped one of the ghostly pawns on the chess board once. And Olesm saw the black pawn move up and gently tap the board as well.

They understood each other. They were two players separated by hundreds, possibly thousands of miles, but they understood each other. They were here to play. So they did.

Another game. And another. Erin won both. Olesm watched as the fourth game began, and realized the truth.

Yes. Whoever was on the other side of the chess board was not Erin’s equal. But they were close. So close. And in each game, they sent a message to Erin, one written in every closely-contested exchange, every lost pawn and checkmate.

You are not alone.

Olesm wiped tears from his eyes. His heart ached, and he knew it would be silly to anyone watching. But there was a beauty in this that only someone who loved the game could see.

It took so much to look away, but he had to. Olesm walked into the kitchen and found what he was looking for. He’d found a bunch of parchment Erin had bought when he was helping out. It was still there, in a cupboard with an ink pot and quill.

Olesm returned to the living room and stared at the game. It was going slowly, and he looked at Erin’s face just for a second. She was closing her eyes, smiling gently, and his heart hurt for a moment.

He slowly picked up the quill and dipped it into the ink. Olesm began to write, noting down each move in the shorthand notation Erin had taught him.

And Erin smiled, and the chess pieces moved. They danced on the board and the Drake listened to history being made.

—-

Far away, and in a large tent on the middle of a hot and humid day, Niers Astoragon, second in command of one of the Four Great Companies of Baleros, and highest-leveled [Strategist] on the continent, gently pushed over the king and stared at the chess board.

He ignored the sounds of battle around him. His soldiers would emerge triumphant, and his lieutenants had the battle well in hand. Interfering with them would only impede their growth.

No, instead, he stared at the shimmering board and the magical pieces arranged on it. He had lost. For the fourth time. It had been close—ever so close! But he had lost. For the fourth time.

Niers did not rage. He was not, in fact, angry. Instead, he smiled, in much the same way Erin had. He put one hand on his chin and stroked it, feeling stubble rasp under his fingers. He had forgotten to shave, or sleep for that matter. He had been waiting to play the puzzle-maker and after an initial disappointment, his patience had been rewarded tenfold.

For a second, Niers debated hunting for his razor. He would have borrowed one of his lieutenant’s blades, but he hated how they fussed over him. A dagger as large as he was was still a dagger, and he was more than strong enough to lift it. It was just awkward, that was all.

Appearance trumped desire. Niers was a Level 63 [Strategist], and on his shoulders the fate of his company rested. He could not let his soldiers down. But—perhaps after he had played another game?

Niers reached down for a chess piece, and then he paused. A sound was coming from outside—a dissonance in the sounds of battle. Niers listened, and sighed. Some fool had just deployed the other army’s elite vanguard against his soldiers, turning this skirmish into a far bloodier battle.

His soldiers would need his help. Niers raised a hand and said two words.

“[Assault Formation].”

The air on the battlefield changed. Satisfied, Niers turned back to the board, ignoring the roar that came from his soldiers as the tide shifted once more.

He looked back at the board. He had sent it on a whim, judging the cost worth the possibility of a decent game. But now a bigger question loomed in his mind, one he’d wished he had asked sooner.

“Who are you?”

The chess pieces didn’t answer out loud. But as Niers saw the white side reset itself, he knew he would find part of the answer in the game. He sat down, concentrated harder than he had for what seemed like years—

And began to play.

2.19 G

The King of Goblins rode through burning fields and across battlefields filled with death and ash. Blood ran from his sword and the dead grew in heaps and mounds tall as mountains.

He roared, and a hundred thousand Goblins in his vanguard rose to follow. His armies swept across the land, burning, pillaging. Killing.

No quarter! No mercy! The playthings must die! Kill them. Burn them. All that the Gods have wrought must be destroyed.

His rage was endless. The Goblin King threw himself into battle, killing Humans, Drakes, Gnolls, and every species that got in his way. He only paused when the half-Elven archer raised her bow. The Goblin King’s last thought was regret as the arrow pierced his skull—

Rags sat up and screamed. Her tribe leapt to their feet, shouting as she struggled to sit up in her dirty blankets. Rags looked around wildly, and realized it had been a dream.

No—not a dream. A memory. One of her visions of a time long past, when the most recent Goblin King had lived.

Only a fragment, though. As Rags shouted her Goblins back down and waved her hands, she knew her tribe wasn’t large enough to let her truly focus on those memories. This was more like a…bubble, floating up into her mind.

She still remembered the rage. Endless, consuming rage. Had that been the last King? In Rags’ mind, he was more like an avenging nightmare, driven only by death and slaughter. She couldn’t understand.

But then, the Goblin King had been leader of a tribe that was nearly limitless. He would have been able to look back—perhaps a thousand years! If Rags had a tribe that large, she might understand more of his rage, his past, and most importantly, his death.

Rags had never heard of a Goblin dying of old age. Their kind had lives like matches; they burned out in seconds in the cold winds of this world.

But Rags would be different. She would never die.

The still very young Goblin rubbed at her eyes. She was awake. The memory of dying was too vivid to sleep on. She pulled the blankets up around her shoulders—yanking it from three Goblins who protested until she kicked them—and looked around her new home.

It wasn’t great. But given that the last cave the Goblins had lived in could be accurately described as a waste of space, this was fine.

Rags shuffled her way through sleeping bodies, heedless of what or who she stepped on until she got to the pot that miraculously hadn’t yet been emptied by the coals at one end of the cavern. Rags opened the dented lid, tasted the soup and made a face.

It tasted horrible. But then, most Goblin cooking tasted bad given the things that went in them. Rags wouldn’t have minded normally, but Erin’s cooking had spoiled her.

The Goblin found a bowl, ate the leftovers still stuck to the bottom, and filled it again. She had standing orders that other Goblins weren’t allowed to serve themselves except at meal times, and then only a limited amount. Her warriors ate twice what the other Goblins did.

But Rags was a Chief, and what good was being a Chief if you didn’t get special privileges? Other Goblins didn’t really grumble about a Chief using their power; it was unfair, yes, but it was just another thing they would do if they were Chief.

Rags ate the warm soup with her fingers, spooning it efficiently into her mouth as she looked around her cave. She turned, thinking to go back to her bed, and met two purple eyes made of flame.

The Goblin choked on her soup and reached for her sword. She never let her weapons leave her side, even in sleep. But Toren just caught the bowl as it fell, ignoring Rags as the Goblin stumbled back.

The soup bowl was caught, but since it was caught face-down, all the soup dripped between the skeleton’s fingers. He regarded the slimy mixture, and then shook it off his hands.

Rags glared at Toren, ignoring the spilled food. Someone would eat it later. She glared at him in much the same way Erin did, but the skeleton was not impressed.

He was crossing his arms, waiting for something. What? Toren could not speak, so Rags had to guess. Ah. Of course; he wanted her to fulfill the bargain so he could go back. The Goblins had been too exhausted to do anything after making camp, but his patience was clearly at an end.

Yes. The cave. The battle with the enchanted plate armor. Rags closed her eyes as the events of yesterday came flooding back to her.

She remembered. But since it was her memory, it was even more glorious.

—-

The enchanted suit of armor roared in fury, metal screeching as it swung at Toren. The skeleton dodged, and Rags popped up behind the armor and fired another crossbow bolt.

The quarrel punched through the shoulder of the chest plate, but like all of her other arrows it barely fazed the magical armor. It turned, and Rags immediately ran. The armor lumbered after her, but Rags had learned [Rapid Retreat] and she outdistanced the swinging sword easily.

Other Goblins shouted, and the suit of armor turned just in time to be struck by a dozen clay pellets. Even together, the impact barely rocked the massive construct. It began to chase the Goblins, but Toren leapt on it from behind, bashing it wildly.

His bones scattered, and Rags saw the team of Goblins arrive at last. They tossed three rolls of the boom bark on the ground and Rags shouted a challenge. She knocked the helmet of the armor off with a quarrel, and he charged her, greatsword raised to end her life. Rags cast [Firefly] directly at the rolls of bark as he ran past—

—-

It had been a battle like those Rags remembered from her furthest Chieftain’s memories. Back when multiple high-level Hobs had challenged deadly monsters and won. In this case, it had been luck, daring, the new crossbows and the boom bark that had won the day.

And only just. Rags remembered how the armor had gotten back up after it had been blasted once, and how they’d had to pelt it with almost all of their ammunition before it stopped moving. But they’d done it. They’d won.

The next Chieftain would be able to see this memory, Rags knew. Whoever followed her would learn much about how to do battle properly. Their skirmish had not cost a single Goblin’s life, or even an undead one. Toren had survived, albeit in pieces, and in the aftermath, Rags had put together several important points.

Firstly, it appeared Toren knew of the ‘place of death’. In fact, he had even fallen into it somehow, finding another entrance to the dungeon. Which led Rags to her second discovery, which was that this place was a dungeon.

Obviously. She wasn’t sure why no other Goblin had put that together, but then, not many had been witness to the many conversations at Erin’s inn. Sometimes the speakers even forgot Rags was there, and she would learn wonderful secrets.

But more information followed the first. This dungeon was massive. Rags knew this, because Toren had fallen into a rift miles away from where they were. This, Rags had learned due to the most important point:

Toren could understand her.

Yes, she had been stunned to realize the skeleton could understand the Goblin’s chattering language. The dead speak all tongues, and so Toren could understand Rags. And she could understand him because she was a genius.

It was easy. Ask a question, and Toren would gesticulate. Ask more questions to clarify, and he would draw images, or nod or shake his head. It was a basic system of communication, but through it, Rags had realized the skeleton was a lot smarter than he acted. She wondered why no one else had noticed.

Or…perhaps he had become smarter over time. Rags didn’t remember him being quite this knowing before. It made her wary, but the exchange of information had been worth it.

The entrance where so many monsters had come out of over the decades was indeed the entrance to part of the dungeon—the same type of dungeon as the ruins with the undead, although these were even more magical and dangerous, if that were possible.

But there was power down there, and Rags needed power. So she was going to explore the dungeon. With Toren’s help. That was the bargain.

Initially, Toren had been apathetic to the Goblins. He’d wandered off as Rags was marshaling her tribe, only returning when it became apparent that, among the sterling qualities the skeleton might have, a sense of direction was not among them.

Rags had talked, and he’d mainly agreed. Toren had done a rough sketch of the dungeon, indicated what levels had the most danger, and agreed to show her the first few levels he’d run through in exchange for her taking him back to the inn.

It was a good deal, and full of confidence after the battle, Rags’ tribe had marched into the crevasse in the side of the mountain. They’d lost nearly ten Goblins within the hour.

Three died when the gargantuan bats dropped down from overhead and began trying to tear them apart. As the close walls of the entrance had become wider, the Goblins had begun to relax. They’d come to a large cavern filled with lichen and dripping water, and that was when the Goblins had disturbed a nest of Dropclaw Bats.

This species of bat was so named because unlike other bats, they had evolved to enjoy and hunt after meat as much as smaller insects. They were twice as large as a human’s head—and they had sharp claws and the inclination and ability to drop on the heads of anything that entered their nests.

It would have gone badly for the unarmored Goblins if it weren’t for two facts. The first was that Goblins had good night vision, and the second was that Rags knew [Firefly]. The fire panicked the large predators, and made them easy targets for the Goblins holding slings and crossbows.

One Goblin had died from a combination of further wounds inflicted by the bats and friendly fire in the form of shrapnel falling from above by the time it was over.

That was bad, and Rags had kicked herself for being so careless. Just because Toren had been unmolested while he was fleeing the suit of armor didn’t mean everywhere was safe.

She’d ordered the dead bats collected and made into edible food, while she pinned down the living ones with stones on their wings. Not out of any generosity; it would just prolong the freshness of their new food source.

They had become dinner, and tomorrow’s breakfast as well. Tough as the leathery skin of the Dropclaw Bats might have been, everything melted quite nicely with enough water and heat.

But that was only part of the Goblin’s discovery. As they explored the further reaches of the cavern, they’d found the entrance to the dungeon. A part of the walls had caved in—due to some kind of collapse of the stone overhead. Rags had cautiously poked her head out into a long, winding corridor full of statues.

Nothing had moved, and Toren only recalled running for his life while he’d been navigating this area, so Rags had decided to risk it.

She had ventured a few steps out into the rows of stone statues, her Goblin warriors flanking her and Toren wandering around aimlessly when she spotted a pedestal holding a shining ring glowing with violet light. It was clearly valuable, and Rags wanted it. In fact, there were several pedestals scattered down the long corridor amidst the stone statues, each holding a prize of its own.

Goblins loved treasure as much as any other species, and Rags had decided that ring would look good on her finger. She’d gone two steps, and touched a pressure plate. A flurry of spectral arrows had flown over Rags’ head, missing her by two good inches. That wasn’t dangerous, but the two Stone Golems posing as statues that each snatched up a Goblin and ripped them apart were .

Six Goblins were dead before they evaded the stone hands and stomping feet—and swinging blades made of magic and spells ricocheting out of the room from concealed glyphs—and retreated back through the hole in the dungeon.

Fifteen Stone Golems had pursued the Goblins at frightening speed, but they’d stopped when the Goblins fled back into the hole in the dungeon wall. Why? Because…it wasn’t someplace they recognized?

It was the only thing Rags could come up with, and it was that which had saved her and her tribe, she suspected. But despite their losses, the Goblins had not come away empty-handed.

One of her Goblins had snatched a pendant from a pedestal. It was glowing, a blue-white gem in the shape of a circle, gilded with gold and hung on a necklace of gold as well. It was so beautiful the other Goblins immediately started fighting over it until Rags took it for herself.

Her [Detect Magic] spell showed that the item was magical, but Rags still had no idea what it did. She would have made one of her Goblins wear it, but then she’d heard the loud squeaking and remembered the Dropclaw Bats.

The bat had wriggled when Rags fastened the pendant around its neck, and then nothing had happened. Rags had reached for the pendant—

And then the bat had screamed as its flesh and bones began to melt. It took five minutes to die, and the entire time it was still intact enough to shriek. Rags and the other Goblins had stayed as far away as possible until it was over.

What remained of the unlucky bat was just a mixture of…it couldn’t even be called flesh anymore. Remains was the only word. The pendant had gone with the bat, and left only a foul stench and the memory of what it had done.

The Goblins and Toren had exchanged glances, and eyed the melted remains. They’d come to a swift decision, and worked on implementing it all of yesterday.

—-

So that was how Rags found herself eating another bowl of bat soup and watching her Goblins labor at the far end of the cavern with a skeleton by her side. The Goblins heaved the last boulder into place as Toren watched disapprovingly. They were hurrying to finish the barrier to the dungeon they’d started yesterday.

It was necessary, and Rags had refused outright to leave until it was completed. Toren had glared silently at Rags, but acquiesced in the end, mainly because he had no choice. Rags almost expected him to start tapping his foot like Erin did. The skeleton seemed to mirror a lot of the innkeeper girl’s reactions.

Rags stepped back and regarded her tribe’s handiwork. The pile of stones was by no means an impenetrable barrier, but from both sides it looked like a rock slide that could be too much trouble to move. She hoped it would seal off the cavern from any monsters wandering from below until she could come up with a better solution.

Like a door with a pit trap five hundred feet deep. But Rags was determined to stay near the dungeon. The Stone Golems were a terrible enemy—and some of the things Toren had seen suggested they were only the beginnings of the challenges that lurked below. But if there was anywhere to level up and challenge her tribe, it would be there.

For now though, Rags had to fulfill her promise. Toren was starting to smack Goblins whenever they tried to come near him, and he had a dangerous look in his eyes. True, he always had a dangerous look in his eyes, but Rags sensed trouble if she didn’t move fast.

She left the cave, the skeleton stomping out behind her. Rags inhaled the crisp, winter air, and decided she liked the cave better. Out here was too exposed.

A bony finger prodded Rags in the back and she turned and glared. Toren glared back, and it had to be said that he was better at it. Rags debated trying to punch him, and then gave up and stomped through the snow.

It was a long, quiet march through the plains. Rags set a fast pace; she knew roughly where all the Shield Spider nests were, and she could spot the snowy mounds that were Rock Crabs quite easily. Toren followed Rags silently, only pausing when she did.

Rags and Toren walked through the snow, both looking up as a last group of the reptilian birds flew south overhead. Rags saw a fox dash by and wished she’d brought her crossbow; Toren stared at a bird.

They paused to watch another herd of boars pass, this group not domesticated like the last group Rags had seen. The herd of hairy creatures sloughed through the snow, tusks helping to break apart the clumps of snow.

It was peaceful. Then a Carn Wolf howled , and the world became dangerous and deadly once more.

Rags immediately crouched in the snow, looking for the wolf. Normally, they didn’t howl when hunting Goblins so she might get lucky. Carn Wolves liked to sneak up and kill Goblins, but this sounded like they were hunting the boars, who had started to rush through the snow.

Rags looked around as she began to unsheathe her sword. But—Carn Wolves were huge , far bigger than normal wolves. She saw Toren reaching for a sword he didn’t have, and felt at a hard object secure in her belt. She pulled it out as the Carn Wolves loped out into the open.

It was an entire pack, and they closed on the boars quickly, even as the pigs squealed and changed directions. Rags watched as the wolves ran towards the herd, spreading out as they moved to create a net. It was a maneuver performed by hunters in this world and in Erin’s. The wolves would separate a weak link, a child or elderly boar from the pack and then work together to bring it down.

Except that this time, the lead wolf made a mistake. Too eager to send panic into the herd of boars, he rushed towards the center. The wall of hair opened up as he ran towards them, and then suddenly closed together, trapping the wolf.

He howled and bit, but suddenly the fleeing boars had turned their tusks on him. They charged into the wolf, slashing upwards with their tusks, smashing him from all sides. In a blink, they’d separated again, leaving a gored mess of fur and blood behind.

The other Carn Wolves slowed, and Rags watched them hesitate. Yes, that was the problem. Even the mightiest predator was in danger of being brought down by many smaller enemies. It was far easier to prey on the weak, the small, the isolated.

It was somewhat depressing, and predictable, when the leader of the wolves sniffed the air and looked at Rags and Toren. Mainly at Rags. She sighed as he ran at her, and pulled the object out of her pouch.

A red jewel rose into the air, and Rags felt sickening fear pulse through her veins. Not just from her jewel; as the wolves ran towards them, Toren suddenly emitted the same aura of pure terror.

The wolves faltered, stopped, and then turned and ran, yelping and whining in fear. Some left yellow trails as they ran; Rags watched them go as she calmly tucked one of Skinner’s ‘eyes’ back into her belt.

She’d forgotten Toren took the other one. Well, the gem was good for moments like this. More than once Rags had stopped something from attacking her or her tribe with the gem, but she knew it had its limits.

The problem—yes, the problem was that while the blood-red gem was extremely useful, it was useless against other Goblins. Skinner had realized that to his cost, and Rags had no intention of forgetting it.

Goblins were always afraid. Pure terror didn’t slow them down like other species; if anything, it made them fight harder. If Rags tried to use this on another tribe, she’d just get herself killed.

Plus, there were things the gemstone didn’t work on. The Antinium, for one, and Erin for another. And the undead. And Relc, or so Rags had overheard. And of course it didn’t stop long-range attacks, magic, traps…

Really, it wasn’t that useful. Rags put the stone away and took her hand away from her sword hilt as the yelping faded in the distance. But it did allow her to traverse the plains by herself, which was important. She could leave her warriors behind to guard the cave, and make better time this way.

Indeed, Toren was able to match Rags’ speed. The skeleton strode through the snow after her, flaming eyes tracking her movement and the seemingly unchanging landscape.

Rags ignored the look. The skeleton seemed to be able to control the fear effect from his gem, so she ignored him. She had to think.

Well, her idea with the dungeon had been a partial success. She’d found a place to live, at least temporarily. And it was a good spot to expand in; the stone could be mined away and the Watch wouldn’t patrol out that far. If Rags’ goblins kept to themselves, they wouldn’t be harassed.

Unfortunately, the new problem became food. Goblins didn’t just ambush travelers and attack herds for fun. They had no natural food sources besides what little they could scavenge, and in the winter their already precarious situation often became fatal. As Chieftain, Rags had to provide for her tribe, but she couldn’t do that without risking the wrath of the Watch.

So what now? Well, once Rags had finished delivering Toren, she’d play some chess with Erin. One of the reasons why she didn’t want to leave Liscor was chess. It was…different. Rags could be a Chieftain and she enjoyed it, but sometimes she just wanted to sit in the inn and play a game.

As the wooden building sitting on the hill finally came into view, Rags saw Toren’s eyes grow brighter. He abandoned Rags, running through the snow as she tromped on. She didn’t care.

Her job was done.

Toren paused and seemed to hesitate as he climbed the hill. Rags saw the other human besides Erin—the tall one with dark hair and different skin—sprinting out of the inn. She was followed by what looked like a fuzzy blue cloud of dots. Rags recognized them. They were the strange, mischievous things that liked to annoy people in the winter. They left Goblins alone, though, so Rags paid no attention to them.

Instead, she focused on the girl that ran out of the inn, waving her arms. Erin shouted something and the swarm stopped as it surrounded Ryoka. Something was going on.

Rags didn’t care. She pushed her way into the inn as other people came out and stared and talked. She just had one thing on her mind.

Chess.

There they were. Several boards were already set up on the tables. Rags hopped into a seat and smiled.

Yes, chess. It was so strange. But it had been the first time she’d learned…anything. From a game.

She’d never known about tactics, or trying to outsmart the enemy. Well, she had—but not in the careful, considered way you had to do it in chess. The game had taught her about thinking ahead, about patience. It had taught her to think , that was the thing.

And it had given her a gift, made her special. Unique. For that, Rags would always love the game.

Playing other people was nice too, of course. Rags listened to the commotion outside, kicking her heels with impatience.

At last the door opened and Erin walked back in, looking upset. Rags didn’t care. She waited for Erin to notice her; she had too much dignity to wave her hands or shout out. But the girl had frozen. She was staring at the skeleton who was standing patiently in the center of the room.

“Oh my god. Toren!”

Rags made a disgusted sound as Erin rushed over to Toren. She ignored the questions, the commentary from the people whose names she barely remembered. She waited for Erin to notice her.

“Hey, what happened to your eyes?”

The small Goblin glared, but Erin was too busy peering at her skeleton’s eyes to notice her. She stood up in her chair, but again she was ignored.

And a terrible thing happened. Suddenly, Rags was small again.

Small.

She was small. Physically, Rags was small even for a Goblin. But she was young, and that would change. She might not be a Hob in the sense of growing to become a giant, but she was still a colossus in her head.

But here, in this inn, Rags felt tiny. No one was paying attention to her. And she wasn’t important enough to command it.

She looked around the room. The mage Pisces, the other mage with the dead hand, Ceria. Olesm, the [Tactician], Erin, and Toren. And of course there had been the other girl, Ryoka. They were all important in their own way.

The mages had high levels, Olesm had twice as many levels in [Tactician] as Rags, and Erin was Erin, the girl who’d killed the last Chief. And Toren…

He was closest to Rags, but he was important to Erin because he was hers. But Rags was a Goblin. She was weakest, and she wasn’t valuable.

She didn’t matter.

At last, Erin looked around. She spotted Rags and did a double-take.

“Hey Rags! I didn’t see you there! When did you come in?”

Rags scowled at her, and tried to push away the thoughts lurking in her head. But they always came back, now and then, to remind her she wasn’t important. Yes, she liked this inn. But sometimes…

“Oh, I know you’ll just love this! Wait a second Rags—you’ll never guess what’s happened since you’ve been gone!”

Erin bustled into the kitchen, followed closely by Toren. Rags heard her exclaim, berate her skeleton, and then she reemerged with something wonderful.

It was a sandwich with meat in the center. Rags bit into it, and the worries of the world eased for a second. Erin called it a ham burger, although there was no ham inside. But Rags didn’t care.

Content now, she sat in the chair and waited to play Erin. But again—she was overlooked.

Now Erin was talking worriedly about the girl who had left, and arguing with one of the blue glowing spots in the air. Rags squinted at it, but she couldn’t hear anything. Was Erin talking to it, or just to herself? She seemed to be carrying on a one-sided conversation as far as Rags could tell, but then she went into the kitchen.

More waiting. Rags couldn’t stand it. She was a Chief . She shouldn’t have to wait! She looked around. If Erin was busy, what about the Drake?

But Olesm was busy watching Erin, and he didn’t even notice when Rags threw a chess piece at him. He just scratched the spot absently.

Being ignored. Rags felt a hot burning in her stomach as she glared around. But then her eye fell on something fascinating.

It was a chessboard, but the pieces were made of…air? Ghostly, frozen wisps of wind. Rags eyed Erin as the girl waved her arms about and shouted, and then made her way over to the table.

Yes, it was a magical chessboard of some kind. And by the looks of it, a game was in progress. Rags eyed the pieces, and picked one up experimentally.

It felt like lifting nothing, but there was something between her fingers. Entranced, Rags moved the queen and took a piece.

Suddenly, the board moved. A piece moved and cut down her queen. Rags leapt back and stared wide-eyed at the board. But then she understood.

There was someone else playing! Of course! It wasn’t a hard conclusion to come to if you assumed the board was magical, which it clearly was. So who was playing?

Whoever it was, they’d been playing a complex game. Rags sat down at the table and stared at the pieces. Only Erin could have played this game. And now Rags had messed up her game, trading a queen for a pawn. But—

The Goblin’s heart began to beat faster, and she stared around the room. Yes, Erin was still busy with the blue floating thing. Rags looked back at the board. Whoever was on the other side was waiting for Erin’s next move. Or Rags’.

Could she do it? Rags hesitated as she looked at the pieces. Erin was better than she was. But—

Small.

Rags moved a piece. She traded a knight for a bishop and watched her knight get taken off the board. She immediately attacked again, aggressively pushing with all the pieces Erin had.

She could do it. If Erin could do it, Rags could learn to do the same. Besides, this player wasn’t Erin. How good could…could…

…

Rags stared at the board. All of her pieces were gone. Her king was surrounded, and he’d just been forced into a check that would lead to checkmate.

No. This other player had just taken her to pieces in a matter of moves. How?

Rags slowly tipped the king over. Instantly, the board began to reset itself as she watched. Numbly, Rags moved her own pieces back to their starting positions.

It was impossible. That was just a—a fluke. Rags was better than anyone else, except for Erin and maybe, maybe Olesm.

Furiously, she opened up the board, moving a knight out as a starting move. It was because she’d started with Erin’s game and not her own. But this time, Rags would play her own way she’d…

…

Lose. Lose and lose again. It wasn’t even a drawn-out game. Rags stared at the board as her king tipped over again.

Who was this other player. How—

The pieces were moving. Rags reached to pull hers away, but the pieces weren’t moving back to their original positions. Instead, they were forming a…face.

It was a basic face, the basic expression Erin would have recognized as an emoji, or a smiley face. It had two eyes, and an upside-down smile.

He knew. Rags stared at the board and felt the same feeling of smallness again. Whoever the other player was, he knew he wasn’t playing Erin. And he was disappointed.

For a second, Rags stared at the board. Then she hurled it off the table.

“ Hey! ”

The Goblin jumped as Erin shouted. The girl came over and picked up the board as the ghostly pieces reset. She glared at Rags.

“What are you— hey! You moved my pieces! ”

She glared at Rags as the Goblin stared the other way. Rags couldn’t even face Erin. Shame and anger wormed through her stomach in equal parts.

“Aw. It was a good game, too. I thought I might actually l—well, maybe not. Anyways!”

Erin shook her finger at Rags.

“This is mine. I’m fine with you using another chess board, but this one is connected to another one somewhere and—well, I’m playing, okay?”

Rags shrugged, still not looking at Erin. She heard the girl sigh.

“Okay. Sorry for getting mad, but—it’s bad manners to play another game, you know? I’ll play you, if you want.”

And have her confidence crushed even further? Rags hesitated, but she still loved the game. Reluctantly, she nodded, and Erin beamed. It was hard to hate her, even when Rags tried.

“Cool! You just sit there and I’ll—oh?”

Someone knocked at the door. Rags turned in her seat, ready to kill whoever walked in as Erin called out.

“Come in!”

The door opened, and Rags saw a familiar face. Or rather, a familiar body. The Antinium still looked alike to her, but she could recognize Klbkch by his lack of four arms and slimmer physique. The Antinium nodded to Erin as he entered the inn.

He was joined by the other Antinium Rags recognized—Pawn. He was a good player, almost as good as Rags, but she scowled when she saw the third person who entered the inn.

The Drake.

He made much the same face when he saw Rags.

“Oh good. The stinking Goblin’s back.”

“Hey!”

Erin propped her hands on her hips as Rags stared at the Drake. He looked at her once without any trace of emotion, and then smiled and talked to Erin.

Rags listened impatiently. The two Antinium and one Drake weren’t alone. They’d brought twelve other Workers with them. And they were here for…

Chess?

No. But it seemed they wanted to play chess like they had before. Yet Rags knew the Workers who had played in the inn before, and all these Workers were new to her. They behaved differently, and with Klbkch in the room, they acted…differently.

“Well of course! I mean, I agreed to it and I love to play chess so why not? And I’ve got enough boards so…”

Erin began organizing the Workers while Rags stared at the black-bodied Antinium. Something was off. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but she had a sense this was different.

“Rags? Sorry, but I’ve got to teach some chess. You could play a game with me to demonstrate if you want.”

Rags had no interest in a game where Erin would stop every move to explain what was happening. She sat in her chair, watching suspiciously as Erin first ran through the rules of the game and then had the Workers pair up and play.

It was the same, but not. Rags remembered learning chess, and this was…different. The Drake yawned as he leaned against one wall and tried to chat with Ceria, but the two other Antinium watched.

And as the games between the Workers began, Rags knew something was wrong. It showed in every move, and soon Erin realized it as well. She saw the girl frowning, and knew the games would soon stop.

But Rags had no real interest in the whys and wherefores of why this was all wrong. She’d come here to relax, possibly to level up, but to learn something and…and figure out what to do next. Instead, she was stuck in an inn watching other people play chess – badly – and with the Drake.

Every now and then he would glance at her, and she would stare back. His gaze sent wriggling worms into her stomach, but she knew he was just as bothered by her stare. And as it happened, he had less patience than she did.

“Hey, mind if I toss this Goblin outside? She keeps staring at me.”

Erin was talking to Klbkch, but she looked over long enough to scowl at the Drake.

“Don’t be a jerk.”

He made a face at her, but desisted. For a few seconds. Then he casually propelled himself off the wall and ambled over to Rags. She tensed up.

The Drake stopped, standing over the table and staring down at Rags. He was grinning, but not in a friendly way. He bent his head and spoke quietly to Rags.

“I went looking for your little nest, but looks like you lot ran away. Lucky you; if you’d stayed I’d be turning in Goblin ears to the Adventurer’s Guild by now.”

She remained stock-still, fighting not to show any emotion. The Drake stared at her, and she saw the malice in his eyes. It was a familiar look, one she’d seen often.

“Of course, you’re too afraid to do anything than hide in this inn. If Erin weren’t here, I’d bet you’d be too scared to get within a hundred miles of Liscor.”

Rags bit her lip. She wanted to say something—do something. Anger was boiling in her gut, but he was dangerous . She knew it. Say nothing. Do nothing. Wait until Erin looked around.

“You lot are all cowards. The second I raise my spear, you run away. Makes it easier to catch you, I guess.”

Rags snapped. She looked up at the Drake, and saw his smile. Rags’ lips pursed, and then she spat.

A glob of spit landed on the Drake’s arm. He blinked down at it, and she saw his eyes narrow.

—Rags woke up on the floor, head spinning and jaw in agony. She tried to sit up and fell back. Something was ringing loudly in her ears, and her teeth felt…loose.

Above her she could hear angry voices. The Drake was holding up two hands, shrugging his shoulders as Erin shouted at him.

“ —dare you! How could you do that to her?”

“She spat on me. ”

“You’re four times her size! And you’re a guardsman! You’re not supposed to hurt innocent people!”

“Innocent? People? It’s a Goblin. ”

The Drake pointed at Rags as she slowly got up. Erin was red in the face as she yelled at him.

“Why are you doing this? You’ve never had a problem with her before!”

Rags saw the Drake’s eyes narrow.

“ I didn’t have a problem? I didn’t visit your inn, remember? That’s because I didn’t want to come to this inn and see those filthy little bastards running around!”

For a second Erin hesitated, but she refused to back down.

“But you came here. And I have rules. The sign says—”

“‘No killing Goblins’. Right, right. But I didn’t kill her. And anyways, who cares what the sign says? You’re not part of Liscor, and I’m an officer of the Watch. My responsibility is to kill Goblins and other pests. You can’t stop me from doing it.”

He pointed at Rags and she flinched. Erin just stared at him for a few seconds, and then her voice was soft.

“Why are you doing this? Why now? What’s wrong with her coming in here to play chess? What’s so different?”

“It’s different because Klb’s back, and our orders are to get rid of these things. And we will, believe me. The instant they start attacking travelers—”

Erin shot an anguished glance at Rags. Yes, there it was. Ceria had spoken the truth. Rags saw the half-Elf standing at the other end of the room. Her fingers were glowing, but Pisces was holding her back. Good. The Drake could kill them all quite easily. Just like Gazi.

“Relc. I will be fine. There is no need for you to act on my behalf.”

Klbkch said the words calmly, and Erin chimed in as Relc shook his head.

“Rags is just a kid. You can’t hurt kids—or anyone who’s not dangerous! She’s a friend. ”

He glared at Rags.

“Great. So now I’m the bad guy because I’m the only person here with a brain? The Goblins aren’t your friends. They’ll stab you in the back first chance they get! Stupid little—”

He kicked out. The Goblin barely saw the foot before the table she had been sitting on flipped over. She cried out and tried to get out of the way. The edge of the table crashed into the ground, nearly crushing her stomach as Rags rolled aside just in time.

“ Relc! You do that again and—”

The Drake looked at Erin and she froze. He pointed at Rags, and spoke with icy calm.

“I see this thing anywhere near Klb or the city, and I’ll cut it down.”

Rags stared at him, and knew he meant every word. She stared up at him, and felt heaviness settle over her.

There was no safe place. Not even here. She’d been relying on Erin, but she couldn’t stop the Drake with words. He was strong. She was weak.

She wanted to run. It was the same feeling she’d gotten, only magnified tenfold.

She was small. And when the Drake was looking at her, Rags could see the same sight. Always the same moment in her head.

A fleeing back, a blur of movement. The Goblin’s chest explodes as Rags hides in the grass, and the Drake crows in triumph as he severs the head. Neatly. So neatly.

The Goblin child hides in the grass, wide-eyed, trembling, watching staring at the torso. Such a familiar thing, but alien. How many times did those hands pick her up when she’d fallen? But the body is bloody now, and lifeless.

The child does not cry. She waits for death as the second one who raised her is cut down feet away. And then a third Goblin. She waits for the Drake to find her, but he only saw three. Three Goblins, and a child they left so they could steal from a lone human.

She hides in the grass, trying to be as small as possible. If she is small, he won’t find her. If she pretends not to exist, he will not hear her heart beating.

The bloody torso sits in the grass with her throughout the night and in the next day, slowly rotting and stinking. Until the human comes.

Reality hit Rags in the same moment the memory flashed through her mind. She felt it, the same fear as before. But never. Never again.

She couldn’t allow it. So Rags stared at Relc. His eyes were murder.

But she—

She drew her sword.

“ Rags! ”

The small Goblin trembled as she faced Relc. He towered above her, muscled, deadly. She was afraid. She was going to die. She remembered the dead, and wanted to run, to scream and hide, to cower. But she stood, holding her sword.

She would not be small again.

“See? What did I tell you? I’d be doing you a favor, getting rid of this thing right now.”

The Drake’s spear was in his hands. Rags hadn’t even seen him move. She knew he could run her through in an instant, but she couldn’t back down. Wouldn’t.

He was stronger, faster, more deadly. But if she kept running from him, she’d never stop. She couldn’t. She couldn’t be small any longer.

She looked at the Drake and thought of his name. Relc. She would remember it until she died. Whether it was now or in ten thousand years.

Relc. She would not forgive him. He was her enemy.

“Come on. Take a cut at me. I’ll even let you get the first three shots. Then it’s my turn.”

Relc beckoned with one hand. Rags wanted to do it. She wanted to strike, but then he’d kill her. She stood in a deadlock. She would not run. But she wouldn’t die ever. Not yet. Not—

“Stop. That.”

Erin’s voice was a cold piece of iron in the heat of the room. She walked in front of Rags and Relc and stared the Drake down.

“Get out of my inn. And if you touch Rags—”

“You’ll what? Hit me?”

Relc sneered at Erin. He spread his arms, daring her to take a shot.

“You can’t stop me. Not you, not that Goblin—not even you, Klb, so take your hand off the sword.”

Klbkch said something, but Relc wasn’t looking at him. He was still staring at Rags, and she knew that he was waiting for her to make a move. But she wasn’t looking at him, but rather, something above his head.

Rags looked up. Something blue and indistinct was hovering over the Drake’s head. His eyes narrowed as he followed the path of her vision and he looked up.

“Oh for—buzz off you stupid thing!”

He swiped at it, but the fuzzy creature dodged out of the way effortlessly. They always did. But as Relc raised his hand to chase it away again, Rags felt the air freeze , and then the Drake’s entire body was covered in frost.

“ Graaaaaaah! ”

Even the Drake wasn’t immune to cold. He clawed at his scales, and the Winter Sprite hovered around him again. He snapped at it with his mouth, but no sooner did he do so than the air seemed to get even colder, and his mouth was suddenly full of snow.

Icicles fell from the ceiling, materializing out of nowhere. Relc spat out snow, and nearly got an eyeful of ice. He roared in fury and slammed out of the door as the Winter Sprite chased him, letting the cold air blow in from outside.

“Wha—”

Erin was staring at the place he’d gone, but then she turned towards Rags, full of concern.

“Rags! Are you alright?”

She reached for the Goblin, but Rags stepped away. But Erin ignored that and reached out to inspect Rags’ face.

“Stop that. He hit you, didn’t he? I can’t believe that! How do you feel? Do you need an ice pack…some ice? Is anything broken?”

Rags pushed the hands away and shook her head. Erin tried to fuss over her, but Rags didn’t need it. She heard Klbkch speaking.

“I will make apologies for my partner, Erin Solstice, and to you, Rags. I believe he cares about me, and you. But he fought in the Goblin Wars and thinks of Goblins as enemies…”

Rags barely heard the rest. She sat back at the table, shaking. Her jaw ached. The flesh was already swelling, but that wasn’t important.

She’d done it. She’d actually done it. She’d stood up to him. She hadn’t run.

She wasn’t small.

“Rags? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Rags looked up. Erin was back, trying to fuss over her. Again, Rags had to fend her off. But Erin kept coming back, hovering over her, anxious, fussing.

Just like the Goblins who Relc had killed. Rags could barely remember that time. Barely, but—

After a while, she slid under the table. Not because she wanted to hide; but because she couldn’t bear Erin coming over to ask how she was every few minutes.

No one saw her move. Rags was small. She was invisible, as Goblins were. No one looked at Goblins except as a threat or a pest. Only one person stared at them, and she—

—She was different. But she was busy, and so Rags sat under the table and thought.

Vengeance. Hatred. She would never seek revenge, even with the rest of her tribe it was suicide. No, now was a time for cold thought. The Watch was out for her tribe, but that meant she had to make the choice, and quickly.

Where could they go? The only ways were north or south, and south led to the Blood Fields and the Broken Spear tribe had sent her the threat of death with her messenger. They would fall upon her people and slaughter them should she go south.

North, then. The Red Fang tribe was marginally more accepting, or rather, indifferent to her tribe, but that would quickly turn to bloodshed as well if she stayed in their territory. So what could she do?

Think. Think logically about the threats she faced. Rags concentrated. What was more dangerous, staying here and facing the Watch or risking the wrath of the Red Fang tribe and monsters further north?

Even without the Drake—no, Relc, his name was Relc—the Red Fang Tribe was no match for the Watch. There were nearly a hundred guardsmen—well, some were always on the walls and many stayed inside the city—but the ones who went on patrols were stronger than Goblins by far. Even if not all of them were a match for a Hob one-on-one, they fought together, with discipline and intelligence.

Besides, the Red Fang Tribe would break themselves on Liscor’s walls. That was the real advantage the Watch had. They could defend easily and come out to attack in force at any time. If you make it an equal battleground, perhaps there was a chance…

But with Relc, there was not. He could kill four Hobs by himself, Rags was certain. In speed, strength, and especially his iron skin, he was another kind of creature, closer to a monster himself than anything else.

The Red Fang Tribe it was, then.

So then what? Did she bring the fight to them? How? The Red Fang Tribe numbered nearly a thousand, not even including the smaller tribes that paid them tribute. Rags had one special new type of weapon, some acid jars and explosive bark. How was she supposed to fight that?

But cause trouble and death would come for her tribe. So Rags would be ground to pieces with the Watch on one side and the Red Fang Tribe on the other. The dungeon—she couldn’t risk it yet. So how…?

Small. She was small. But she had faced Relc and not run away. Rags remembered it. She remembered the trembling fear, the knowledge of death. But she’d stood tall. She hadn’t run. She had been mortally afraid but in that moment—

She hadn’t been small.

And in that moment, Rags knew what she had to do.

“Rags?”

The Goblin jumped. Erin’s head had appeared between two chair legs.

“ There you are. Look, come on out. No one’s going to hurt you, I promise.”

As if Rags cared about that. She came out anyways, though. Erin touched at Rags’ face in concern, and asked her unimportant questions. But the knowledge was burning within Rags. The feeling.

She knew.

“I guess you’re okay. I’m just so sorry this happened. Look, let me give you some food or—or let’s play a game of chess.”

Rags shook her head. There was no time. She pointed towards the door, and Erin looked at it.

“You want to—of course. You can come back at any time, though, okay? It will be safe here.”

A wonderful lie. Or perhaps—Rags hesitated, looking at Erin. Perhaps she would make it true. But that wasn’t where salvation lay. That wasn’t where Rags could grow.

She shook her head, and pointed at the door again.

“Sure, sure. I know you’re busy. You’re going to go off and…”

Erin hesitated, and frowned.

“What do Goblins do all day when they’re not…trying to stab me or foraging for food?”

Rags looked up at Erin. And then she smiled.

“…You smile? I don’t get it.”

—-

The Jawbreaker Tribe was a small tribe of Goblins closest to Liscor. Besides the Flooded Waters Tribe, of course. In truth, both tribes were small-fry even among Goblins. But the Jawbreaker clan was one of those who paid regular tribute to the Red Fang Tribe, and so they enjoyed a modicum of protection.

Even so, they rested in a secluded grove of trees far away from any settlements, in a small valley where they wouldn’t be so easily noticed. The tribe was mostly asleep at this time of day—just before dawn.

It was winter, and cold was in the air. No Goblin wanted to be up, especially since being up meant scavenging all day for food, or chasing reindeer or other animals miles through the snow. Food might mean survival or death, but it didn’t mean they had to be proactive about it.

Their Chief thought the same way. Rockgaw, an approximate translation of his name from the Goblin’s language, was just waking up as the sunlight hit his face. He was a Hob, one of two in the tribe. He was the stronger of the two, but just by one or two levels, and he was lazy as well.

But even Rockgaw’s inclination to sleep couldn’t keep him abed when the sunlight was filtering down from over the hill top. He’d chosen the valley so it would take longer for the sun to reach him, but Rockgaw always felt the light was far too early.

He yawned, sat up, and looked around at his tribe as he scratched at his loincloth. Rockgaw pushed himself to his feet—

—And because Rags had no sense of the dramatic moment, that was when the crossbow bolt exited his spine and nailed his corpse to the ground.

The other Goblins in the tribe looked up and around. In the shocked silence, Rags gave the order to fire.

Clay bullets rained down from above, striking Goblins and sending the camp into chaos. Rags slowly loaded the black crossbow with another bolt and waited. Pound the enemy. Harass their flanks. She looked at the rows of Goblins holding crossbows and smiled.

Experiment. Change. Evolve. Oh, and pillage, steal, and stab in the back. That was the Goblin way.

The north was hers. The Red Fang tribe might control the local Goblins, but Rags had new weapons, new ideas, and most importantly, a new base to fight from. She could win. She would win.

She would claim the northern territory if the south was too dangerous. Rags would become stronger. She would level. And then, when she was ready she would explore the dungeon again. She would create a tribe large enough to kill the Drake and oppose the Watch. She would gather enough Goblins to remember what drove the Goblin King into such a rage.

She would grow. Until she could defeat the strange person who played chess from far away. Until she could beat Erin herself.

Rags had a list. She raised the crossbow, sighted at the Hob who came charging uphill and fired. Not at his head; lower down. At his second head, as it were.

She would not lose here, or ever. She had to be bigger, stronger. She would learn, and be merciful. To survive, Rags would be anything.

The Hob clasped the stricken area and collapsed to the ground. Rags eyed the object she’d partially severed with her bolt. Not too merciful; she was a Goblin after all.

But she could do it, Rags knew. She would do it. No matter what it took.

She would never die.

2.20

When Ryoka finished her run, she found Erin and Olesm sitting around the chessboard, discussing chess. She, Val, and Hawk stopped to watch the two.

If running was their world, Erin and Olesm belonged to the silent, mystifying world of chess. It reminded Ryoka a bit of religion, only instead of an altar or text, Erin and Olesm used a chessboard.

But then, would playing chess be the equivalent of prayer? And what was blasphemy? Flipping the board? And why was Ryoka taking this analogy so far?

She coughed into one hand. Olesm and Erin didn’t even look up.

“See, that’s when I knew he was pushing with the left side and trying to set me up for a pin. Here. So I did this and…”

“Ah! That’s when he made the blunder!”

“Right. But even if he didn’t, I would have taken a pawn and taken an advantage for the endgame. Which is where it would have gone if he hadn’t opened himself up like that.”

Olesm was busy writing on pieces of parchment as Erin explained. At least she looked happy. Ryoka still wasn’t sure about the advisability of playing chess with someone unknown but—

Trust. She had to trust Erin. Not with everything, but at least with this.

Ryoka coughed again, louder. Then she gave up.

“Erin.”

Erin looked up. She caught sight of Val and Hawk, and her eyes widened.

“Oh! Oh! ”

Olesm looked round and nearly dropped his quill.

“Is that Hawk? What are you doing here?”

Hawk smiled as he and Val stepped into the room. Ryoka was displeased to note that they weren’t even sweating.

“We had a morning run, and Hawk and I were thinking of staying here for a chat. Unless you’re busy with your…game?”

“What? The chess? Oh, no. We’ve got lots of tables.”

Erin hovered around the two Couriers as they chose a table on the other side of the room. She kept staring at Hawk, and Ryoka knew she wanted to pet him. Erin was complex in many ways, but her hand was twitching.

“Can I…get you two anything? Breakfast? An early lunch? Snacks?”

“Can I have a hamburger?”

Hawk looked wistfully at Erin. Val groaned.

“Anything but a hamburger. How about those potato strips?”

“French fries? Sure! One hamburger and fries coming up. You want ketchup? Everyone wants ketchup.”

Ryoka looked at Olesm as Erin bustled around. The Drake was still writing on the parchment. Chess…notation?

“Now would be a good time for you to use your head, idiot.”

Olesm looked up.

“Hm? I’m sorry, were you speaking to me, Ryoka?”

“No. Myself.”

He went back to writing. Ryoka tried to clear her mind. She’d had her morning run, and that was helping dispel the effects of last night’s partying and drinking.

Now—concentrate. What was he doing? Writing things down. Obviously. Try to think a bit harder than pre-school level analysis. No, if Olesm was writing down Erin’s chess game—presumably against the other player—and given her comments about an equal game…

Erin was considered better than anyone else…

Ah. He was making a record of chess games. That was again, obvious. But Ryoka could see him making commentary notes on another sheet. And you only did that when…

“A newsletter. Or magazine.”

Olesm looked up again.

“Hm?”

“Sorry. Just thinking aloud.”

“It’s quite fascinating, isn’t it? Erin is a brilliant player and her opponent—”

“I imagine you must level quite often, playing her.”

The Drake made a face Ryoka could only describe as ruefully awkward.

“Not that much. But you’re right. I did level up quite a bit, and quite quickly too!”

Great. So Erin was helping whoever was on the other side of the world. Ryoka eyed the parchment. Would reading chess strategy help other [Tacticians]? For that matter, why was chess so good for [Tacticians] anyways? It was a game. One that involved strategy, true, but not…

“Oh my god.”

“That’s an interesting phrase. Most humans just say ‘dead gods’.”

Ryoka didn’t answer. That was it. Think for five seconds and you could figure out one of the critical truths of this world. This system of leveling had not been created by someone from Ryoka and Erin’s world, from Earth.

If what Ryoka thought was true. She had to ask.

“Olesm.”

He looked at her, quill poised above the parchment.

“Yes?”

“Are you familiar with most classes? I mean, I assume there are rare classes, but you know all of the ones people normally receive, don’t you?”

He hesitated.

“To an extent. I do ask about classes so I can use them if I need to coordinate with the Watch, so you could say that. Why? Was there one you were interested in?”

“Are there any classes for people who play…games? Board games, I mean?”

Olesm frowned and tapped his chin with the quill, ignoring the spots it left on his scales.

“Board games…we don’t really have that many. There are checkers, of course, and I know there are games that [Tacticians] have invented like chess…but none other that I can think of. Kids mostly play games like tailpuck or beanbag throwing.”

“Any classes related to that? A…class that involves playing against others for fun?”

“[Gambler]? Um…I’ve heard of some people getting the [Layabout] class or [Idler] class depending on what people call it, but that’s something that usually only applies to the aristocracy, you know, fourth sons and all that. Otherwise I suppose the [Tactician] class is the only one that fits.”

“I thought so. Thanks.”

“No problem. Glad I could help?”

Ryoka left Olesm to his game, thinking hard. She was right. It explained everything.

Question. Why did [Tacticians] level up from playing chess? Perhaps a few levels could be explained by the idea of strategy, feints, and so on, but that kind of rapid growth? No. It made no sense, especially not for a class that should be gaining experience from commanding armies and making dangerous decisions.

Yes, normally if you were going to level it should be in some kind of board game playing class, only there wasn’t one. And that was why Olesm and the others were leveling, and also why Erin wasn’t.

Because there was no [Gamer] class. And whoever had designed the initial system hadn’t thought of—no, perhaps it was the culture which hadn’t yet adapted to the idea of someone who just played casual games without a tactical or gambling focus. Erin thought of the game as casual; not something that she should gain a [Tactician] class from. But Olesm and the others looked on it as something different.

Which meant that Erin and Ryoka by themselves didn’t constitute enough of a group to define a new class, if that were even possible. The idea of pre-defined classes made by the creator of this leveling system might not gel with culture defining classes—Ryoka decided to table that idea for now as unconfirmed.

But it all made sense. It was a loophole in the system.

And she had no way to exploit it, unless she decided she wanted to play chess. And even then, probably only Erin would gain the benefits if she stopped looking at it as a game.

But that wasn’t the truly frightening thing. What was truly frightening was the secondary thought that had sprung into Ryoka’s mind as she stared at the chessboard.

Was it an accident? Or…was it on purpose. Chess. It had just been invented in this world, and it was gaining popularity among [Tacticians]. Enough so that one person had sent an expensive chessboard across the world, paying probably thousands of gold coins for the board, delivery, and so on.

Because they loved chess? Or because they knew it would help them level up if they found a worthy opponent?

Did the person who invented chess know they’d found a way to peacefully, easily level up their class? Or was it coincidence?

And what the hell should Ryoka do about the chessboard?

She considered her options. They weren’t numerous, and most of them would lead to Erin pitching a fit, even if the board ‘disappeared’ by accident. And the dangers…

True, it would help one person. But considering them an enemy because they might be using this to their advantage wasn’t wise. For all they knew, they were benefiting Erin as much as themselves, and that was if Ryoka’s darkest fears were completely on a level.

At any rate, Erin’s skill made her noteworthy, and more importantly, valuable. Was it better to be valuable and noticed or hidden and secret? She’d already sent the letter, and it would invite more problems to stop now.

Let her play was Ryoka’s plan of action, but she resolved to talk with Erin as soon as possible. Right after—

“Hey, do you want some fries?”

Ryoka nearly jumped out of her skin. Erin stepped back to avoid Ryoka knocking the big platter of golden, crispy, french fries. Ryoka stared at them.

“That was fast.”

“Yeah, it’s this new skill I got! [Advanced Cooking]. It makes preparing everything so easy, and look!”

Erin held up the plate in front of Ryoka. Each fry had been cooked until the skins were golden-brown, and Ryoka could just imagine the crunch . And hear it, because she’d tried one.

“This is good.”

“I know, right? So much better than the ones I made the first time! Skills are awesome!”

There was no denying that. Awesome. And scary.

“Anyways, I made a ton since I want to eat while I play with Olesm. Too bad they’re so greasy, but I bet the pieces won’t even take the grease!”

Erin beamed as she pointed to the magic chessboard and the ghostly pieces. Yes, that was Erin. Give her a magical chessboard capable of playing anyone around the world and she thought it was nifty because she wouldn’t get food on the chess pieces.

…Actually, if Ryoka could do that with clothing she wouldn’t mind forking over as much gold as necessary. Erin carried the food over to Val and Hawk, much to their approval and called out over her shoulder.

“Oh yeah, I forgot! Ceria’s upstairs, Ryoka!”

“What?”

Ryoka looked over, confused.

“She’s back already?”

They’d barely been gone for two hours, even with their discussion about dangerous places and monsters to avoid. Erin nodded.

“Yeah, she said she wanted to rest. But I’m sure she’s still awake. You could invite her for…french fry brunch! Or let her sleep if she’s napping.”

“I might do that.”

Ryoka left Erin behind as the innkeeper happily went back to the game with Olesm and the Couriers began eating. The taste of the french fry lingered in Ryoka’s mouth. It wasn’t quite a McDonald’s fry, but damn it, it was close. Skills were the scariest thing in the world if they could let Erin do that.

“And maybe they’ll change me, too.”

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But what did…changes like classes and levels do to people? Empower? Or turn them into unstoppable bullies who picked on the weak?

Ryoka knew what it would do to people from her world. She’d seen the Stanford Prison experiment footage.

But people were different here. Some were better. Or maybe it was just that Ryoka noticed they were better. It might be that there were monsters, actual monsters to fight, or that people had to risk their lives. Those who went through trials might strip away some of the things that burdened people like Ryoka, might make themselves different.

Ryoka pushed open the door and stopped.

Or—perhaps they were altogether too alien for Ryoka to ever comprehend.

Ceria sat on the bed the Antinium had helped construct, in the light from the window, her features fair, her hair caught in the sun. Sometimes Ryoka forgot that half of her ancestry was immortal. Long dead, yes, but the flickers of her unearthly nature made Ceria so unique at times.

At others, she was just like any human. But Ryoka had never asked her about her parents. And—

She had the sense that it was something she shouldn’t ask for a long time, anyways. Not if what Ryoka thought was true. Cause and effect. Predictability.

The world was made of sad stories.

Such as these.

Ceria turned as she heard Ryoka step into the room. She wiped at her eyes, but didn’t pretend she hadn’t been crying.

“Ryoka. Sorry, I didn’t know you were back.”

“Something wrong?”

“Where should I start?”

Ceria laughed. She held up her skeletal hand mockingly, and shook her head.

“No. It’s not that. It’s Yvlon. She’s awake.”

For a second Ryoka had to remember, and then she recalled the female adventurer captain who wore silver armor. She felt a pang of guilt, remembering Yvlon had been at the Adventurer’s Guild and she’d only visited her once. But—

“Is she okay?”

“Her body is. They fixed most of the injuries she got, but she’s—scarred. But her mind…”

Ceria shook her head, despairingly.

“She just woke up. When she saw me, I thought—she blames herself.”

“Ah.”

It said it all, really. Ryoka listened to the sound of the same tragic story replaying itself out behind Ceria’s words.

“I had to leave because she was getting agitated. But she knows almost no one’s left. And the insurance—”

“The gold for the families of the dead?”

“Yes. We can’t pay it. I mean, she’s the only captain left, and her squad perished entirely in the Ruins. There are about eight others who made it, and they’ve scattered to the winds. And all our equipment was seized by the Watch.”

“And how does she feel about what happened?”

Ceria raised her shoulders slightly, and let them drop.

“How do you think? She blames herself for everything, never mind that Skinner ambushed us. But she wouldn’t calm down, and we had to get people to stop her before she injured herself. I had to go.”

The news had affected the half-Elf, Ryoka could see. But as to making Ceria feel better—

Ryoka looked to the stairs, wondering if she could call Erin. If not for support, at least for advice. Ceria noticed her look and shook her head.

“I’m fine. I wouldn’t want to disturb…whatever she and Olesm are doing.”

“Not having sex, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Ceria half-choked. Ryoka stared at her, eyebrows raised.

“I—”

She hesitated.

“About Olesm…it was—”

“Forget it. I didn’t come here to ask about that. And I don’t want to bother you. But if it’s a problem, I’d rather ask now before you melt Erin’s face off.”

“It’s freeze, actually. I’m not good at fire spells. And I wouldn’t do that.”

Ceria sighed and settled back on her bed, gesturing for Ryoka to take a seat. The girl rejoiced internally; she’d gotten the topic away from adventurers and death. Smooth conversationalist, Ryoka was not.

“Slime molds, I’d nearly forgotten about last night…look, I’m not sure what Olesm thinks. But if Erin’s interested in him—”

“She’s not.”

“Are you sure?”

“Fairly. It would be obvious, wouldn’t you imagine?”

“I would. But Olesm likes her.”

“Right. And you like Olesm.”

“A bit.”

Ceria smiled, and Ryoka had to ask.

“So?”

“Ryoka, I’m not saying anything. Just…it was good. And I like him for more reasons than just him saving my life, although that helps. We spent days down there with only each other to talk to. Whisper, really.”

“I’m not judging. But I wonder if others will.”

Ceria lost her slight smile, and Ryoka regretted saying that. But it was a good point.

“I wonder…we’ll see. I’m not even sure if there is a next time or anything. But…”

She sighed.

“Enough about him. He likes chess, and I’m sure he’s honest. He and Erin can stare at that board all day, but I’m not going to. What did you come here to ask about?”

“Magic. But if you don’t feel like it I can…”

“No, no. Now’s a good time as any.”

Ceria waved her hand and moved awkwardly to face Ryoka. She let her skeletal hand sit in her lap as she spoke. It was still hard to ignore, but Ryoka tried to meet Ceria’s eyes without turning it into a staring contest. It was awkward; she’d rarely had a long conversation at close-range. Or at any range, really.

“I suppose it was wrong of me to teach you a single spell and just leave you, but I was assuming you’d gain a level or two in the [Mage] class, and you’d be able to learn a few more spells from your level ups. But I guess that’s not going to happen, is it?”

“Not really. Is…that a problem? Can you not learn some spells or magic without a class?”

Ceria shook her head.

“No. It just makes things harder, that’s all. Leveling up is a great way to learn a new spell, and it’s so much faster than teaching yourself.”

She drummed the fingers of her good hand on her leggings.

“So, where shall we begin? If you want a formal education, I advise you to pull up a seat next to Pisces and wait for about a year. I can’t teach you what I learned in Wistram, but I can teach you some spells, if you want.”

“Anything you can do is fine by me. But I don’t know any of the basics of magic. How wands work, how spells work…”

“Wands amplify your magic. They have stored energy which may or may not restore itself over time. Depends on the quality of the wand—some contain spells that you can trigger once or multiple times.”

“Fine. Then how about artifacts?”

“Think wand, only usually with recharging mana and deeper reserves. Also, if you ever get one, never tell anyone you have it because some people will kill for it. Or offer you a king’s ransom.”

“Spells? I’d like to learn some.”

“Got a month?”

Ceria raised an eyebrow and Ryoka had to smile.

“You taught me [Light] in a day. Can’t you teach me another one?”

“If I know it. Or Pisces might help, but he’s finicky. Which one did you want to learn?”

Ryoka had a list. She’d thought it over, and if she could learn any, there were three she’d desperately love to know.

“How about [Detect Magic], [Fireball], and [Haste]?”

Ceria rolled her eyes.

“ Everyone wants to know how to cast [Fireball]. Well, you’re out of luck. I can’t cast it, and neither can Pisces. I used a wand for that when I had to cast the spell. But I do know [Ice Spike]. Trouble is, you probably won’t be able to cast it without a wand.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s a matter of shaping the energy. Oh, I could cast the spell once, but the backlash would hurt. Maybe if I had a skill or more levels…plus, it’s Tier 3.”

“Which means it will take a long time to learn?”

“At your level, a year. No offense, but you’re a novice. [Detect Magic] is Tier 3 too, and [Haste]…no.”

“What’s wrong with that spell?”

“There are Tiers of magic. I explained this, didn’t I? Right, well, you could consider the spell you want to learn – [Haste] as a Tier 4 spell. No—wait, is it Tier 5? I don’t know, sorry.”

“Does that mean I can’t learn it?”

“No, you can learn it. Or rather, you have the potential to. It’s just…I can cast Tier 3 magic at best. Tier 4 – it’s possible, but I’d need a spellbook and weeks—maybe months to learn the spell at my level. Maybe I could learn it in a week if I had a tutor, but if I’m teaching myself…”

Ceria shook her head.

“It’s about time and effort. Put enough into a spell and you can master it. But there are limits. If I wanted to learn a spell like [Grand Fireball], it would take me years even if I knew how the spell was supposed to go. My magic isn’t at the level where I can understand it yet, and I’m not well-versed in fire magic anyways.”

“Right. So it’s not worth the effort?”

“It’s totally worth the effort, but I don’t have a spellbook. Why do you think I adventure for a living? It’s certainly not for my health.”

Ceria tapped her finger on knee, thinking.

“Pisces knows one Tier 4 spell, and that’s [Invisibility]. I remember him learning it – it nearly killed him and he studied every night for at least two hours for a month before he got it down. And he’s a genius. An arrogant, insufferable one, but he learned [Invisibility] when he was Level 18. He leveled twice from learning it.”

“So leveling for mages allows them to comprehend spells faster? Like [Grand Fireball]?”

“Well, assuming I gained ten levels overnight…yes. It would be far, far easier for me to learn. On the other hand, if I somehow…figured out how the spell works, I could learn it just as easily.”

Ryoka frowned. It sounded like magic was definitely not a linear thing. From what she remembered of learning [Light], it was almost closer to…reaching a mathematical revelation, solving a formula, or something of that nature. She let Ceria go on.

“Anyways, as a general guide, Tier 3 magic is good for fighting, so long as you’re not going after anything too deadly. [Ice Spike] for instance is Tier 3. There’s a derivative spell – [Ice Shard] that’s Tier 2. [Frozen Wind] is Tier 1, although I know Pisces can make the spell a lot stronger than it’s supposed to be.”

“And [Light]? Tier 1?”

“Well, I’d call it Tier 0 if I could, honestly. It’s one of the most basic magics people learn. Making light, making heat…[Spark] is another example.”

That made sense, and Ryoka was tempted to ask about [Spark], but—

“You can add magic to a spell? How?”

“Like this. Didn’t I show you?”

Ceria raised her hand and a familiar orb of bright yellow light appeared in her hand, a soft sun. She flicked the orb of golden light at Ryoka. The girl raised a hand reflexively and the light splashed around her hand, fading away as Ryoka’s eyes widened in amazement. She’d felt nothing when the light struck her flesh.

“You can throw it, but only a really good mage can control it at a distance. Same with size; you can add more mana to make the light bigger or give it a different shape, but these are just exercises. They help with your ability to control spells, but it’s just light in the end.”

“How about brightness? Can you make it as bright as the sun?”

“You can do the spell. You tell me.”

Ryoka concentrated. Ceria hadn’t even said [Light] to create the orb, but for some reason, Ryoka couldn’t do the same.

“[Light].”

The orb drifted up out of her palm. It was just as bright as normal; no brighter. Ryoka frowned at it.

“How do I—?”

Wait, that was a stupid question. Who asked for the answer to everything? Ryoka closed her eyes, concentrating, and then the orb grew brighter behind her eyelids.

“Huh. That was…quick.”

It was tiring to add more energy to the spell. Ryoka focused though, and the orb grew brighter…brighter…

But not that bright. Ceria was shading her eyes, but it wasn’t as if she was in any danger of going blind. Ryoka sensed she might be able to increase the light of the sphere, but she didn’t want to risk anything.

She let the orb disappear. That was another trick she’d just figured out. It was like pushing or pulling , but maybe absorbing and releasing were better ways of thinking of how she could control the power within her.

Whichever it was, the sensation was in a part of Ryoka’s mind she hadn’t even realized existed. Was…magic just like tonsils or an appendix? Something long forgotten?

“That was impressive. It’s hard to imagine something that bright. I can’t do it, myself.”

“Imagine?”

Ceria nodded.

“Mages can’t form spells based off of nothing. The images in our heads become spells. So I can make the light spell really bright, but not as bright as, say, the sun.”

She raised her hand and another orb of light appeared. It turned a bright white as well, but not as bright as Ryoka’s.

“Guess I don’t look at bright things that often, huh? And I’ve never seen the sun up close so I have no real idea what it looks like. The fact that it is so bright makes it hard to envision. What did you look at to see something so bright?”

Floodlights at parties. Police lights. Car headlights, and the sun, yes, because she was stupid when she was a kid.

“Fire, and stuff like that. Ah, you’re saying that I can learn a spell better if I understand what goes into it?”

“Well, I suppose you could say that. Most mages have specialties—something they understand. Myself, I understand the cold. Spent a few winters in the snow and ice, and I’ve always liked snowflakes. But I’ve studied icicles as well, and…well, it just means spells like [Ice Spike] make more sense to me.”

She nodded at the orb of light in her hands.

“You can probably figure out the rest yourself, but I’ll teach you how to manipulate the [Light] spell. But as for [Haste] and [Fireball], you’re on your own. If I hear of someone selling a spellbook with those ones in it, I’ll let you know, but if you’re buying an entire book for one spell…”

“It’s not worth it. Right.”

“Well, you could learn other spells within, but I was going to say it’s too expensive. Spellbooks with Tier 4 magic in them are way out of my price range, even back when I was with—with the Horns.”

That might be different soon. Ryoka wondered how much eight hundred gold would get her. Probably a Tier 1 spellbook, or Tier 2 at best. But magic…she was willing to spend as many sleepless nights as necessary for magic. But if she had a class, how fast would she learn it?

Ceria must have sensed Ryoka’s dilemma.

“I’m still not sure why you don’t like classes, but—well, I’ve said enough in the past. If you don’t want to do it that way, it’s fine. Magic requires study even with levels.”

Ryoka nodded, relieved. Another choice deferred. Not a good practice, but she could think it over all day and all week if she had to. The Wandering Inn was a good place to learn and stay.

Ceria pointed to Ryoka, and changed the orb of light in her hands into a square.

“If we’re going to practice, we might as well make it a complete lesson. Do the [Light] spell again. Now, clear your mind. Focus on the spell, and add as much power into it as possible. Let’s see how bright you can really make it.”

Ryoka did, and the two practiced until they heard the scream.

—-

“ Aaaah! My eyes! ”

Erin dropped the plate she was holding to cover her eyes, but when she looked down, Ceria had caught the plate and fries with a spell.

With her skeletal hand.

Erin stared as the room blurred around the tears and Ryoka and Ceria got up. Ceria tried to apologize. She was blinking quite rapidly, as was Ryoka.

“We were—practicing magic. How’s the chess game going?”

She didn’t get any response. Erin just pointed with her own hand, and both Ryoka and Ceria looked.

“Your hand!”

“What?”

Ceria blinked at her hand and then froze. Ryoka stared at the glowing tip of the bleached bones.

“I didn’t know you could move it.”

“I didn’t—I mean, I moved it before, but it was unconscious. Like this time.”

“It must be magic.”

Ryoka gave Erin a look, and she blushed.

“Okay, obvious. But I was wondering how it was staying together and y’know, not falling apart without skin and stuff.”

Ceria blinked.

“That’s true. I didn’t even think of that.”

“And you nearly put an ice spike through my head last time with it, so…it must move when you’re using a spell!”

Ryoka eyed Erin and looked between the two, but Ceria was nodding.

“When I channel magic it must—well, I hadn’t tried because I thought it was dead but maybe…”

She frowned at her hand. Ryoka and Erin saw nothing, but then the fingers twitched . And moved.

Ceria slowly closed the fingers into a fist, staring as the blackened skin and bones moved seamlessly. For Erin, it was the creepiest sight she’d ever seen; skeletons in biology class were one thing, but Ceria’s hand moved so naturally it was scary.

“Ancestors.”

Ceria breathed the words.

“Oh man, that’s amazing! ”

Erin wanted to hug Ceria, but the floating fries were in the way, and she was afraid she’d break the mage’s concentration. Ryoka was smiling, too.

“That’s impressive. Does it hurt?”

Ceria shook her hand, but now she was smiling too.

“What’s really impressive is that I can cast magic with it more easily than with my other hand. I felt it when I caught that plate. It must be the bones.”

Erin didn’t get that, but Ryoka did, instantly.

“Half-Elf bones conduct magic more easily?”

Ceria paused.

“It’s…a secret. Don’t tell anyone, please.”

Ryoka immediately nodded, and Erin did likewise.

“Of course not. Totally. Um, thanks for getting the fries.”

“Fries?”

Ceria blinked, and only then seemed to remember the floating fries and plate in the air. She looked at Ryoka and Erin.

“Help me grab them? I can make them hover, but fine control is beyond me.”

In less than a minute, both girls had helped Ceria put the few remaining fries back on the plate, and had eaten more than half. They all went back downstairs to relay the good news to Olesm.

He was ecstatic, but then he had to show Ceria something which he clearly thought was equally important. He waved tightly-written parchment full of chess notation at Ceria, who just blinked at them. She wasn’t as impressed by his rendition of Erin’s game with the mystery opponent, either.

“Erin played a good game of chess? That’s good.”

“It’s more than good, Ceria. It’s…phenomenal! Incredible! It was—I’m sure whoever’s on the other side had to have leveled! I’ve never seen such playing. And I’ve got it written down here!”

He brandished the inky parchment at Ceria. She blinked at it, bemused.

“Looks intense.”

Ryoka was frowning at the board, Erin noticed. Did she want to play? But the running girl wasn’t interested in that.

“Are you two done playing for the moment?”

“I think so. I think whoever’s on the other side is busy, because they tapped the board twice with a pawn and then stopped. But I bet they’ll play me tomorrow. And they’re so good . Isn’t it great?”

“ Wunderbar. But is the other player really that good?”

“They’re really, really good, Ryoka. The best I’ve met in—”

Erin hesitated, realizing she might be hurting Olesm’s feelings, but the Drake nodded.

“They’re the best I’ve seen, too. They must be a [Strategist]!”

“That’s a different type of [Tactician]?”

“No—it’s like a [Spearmaster]. They’re class changes that occur when you reach a certain level. You get specialized or…better skills.”

“Ah.”

Erin beamed, and she wondered when the mystery player would play her again. He’d won one game. Normally Erin didn’t feel bad about losing but—

It was a glorious day. She had french fries that were easy to make, Ceria and Olesm in her inn, and Val and Hawk and Ryoka as well!

But then the Couriers decided to leave, which was fine, and Olesm decided he needed to get back to the city as well. That still left Ceria and Ryoka, and Erin was happy to have them both here.

“What should we do? We can talk, or play games—other than chess—or we can go to the city or—”

“Hide.”

Ryoka was staring out a window. Erin followed her gaze and her heart sank just a little.

Frost Faeries were swarming around her inn, peering through the glass, making faces, and then—

Entering?

No. It couldn’t be. But as Erin watched in silent horror, the door slowly opened inwards to let a Frost Faerie into the room.

The small, azure creature looked around the room and smiled as Ryoka froze and Erin became a waxwork of horror. Ceria backed away until she was nearly towards the stairs, but too late. The Frost Faeries flew in.

They blasted in with a gust of cold air that put out the fire in the fireplace and reintroduced winter to Erin in a painful, freezing way. Ryoka and Erin covered their faces as icy particles stung their skin, and then the faeries were everywhere.

“Look, look! Two humans and a filthy halfling!”

“An inn! A place to rest and eat!”

“I shall have grilled pig! No! A grilled horse!”

“Look how they stand there, dumb and slow!”

“‘Tis without iron! Without pain!”

“What’s happening?”

Ceria shouted above the din of voices as Ryoka and Erin stared around. Faeries were everywhere, climbing walls, sitting on tables, upending plates—

“My kitchen! Hey! Stay out!”

Erin ran, waving her hands and shouting as faeries disappeared into the kitchen with shrieks of laughter and the sounds of breaking dishes. Ryoka was swatting at the nimble fey as they flew around her, tugging at her hair or pulling strands out. But as the air around her froze, even the runner had to give up.

But the worst afflicted was Ceria. As soon as Erin managed to chase the faeries back into the inn and they lost interest bothering Ryoka, the entire herd seemed to fixate on Ceria. And not in a good way.

“Half-elf! Whore!”

“Bastard’s daughter!”

“Filthy whelp!”

They flew around her as Ceria curled up, shielding her head. Some of the fairies dropped shards of ice on her; others threw patches of snow.

“ Stop it! ”

Erin’s voice wasn’t quite thunder, but it was louder than even the din of the faeries. They paused, and she hesitated, realizing she had no idea what was going on or what to say.

But Ryoka did.

“Why are you in here? I though faeries never entered buildings!”

The tall Asian girl faced the Frost Faeries without a trace of fear as they hovered in the air around the inn. Erin stood behind Ryoka with a lot of fear, remembering the avalanche that had hit her last time they’d gotten mad.

“You are not welcome here. Begone from this place.”

The Frost Faeries jeered as Ryoka pointed towards the door. One of them raised two fingers—an insult?—as she floated in front of Ryoka’s face.

“Hah! We can enter this place! It has no filthy iron in the making of it, and we were told we would be welcome as guests! We have a standing invitation, fool!”

Ryoka turned her head to look at Erin. The other girl looked innocently at her feet and mentally kicked herself repeatedly. The other girl leaned over to whisper in Erin’s ear.

“Is that true?”

“I didn’t know! They were going to attack the Workers while they were building so I said—I didn’t know! ”

“Faerie bargains. Never trust anything they do.”

“Don’t make them mad, Ryoka! They can cause avalanches…and they know King Arthur?”

“… What? ”

One of the faeries had been hovering right next to the two as they whispered. She laughed shrilly.

“Hah! Is that all ye wee mortals think about? King Arthur? The stupid wanker didn’t even know of Caliburn when we spoke of it!”

“Caliburn? You mean the Sword in the Stone? ”

Ryoka’s gaze riveted upon the faerie, and Erin felt like an idiot. But the faerie just flipped them both off and flipped away into the air.

“You ask questions of guests? Where is our welcome, our drink and food? We demand our due! Bring us thimbles of wine and golden cakes and marzipan tarts and custards and we may grant you a boon!”

“But first let us chase off this impertinent one who would dare share this roof!”

“Ah!”

Ceria cried out as a faerie landed on her arm, freezing the flesh. Ryoka intercepted the next one, shielding the half-Elf with her body.

“Stop that. Now.”

One of the faeries eyed Ryoka malevolently.

“Ah, ye’d take the bitch’s side, would you, Human?”

Ryoka made no reply. Her eyes were narrowed, and one of her fists was clenched. Erin crouched next to Ceria, trying to think. Ceria whispered to her, eyes frantic.

“What do they want? Why are they here?”

“You can hear them?”

Erin was surprised. Everyone else treated the faeries – or Winter Sprites as they called them – like fuzzy blobs they couldn’t see. But Ceria could see something, clearly. The half-Elf nodded as she squinted her eyes.

“I can only hear these whispers, but I can see—something. They don’t like me. The winter sprites don’t like any half-Elves.”

“Don’t like you? We hate you, whore’s sons and daughters!”

One of the faeries dropped on Ceria’s head, and her hair froze stiff as the half-Elf screamed. She was too afraid of the Frost Faeries—Erin wondered what they’d done to her in the past.

“Stop that!”

Erin tried to swat the faerie away, but it just hissed at her, making her pull her hand back.

“If we give you something to eat, will you leave?”

Ryoka asked one of the faeries, and received only an insolent shrug in reply. She looked at Erin.

“Erin—make something for them.”

“What?”

“Something—”

Ryoka hesitated, and put her hand to her head as faeries flew around her, making faces and rude comments.

“Something sugary. Milk and sugar. Just hurry!”

Erin dashed into the kitchen and grabbed the bag of sugar and the milk she had left. She grabbed a bowl, poured nearly as much sugar as milk into it, and brought it out.

The faeries were at a sort of standoff with Ryoka and Ceria. The half-Elf was crouched as Ryoka shielded her, but every now and then a faerie would dart forward and throw something at her.

Erin shoved the bowl of sugary milk on the table, slopping some over the edge in her hurry.

“There! Food! Take it and go!”

One of the faeries hovered lower to taste at the concoction. She eyed the granulated sugar at the bottom of the bowl, and then dipped one finger gingerly in the milk. Erin held her breath as the faerie tasted it gingerly. And then—

“What is this? ‘Tis only sugar and cow’s milk! Do you think to insult us?”

The faerie shouted in outrage, and the other faeries clustered around the bowl.

“Milk and sugar? Not enough!”

“Only good for a snack!”

“We demand more!”

In seconds, the bowl was empty. Erin stared at it as the last faerie greedily shoveled wet sugar into her mouth. But while the faeries had eaten, they didn’t seem appeased. One of them floated in front of Erin, sneering.

“I suppose it is enough for a start. But we want more! You are an innkeeper, you slow thing, you. Make us more food! Ten more bowls and we will consider it a boon!”

Erin didn’t have enough for one more bowl, let alone ten. She said so, and the faeries grew even more frenzied.

“Then what about entertainment? No? Then we shall have our own sport!”

They began dive-bombing Ceria, pulling at her hair and clothes. Erin tried to push faeries away, but they were just too fast ! They flew around her, inches from her skin, laughing as she swatted at them to no effect.

“Stop it! Stop it! ”

Ceria batted at them with her good hand, but the faeries just flew around her. Erin tried to grab at a faerie, but the thing avoided her nimbly, then threw ice in Erin’s face, making her cry out.

“Erin—get a frying pan. And anything iron you’ve got.”

Ryoka was lashing out as well, but slowly, watching as faeries avoided her hands. Erin nodded and ran towards the kitchen, but stopped when a faerie flew in her face.

“What? A frying pan? We are not foolish queens, and you are no witch, bratling!”

“But you don’t like cold iron.”

Ryoka said it calmly, and the faeries froze in the air. The chill in the room—already close to freezing—deepened as she said it.

“Is that a threat, human?”

“No—just a fact. Faeries can’t be trusted. Never go near a faerie mound, never thank a faerie, never eat their food or tell them of your child. They fear cold iron, though, and I don’t believe you can enter a place without invitation.”

It seemed like Ryoka was saying all of this for Erin’s benefit as much as to the faeries. They stared at the taller girl coldly, and Erin shivered. She edged into the kitchen, and reemerged to hear the arguing.

“We don’t steal children! We bring Winter, you cow, you! And we will accept your thanks without stealing a boon! What we offer is in good faith, and you would threaten us?”

A faerie closest to Erin caught sight of her, and shouted in a loud voice belying her size.

“ Cold iron! She holds it, sisters! Beware!”

The faeries shrieked , a noise so discordant it made Erin want to drop the frying pan. But she held onto it, grimly, and raised her voice.

“That’s right. And if you don’t leave right now, I’ll—I’ll—”

Erin didn’t actually think she could hit one of the faeries, nimble as they were. Nor, really, did she want to. They were evil pests, but she wasn’t a mu—she didn’t want to hurt them.

One of the faeries floated across the room, staring hard at Erin. The cold that emanated from her small frame was enough to make Erin flinch away, and when she spoke, the faerie’s voice was serious and cold, for once.

“Do ye threaten us with cold iron when we have guest-right? Would you break the laws of hospitality, mortal?”

Erin hesitated and lowered the frying pan. There was a glint in the faerie’s eye that made her very uneasy. And the thought of saying ‘yes’ make huge, clanging alarm bells ring in her head. Not quite as loud as when her [Dangersense] had gone off with Skinner, but almost.

“No. Noooooo …but Ceria’s my guest too! You can’t be mean to her if you want to stay here!”

The faerie snorted and pointed at Ceria.

“Bah! The half-spawn is no guest of yours! She pays nothing, and offers nothing for the boon of hospice! We may do as we please!”

How did they know that? But too late. Now that Erin had promised she wasn’t going to do anything, the faeries resumed attacking Ceria mercilessly.

“ Whore! Whore! Whore and slut and bastard! ”

“Kill yourself you freak!”

“Abomination!”

Ceria hid in a corner, weeping, as they surrounded her. The faeries were merciless, and Erin and Ryoka couldn’t stop them.

“Why are they so mad?”

Erin shouted it at Ceria. The half-Elf shook her head.

“They do this. They always do this. Ever since I was a child—!”

She yelped and screamed as a faerie ripped out a chunk of hair. Ryoka growled, and the faerie flew backwards, laughing with her bloody trophy.

“A chunk of hair from the daughter of whores! Hah!”

“Stop calling her that.”

Ryoka snarled, and the faeries around her laughed. They stopped long enough for the one who’d ripped Ceria’s hair out to fly back.

“And what would you have us do, Human? Play nice with the daughter of sluts and cravens?”

“No. Just pick on someone your own size.”

The faerie eyed Ryoka incredulously. She flicked a glance at Ceria.

“The pathetic thing is far larger than we, short-sighted fool.”

“Exactly. I’m telling you to piss off and go bother someone else. A snail, perhaps, or maybe a hornet’s nest.”

It was like listening to children, in between the flashes of adult speech and terrifying seriousness. The other faeries ooohed and laughed as the faerie in front of Ryoka shrieked with high laughter.

“Oh, and you’d stop us how? Will you break the guest-right? We will do the same to you?”

She flew at Ceria, shouting loudly at the half-Elf, hands reaching for her.

“Whore! Whore! Filthy slut and spawn of bastards! Drown yourself you filthy half-breed, you wh— ”

Erin didn’t see Ryoka move. Even as Erin had flailed around desperately, the other girl had been moving slower, slower. She’d been watching the faeries as they flew, and now she acted. Her hand came up and flashed at the faerie as it flew by Ryoka’s face. And caught her.

Ryoka punched the Frost Faerie out of the air. Erin heard a yelp of surprise, and then the faerie smacked into the floorboards, and tumbled, coming to a stop a few feet away at the foot of a table.

All sound in the inn—ended. The faeries stopped laughing. Ceria froze up, staring at the frost faerie that was now clearly visible even to the half-Elf. The faerie lay still for a second, and then slowly sat up.

She didn’t appear to be hurt. Her crystalline skin looked undamaged from the impact, and indeed, Ryoka was the one clutching at her knuckles and rubbing at the frost coating her skin. But the faerie’s eyes were hard and dark as she stared up at Ryoka.

Slowly, the Frost Faerie flew upwards until she was at eye-level with Ryoka. The runner stared at her without a trace of fear in her eyes, but perhaps only Erin saw Ryoka’s calf muscles clenching up as the faerie flew within an inch of her face.

“You will regret that, human.”

Ryoka stared back, unflinching. The Frost Faerie glared for another second, and then suddenly, alarmingly, she grinned. She opened her mouth and showed Ryoka some wickedly sharp teeth in her tiny mouth.

“Hah! This is going to be so much fun! ”

And then she screamed , and the faeries swarmed, and Ryoka was shouting, running, smashing out the door and into the snow as nearly all the faeries in the inn followed her out into the winter, hounding her, laughing.

Leaving Erin and Ceria behind to clean up the mess.

—-

It was supposed to be a fun day. Erin thought that as she picked up pieces of ice and swept snow into a corner as Ceria tried to light the fire. The half-Elf was shaken, and she needed a bit of healing potion for places where the faeries had cut or bit her or torn out hair, but she was alright.

“Ryoka really saved me. If she hadn’t gotten rid of them—normally they go away if I get inside somewhere, but here—”

One of the faeries had dropped down towards Ceria, and Erin had had her only good idea for the day.

“Pay me.”

“What?”

“Quick, anything! Hurry!”

Ceria didn’t have any coins, but at Erin’s insistence, she’d handed Erin her bra. It was either that, or her underwear, and Erin had taken it as payment.

And…it had worked. The few faeries that had elected not to chase Ryoka had grumbled, but they’d agreed not to bother the half-Elf. Why Erin hadn’t thought of that earlier she didn’t know.

And then they’d hovered around, making faces and rude remarks as Erin cleaned up until Toren came back. He came back!

How? From where? And why were his eyes purple? Erin was so elated, everything else fell away until she realized Rags had joined the inn too, and messed up her game!

But it was okay. And then Klbkch had come by with all the Workers he’d promised, and Relc and Pawn too! And that should have been wonderful as well. Except…

“It’s not going to work.”

Erin said it after the Workers had played for an entire hour. She stared at them and shook her head. Something was wrong.

“What is the matter?”

“They’re not…it’s not the same. You’re forcing them to play, and that won’t do any good.”

Klbkch stared at her, uncomprehending. He’d brought twenty Workers to Erin’s inn, to eat some food, but mainly to play chess like he’d said. And she’d explained the game and set them up playing just like last time, but—

“Is something the matter? We must have these Workers learn this game, Erin. It is…very important to the Hive.”

“Yeah, but it’s not going to work. It’s not going to make them individuals, or whatever.”

Klbkch paused. Pawn was busy talking to the Workers, and Relc was slouching against a wall, bored, as the two conferred. Ceria had gone upstairs to sleep off the Frost Faerie attack. But Klbkch—

It was still odd, talking to him. It felt like talking to a ghost, or—almost a stranger. But he was the same.

But different. And it made Erin hurt inside a bit to know it.

“I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to make more Workers like Pawn, right? By playing chess?”

“Ah.”

Even Erin could figure that out, given enough time. She shook her head.

“It’s not going to work.”

“May I ask how you know?”

“Remember the first time we played and I taught them?”

It seemed so, so long ago. But had it only been a month ago? Two? Erin wasn’t sure. But it felt like nearly a year.

“I recall. You played both Olesm and me, as I remember.”

“Yeah, and then I invited the Workers to play. But that was it. They weren’t forced. And later—I asked Pawn his name. That’s how he chose it.”

Klbkch was silent for a second, staring at Erin.

“You asked him his name? That was…dangerous. Most Workers become Aberration if that occurs.”

“Yeah. I know. But he managed to do—something. Because he played chess, I get that.”

“Because of you.”

“Not just me.”

Erin shook her head, but Klbkch was insistent.

“You have the quality. It is that which we seek.”

“Yeah—maybe. Probably not. But either way, you’re not going to get it by forcing the Workers to do anything. Ordering them around won’t make them individual because they’ve got to do it, see?”

Klbkch was silent for so long, Erin was worried, but then he nodded.

“I…believe I do. Odd. I believe…yes, I believe I do. It is a strange thing, for Antinium to comprehend. And it raises a problem which must be considered. But yes; I understand.”

He’d nodded, then, and ordered the Workers to stop playing. He was so bossy with them, but then Klbkch had told Erin they’d try again later, and that would have been fine. Fine, if it wasn’t for what happened afterwards.

“Stop. That.”

Erin stood in front of Relc, trying not to tremble. Was this how Ryoka had felt? He loomed over her, and only now did she realize how big he really was. How strong he looked. How—

She saw Toren moving behind the Drake, although he didn’t have a weapon. Erin shook her head slightly, and shifted to protect Rags. No one could stop Relc with force, she was certain. But maybe she could talk him down. She had to.

He stared at her with hurt and rage, and then a Frost Faerie had flown up and landed on his head. He’d run shouting from the inn, and Erin had sagged against one table.

“I will make apologies for my partner, Erin Solstice, and to you, Rags. I believe he cares about me, and you. But he fought in the Goblin Wars and thinks of Goblins as enemies. I will speak to him, but it may be best for all if the Goblin does not come here for a while.”

She’d nodded, and the faerie had flown back in, looking smug and satisfied.

“There! ‘Tis the boon fulfilled for your meager offering, Human! The hotheaded oaf will not bother you again today!”

And so she’d left and Rags had left, wounded and full of pride, and Ceria had gone to sleep and the faeries had flown off and Klbkch and Pawn and the Workers had left until Erin was all alone.

Except Toren was back.

Erin sat in her inn, at a table, tired, cold. But no longer alone.

“It was supposed to be such a good day, you know?”

He stared at her. Good old Toren. Where had he gone? But he couldn’t answer her. He was just…just…

What was he? Erin stared at him. He was more than a thing, but he was so slow. Could he think? He was an undead servant, according to Pisces.

“A lot’s happened, you know. A lot of good. Some bad.”

She felt tired. Yesterday had been wonderful, beyond words. And the days before that equally good. She’d rebuilt the inn , and created success out of failure.

“But I guess I can’t do that every day.”

Erin put her head down. Ryoka was gone, and Erin wasn’t sure when she’d come back. Faeries were flying in and out of her inn whenever they pleased, Ceria could move her hand, Toren was back, the Antinium had a weird problem, Relc was being a jerk even if he sort of had a reason, and Rags was hurt and missing and her tribe might be killed if they came back.

Some good. Lots of bad. But Toren was back. On the whole, Erin would consider that even-steven with the universe’s karma.

If nothing else happened today, she’d consider herself fortunate.

Erin put her head down and went to slee—

—-

She was a [Princess], and she was starving. For too long, the winter chill had cut her to the bone, and the wary shopkeepers and suspicious guards had made stealing far, far harder. And her magic was running out.

She had only a few charges of [Invisibility] left, but she was starving and so she used one now. It was the dead of night, and no one was around, anyways.

The stalls were left locked, but she had spells to take care of any locks, magical or otherwise. And besides, richness was her birthright; she deserved everything she took from the filthy mongrels and the disgusting serpents living here.

But tonight it seemed one fool had left their stall without closing it. Warm blankets sat to one side, next to rows of dried food and most tempting of all, a fresh ham sitting on a stool. The [Princess]’s mouth watered as she stole near.

“There you are.”

The voice came from out of the shadows as the [Princess] whirled in fright. A massive Gnoll—a huge creature of dark fur and muscle stood up and walked out into the moonlight. She had a deep woman’s voice, but all the [Princess] saw were her fangs, and teeth as she spoke.

“Hrr. Too long we have allowed you to go free. Between Gazi and the undead, we have not had time. But now you smell and you are without your magics hiding your scent, yes?”

She pointed in the general direction of the girl even as her eyes searched the empty street.

“Invisibility is not enough for our kind. And we have ways to catch you. Do not run—!”

Too late. The girl ran, but no sooner had her footfalls began to echo than the Gnoll was on her. She screamed, but that just made it easier for the shopkeeper to catch her up in one huge paw.

“I have you. Now, we shall soon see what you look like, yes? And then you shall answer to the Watch, for damages caused and mischief done, yes? Do not struggle. I will not hurt you.”

The invisibility spell, weak from the residual magic in the girl’s cloak and strained from the contact, broke. The ragged [Princess] swam into view, and the Gnoll smiled down at her.

“There you are.”

All the [Princess] saw were the teeth. Her mind was clouded with fear, and so she raised one finger.

She had rings on every finger, but the magic of each had long since faded from her journey from overuse. But one still shimmered with violet light. The Gnoll saw it glowing as the [Princess] called magic to it and spoke harshly.

“Do not—”

Again, too late. Too late, and too slow. The girl raised the ring and screamed one word.

“ Ignis! ”

The fireball that burst forth from the ring was nearly twice the size of her head, but when it struck the stall behind the Gnoll and girl, it exploded into a burst of fire that blew the girl off her feet while the flames engulfed the Gnoll.

For a few minutes the girl couldn’t move. She only heard the roar of flames, and the panicked shouts as people from nearby houses poked their heads out and saw the fire. Slowly, aching, the [Princess] got up. She stared at the burning stall, full of precious goods and a lifetime of work. The fiery display began to crumble, and flying embers began to ignite the street again.

Something seized her from behind. The girl screamed and whirled, raising her ring, but a massive hand descended, capturing her hand in a grip that promised broken bone if she moved.

The [Princess] stared into a snarling face and burned fur. She screamed and screamed , but too late. Two sets of fangs opened, and claws drew blood.

2.21

She sat on a grassy hilltop and slowly picked a fuzzy dandelion. Seeds scattered in the wind and she gently raised it to her face to blow the rest into the air.

Caught by the breeze, the seeds scattered across the grassy landscape. Below Erin, the white clusters of dandelions stood out among the grass.

Odd grass. Erin shifted, and realized it wasn’t nice and soft like the grass on suburban lawns. This grass was short, tough; crabgrass. In places, the grass grew tall, or so high they would go up to her knees. Small rocks filled her hilltop, a danger to her bare feet.

This was nature. Not just a thing to admire, and it had thorns. Erin stared down at the forest sitting at the bottom of the hill.

The trees were gnarled, some of them. Others were tall. So tall that they were at a level with her hill. Dark shadows flitted through the forest, and Erin thought she saw hooves.

Suddenly, the forest began to grow. Erin sat back as the trees suddenly shot up, until they were far taller than her small hill. They towered above her, and the forest grew , expanding until it covered the grass and her.

Erin sat up, and found herself sitting in a dark forest glade. The canopy was so high overhead that when she looked up, she couldn’t see more than patches of sunlight, filtering down from thousands of feet overhead. She felt lost, tiny, and alone on her small grassy mound.

She got up, and began to walk. She had to find something. It was why she was here. Why go somewhere unless you’re trying to find something? Or be found.

Was she lost? But no—Erin saw a sign. It sat at the foot of an ancient, crooked tree. Only a few dark leaves clung to the branches, and the trunk itself seemed to curve over with age. But still it stood, and below it, glowing words had been carved into a place bare of bark.

A sign, and a stone coffin sitting below the tree. How had Erin not noticed it? She looked down. It was rough granite, and unadorned. But still, it was special. So was the sign. Erin read it, and felt a chill.

Here is Albion. Here lies the King of Knights. Resting, until the day of most dire need.

Erin looked around. The stone coffin had been nearly swallowed by the tree sitting behind it. Roots covered the front of the coffin, but she thought she could still move the lid. Should she? If—

The girl hesitated, and then put her hand on the lid. She began to lift it, but then a voice, a real voice, spoke in her ear.

“It is only a dreaming thing. What you seek is not just in your head, mortal.”

Erin looked around. A tall lady dressed in silver robes stood behind her. She looked at Erin expressionlessly; perhaps only a trifle of impatience coloring her features.

“What is?”

The lady waved her hand at the coffin. She was…hard for Erin to understand. She was neither beautiful nor ugly; not striking in any way, nor tall or short or anything at all. In fact, the more Erin looked at her, the more confused she became until she ended up speaking to the air behind the woman.

“‘Tis only a dreaming thing. The true King still sits on the battlefield, dying of her wounds. The King has sailed away. The King walks among you. He has risen—he never was. Only your dreams may make the truth of it.”

Erin understood this even less. But the dreaming self in her knew exactly what to say.

“So he’s only a story?”

“A story made flesh. In this world, and others. How many times will you mortals tell it? Ah, but they are all worthy in their small way. But he is not here for you to wake. Not in dreams, anyways.”

Erin stared down at the coffin. She wanted to say something profound, but the words escaped her,

“Maybe we need him. Now, I mean. More than ever.”

“Mortals always think so. Perhaps he will come. But that would be a miracle, and you are only dreaming. If he comes, it will be in the waking times, not now.”

“Oh.”

Erin sat on the coffin. She felt guilty, but it was just a fake thing. The lady seemed to approve, and sat with Erin.

“An odd mortal, you are. Odd, to listen deep enough to hear our voice. Odder still, to walk into this place, even a small fragment in dreams.”

“I can’t help it. I think it’s a Skill.”

The lady snorted in a very un-ladylike manner.

“If the game of Gods were all it took to meet us so, we would be long dead. No. Even if it was something taken from them, the start of it came from you.”

She prodded Erin, and it hurt even in the dream. Erin frowned and rubbed at the spot.

“Why are you so mean?”

“Why are you so dull?”

There was no helping it. Erin decided not to talk, which suited her companion. For a while, they sat together as the forest grew and darkened around her.

“It is past time to go.”

At last, the other woman said it and Erin nodded absently. She felt…like she was melting into the dream. Becoming part of everything and nothing. She received another prod, and this time didn’t even look around.

“Now, human.”

“Okay.”

Erin obediently began waking up. The world began to dissolve around her.

“Pst. Human.”

The woman leaned towards Erin, and she grunted. The woman was suddenly intent on her, and she spoke into Erin’s ear.

“Will you give me something for naught? A gift?”

“Mm? Sure.”

“I would like all the sugar in your kitchen. May I have it?”

“Sure.”

The woman smiled, and vanished. Erin looked around. Everything was fading away, and she felt herself leaving. But it felt so disappointing to her. She might never come back.

Stuck by a sudden impulse, Erin reached out and moved the lid of the coffin aside. The inside of it was empty; just a dark hollow. But when she reached down, her hand grasped something far below.

Erin grasped the hilt of the sword in the stone, and pulled at it. It came loose, and she held it aloft. It was just a dream, but it shone with a light unlike anything she’d ever seen.

Erin stared at it, and felt a tugging at her ear—

—-

“Give it back!”

Erin opened her eyes, as someone pulled hard at her ear. She yelped, and let go, and then sat up.

In her dark kitchen, something flashed with golden light, just for a second. Erin blinked, and then it was gone. She looked around, and realized she was awake just an hour before dawn.

But she was not alone. A gentle blue light filled the room, radiating from a small body that hovered just in front of Erin. The girl looked up into the face of a scowling Frost Faerie.

“Are ye a thief as well as a fool? You are not a king, but you would be, and twice damned to take what is not yours!”

Erin blinked at the tiny face, head full of clouds and her dream and stupidity.

“What?”

The faerie made an exasperated noise and flew off. Erin watched her settle on the counter, and then realized she was grabbing at something. The tiny faerie was shoveling something…into her mouth? She looked like she was standing at the foot of some massive dune.

Then Erin realized the ‘dune’ was white, made silver by the moonlight, and that it was in fact her sugar. All of it.

“ Hey! ”

Erin shot to her feet. The faerie looked at her and fluttered away as Erin ran over to her sugar. What had—? The faerie had somehow managed to take the bag of sugar out of one of the cupboards and spill it onto the counter. Already, she had consumed over three times her body weight and the rest of the sugar was covered in small ice crystals.

“My sugar! ”

Erin stared in horror. Then she rounded on the tiny faerie, who was flying about the room merrily.

“Why did you do that? That’s stealing! Who said you could come in here and eat anything you wanted?”

The faerie looked at Erin as if she were an idiot. She pointed to Erin.

“You told me I could have it, you silly fool!”

With that, the faerie landed on the pile of sugar again and began to gorge herself anew. Erin wanted to swat her away, but the faerie turned and hissed at Erin and the girl backed away hurriedly.

She’d never said anything like that, Erin was certain. Only…

She remembered her dream. It was already fading, but parts of it still stuck with her. She’d—no, that had been someone else. Right?

Erin hesitated, and it was enough for the faerie to keep eating. She kicked some sugar off her feet, and flew into the air, shedding the particles like dust.

“I am finished. It was a tasty snack.”

She grinned at Erin, revealing sharp teeth, and flew out of the kitchen. Erin watched her go. She really, really wanted a flyswatter.

She had faeries. It was like having bedbugs, or lice or…crabs. Not that Erin had ever had any of those, but she thought she might prefer an infestation of bugs. At least they could be killed.

The thing was—the reason Ryoka and Erin didn’t try to frighten them or swat them was—it was simple really, but sort of embarrassing. It was just that both girls were scared spitless of the faeries, or at least, Erin was.

They were…scary. Really scary. Just as Ryoka had learned, Erin was aware that the faeries might actually be able to kill her. Well, not ‘might’. They could probably do it quite easily. In fact, super-easily. One big avalanche and her inn and everything in it was toast.

If cockroaches could start earthquakes, there would be a lot more of them crawling around regardless of how horrible they were.

Maybe the inhabitants of this world treated the faeries like pests, but Erin remembered being buried in that avalanche of snow and ice. She’d thought she would die more than once before Toren managed to dig her out and Pisces melted part of the snow. Afterwords, he’d said not a word, but left the inn. And he’d stayed far away from the faeries ever since, not even coming near the inn when they were around.

But still. Erin stared at the mess of sugar and rapidly thawing ice and glared at the faerie. There were limits, even if Erin had given some sort of…permission.

“How did you eat all of that, anyways? Your stomach should have exploded. Are you hollow or something?”

This time, the faerie just sniffed at Erin. She flicked her wings up, raising a cloud of sugary dust and spoke to the air instead.

“I do not suffer your questions, mortal. Go ask a rock if you have so many useless things that need speaking.”

Again. Erin ground her teeth. It seemed like whenever she asked the faeries a personal question, they got offended and left. Why? They asked her questions all the time. It wasn’t fair.

But she’d been down this road before, and now she knew some things. The faeries were little jerks, but they did have some rules. So Erin changed tact. She called after the faerie as it flew off in a huff.

“You know, it’s rude not to talk to the host.”

The small creature paused, and then turned at the door. She was scowling, but she did turn.

“‘Tis rudeness we seek to offer to you and your kind, human. But I shall talk to you since you insist of it. We are guests and we will do as we must.”

That was good! Not the rude part, but Erin had finally, finally gotten a response out of them without having vital bits frozen off! She felt like doing a little dance.

But instead she suddenly had to worry about what to say. The faerie floated back in front of Erin, clearly waiting, and she realized she might only have one question. Quick, what would Ryoka say?

“Why do you hate us so much? Humans, I mean. Or do you not like all mortals?”

The faerie looked surprised for the briefest moment, and then rolled her eyes.

“Hate? We hate you as we hate the changing of days or lichen on trees, human. You are pests, nothing more! But we do not obey your commands and you will know it!”

“We don’t command you. I mean…”

Erin paused. Okay, they didn’t order the faeries around, but did telling them they had to talk to her and bothering them count? The faerie clearly thought so; she stared at Erin with one eyebrow raised.

“Okay, maybe we do. But you were really mean to Ceria, too! How is that fair when she’s my guest?”

Again, the small creature shook her head.

“Ye aren’t that smart, are ye? The fey answer to no one, mortal! We speak and bestow our gifts as we please, and none may command us! No god, no king, no lord or master. Have ye not heard the words? The fey obey no one, and we bow to none either. So what if we offended your honor? We do as we please. So long as the worthless child was not a guest we could do as we wished. Now she is your guest.”

It was an infuriating speech with so many holes Erin wanted to point out. But the faeries were a bit like children; they had odd rules of their own that they stuck to like glue.

“But now she’s my guest, you’ll leave her alone?”

The faerie looked insulted.

“Of course. She has guest right as do we! And we will obey your stupid rules while we remain within your place of power. But we are guests , not slaves. Ye would do well to remember that.”

“Right, right. Um, I gave you food. And this is an inn. You can sleep wherever if you pay me…?”

The faerie sneered at Erin. She did it quite well; it was a Snape-worthy level of sneer, which showed just how expressive the creature was.

“Paltry food, you gave us! Cow’s milk days old and sugar plucked and ground together by filthy hands! And we would not sleep in your inn when beds of fresh snow are ours for the taking outside! If you want our favor, ye’d better try harder.”

Erin did not want the Frost Faerie’s favor. She wanted them gone, and Ryoka back. But her ears pricked up nonetheless at the words. Being an innkeeper was all about selling stuff, after all. And she had [Advanced Cooking]. How hard could feeding a faerie be?

“Well, what would you like me to make? Do faeries like…milk? Sweet things like syrup?”

That’s what Ryoka had said, and Erin vaguely remembered stories about faeries eating that kind of thing. But the Frost Faerie just looked insulted.

“Do you think we are Brownies, or Pixies, to be bought with a bit of churned milk or tree sap? We are not foolish children; we stand high among our kind. We bring the Winter; ours is a duty entrusted to us by our King himself!”

That sounded important? Erin frowned.

“But what do you want?”

“Anything, so long as it is pure! Naught touched by filth, and that which is closest to our nature. Especially nothing from your smoky, polluted world. Figure it out!”

That was a typically annoying faerie answer. Erin thought hard.

“Do I get anything in return?”

Another look that told her she was stupidity made mortal.

“Of course. Did you not already receive one favor? For your bowl of milk and sugar. ‘Twas a paltry thing, but we repaid the debt in kind by chasing away the scaley-headed oaf.”

That was true! Erin wondered if the faeries worked on a favor economy or if they had actual money. But maybe then she could get them to leave Ryoka alone?

“Does that mean I get another favor for my sugar?”

“The sugar was a gift, was it not?”

The faerie looked pointedly at Erin, and the girl bit her tongue. Words. Ryoka had warned her to watch her words around faeries. She supposed this was a good example of that.

“Fine. No favor, then. But if I make something good, I get a favor, right? A big one?”

“If it is worthy. But deliver us more waste and we will braid your hair into elflocks and freeze your doors shut!”

As threats went, it wasn’t high on Erin’s scary list. Until she wondered exactly how tightly her hair would be tangled, and how much ice would be freezing said doors.

The faerie paused. She seemed to think, and made another face.

“…I suppose ye are owed the tiniest gift for the sugar. Ask, then, mortal. What small token would you wish of me?”

That sounded like a test. And now that Erin was getting in the swing of things, she realized it was probably very important that she not ask for too much. The faerie watched her as Erin thought. And then Erin knew what she wanted.

It was stupid. Silly. There were a hundred things she could ask for instead, should ask for. But Erin really, really wanted this.

Tentatively, she pointed at the faerie.

“Can I…touch you?”

The small Frost Faerie blinked in surprise. Complete surprise, painted openly across her face for the first time Erin had ever seen. Then she slowly nodded. And smiled with the barest hint of malice.

“If that is your wish. Come then, touch of me.”

Slowly, the faerie floated towards Erin, and suddenly the girl could feel the cold radiating off the small body. It was always cold around the faeries; in complete disregard for the laws of thermodynamics (if they even applied in this world), they seemed to radiate cold like fire did heat.

Only now it was cold enough around this one faerie to make Erin shiver. And when she tentatively raised her hand towards the faerie, she felt the air chilling her to the bone. And as she reached forwards.

“Ah!”

It hurt . It was like the worst winter days in Michigan, when it would hit -10° Fahrenheit, or around -20° Celsius. The cold wasn’t just a biting thing that hurt more as time went on, it was thrusting knives piercing Erin’s hand and twisting .

But the faerie was waiting. She looked at Erin expectantly, a smile playing on her lips. Erin hesitated—the skin on her hands were already white. But she wanted to know.

So slowly, she moved her hand forwards. Her fingers covered in frost, and her arm felt a shock as pain made Erin bite her lip hard. But she kept moving.

Slowly forwards. Ever so slowly, as if she were touching a butterfly or frightened animal. Because for all of her danger, the faerie was still a small thing. And so beautiful. So beautiful.

The pain made Erin’s vision go grey. But she moved slowly, ignoring the cold. Her hand was already numb. What kind of damage was this…?

But she had to try. Because it was a faerie. Because she would regret it forever if she didn’t try.

Magic.

The faerie stared. The tips of Erin’s fingers lost all feeling; her hand was pain and ice. But then her flesh touched the faerie’s arm, and it all stopped.

The cold melted away in seconds. Erin felt coolness under her finger and stopped biting her lip. She stared.

The faerie’s skin was smooth. It felt like neither flesh nor glass nor crystal, but some kind of fluid combination of the two. If you could turn ice to skin, if you could bring life to frozen air and capture it with magic, that would be what it felt like. Just the touch brought tears to Erin’s eyes. It was like Ceria, only far stronger. She was feeling something not of this world, not of her world. Something—

Something immortal.

And just like that, it was over. The faerie leaned away, and the contact was lost. Erin lowered her hand and clutched at it, but both frost and the terrible numb pain was gone. She stared at the faerie.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Of course not. ‘Twas only a touch.”

The faerie shrugged her shoulders, but Erin was sure she was supposed to have given up when it got too cold.

“Was I supposed to give up and complain about the cold?”

It didn’t hurt to ask. The faerie just grinned as an answer; the little creature wagged a finger of her own.

“You have grit, fool child. Perhaps the cold was just a test. But even to touch the fey is a price of itself. You are lucky.”

For once, Erin was in complete agreement. She remembered the touch, that slight sensation on her skin, and knew she’d remember it forever. A piece of a larger mystery. And finally she found the right question to ask.

“What are you?”

“We are that we are.”

The words were familiar to Erin. But the faerie gave Erin no time to stare. The small creature flew into the air, and around Erin’s head.

“Well! Brave Human that ye are, will you keep me longer? Or will you feed me? If not, leave me be! I have snow to bring, and clouds to chase!”

“What? No I—thank you. But can I ask one last question?”

“If ye must.”

“Magic.”

Erin stared at the faerie. She remembered the feeling in her hands. And she wished with all her heart—

“Do you think—I could do something magical? I mean, Pisces told me I couldn’t do magic and Ceria thinks so too. I’ve got a skeleton, but…could I ever…?”

She didn’t know why she was asking a Frost Faerie of all creatures. But it was magical. It was something else, and—yes, Erin began to wonder if it was actually the wisest creature she’d met so far in this world. A miniature female Yoda?

The faerie scratched at her head and shrugged, unconcerned. Erin backtracked on the Yoda bit. But then the faerie laughed.

“Magic? Why ask when you should already know? The fools who call themselves mages in this world talk of magic as if it is something had by few. But you have tasted of it; how else would the bag of bones move except not for you?”

Erin’s heart began to beat faster. She tried to quell the excitement in her chest.

“But that’s not magic , is it? That’s just a bit in me; not enough to do any spells.”

“Spells? Pah. Are ye an old man walking back through time, to be concerned with such things? Who needs spells? Is magic so petty to be all sparkles and muttered words?”

The faerie laughed, and the tinkling sound lifted Erin’s heart. Slowly, the faerie flew towards Erin, and pointed towards the door. She cast no spell, uttered no sound, but the door opened as wind blew from the inside. The faerie grinned at Erin.

“Magic is. ”

Then she flew out the door and disappeared. Erin stared after the faerie, and listened to the beating of her own heart.

It was loud in her chest.

—-

That was how they found her. Toren walked in from outside, and Ceria came downstairs to find Erin sitting on the table, staring at her fingers. The girl looked up as they approached and smiled and made the right noises, but still the two hesitated.

Toren had no words to speak with, and so he left that to Ceria. But he stared around the inn, as he carefully placed a bag of coins on the table. He’d labored through the night to clear up the rest of the detritus left from Erin’s concert outdoors, and although he’d had to make a mound of discarded clothes, trash, and miscellaneous junk, he had come away with several useful items.

Ceria had slept poorly until just past midnight, dreaming of faeries and worrying about Ryoka. But she added Erin to her list the instant she saw her face.

“Oh, sorry Ceria. I’ll have breakfast out in a bit.”

Erin got to her feet as the half-Elf peered at her. Ceria shook her head; not in a denial of breakfast, but to reassure Erin. She hesitated.

“Is…everything alright? You look different, today.”

“What? No? No. No, I’m fine.”

She didn’t look fine. But she didn’t look bad either. She just looked…different. To the half-Elf and Toren, it was as if Erin was far away and here at the same time; almost sleepwalking.

Erin felt the same. Her heart was racing, but her mind floated on a sea of calm. There was something in her. Words, and wonder, but something else. Something…magical.

She was herself, and not at the same time. Erin remembered only bits of the dream now; distant memories that drew away with each breath she took. But it had done something to her, that dream. It had made her remember.

Nothing important. Nothing life changing. Just…childhood. Erin remembered walking through the snow, jumping into a huge mound and getting stuck. She remembered playing with a caterpillar with a stick, running away screaming happily. She remembered—

Believing in faeries. Believing in Santa. Believing in magic and waiting to turn eleven, hoping for the owl.

When had she stopped? Sometime after she’d learned to play chess. The magic had disappeared and the game had taken her in. But now Erin remembered.

And so she thought. And when she spoke, it was to Ceria and Toren both.

“I need a favor.”

Ceria looked up and paused as she shoveled porridge into her mouth. The half-Elf ate fast and with less table manners than might be hoped for, but at least she ate a lot.

“What’s up?”

“I want to make something for the Frost Faeries. Something to eat.”

The half-Elf frowned at Erin.

“If it’s poison, count me in. Otherwise, I’d prefer it if you didn’t attract them here. Guest or no guest, they still hate my guts.”

“I know. I know, but—I—”

She’d had a dream. A true dream. And for a second she’d held—

Magic . Magic is.

Erin spread her hands out helplessly.

“They didn’t like the milk and sugar. Well, they did, but they said it wasn’t good. But if I can make something they love, they might leave us alone or—or give us something. I want to try. Will you help me?”

Ceria sighed and rubbed at her face. She looked at her bowl, and began chomping down on her hot food twice as fast, talking around each bite.

“Fine. I owe you a lot, anyways. But if you’re serving, I’m leaving tonight. I’ll stay with Selys, or at an inn if I have to.”

Erin nodded absently. Magic. Could she do it?

“Thanks, Ceria.”

The half-Elf hesitated, and exchanged a glance with Toren.

“Okay, food for faeries. What do you need me to do?”

“Flowers.”

Ceria blinked.

“Flowers?”

“Flowers. I need lots of them. As many as you can find, okay? Big ones, small ones…if you’ve got some that are, y’know, wide enough to hold something, that’d be great.”

Erin was still thinking hard as she said it. She was trying to go back to the past. Yeah, as a child she had made meals for faeries. And if she was going to do it, wouldn’t it be…?

She realized something was wrong when Ceria took too long in replying. Erin looked over and realized Ceria was frowning at her.

“Erin, just because I’m a half-Elf, doesn’t mean I know where flowers are at all times.”

Erin blinked. Oh. Oops.

“Sorry. Was that racist? Species-ist…?”

“It’s nothing. I mean, we get that a lot. But most half-Elves don’t even like nature that much. We take on the cultures we’re raised in, so…”

Ceria waved a hand awkwardly. Erin nodded, disappointed.

“So you don’t know where any flowers are?”

Ceria hesitated.

“—Well, I suppose I could find some. Rot. Yes, of course I’ll go look. But just remember—!”

“Elves don’t like flowers. Got it. Sorry.”

Ceria opened her mouth, took a look at Erin’s face, and shook her head. Next, the girl turned to Toren, who stood up straight. His strange, new purple eyes burned bright in his skull. He seemed eager to accept his first new orders.

“Toren, I want you to get mushrooms. From caves, in forests…just don’t go near the city or anywhere too dangerous, okay? But I need lots of mushrooms by tonight.”

The skeleton immediately nodded and turned towards the door. Erin watched him walk out. Did he know the difference between poison mushroom and edible ones? Probably not. But if what she was thinking was right, it might not matter.

Think of faeries. Don’t think of them like people, but like stories.

Magic.

“I’m going into the city. I need to buy things.”

Erin reached for her coin pouch and hesitated. She took a handful of gold coins Krshia had helped her exchange and added them to the pouch.

“A lot of things.”

Ceria followed her out the door for a little bit, and then left. Erin walked through the snow, barely noticing the fact that she’d forgotten her second layer.

She’d held it in her hands, just for a second.

She was sure of it.

—-

A huge crowd of Gnolls and Drakes was gathered in front of the Watch barracks when Erin passed that way towards Market Street. She paused, long enough to realize that something was very wrong.

All the Gnolls were growling , or facing the barracks with fists clenched or claws extended. Their hair was standing up, and they were very still.

Standing in front of the entrance was Watch Captain Zevara, and at her side was Relc and Klbkch. The two heavy-hitters. Yes, something was wrong.

Erin listened to the shouting as she walked past. The Gnolls wanted in, and the Watch wasn’t letting them.

“Go back! Disperse! We’re holding the Human until a trial can be set up. Tomorrow! No one gets in or out, got it?”

Zevara was shouting above the howls and raised voices in the crowd. Not just Gnolls were angry of course; several Drakes seemed to be out for blood, but they were definitely a scaled minority in the crowd.

What had happened? But she had to follow the vision in her head before it was too late. Erin walked on, and noticed Klbkch’s head slowly turning to follow her before he focused on the crowd.

Keep moving. Keep walking. She had the vision.

But Erin stopped when she reached Market Street. Because of the fire.

It had swept through the street again, only this time there had been people close by, able to contain the blaze. In fact, the flames had only destroyed one place. A stall. One Gnoll’s stall, to be precise.

Krshia sat on the ground in front of her burned venue, staring at the rubble and ash. Nothing remained of her goods, not the wooden stall, not the carefully organized supplies—nothing.

It was gone. Erased. And somehow, Erin knew that insurance plans hadn’t been invented yet in this world.

The street was very quiet. Gnolls and Drakes gathered around Krshia, giving her space, watching silently. Erin didn’t know what to do. But she approached anyways. The crowd stared at her with little warmth, but they let her pass.

“Krshia.”

The Gnoll barely looked up as Erin walked over. She sat very still, staring at her stall.

“Erin Solstice. It is a dark day, no?”

“Yes.”

What else was there to say? Erin paused, and then sat down. She stared at the ruined stall and part of her heart broke. But another part saw grass growing out of the destruction, a tree pushing its way past the cracked cobblestone, into the sky.

If she could do magic, then maybe—

“What happened?”

Krshia told her in a soft voice. It was the thief. Some human girl who Krshia had set a trap for with the other shopkeepers. It had worked, but the girl had a ring that cast a spell which destroyed her shop.

She was alive. The girl, that was. Scratched, bleeding, but alive. Krshia had turned her over to the Watch however reluctantly to face trial. That was the law. But the law wouldn’t restore Krshia’s stall, or her livelihood.

Erin didn’t know what to say. This was the way of the world. That was what her brain told her. Bad days, death, violence. It was all over the news. Bad days, for everyone, everywhere, never ending.

But it shouldn’t be this way. Erin looked at her fingertips. She could still feel it.

“If I can help—”

“Not now. Maybe we will talk. But now—”

Krshia sighed, and all the boundless energy she seemed to have went out of her. Her ears lowered, her tail drooped. Erin reached out to pat her shoulder, and someone shouted.

“It’s their fault! These Humans caused this!”

She looked around with the crowd. A Drake was standing several feet away, pointing angrily at Erin. She recognized him.

Lism.

“You see? This is all because of Humans! Twice now, they’ve destroyed parts of our city! First, when they unleashed the undead and now, an upstanding shopkeeper’s livelihood has been destroyed!”

His voice was strident as he gestured towards the burnt stall and Erin. Krshia stirred, looking at him, and Erin slowly got to her feet.

Why him? Why now? But misery followed misery. Lism continued, shouting to his audience who was far more receptive than Erin would have liked.

“Adventurers keep coming into the city, merchants shortchange us, and humans steal from our most respected citizens! When will it end? ”

“Lism. Shut up.”

Krshia said it quietly, but there was an edge in her voice that made the Drake hesitate. The Gnolls around Krshia were silent, but they were on her side.

But those further out in the crowd and many of the Drakes…Erin looked around and stood up.

“Erin.”

Someone whispered to her. Selys. The Drake’s scales were slightly pale, and she looked around as if she was worried. Krshia turned her head slightly to Erin.

“You came here to shop, yes? Go. We will speak. We must speak. But now is not the time.”

“If you’re sure—”

“Go.”

The Gnoll looked at Selys. The younger Drake had tears in her eyes as she stared at the ruins of Krshia’s shop.

“Selys. You will go with Erin, yes? Help her.”

“Okay. Erin—”

Erin stood up wordlessly. She walked through the silent crowd, ignoring the stares. Lism had backed off, but he was still shouting and arguing. He yelled something at her as she passed.

Selys tried to hurry Erin along as she snapped at Lism, but the girl paused. Her ears were ringing a bit. She stopped in front of Lism. The Drake looked alarmed, but then he looked around at the crowd and seemed to draw strength from the onlookers.

“Well? Are you going to attack me too, Human? Go ahead. Prove what a menace your kind is!”

Erin stared at him. Then she shook her head. She was aware other people were staring at her, so she raised her voice as she addressed Lism.

“You are not a nice person. Olesm’s nice, but you’re not. If everyone was nicer, I think we’d get along. But I don’t like you.”

She stared him in the eye, and walked off. Selys hurried off after Erin. After a minute, she heard him shouting in outrage.

Erin didn’t care. She left the street behind and walked on. Sometimes, sadness was too much to process at once. Why did bad things happen? Why couldn’t everything be good?

Magic.

“I don’t—scales and tails, why did it have to happen like that? Poor Krshia. What will she do after that? Almost all her goods were in that stall, and it was warded for goodness sake! What kind of spell could tear through that?”

Selys was talking rapidly as she walked with Erin, upset. Erin nodded once or twice, but then she had to ask.

“I’ve got to go. I’ve got—something very important to do. A guest. I need to buy ingredients.”

“Guests? Now? Erin…”

Selys hesitated. She sighed.

“I can help, I guess, but Krshia’s…look, who’s it for?”

“The faeries.”

For two long minutes Selys just gaped at Erin, searching her face slowly. Erin stared back, heart calm, heart racing.

“The—are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“But they’re—”

Selys hesitated. She looked at Erin again, searchingly, and took a deep breath.

“Okay. Since it’s you, okay. You look—explain it to me later? What do you need?”

Erin nodded. She felt grateful.

“Milk. Cream for butter, and…new cow’s milk.”

“Cream I can do, but new cow’s milk? What’s that supposed to be?”

“Is there a baby just born and a mother…who hasn’t given milk yet? That sort of thing?”

Selys had no idea. But she knew a Drake who knew a Drake who knew a Gnoll who said that there was a [Farmer] in a village north of the city who had a cow who was expecting a calf any day now. Two farmers, actually. One had definitely had a calf a week ago; the other might still just have a pregnant cow.

That was enough for Erin. She asked Selys for more help finding bags of sugar. The Drake gave her a very odd look when Erin bought two big bags with much of the gold she’d brought, but she just stared at Erin’s face and shook her head.

“I’ll get the shopkeeper to send a Street Runner to your inn. It’s close enough and she should do it with how much you’re paying her.”

Erin thanked Selys, and wandered away. She was still thinking. Yes. A half-Elf was pure, wasn’t she? Pure enough. And if you were going to gather dead and rotting things, why not a skeleton? It made sense, in that childish way.

As for milk…

Erin had to ask for directions, but eventually she left the northern gate and found the village. It was a small gathering on top of a large hill—it had to be a large hill to hold the houses and barn. In, fact, it was closer to a plateau, just with a gradient for a slope. Upland. That’s what the right word was.

She found the farmer’s barn and house a ways away from the village. Erin stared at the boars in a fence, and wondered why. Then she looked around and found an older Drake, tending to a calf still sticky and wet as he scrambled to his feet.

She’d arrived just in time. The Drake jumped when Erin approached and grabbed at a pitchfork, but she was unarmed and besides, he’d heard of her.

When Erin explained what she wanted, the Drake gave her an odd look, but Erin offered him a gold piece and he took it. It was hard to milk the cow; the mother clearly wanted the calf to suckle, but in the end the Drake had two buckets of…milk for Erin. He told her the calf needed the rest, and that was fine.

Erin stared at the buckets as she carefully carried them back to her inn along the snowy plains. Was it really milk? It looked…yellower, and thicker than normal milk. But it was a cow’s first milk. She’d asked, and yes, this was the first calf the cow had had. This was the first milk the cow had given.

It was what she needed. But—more. Erin was sure there was more that was important. Ingredients were fine, but they were only one piece of the puzzle. To make it special, you had to do things. You had to have ritual, a bit of…

Magic.

—-

Erin found her way back to the inn and separated the two buckets. One would be for tonight. The other she had to put into a butter churn.

She didn’t have one. But Selys had brought one with the delivery of cream. Erin thanked her, and then realized Toren was coming back.

The skeleton had a huge basket filled with odd mushrooms in his hands, but he also had a dead Shield Spider he was dragging behind him. Selys screamed a bit when she saw it, but Erin had an idea.

She took the mushrooms, and told Toren to milk the spider of venom. She had no idea how to do that and neither did the skeleton, but Selys had seen it done once and helped figure it out.

Erin missed the process. It was apparently messy—enough so that Selys left in distress, covered in spider insides. But she took the shell, or rather, had someone come to get it.

Toren gave Erin a small bottle full of clear liquid. She’d expected the venom to be green, but then, Erin didn’t know what it was supposed to look like. It was fine. Deadly; Selys had said it was dangerous, but fine.

If Erin drank it, she’d probably die. But maybe…

“‘Double, double, boil and trouble…’”

Toren looked at Erin curiously, and she shook her head. Witches did it. What would faeries eat? The trick was to abandon common sense. To imagine the stupidest—no, that was wrong. To dream. That was what children did. That was what Erin had to do.

Dream. And turn it into reality.

Erin went into her kitchen and stared at what she’d brought. She had lots of sugar. It was grown further south, where Winter sometimes never arrived, but even then, it was costly to ship and make. Erin had two big bags and she’d spent a lot of gold on both, but it wasn’t right.

Not pure. That was what the faerie had said. Maybe it was an offhand comment, but…

How would you make something pure? How would you put magic into sugar? Erin thought. Her eyes fell on the white sugar. Somehow, even without modern refining equipment, the skilled laborers managed to create sugar as white as salt or…snow…

Erin stared at the sugar. Yes. That was it. Snow. And snow was more beautiful in the moonlight. Moons. Dancing in a glade in a forest as the moonlight shone down.

Yes.

She took the sugar, and mixed it with snow in a large bowl. Then she set it on a table facing a window where the sun could shine in.

Then Erin set to churning the cream she’d bought. She knew what had to be done thanks to her [Advanced Cooking] skill, but it was still hard work. The handle moved easily at first, but after a while it grew harder and harder to move.

Still, she was strong, again thanks to a Skill. Erin finished churning the butter and found a sieve. She separated the wet butter from the buttermilk and put each in a separate container. Then she started making bread.

Toren returned with more mushrooms, some spotted with odd colors, a few simply brown and drab. Erin took them all, separating the good ones from the rotting and washing them carefully. She put them on a plate, arranging them carefully.

Ceria came back after another hour, muddy, cold, wet, and grumpy. But she’d found the flowers. The half-Elf had gathered quite a variety of flowers, most of them squashed and dying. But among them was something that looked like bluebells. Erin took the flowers and placed them around the table like cups.

She went back to work. Ceria helped set up the tables, arranging flowers and small dishes, but when she was done and the sun was starting to set, she found Erin, exhausted, using normal milk to make more butter and more sweet milk, just in case.

“Why do you think they’ll like all this? And why do you have to make the butter yourself? You could just buy it, with how much money you’re spending.”

Erin paused in churning the butter long enough to shoo Toren away again. He kept wanting to take over, but she wouldn’t let him touch the handle.

“Virgin hands. Fresh butter. No death. Except on the mushrooms.”

“Children’s stories.”

Ceria stared at the display, and nodded slowly.

“When I was a child—the elders said that once, a long time ago, the faeries were supposed to get along with Elves. Well, sort of. It’s just a story, but maybe…”

She trailed off, and Erin thought she understood. It was silly. Half of what was being done made no sense, but…

They were faeries. Fables brought to life. Who was to say what was right or wrong. Erin had to believe. Her heart was full of doubt, but the faerie had said it.

Magic is.

“Are you sure it will work?”

“It has to. And it should.”

Erin gave Ceria several gold pieces and the half-Elf went into the city. She came back with what few fruits she could buy, and more news about the thief and Krshia.

“Apparently, the girl’s a rich daughter of some kind. She won’t say whose child she is, but she had enough magical artifacts on her for a Gold-rank team of adventurers. Can you believe that? Nearly all of them are out of magic, though. It seems she’d been using them non-stop for nearly a month to steal and survive.”

“Mm.”

Erin labored over a last loaf of bread as Ceria talked. She was trying to bake fruits into the loaf, and it was working thanks to her [Advanced Cooking] skill. Erin had no idea it was even possible, but she’d thought of it, and so she was doing it. It would go lovely with the whipped cream. The vanilla beans had cost a fortune, though.

Ceria paused, clearly waiting for another reaction. But when it didn’t come she went on.

“Well, the Gnolls want her blood. Literally, her blood. Krshia’s the most calm headed of the lot. She wants the thief on trial. If she has people who will send payment, or the artifacts can pay off the damages…it’s not likely, given how much destruction the girl’s caused. But if she can’t, well, it’d be bad for relations to execute a human outright for theft, but I think exile would be a death sentence, don’t you?”

“Cold out.”

Erin stared out the window in the kitchen. Ceria nodded.

“Exactly. She’d die before she reached another city—even if they gave her supplies is my guess. I got a look at her, and she seems too pampered to last. But that’s what the Gnolls want. They’re talking about a blood-debt, so they’re pushing for exile if it means she dies. It’s a mess out there.”

The girl barely heard Ceria. She wondered how Krshia was doing. She was the important part of the story. Erin would go help her. Or come when the Gnoll called. But not yet. She understood. When she’d been hurt, she’d wanted to be alone to mourn.

Erin put the dough in the stone oven and walked out into her common room to check on the bowl of sugar and snow.

Over the course of the day, the snow melted and mixed with the sugar. Erin stirred the bowl until it was nearly completely mixed, and syrupy, heavy liquid lay in the bowl. As the moon rose, the light shone down into the cloudy mixture, making it glow.

Ceria helped some more, and even made food. Erin had forgotten to eat, but she was treated to some egg…yolks in a bowl and bread. With sugar. She ate it mechanically, still in a trance.

It had to work. Please, let it work.

The bowl was glowing by the time the two had finished. It looked like it was glowing. The moonlight was caught in the sugary water and reflected out, a mirror to the dark skies.

Maybe it was just a trick of the light. But it was enough. Erin took the first milk of a cow and mixed the moonstruck sugar and melted snow into it. She took the bread she’d made herself out of the oven. It was still warm, and she wrapped it in a towel to keep it warmer. Then she placed the hard-churned butter next to it.

Anything else? Erin set up another table with the alcohol she’d bought. Almost all of the profits of the concert had gone into this. A keg of rum, and another of mead; by now, Erin’s arms were tired. But she had one last thing to do.

The shield spider’s venom was still in the little bottle. Erin stared at the clear liquid, and then placed it next to the toadstools and mushrooms.

There. It was done. Erin blinked, and woke from her trance of labor. She was in pain. Her arms were screaming; her back really hurt. But it was done.

Ceria looked around the room. A bright fire burned in the fireplace, and candles had been lit at each table, giving the atmosphere of the room a close, intimate setting. Tables had been set up with different themes as Erin’s imagination had dictated.

A table of mushrooms and spider venom; a table of death. It sat on the opposite side of the central table with baked bread and fruit and sugary milk and whipped cream and everything Erin could make that was sweet and savory.

On the other side, she’d placed the special concoction. The cow’s first milk, mixed with the moonlight sugar water filled several huge bowls, and Erin had also added the special butter she’d churned and buttermilk as well.

Mead and drinks on another table—Erin had melted freshly fallen snow as well. It felt like a bit of magic; an innkeeper’s magic ritual to her. She stared around, and felt just a hint, just a glimpse—

Was this magic? Or just her imagination?

“Looks like all we need are the guests.”

Ceria stood to one side of the room, looking around as Toren entered, dragging in one last basket of bedraggled mushrooms. He hadn’t been allowed to touch most of the things in the room; only Ceria and Erin had done the arranging.

Half-Elf for purity, virgin for double-purity. It made sense in that old-fashioned sort of way. Faeries weren’t unicorns, but wasn’t there something to that story?

Erin didn’t know. But she knew it was time. Any longer, and she’d lose her nerve. She’d avoided thinking of the consequences of this all day. It had to work. It would work.

Believe. That was part of magic.

“How will you call them? I haven’t seen a single Frost Faerie all day.”

Ceria looked worried, but Erin wasn’t. It was the last part of the child’s story, the old fable.

Slowly, Erin walked over to the door. Now, how would it go? Oh, yes. The fair folk were special. They knew when things happened, didn’t they? So they would already know, at least in a story.

But they had to be invited. Erin had put all of the iron in cupboards, deep in the kitchen. She opened the door, and stared out into the night sky. Nothing moved in the snowy landscape. Her breath misted in the cold air as the warmth rushed outside.

The words. Erin raised her voice, only slightly, and spoke.

“Frost Faeries. Bringers of Winter. I invite you in. I open my doors to the Fey, and offer you this simple banquet.”

Her voice was lost in the darkness. Erin stared out, heart pounding. For a minute, she waited. Then two minutes.

Wait for it. It was how stories worked. It would work. It had to work. It—

Five minutes. Ten. The room grew colder.

“Erin.”

Ceria was at her shoulder. Erin sagged against the door. No. But that was how it worked, wasn’t it? She remembered making tea parties for faeries as a kid. They’d never showed up. Even when she’d turned her back, the little acorns had stayed in one place. The faeries weren’t coming.

Twenty minutes. In despair, Erin let Ceria pull her inside. She and the half-Elf turned—

And saw the faeries.

They hovered in the air, a shroud of them. A swarm—a herd. That was what a group of faeries were called. A hundred bright, glowing bodies. A hundred silent eyes and still faces.

Ceria went very still. Toren was standing, uncertain, staring up at the faeries. They were so silent. But then one flitted down in front of Erin. The girl recognized her from this morning.

“Human. Mortal. Ye have called us, and so we have come. For what reason do you summon the fey?”

Erin’s mouth was dry. She swallowed, and spoke.

“As guests. I offer you my hospitality. And I have made food which I hope will suit you.”

The faeries looked around. Some moved, swooping over the food and talking to each other. Yes—some were more excitable than others, and for some reason Erin thought of those faeries as younger.

“See what the mortal has made! Oh, see, see!”

“A first milking! And sugar mixed with snow in the moon. How strange, how odd!”

“Look! Poison she give us! A spider’s bite made drink, and mushrooms of every kind.”

“Death and life! Bread to eat and sweet creams and sugary treats!”

The first faerie raised her hand, and the others quieted and stopped in place. She stared down at Erin, and for a second, Erin thought she saw a smile.

“Strange. ‘Tis an odd banquet, but you have brought mead and made food. It has been thousands of years since we were treated to thus; and this place was built without iron. We shall accept.”

Ceria was wide-eyed. She stared at the faeries as they slowly descended to the tables. Erin paused. There was one last thing, and the faerie in charge seemed to know it as well. She flew over to an empty table.

“You offer us food, and we as guests must offer you a fair price. So do I give you the treasure of our kind.”

She flew around the table, once, twice. The third time, the air—Erin blinked. Something had happened. Where the table had been bare and empty, suddenly there was gold.

Gold.

A pile of gold coins filled the groaning table, stacked haphazardly but filling every inch. It seemed as though with each moment the pile of gold would shift and spill onto the floor, so full was it.

Erin gaped. The light of the candles shone off the gold, and illuminated the room. She couldn’t take her eyes away from the sight. Each coin seemed to have its own luminescence, and the sight was so beautiful—

The faerie hovered above the table, grinning broadly at the mortals’ stupefaction.

“Will ye accept this as just payment?”

Erin almost instantly said yes, but part of her had to go over and touch it, make sure it was real. She walked over to the table, feeling that each step was a dream. Carefully, Erin picked up one coin.

“Gold?”

It was gold. As Ceria picked up a piece, she stared at the coin. Erin knew it was gold too, but there was something different about these gold pieces, compared to the ones she used.

“It’s…pure gold. Pure.”

Ceria breathed the words as she held the coin up to the light. Her face was full of wonder. Toren glanced at the pile of gold, and to Erin and tilted his head. She didn’t pay attention; she was too busy staring.

“Well? Never let it be said the fey folk are not generous!”

The faerie laughed and swooped around Erin.

“Do you call it a fair trade, human?”

Toren clattered his jaw, and several faeries shot him dark looks. Erin quickly shushed him and nodded vigorously.

“Um, yes. Of course! Thank you!”

The faerie grinned. She raised her hand towards the ceiling, and suddenly the room was full of tiny cheers.

“You hear it, sisters? The bargain is struck! Fair payment, for a meal! Now, let us feast!”

It was as if she’d unfrozen time. The faeries immediately burst into movement. They descended on the food Erin had put out, chattering, laughing, so full of joy and lust for life that even Ceria and Erin were caught up in the sudden outburst of celebration.

Only one person in the room wasn’t happy. Toren. He clattered his jaw and jumped up and down on the ground, pointing to the gold coins. He swept some off the table, holding them up in front of Erin.

“What’s gotten into you? Stop it!”

She scowled at him. Toren dropped the coins and they clattered to the ground. He looked around, seemingly frustrated, and then ran at the faeries, waving his arms. Was he having some kind of fit? A malfunction? Erin pushed him away as the skeleton ran at the faeries, and grabbed Ceria.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Can you…?”

“Got it.”

Ceria nodded and Erin pointed towards the half-Elf.

“Go with her, Toren. That’s an order.”

The skeleton froze in place. Then, very slowly and obviously reluctantly, he nodded, and turned towards the door. The faeries laughed as he went.

Erin was relieved; she would have hated to ruin their mood. As Ceria left, Erin seized the small bottle of venom and began pouring it into small flower cups as faeries floated towards her. She felt like an awkward maitre’d, but she was determined to give the faeries the service they deserved.

She swept into the mood of the party in an instant, filling drinks, laughing, listening to the faeries chatter. Unlike when they spoke to her, Erin couldn’t make out a single word these faeries spoke. Their voices were totally incomprehensible to her—not in the way another language was. Erin had heard Spanish or French and could even guess some words because they shared the same ancestry as English. But even Mandarin or Arabic was more comprehensible than this. They were still human languages, but the faeries—

They spoke words Erin’s brain couldn’t even begin to process. But it didn’t matter. They laughed with her, and whirled in the air, drinking her sweet milk, quaffing alcohol out of the tiny flowers Ceria had brought, tearing hunks of bread out and eating them, despite the fact that it shouldn’t have fit into their stomachs.

And there was magic in the room. At some point, Erin’s bottle of spider venom ran out. She hadn’t even questioned how the faeries drank the deadly liquid like water, or how they were still flying even though some of them were clearly drunk. They were enjoying themselves, and so was she.

In a different way than the concert. That had been all noise and ceaseless energy, but this was different. Yes, the faeries could be raucous, but there was something else in the air that captured the feel of the room.

Magic.

Erin felt it in every wing beat, in the strange way the fire kept going without any fuel. She felt it as the faeries danced, creating wondrous patterns in the air that glowed as each candle slowly went out. And she felt it in her, as well. She had made this.

She had done it. Magic.

Look , she wanted to say. She wanted to run out and shout it to Pisces and Ceria and Ryoka and the world. Look, look! I can do it too.

And as the faeries danced through the air, Erin smiled and cried a bit. Out of happiness, out of relief. Out of joy and the wonder of it. And in her heart, she hoped these moments would last forever.

But all too soon her inn was deserted, and Erin stood among empty plates and discarded flowers. She stared around the inn, and felt in every bit of it how lonely it was. And she vowed it would not be this way ever again.

As Erin sat down slowly in a chair, every muscle aching, every bone weary, she looked at the table heaped with gold. And she smiled. It wasn’t all that was important.

But it did help.

Then her eyes closed, and the voice spoke in her ear as she slept.

[Innkeeper Level 25!]

[Skill – Inn’s Aura Obtained!]

[Skill – Wondrous Fare Learned.]

—-

When Erin woke up, the magic was still in her. It lifted her out of a dreamless sleep, and back into the real world. She could be excitable and full of boundless energy later; but right now she still wanted to linger in this feeling of tranquility.

Erin breathed in the smell of the morning, and thought about last night. She’d leveled up four times, and gained two skills. Two…important skills. One was very important, she felt. She had no idea what it meant, but the word made her smile.

Magic. She had it. She had magic, and the favor of faeries. What more could she ask for?

And the gold—

The gold. Erin looked over, but instead of the shining pile of pure gold coins, she saw…flowers.

Flowers? No. Erin’s heart stopped. But yes, that was what sat on the table. Not a heaping pile of gold worth a king’s fortune, but a mountain of bright flowers, bright and cheerful in the sun.

Yellow flowers. Golden, really, but flowers nonetheless. They were small, and piled together neatly on the table. They were quite pretty, really.

But they were flowers.

Erin’s brain came to a complete standstill. She staggered out of her chair, and stared around the empty room, looking at all the expensive, hard-to-gather things she’d made. The empty bowl of cow’s milk, the crumbs left over from the bread she’d made, the butter, the empty bowls that had held mushrooms, spider’s venom, sugar…

She noted the complete absence of any faeries, and then stared at the table where her gold was supposed to be.

The magic ended. Erin stared at the wilting golden flowers. Her left eye twitched. She took a deep breath.

“What the fu— ”

2.22 K

When Gazi saw the castle’s spires in the distance, she knew she was close to her destination. She had travelled long and far across these arid lands, alone, tired, wounded and hungry. But she had never slowed her pace, barely paused to rest.

She was nearly home.

The city was much as Gazi had remembered it, but it was a mix of two memories. She remembered once, when she had returned in confusion and defeat to her liege, to beg him to reconsider. The city had been deathly quiet then; full of scared people listening to the sound of an empire’s collapse.

But the streets had been smooth, the buildings soaring high and each stall in each shop stocked with exotic goods from around the world. The citizens had been hearty and hale—some trending towards fat even—and surely no other city in the world had been greater.

Then. But Gazi also remembered when she’d left. She had ridden out, out through a broken place filled with empty-eyed people whose gaunt, vacant expressions bore no hope for tomorrow, let alone the future. The pavement had been cracked, and the first signs of decay had begun to touch even the magnificent structures Drevish had built.

Then, and then. But now was different.

As Gazi moved through the gates she heard a call from the battlements. She looked up with her four good eyes and grinned.

In truth, the walls had crumbled so much that there was little point to manning them. But someone did stand on the walls! Young boys and old retired veterans; hardly the ideal soldiers, but they stood anyways, wearing salvaged armor corroded by rust, or exquisitely maintained heirlooms.

They shouted down to Gazi, a person they recognized. She waved at them, but her feet did not stop moving. She sped through the city, and saw the faces of the people.

Theirs were gaunt, yes, and they were even thinner than when Gazi had left. But their eyes were different. They held what had been missing. Fire. Hope. That spark of life that could never be extinguished. It was that, more than anything that hastened Gazi’s steps even more, and told her the time had come at last.

Her King had returned.

Gazi looked with each of her four eyes, one watching the road while the other three looked in every direction, trying to assess the city, the bustling people. Everyone was moving with purpose, which told her that much work was going on. And more work would need to be done, if the ruined buildings she saw were any indication of the state of the city.

It was such a shame she couldn’t look further than the street she was on, though. If she could she would be able to look into the palace ahead of her, and see—

Well, perhaps her blindness was good for one thing. Gazi was conscious of her closed eye as she made her way down the street. It was attracting as much attention as her presence itself was. It made people hesitate.

For why would Gazi the Omniscient close her eye? It was her greatest weapon and defense; the gift of Gazers which Gazi had in turn honed and made even stronger than normal. While her four peripheral eyes could still see at great distance and even through objects at close range, they were nothing compared to her main eye.

But it was still damaged, still blind. Gazi still remembered the girl, standing in front of her, and her teeth ground together in fury, and her hand reached towards the sword on her back unconsciously.

But only for a moment. And even the pain and shame of defeat couldn’t take away the feeling in Gazi’s chest. She was at the massive gates of the palace. They stood open, and the guards there did not dare block her way. She was close.

“ Gazi! ”

A crowd of people stood at the entrance, waiting no doubt for a sign of her lord. But they cheered her loudly, as well they might. She was one of the Seven; her return was a herald of the times.

Gazi waved once, and then her armored feet were crossing marble, rather than dusty brick. She walked through a palace just as worn down as the rest of the city. True, this place had been better maintained than the rest of the city, no doubt thanks to Orthenon and those who had stayed. But even this place was in need of repairs.

And they were underway. Gazi walked through rooms bustling with people cleaning, rushing about with supplies, arms, parchment—it was a sight that moved her heart. This was what she had longed to see all these long years! But even so, she couldn’t stop. She had to see for herself, with her own eyes.

“Lady Gazi!”

“The Omniscient has returned! Tell the Steward! Bring word to the King!”

“Lady Gazer, do you need a drink? Food?”

Gazi waved or nodded at them all, not slowing, not stopping. No one stopped her either, and many wisely got out of the way since Gazi was moving at a speed few creatures—humans, Gazers, or otherwise—could hope to match. They knew that she had returned, and they knew where she was going. Where she had to go.

Only one person moved next to her. Gazi’s leftmost eye swiveled and she nodded her head once as a tall, serious man walked away from a conversation with a baker to join her. He had once been gaunt, but flesh had filled withered skin again, and now he walked with a lord’s grace and the poise and surety of his station.

One long mustache met well with his dark, somber clothing. Only an edge of faded gold brought any life to his garments. He looked much as Gazi remembered him; stern, unwavering, and formal. It was good to see him too, but she did not slow her pace, only nodded her head.

“Orthenon.”

“Lady Gazi. You have been away for a very long time.”

“Longer than most?”

“That remains to be seen. You are not the only one who has returned this day.”

That surprised Gazi. She turned her face so all four eyes could focus on him for a second.

“Who else has returned? Amerys? Drevish?”

“Lord Drevish and Lady Amerys have not yet made their way back. But Lady Mars and Lord Takhatres have both joined us. Mars arrived mere hours before you.”

Gazi wasn’t happy to hear that. Part of her was of course overjoyed that more had returned to lend their strength to her liege for the trials ahead. And yet, at the same time, a large part of her wanted her return to be the only event of the day.

And yet, not for one second did Gazi think of slowing, or having delayed her arrival. It was far more important to see him, to be there. And yet—

“How is he? How has he—changed since that time?”

Gazi stumbled over her words, uncharacteristically for her. She tried to ask the question that wormed its way through her heart, drowning out even the hope.

To answer, Orthenon just smiled. Their quick progress through the massive castle and winding corridors had taken them to the place both knew most well. The massive throne room.

“He is as he has always been—only more.”

“More?”

It was a word that banished shadows, a word to cling to, to light a fire from. Orthenon smiled, and she saw the flames burning brightest in his eyes.

“He has returned, and it was as if he never left.”

And then, they were there. Gazi stood in front of the massive doors, and heard her heart pounding. If she had use of her large eye, she could have looked inside herself to see that odd event for herself. And yet, Gazi was sure that even if she had her main eye, she would still not know what lay beyond those doors. She would have been too afraid to look.

Orthenon waited, silent, patient, waiting for Gazi to make the first move. She stood in front of the door and drew a few deep breaths. Then she placed her hands on the wood, and pushed the doors open.

The first thing Gazi heard was laughter. Deep, booming laughter that filled the massive room. It stopped her heart in her chest, and it might well have done the same for Orthenon.

How long? How long since she had heard that sound? Gazi moved forwards slowly, as if in a dream, feet taking her into the room. To see—

Flos, King of Destruction, her liege and sole light in the world, stood in the center of the throne room and laughed. He was six years older than when she had last laid eyes on him, yet those years had only made him more vivid to behold.

His golden-red hair was still like the sun, and age had only faded the colors slightly. He still moved with all the passion and vigor of a younger man, and despite his long slumber, his body had not given way to fat or decay. And his eyes—

They burned.

Gazi halted as Flos laughed, nearly doubled over from mirth. He was standing in the room, with four people surrounding him. Two—an armored woman with a massive round shield strapped to her back and a sword at her hip and a bird-man, blue and green feathers mixed with light clothing and a bird’s face with a curved beak—were known to her. But the other two people Gazi had never seen before.

One was a girl, the other was a boy. Perhaps it should be ‘young man and young woman’, but to Gazi, they were still children. Their features were similar; enough so that she automatically assumed they were twins, or at the very least, brother and sister. But there was another quality to them that made Gazi instinctively think they were like Erin and Ryoka.

They had that aspect to them, in the way they stood, the way they watched her lord, and their very presence in this sacred space that made Gazi think they were not from this world. If she had her eye she could have verified the truth of that at a glance, but all of her gaze was focused on one man, and one alone.

Her King.

He laughed and laughed, caught up in mirth. And then he turned. He strode towards the massive windows that faced out onto the city and threw his arms out wide. Nothing had changed.

“‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’”

Flos roared the words to the heavens, and laughed again, deep and long. He whirled, eyes full of fire.

“And naught remains. Nothing left but rubble and dust and words. How wondrous. I have not heard such words to stir my soul in years! And you say that was written by a poet? Would that I had the privilege of meeting her once.”

Still chuckling, the King went back towards the two small humans. And then he caught sight of Gazi, and the world stopped. For her, and for him.

Gazi did not remember kneeling, did not know when he crossed the distance between them. It felt like an instant, but then she sensed his presence. A hand reached down and placed itself on her shoulder as she stared on the ground, too timid to look up.

“Gazi. Faithful Gazi. I beg of you; rise.”

And she did. She would have followed that voice into oblivion, obeyed any command. Gazi looked up, and saw the face of her King.

He was smiling, even as tears stood out in his eyes. He said not a word, but enfolded her in a crushing embrace. She held very still, memorizing it, inhaling his scent. She wished this moment would last forever.

But then he released her, and she opened her eyes again. He was there. In front of her. She could reach out and touch him. And he was back. Yes, she felt it in her bones, in her very soul and every beat of her heart now.

He was back. Her lord had awoken once more.

“Gazi.”

“My lord.”

She smiled up at him, noting the way his eyes flicked from her closed eye, crusted with yellow liquid, to her dusty armor and face with concern. She savored it.

“It is good to see you again. But your eye—”

Gazi shook her head. An eye? What was her eye in this moment?

“A minor thing, my lord. I wish to tell you of it, and more.”

He smiled, and her heart skipped again.

“And I wish to hear every second of it. Come; Mars has just arrived, and I wish to hear your story with all to listen. Orthenon?”

The other man approached, bowing efficiently. Flos walked with Gazi across the long room, and she walked with him. Her King.

The two who knew her nodded as they approached. Mars the Illusionist, and Takhatres, Lord of the Skies, inclined their heads and Gazi did likewise. It was odd; she was almost glad to see both of them as well.

Perhaps Gazi frightened them, because the twins only stared at her. If that was the case, Gazi would have assumed Takhatres’ bird-like form and long, wicked beak would be more frightening, but perhaps they had become accustomed to him. She was hardly more different, with her orange-brown skin and odd, four-fingered hands, but perhaps it was the eyes. Humans always stared at her eyes.

“Gazi, I present to you Mars and Takhatres, who have both travelled countless miles to rejoin me. But also to Trey and Teresa, two twins who I have chosen to be my attendants. To all, this is Gazi, my eye and one of my hands and dearest friend to me. Returned at last.”

The others murmured their greetings, and Gazi heard a cracked voice from the boy. The girl just stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. She looked at them pleasantly for her lord’s sake, but instantly, Gazi decided she did not like the two humans.

They had made her lord laugh. They stood here, in this place, at this time, and that meant they were trusted, favorites even of her King. For that, and that alone, Gazi hated them with all her soul.

But that was nothing. Nothing at all. Gazi turned her attention back to her King, and smiled again. He smiled back, full of life, and she knew that he would never go. A decade stood between them. Now, and then. One decade they had fought together, and she had been his sworn sword and led his armies to victory. Another decade he had lain quiet, slumbering, and her heart had broken and she had searched for that which might bring him back.

Now he had awoken. And so Gazi could finally say the words that she had carried in her heart for years. She looked into his eyes, and felt her own eyes growing blurry.

“My lord. I have returned.”

How both of their souls thrilled to hear the words! But her King only smiled. He placed one hand on her shoulder.

“Yes. And just in time. We have much to do.”

—-

His name was Trey, and he was afraid and confused. That was normal to him, but today, especially today, he was even more so. Normally, he would have loved to talk to his sister quietly by themselves in their private language, but they stood in front of a King.

His name was Flos, and he had come into Trey’s life and shattered everything the young man had believed in. True, it was Trey and Teresa who had been summoned to this world by magic or…or something, but Flos had pulled them out of the skies, and taken their lives in the palm of his hand. Like a current he had swept them along with them.

The massive man stood in the center of the throne room, larger than life, talking to the strange woman he’d introduced as Gazi. She looked…vaguely human. She had no nose, but she had long black hair turned into dreadlocks and she had a humanoid form. Her skin was dark orange, what Trey could see of it around her segmented, dark brown armor. It looked vaguely like scales, and it rippled and flexed as she moved, like a second skin more than metal.

She had four—no, five eyes. Four eyes surrounded a central eye, but that one was closed, and a yellowish substance had crusted it shut. And yet, the four eyes that did work were pupil-less, or perhaps the pupils were so faint that they couldn’t be seen. Because Trey was sure that at least one eye was looking at him.

He shivered, and felt his other half, his sister and twin, Teresa, do the same. She was just like him, and the two mirrored each other’s emotions and thoughts quite often.

It was an odd thing. Not all twins had their depth of connection at such a late age. They were both sixteen, although nearly seventeen in truth. And they were two of a kind, separated only by gender.

Both Trey and Teresa were from England, which their features clearly indicated. They had moderately dark blonde hair, fair skin, and they were the exact same height of 5’10. That was odd again; because they weren’t identical twins, at least genetically.

The correct term was fraternal twins, which just meant that they’d been born together, two babies growing in the womb instead of one. But that was vastly different from identical twins, who were the same egg that split into two.

No, Trey and Teresa were simply two children from the same mother and father who happened to look disconcertingly close to each other even late in life. The doctors had simply called it an unusual set of coincidences that their chromosomes aligned in so many ways; Trey thought of it as luck.

Because they were alike. The twins still remembered the secret language that they’d invented as kids, and they still shared thoughts even as they had slowly become different with age. Of the two, Trey was most likely to speak up, and Teresa was most likely to wait and observe. She had the good ideas and he usually ended up being the one to try and carry them out while she helped.

She preferred being called Teres, which was a better sounding name anyways, in Trey’s opinion. It was also the name of some muscle in the shoulder, but that wasn’t important.

They were alike. Alike and different. Trey liked video games; Teres preferred to draw and read. Both could play sports fairly well, which meant Teres was popular in team sports since she could keep up with her brother.

Neither one liked cricket, and they both preferred to leave jams in the fridge, way in the back where they could rot forever. They both liked movies, and music, and normal things, and both agreed that this world was terrifyingly scary.

Trey could see Teres’ pale face out of the corner of his eye. She was handling all these sudden changes a little worse than he was, which meant that she might start screaming at any second, really. Flos kept them in the throne room and by his side most of the time, but both twins could really have used a few days—weeks, months, really—to sit in a corner and try to make sense of everything.

But they had to be attentive. If they had not sensed it already, the surge of life that had flooded into the city and palace over the last month had told them that something big was happening, and Flos was at the heart of it all. He was a King, one that had woken up a city full of despairing people and dying hopes with words alone.

No offense to the Queen, or the royal family, but Flos was a character out of legends for Trey. He resembled the image the young man had of Alexander the Great, or perhaps King Arthur himself if Trey was honest. He seemed to radiate a massive presence at all times, and you couldn’t help but hang on his every word.

Now Flos was done speaking to Gazi. Trey jerked, and felt Teres nudge him ever-so-slightly. He hadn’t heard a word the King had said, but hopefully she could tell him later. Flos put both hands on Gazi’s shoulders and stared into her eyes with genuine warmth and love.

“You must tell me all of it—all!—later. But for now let us speak of this kingdom’s future and what has happened in my absence. I had not yet done so with Mars, and now is an opportune time.”

He turned, and looked at the twins. They felt a jolt down their spines, but no fear in their stomachs. This wasn’t an angry adult or boss to be afraid of; it was just that his stare was electric.

“Trey, Teres. To me.”

Obediently, they walked over, and Trey chanced another glance at the Gazer—no, half-Gazer named Gazi. She stared impassively back at him, and he shivered and looked away.

Flos clapped his hands together, and Trey thought he might actually wet himself. Everything the King did was so loud.

“There is much that has changed since you left, Gazi. These two who stand before you come from another world. I will explain more, but they have told me of another land, filled with armies and weapons which would humble even the greatest monsters of our world. It is they who reignited my flame, and so I have chosen to make them my wards and personal attendants. Treat them kindly, and teach them, I ask of all of you.”

Mars nodded immediately, as did Takhatres. Trey tried to avoid looking at Mars; he was still wary of the bird man, or Garuda as his species was known, but he’d gotten used to the calm Takhatres over the last few days.

But Mars on the other hand…Mars was not easy for Trey to talk to. He kept looking down. It was really hard! Teres had already kicked him twice, but—but—

Mars had huge breasts. There was just no way around it. But more than that, she had an amazing figure—she looked like a supermodel altered in photo shop. Her long, bouncing red curls of hair, her slender frame and unscarred skin, her luscious, bouncing—

Teres kicked Trey again, and he looked away. Mars gave him a smile and he turned beet red. Flos chuckled as Orthenon rolled his eyes and Takhatres smiled quietly. And Gazi—

She was staring at the twins. She’d nodded when Flos had spoken his request, but she didn’t have the open air Mars did or the quiet acceptance of Takhatres. She stared at Trey, and he felt uncomfortable. Her eyes were like a laser peering into his head. Trey moved slightly back so he was closer to Teres. He could feel her shiver, and hoped she could draw the same support he was getting from her.

“Now, a formal council will be in order later, as will much discussion. Over dinner, I believe. A banquet is out of the question until we have replenished our stocks, but I would dine with all of you and speak with Mars and Gazi later.”

Flos began speaking again, and Gazi’s eyes shifted away. Trey looked at Flos too; he couldn’t help it. Whenever the man moved, he became the center of the room.

“My kingdom is weak. I have let everything go, in my despair and apathy. Only Orthenon has kept everything from crumbling, and yet my kingdom is still broken. And all of you—I let you down. That you have come back is a gift I do not deserve.”

Flos looked Mars, Takhatres, Gazi, and Orthenon each in the eyes, and they each returned his stare, silent, smiling, bowing their heads. The silence around them was intimate and deep as they hung on his words.

At last the King turned to the twins and smiled again, but with a trace of sadness. He bowed his head.

“I abandoned my throne and my people. For a King, there can be no greater shame. And yet—I would have lost all in any case had I continued on my journey. My kingdom would have been shattered by blood and fire. Perhaps it was best to let it fall away. We may never know. But I have returned, and so we will begin again. I only ask you this: are you with me?”

“Of course!”

Mars was the first to speak, and the others were right behind her. Gazi smiled and bowed like a courtier, one hand to her stomach, the other flung out behind her as her leg moved back.

“Our lives are yours to use, my King. If you desire your kingdom, ask, and we shall deliver it to you.”

Flos smiled. He looked at the four in turn, and nodded.

“Very well. We shall begin here. When Takhatres arrived, we had enough to begin rebuilding. Now that two more of my Seven have arrived, we may make a start of this.”

He turned and strode towards the windows. Everyone followed, as Flos stopped to point out at the distant horizon. Chandrar, the continent they were on, was a hot, dry place, much like Egypt or some middle-eastern country, Trey imagined. Even though it was winter, the sky outside was bright blue, and it was warm enough that he was glad to be indoors.

“Bear this in mind. While my kingdom has waned, powerful new empires have risen. Even in my slumber I heard whispers of coalitions, and a powerful new ruler who had conquered the desert cities.”

Flos frowned as he pointed out, towards the massive desert that lay in the distance. It was close enough to see, but the rolling sands and dunes disappeared forever into the horizon. Trey couldn’t even imagine how far this land stretched.

Orthenon coughed into one hand.

“Assassins and armies will soon be sent against you, my King. Your allies may rejoice at your return, but your enemies are numerous.”

Gazi nodded.

“Word has already reached Izril, my lord, although I know not how. It was how I gained news of your return. If it has spread all the way there—”

Mars shrugged, letting the armor on her shoulders roll as she gestured to the sword at her side and the massive round shield on her back.

“Let assassins come. I will protect my King. It’s armies that will pose the greater threat. But how did news spread so far so quickly? I barely got word of your return a week ago, and I was close by.”

Flos smiled, and Trey felt the iPhone in his pocket, cold and hard. He’d kept it switched off ever since the call, but it had come as a surprise that he’d been allowed to keep it. Yet the King, for all he claimed Trey and Teres as his unwilling subjects, had insisted it was theirs.

“I believe I know how, and I would not be surprised if most nations had heard word of my return by now. No matter; I would hardly have kept it secret in any case. A King does not hide. And perhaps this way word will reach my farthest-flung allies.”

“But will they march to you or stay where they are? Either way, I would not count on this aid before the first enemy strikes.”

Takhatres said it bluntly, and Flos nodded. The King smiled, tugging lightly at his beard as he surveyed his city, bustling with activity.

“How to proceed, then? My kingdom is wasted; it will take much gold to cure their long sickness, and yet my treasury is empty. Those who could fight left to serve in other wars to feed their families, and my armory has only a few relics left in it.”

“You gave arms and armor to the soldiers who left.”

Gazi said it, and Flos nodded without a hint of regret.

“They earned it, and such things would have been useless to me as I was. No, I merely state facts, Gazi. And if arms were my only concern I would be lucky. But the walls crumble, and food is scarce.”

He turned towards the others, spreading his arms wide.

“If I have no army, no coin, few weapons and fewer supplies to feed my people, how should I move?”

It sounded dire, but the twins saw a smile on his face. His eyes were twinkling, and Trey realized that Flos was happy. The King looked at Gazi.

“Is it not wonderful? To be faced with such adversity from the start?”

She smiled a slight, enigmatic smile.

“As you say, my King. It is a fitting challenge for a beginning.”

“Would that life were thus.”

Flos sighed, and looked at Orthenon.

“We must exceed ourselves. For now, my Skills will help mobilize the people, but we must find a source of food to last us through this winter. It may never snow except in the desert, but we may still starve soon enough.”

Orthenon nodded. He gestured out the window at a small line of people, far below. Trey squinted, and saw an orderly group of people waiting to receive food from a wagon. No soldiers were guarding the wagon though, and it looked like the people helping unload the wagon were just volunteers.

“The stores from merchants we have seized will help, and more still have offered us goods at extremely generous rates, or for free outright.”

“For free? Why?”

Mars looked astonished, but Orthenon was not. He looked at Flos.

“They remember your kindness of years past, or they hope to earn favor with the kingdom. But it will still not be enough.”

The King frowned slightly, pondering the problem. He spoke into the air.

“‘Money is the root of all evil’, is that not one of the quotes from your world? Well, perhaps it is evil it engenders, for money itself would save lives and feed the empty bellies of children.”

Trey blinked at him and Teres shrank back even more as Flos looked at them. Were they supposed to reply? Sometimes Flos wanted a response just to hear their perspectives, or to know what people from their world thought. But now wasn’t one of those times. He turned back to the others and gestured out the windows.

“I am no peaceful King who waits and builds up his kingdom. I understand war; if it is a matter of funds, arms, or aught else, then we will simply have to take it.”

The others nodded as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Mars grinned, showing off a mouth full of perfect, white teeth.

“From whom? Do you have a preference, sire?”

Flos nodded, stroking the beard on his chin.

“There are several large bandit groups that have the might of a small army behind them. And there may be individuals of worth among them as well. Now that Gazi and Mars have arrived, it would be safe to send Mars and Takhatres out while Gazi remains. Her name alone would ward off most threats in your absence.”

Mars and the bird-man seemed pleased by this, but Gazi was not. She turned to her King and spread her hands out, protesting mildly.

“I can still fight, my lord. The loss of one eye—”

Flos was shaking his head, and Gazi fell silent. He looked at her with sympathy and affection, placing one hand again on her shoulder.

“I would never doubt your courage, Gazi. But I will not risk you yet, not over such a trivial matter. We must find a scroll or potion to regenerate your eye, and soon. Mars—Takhatres—”

“It will be a priority, my lord.”

Mars bowed, and gave Flos a sultry smile that made Trey’s heart skip a beat. But Flos just smiled at her, and the tall woman blushed instead.

“My thanks. Now—”

Someone knocked at the double doors. It was a slight sound, quickly swallowed up by the cavernous room, but Orthenon was at the doors in moments. He opened them, and admitted a man covered in dust and grit.

A construction worker—a [Builder] of some kind? Trey was surprised he was allowed in, but Flos strode over and spoke familiarly to the man as if it were only natural. He returned in moments, and spoke to the others.

“It seems there are matters I must attend to. Construction, a few emissaries—no, Gazi, Mars, I would hardly wish for you to bestir yourselves after your long journey. Rest here. We will have a short break! Orthenon, I will deal with this myself.”

Orthenon nodded as Flos strode out of the room. The tall man went back to stand with the other three, and Trey edged away from them slightly.

Now the mood in the vast throne room had changed again. In Flos’ absence, the smiles on the faces of his four vassals changed. They were still smiling; but differently towards each other.

Teres didn’t have to tell Trey that there was some tension between them. Mars was the first to break the silence. She shifted slightly, leaning down so her breasts were more obvious as she spoke to Gazi.

“It’s good to see you again, Gazi. A pity you didn’t come earlier; I would have dearly loved to see our lord’s face had we walked in together.”

Gazi smiled back at Mars, without a hint of actual joy in her expression. She had sharp teeth.

“I would not wish to sully the joy of meeting our King with your presence. He deserves someone by his side with the least amount of confidence and competence.”

“Oh? And I see you are as impatient as ever, Gazi. You might have waited; our lord was enjoying the poem of the long-dead king.”

The half-Gazer shrugged, almost regretfully and shook her head.

“What a shame he must listen to children from another world for entertainment. It seems the novelty of your presence has worn off already, Mars.”

The other woman’s eyes narrowed and her hand twitched towards the hilt of her sword. Gazi smiled smugly, but before the two could exchange another round of insults, Takhatres clicked his tongue softly. He spread his ‘arms’, two long wings with long feathers and nimble talons at each end.

“Do you two intend to exchange insults the instant you meet? Or am I so invisible that you don’t wish to ask me about how I have been, Gazi?”

Gazi looked at him, and her expression softened somewhat. Mars looked abashed, and scratched at her head as the two turned to Takhatres.

“My apologies, Takhatres. How is your tribe?”

“Right, sorry. How are your sons and daughter? Did your wives lay any more eggs since I last saw you?”

Orthenon moved over towards Teres and Trey as the three began to converse in earnest. Trey was relieved he was the one talking to them; his head was spinning again, and he desperately needed someone to talk to if he and Teres couldn’t get away to discuss things. And if there was someone Trey had to talk to, he’d choose Orthenon.

“How are you two doing, Trey, Teresa? It has been a long day and I believe my lord forgot that you two require food, even if he does not. Should I have something brought for you to eat?”

“What? No—I’m good, thanks.”

“I’m fine, thank you. I had a big breakfast.”

Teres smiled up at Orthenon. Apart from Flos, and Trey he was pretty much the only person she was comfortable talking to.

The tall, mustached man was kind, strict, and absolutely formal at all times. Trey admired him, and he knew Teres did…for more reasons than Trey did. Most importantly though, Orthenon was one of the few people the twins were comfortable talking to. He’d explained most of how this world worked to them, and his advice was always good.

As were his warnings. Orthenon lowered his voice as the three people behind him began to chat, Mars and Gazi trading the occasionally catty remark.

“A word of warning for you two: stay away from Gazi. She may be the weakest of the three, at least without her eye, but she is the most feared, and perhaps the most possessive of our King.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Trey didn’t know how to respond to that. Was Orthenon saying Gazi might hate them because Flos had made them his attendants? But wasn’t she more important anyways?

Teres was clearly thinking the same thing.

“Isn’t she one of the Seven? I heard someone mention that.”

Trey hadn’t heard that, but Orthenon nodded. He frowned at the two of them.

“Has no one told you of the Seven? Takhatres—no, I don’t believe he cares for boasting and I suppose it is considered common knowledge.”

He sighed, and tapped lightly on his pants as he thought.

“The Seven were once King Flos’ personal circle with whom he consulted and relied on. They were his generals, his leaders who each managed part of his kingdom. They were the strongest and best of his subjects. See the three before you; despite their squabbling, their names are known across this world.”

Trey felt a shiver go down his spine as he looked at Gazi, Mars, and Takhatres. Teres looked curiously at Orthenon.

“Aren’t you one of them?”

He smiled briefly.

“My role is different. I am the King’s steward; I can hardly leave his side.”

“In that case, who’s the strongest?”

It was a stupid question to say, but Trey was curious. He could feel Teres’ disapproval and blushed, but Orthenon treated it like a normal question.

“Mars is the highest-leveled, if that’s what you define as strongest. She’s Level 66; the second-highest level warrior class on the continent.”

That was certainly the highest number Trey had ever heard. Teres also looked impressed, and for good reason. Both twins had learned the conventions of this world by now, and they understood what that meant.

“In Chandrar she is second-highest, but in terms of levels, you would still be able to count those in the world with a level close or higher than hers between the two of you.

“So she’s stronger than Gazi?”

Orthenon hesitated. He looked uncomfortable.

“If the four of us were to fight here and now, Mars would likely be the one who walked away. But I would not place money on such a bet. The Seven were chosen because they excelled beyond all others at some aspect.”

“And why are they called the Seven? Do you mean they’re like the Seven Deadly Sins or something?”

Teres had clearly been thinking the same thing, but the look she gave Trey reminded him that not everything was a manga. Orthenon looked perplexed.

“Seven Deadly…? No. No names. Just the Seven. There was no history of them before Flos named the first four. And then he slowly added to their ranks. The number has no meaning; if there were another worthy of it, they would have been eight. As it stands, they might as well call themselves the Five.”

“Why?”

“Two of the Seven are dead. They perished before our King went into his slumber. And two more have yet to return. Amerys, the Calm Flower of the Battlefield and Drevish, the Architect.”

“Why do they have those titles? I mean, sorry, what do they mean?”

Orthenon paused, and a rueful look appeared on his face.

“I believe they would not like me to tell you. If you must know, it would be wiser to ask them yourselves.”

He nodded, and Trey unwillingly walked over to join the three with Teres. He hadn’t asked because he wanted to put the question to those three themselves. But Teres wanted to know, and she was going to make him ask, he just knew it.

Mars was speaking to the others as the twins and Orthenon moved back into earshot.

“—Still surprised Amerys isn’t here. Drevish I could see; if he’s got some sort of project going on he wouldn’t abandon it even for our lord, but Amerys?”

She paused, and smiled at the twins as they approached. Trey tried to smile at her and meet her eyes and nothing else while Teres ducked her head.

“You two are the ones who woke my liege lord, aren’t you? I owe you a huge debt, Trey and Teres, was it?”

She bowed formally to Trey, and he shifted awkwardly with Teres. He took Mars’ hand as she offered it and felt a callused, strong grip that nearly crushed his fingers.

“Um, it’s really nice to meet you.”

“And you.”

Mars gave Trey another smile. He blushed and tried to keep his eyes…anywhere above her shoulders, really. She looked exactly like someone out of an anime or video game, which was to say, stylized, unrealistic perfection of the female form…according to males.

His head was confused, and he was about to do something stupid, so Teres kicked him. Trey blurted out the question on his mind.

“Why—why do they call you the Illusionist? Can you do magic?”

Mars blinked in surprise, and Takhatres chuckled lightly in amusement. He saw Teres edging away from Gazi, towards him.

Trey knew Teres liked the bird-man, and he’d been nothing but kind to them in the week since he’d arrived. But still, the curved beak and predatory look of the Garuda bird-man made him look ten thousand times scarier than Falco. He had a habit of moving his wing arms out slightly and shifting from one clawed foot to another when talking.

Mars scratched at one bright red lock of hair in embarrassment. The others chuckled.

“I’m no [Mage], if that’s what you’re asking. My class is [Vanguard]—a variation of [Warrior]. I can’t do any magic, actually, although I have several magical items. That’s what the name refers to.”

That sort of made sense. Did she use illusions in combat? Trey wanted to ask more, but Mars looked uncomfortable, and Takhatres stepped in. He bowed his head so he could look down at Trey—the Garuda was quite a bit taller than he was.

“Most of our titles were given to us by our enemies. They’re true, but only to an extent. You might learn the full meaning behind them later, but for now—”

Takhatres smiled, and gestured towards the window.

“—Pressing matters await.”

It was as if a switch had flipped in the group. They looked towards the doors, and then abandoned the quiet bantering and casual conversations. They spoke quickly and decisively, as the twins listened. And the two realized they were having their own council before Flos got back.

“It is good you two are here. I’ve brought my warriors, but even with Orthenon here I was deeply troubled. Now that you two are here I believe we might truly begin to fulfill our lord’s ambitions.”

Takhatres spoke to Mars and Gazi frankly. Mars nodded.

“It’s good I didn’t stick around to confirm the rumors either. When I heard he was back—I was overjoyed, of course, but concerned. Now that I’ve gotten here, things are worse than I feared. Our forces are so weak any army could walk in here. Aside from us, who could protect our King?”

“We must simply fight and defeat our enemies. Now that our King has returned, what other choice is there?”

Gazi shrugged, as if unconcerned. Takhatres frowned at her.

“There is a difference between confidence and foolishness, Gazi. Perhaps alone you could slay an army, but can you protect our lord in the midst of battle by yourself?”

“Especially with your injured eye.”

Mars gestured at Gazi’s eye, and the half-Gazer frowned but made no retort. Takhatres nodded slowly.

“We must simply build up our strength as quickly as we can. I’ve brought my finest warriors here to act as security for now and my tribe is preparing to move into this area. In a few days’ time we’ll have an army.”

“But we need a legion to take this continent, let alone the world.”

“So? When he first began his conquest, our lord had little more than this.”

Mars frowned at Takhatres, but the bird-man did not look reassured.

“That was then . Now, the world knows of his might and our enemies will come at us full-force from the beginning. If we do not act, we may be wiped out before we even begin.”

“We have a few veterans from old wars, and the staff within the palace can aid us. But they hardly constitute a battalion. I tried to hold on to some soldiers, but there was no food or pay for them. If our King had asked it, they might have stayed but I alone…”

Orthenon sighed, shoulders slumping. Mars patted him on the back and even Gazi shook her head.

“You kept him safe and the kingdom intact. We must simply restore what has been lost. And we are four, here. Enough to defeat any army.”

Mars nodded cheerfully.

“Who could stand against our lord at the height of his power? He could rally the people here by himself if need be. Even now, between us, what force would be able to overwhelm us? That’s what we should be concerned with.”

Orthenon began listing names as the others nodded or shook their heads.

“In terms of major powers? The Four Companies of Baleros, Wistram, a coalition of Terandrian kingdoms perhaps, the Blighted King, the House of Minos…”

“Foreign powers. What about this continent?”

“There’s an alliance of nations to the north that formed after the empire fell. They’ll come for us.”

“But they’re fearful. Hm. We might have time there. No, I think it’s the Empire of Sands.”

“I heard of a growing nation before I left. What is the Empire of Sands?”

“A new [Emperor] emerged a while back. He absorbed many of the nations in our lord’s empire and created a vast army. He’s sweeping across the continent, and his soldiers are strong.”

“And our armies are all scattered or gone. That may be our greatest loss.”

Orthenon spoke the words quietly, and the other three nodded. He looked at the twins, explaining.

“The might of our lord never lay with one particular army, or even his generals. At the height of our power we had countless armies and individuals fighting underneath our banner.”

Mars nodded. She counted off on her fingers.

“The Rustängmarder, the Forgotten Legion, and the Silent Marchers are lost to us for now. But the Sunless Ghosts might rejoin us if we take the coast. And the Grave Wardens—“

“We don’t have the gold to hire them.”

“They owe us a debt. Is honor nothing to them?”

“No, but they swore a vow. And fighting wars isn’t part of that. If we could offer them support as well—”

“What about the Mad Ones? They’re staying in…Averach? They would surely send a delegation if asked. No other ruler puts up with them as our lord does.”

“Mad Ones? Who are they?”

Surprisingly, it was Teresa who asked that question. Orthenon nodded.

“[Alchemists], mainly. But also a new class—[Engineer]. They’re a group of walking disasters that create wondrous inventions and chaos. Having one of them in your city practically guarantees destruction and loss of life, but under our lord they worked to create miracles for us.”

Mars looked distressed. She tugged at her long hair.

“I can’t say I’d look to them first for help. Maybe some of them might provide funds, items—but they’re hardly the army we need.”

“What about—”

Takhatres broke off and looked towards the door. The other three fell silent, and then the doors opened.

Flos strode into the room, smiling as he rejoined the group. And the discussion was suddenly over. His vassals put aside their concerns to listen to the words of their king. And more—

“My lord. I had not the chance to offer you this earlier, but I wish to present you with the labor of my travels.”

Mars spoke first, bowing to Flos and withdrawing a strange black bag with glowing symbols etched on it. Flos blinked, and smiled.

“A gift? You alone are one. But if it will help my kingdom, I will accept with gratitude. What have you found?”

“Weapons, my lord. Weapons, and armor and magical items for an army.”

The woman reached into the bag and pulled out a sword. It was curved, like a scimitar, but double-edged and it glowed purple in the light. Flos took it and admired the blade, talking with Mars.

Trey was captivated by the magical blade—and the other weapons Mars began to pull out of the magical bag, but Teres nudged him and he looked and saw what she did.

Gazi was staring at Mars and so was Takhatres, and Orthenon for that matter. They didn’t look…angry, but there was a hint of challenge in their eyes. And then he understood.

It was not a contest, and yet it absolutely was. Each of the four wanted nothing more than to please their King, and be the one who did it best. For Orthenon, he had nothing to offer, and yet his contribution—staying loyally by Flos’ side these long ten years—was a heavy thing to surpass.

Mars kept pulling magical weapons out of the bag until she had a small armory at her feet.

“It will be enough to give to lieutenants and officers, or make one small group. I offer it to you for war, my lord.”

“More I could not ask for. Thank you Mars; it is a foundation to rebuild our armies upon.”

Flos smiled again at Mars and she bowed her head, blushing. Takhatres cleared his throat; it was his turn now.

“I have brought my tribe, and we have quadrupled our numbers since I last led them to war. Now my warriors are trained to fight fiercer, harder than before. We shall fly from the skies and blot out the sun on your enemies, my King.”

“I remember your tribe’s power before. I would not trade five armies for them, and I know they will spearhead the war. Takhatres, I offer you my thanks.”

Flos traded an arm-clasps with Takhatres and bowed his head slightly. Then it was Gazi’s turn. Trey could see the other three watching her, but the half-Gazer had not taken anything out. The half-Gazer spread her hands wide, smiling slightly.

“My lord, I regret to say I have brought nothing. What magic I have found, what treasures I have brought are not worth bringing to your attention. I can offer nothing but an amusing tale.”

“Oh?”

Flos’ brows shot up as Mars smirked and Takhatres covered his mouth briefly with a wing. They thought they’d won the contest, but Orthenon was frowning slightly at Gazi. And she had that slight smile on her face.

“Yes, my lord. You may know that I left this kingdom, and indeed this continent, to search for something that would wake your passions once more.”

“Indeed. And did you find it?”

“No, lord. Not at first. I searched countless places for creatures and monsters, but found nothing worthy. Until I came to a small inn in the city of Liscor on the continent of Izril.”

Trey listened with keen interest as Gazi described her first encounter with Erin. And he noticed that Flos was hanging on the half-Gazer’s words, his eyes alight with interest. And that Mars and Takhatres were growing less smug as the story went on.

“She—like the two here—comes from another world.”

Gazi gestured to the twins, and Trey and Teres exchanged a glance. Was she one of the people in the call? Could they meet Erin Solstice?

“A young woman who would leap into a burning pit to save a spider. And then toss it back.”

Flos stroked his beard and shook his head.

“—But I know you, Gazi. There is more to this story, is there not? Something about this girl is even more unique.”

The Gazer smiled.

“Yes, my King. When I looked at her, I saw that she had one skill I had never seen in my many years of travel. It is called [Immortal Moment].”

Now Flos’ undivided attention was on Gazi. He grinned, eyes alight with curiosity.

“[Immortal Moment]. An odd name for a skill. And…intriguing. I wonder what it does. Did you ever see her use it, Gazi?”

“I did not. I am not even sure Erin herself knew the nature of her skill.”

Flos frowned, and began to pace across the wide room, walking past the group.

“I know something of the nature of this world and classes and levels, and take a keen interest as you well know, Gazi. When one creates that which has never been before, they learn the skill automatically. It may be this young woman discovered a skill not of this world, and by doing so, earned it. If so—”

Gazi nodded.

“She is special. She alone has befriended Antinium and owns a skeleton as a servant. She talks with Drakes and Gnolls as equals, and she weeps to kill monsters. In and around her inn, she has forbidden slaying Goblins, and she teaches one how to play chess. And—”

She smiled, and touched her crusted eye gently with one gauntleted finger.

“—And she is the one who injured my eye.”

The others stared at her. And then Flos burst out laughing.

“An [Innkeeper]? A girl below Level 20? She struck you? ”

Mars looked incredulous and Takhatres was frowning, but Gazi smiled with her lord.

“Yes. The other girl I mentioned who went to rescue the doomed adventurers—Ryoka Griffin—she told me you lived. I hesitated, but it was Erin who dared strike the blow.”

“A girl who blinded one of my Seven, who slew a Flesh Worm, who comes from another world and befriends even monsters and plays chess…”

Flos shook his head and then laughed again, long and loud. He stared up at the ceiling, and then sighed, slowly.

“What a fool I have been. That so many people and wonders were right under my nose while I despaired.”

He looked at Gazi, and chuckled again.

“You have given me no arms to fight with, nor a soldier to raise my banner. But your story has lit a fire in my chest Gazi, and for that I thank you.”

She bowed her head, smiling wider.

“Thank you, my King.”

“But even if you had brought nothing but yourself and a host of enemies to my gates, I would have welcomed you with joy beyond joy. I trust you know that, Gazi.”

Flos looked at Gazi, and she raised her head. The look she gave her King was open, honest, and sincere, and Trey understood then that this was a side of Gazi few saw.

“I do, lord. I do.”

“Then let us celebrate!”

Flos whirled, and threw his arms out wide. He looked at Mars and Takhatres and then whirled both into an embrace.

“Two of my Seven have returned to me on this day; this is cause for feasting if we had food. But without, we shall simply drink of each other and let the stories of the past be our banquet. The council may wait. Let us sit, friends, and you will tell me all that has passed.”

He nodded at Orthenon, and the man moved smoothly into action. He gestured Trey and Teres towards the doors; they often helped him organize the staff. Trey already knew they would be using one of the smaller dining rooms and telling the chefs to prepare the best meals they could with what they had.

Orthenon opened the doors and paused. Trey nearly walked into him. Someone was waiting—a travel stained Courier who spoke quietly to the King’s steward.

Trey and Teres didn’t hear what was spoken, but Orthenon’s own smile promptly vanished. As he confirmed the delivery, he slowly accepted the package the courier had brought.

It was a large box of plain wood, nearly the size of Trey’s chest. And it was heavy, judging by the way the weary Courier held it.

Orthenon took the box without any difficulty, and slowly walked back towards Flos. The King paused in his laughter and let go of Gazi as his steward approached.

“Orthenon. What is this?”

“A delivery, my King. It came just now by Courier. It is from the Emperor of Sands.”

It was as if he’d poured cold water over a fire. Mars and Takhatres immediately lost their smiles, and Gazi’s eyes focused on the box, and she touched the sword at her back.

Flos’ smile slowly faded, and he stared at the box in Orthenon’s hand. Slowly, the king took it. He had no fear of a trap, but he studied the plain wood and heavy box with a troubled expression—one of the few Trey had ever seen on his face.

The box was plain wood, but it had a hairline crack around the top. Flos put his hand to the lid, and hesitated.

“Perhaps it is only a figment of my imagination. But Orthenon—I fear to open this box.”

The steward looked at his King. Flos returned the stare gravely.

“I have never met this Emperor of Sands. But it is no difficult thing to imagine that he bears me no good will. And this box—”

“My lord. I cannot see into it with my lesser eyes. Let me open it. It may be trapped.”

Gazi reached for the box, but Flos stayed her hand.

“No—no. It is not that I fear. This Emperor is not such a petty man, I think. But I do not believe he is kind, either. No…my instincts tell me I will regret knowing what is inside of this.”

He gestured to the wood box, and then sighed.

“And yet, I must open it. If I were ruled by fear, I would not be a King. So. Let us see what this Emperor of Sands sends me.”

Slowly, he put his fingers on the lid and slowly pulled the wood upwards. Trey saw the wood come away, and then…was it ice?

Yes, it was ice! Slowly, the box slid off of a cube of ice, perfectly fit inside the wooden frame. It was clouded from condensation, but slowly it slid away from the rest of the box as the wood fell to the ground.

Flos held the clouded cube of ice in his hands and looked down at it grimly. Trey was confused. It was just ice. Was it a gift of some kind? Magical? But then he noticed the others had gone silent, and Gazi’s eyes were fixed on the block.

Slowly, Flos wiped away the clouded front of the block of ice. Teres screamed. Trey thought he would puke.

Encased inside the block of ice was a man’s head. His hair was short and wavy, and his skin tanned and dark. He had grey hair, and many wrinkles, and stern features. They had been made even more stern with his last expression; one of bitter, deep regret. His mouth was twisted sideways and down, and his eyes were closed.

Flos looked at the head and said not one word. Takhatres, Mars, Orthenon, all were silent. But Gazi spoke. She said one word. A name.

“Drevish.”

The Architect. One of the Seven. Now Trey realized the significance of the message, and his stomach roiled even harder.

“Oh my friend. Oh, my dear friend, builder of marvels.”

Flos whispered the words as his hands shook. He stared down at Drevish’s head, his face twisted in anguish and grief.

“What have they done to you?”

Drevish had died from a swift chop to the neck. The blood still flecked around his neck as Flos slowly held the dripping cube of ice. Everyone was staring at him. Mars was gripping her sword, tears falling from her eyes even as they burned with rage. Takhatres bowed his head, crossing his wings together and murmuring what sounded like a prayer. Orthenon’s hand was clenched so hard Trey saw a streak of blood running down and staining his perfect clothing. And Gazi—

Gazi watched her King. There was no smile on her face. Only expectation. She was waiting.

Slowly, Flos sat down on the ground. He sat cross-legged, ignoring the water staining his clothing. He paid no attention to the melting ice block; he just sat, staring at his dead friend.

He spoke quietly.

“We are not ready.”

His vassals stirred. Flos spoke on.

“We are not ready. Not to cross swords with the Empire of Sands. We have no army; we barely have a garrison here. My people still starve. That is why we must wait.”

He slowly lowered his head until it was touching the block of ice.

“Even this greatest of insult must be borne, for our army is not even gathered. Those vassals who might join us still waver, and our old allies still know nothing of my return. Wisdom dictates we wait.”

Trey held his breath. He’d never seen Flos look so dispirited. Only once—only when they’d first walked across worlds and into that room and seen the man sitting in the small chair, weary and old.

Now Flos looked the same. He looked aged, grey and tired and weary. He stared at Drevish’s head and sighed. And then he spoke one more word.

“But—”

The word was everything. The word was more than just sound. It echoed in the vast room, and Trey felt the same thunder in the air he’d heard once before. Flos slowly stood up, and looked down at the melting ice in his hands. His voice rolled and broke over those listening.

“But I hold in my hands, in my hands , the head of one of my dearest friends. A man I loved as much as any son, slain. On this day of great joy. And I am to bear this insult quietly? No, no. If I did not act, I would not be worthy to live, much less a King.”

He stared down at the head in his hands, and tears fell from Flos’ eyes. But his voice was steady. And it was growing louder. It was beginning to echo across the palace, through the kingdom.

“My friend, my brother, my comrade in arms. Drevish. You built me my cities and weapons of war when you desired naught but to create works of art. And now you are slain. I will meet this Emperor of the Sands and take his head for this, I swear it.”

Trey felt something trembling . He wasn’t sure if it was the ground or—himself. He clung to Teres as Flos slowly walked back to his throne. He placed the block of ice on the golden throne, facing him. The King bowed his head once, and when he turned, his voice was a roar .

“The Emperor of Sands has spilled my blood! He has taken from me, and so I will bring him to his knees. He thinks I will bear this insult and wait, but he does not know the nature of a King. He does not know me. ”

He stood on the dais and pointed down at his four vassals and the two cowering twins.

“Tell me, my Seven! Does the King of Destruction suffer an insult to his people?”

“No!”

They shouted the words as one. Flos nodded.

“Does he run and hide from any enemy?”

“No!”

“Does he fear any being under the heavens?”

“ No! ”

They roared the answer as one. Gazi, Orthenon, Takhatres, Mars—their eyes were fire and they shuddered with rage.

The King drew his sword, and then his voice boomed through the castle; fury made incarnate.

“ Then to war! Bring me my horse, my armor and armies! We will ride forth until the Empire of Sands is dust in the wind! To me! For vengeance and fury! ”

He leapt off the dais and thundered down the steps. He moved so fast that Trey saw him at one end of the room and then throwing open the doors. Orthenon was right behind him, and Mars was already holding the massive shield and her sword, shouting in fury as she followed.

Takhatres was right behind them, and Gazi was last. But she stopped. Gazi paused at the door, and her four eyes found the twins. She smiled, briefly, and touched the sword on her back.

“To victory, children. Victory, and the glory of our King.”

Her tone said quite clearly there could be no other option.

2.23

Erin sat in her inn, covering her face. But when she took her hands away, the flowers were still there.

Flowers, instead of gold. It was…well, the thing was…

She should have seen it coming. Erin realized that in the obvious clarity of hindsight. Why would a bunch of tiny faeries be carrying around a pile of gold, and even if they did have gold, why would they give it to her when they could trick her?

Because that was what faeries did! Erin had read the stories. True—she was more of a Peter Pan fan than Brothers Grimm, but she vaguely recalled something about faerie gold now that she thought of it.

“I need to remember everything.”

Everything she’d ever read about monsters and myths, from Harry Potter to that one book from the Spiderwick Chronicles she’d read while teaching chess to kids. Erin wished her memory were perfect, but [Perfect Recall] was apparently only perfect when it came to artsy things.

Song lyrics, lines from Romeo and Juliet—even movie quotes popped into Erin’s mind with ease if she concentrated. But books? Apparently, they didn’t count.

But none of that should have mattered, because Erin should have known better. It was just—she’d had that dream which had been almost true, and she’d been caught up in the past. She’d done something magical, so it was fine that she’d gotten caught up in the moment, right, right?

Erin looked at the pile of golden flowers.

“…No.”

This was unacceptable. This was horrible. This was a pile of her own coin and a day of frantic effort down the drain. All she’d gotten were…four levels. Which was great. But it wasn’t money , and Erin didn’t even know what those two skills she’d gotten did .

What were they again? Erin frowned and massaged her head. She was still waking up. Um. It was [Inn’s Aura] and…

Um…

It was…[Wondrous Fare], right?

[Magical Cooking]? No, that wasn’t right. Clearly it was the other one. But what did it mean?

“[Wondrous Fare]. Like food? Or bus fare?”

Erin imagined getting into a bus and giving the bus driver a handful of the magical gold coins the faeries had tricked her into accepting. Yeah. That would be nice.

Faint clicking of bone on floorboard made her turn around. Toren had entered the inn, looking around warily. He was probably wondering if she was hurt. Erin sighed.

“It’s fine, Toren. I uh, I just realized I got scammed, that’s all.’”

Toren looked at the pile of flowers and back at Erin. She picked up one and sniffed at it and then sneezed.

“ Achoo! Great. They even smell funny.”

They smelled like some kind of spice, rather than a floral scent. Erin scowled at the flower.

“I thought they were starting to like me! But this is what I get? Those—those—”

She trailed off. Toren looked at Erin quizzically, but the girl was thinking.

“Oh. Right. Turn bad things into good things. And they gave me something—even if it wasn’t what I thought. Faerie gifts. Okay, okay…”

Erin frowned at the flower. She sniffed at it again. It didn’t smell bad . And the faeries had given it to her. Maybe it was a trick. No—it was a trick. But were they completely useless or…?

“Maybe they’re edible?”

It was a long shot, but Erin gingerly tasted the flower. She was fairly certain that while jerks the faeries might be, they wouldn’t give her poison.

To Erin’s surprise, the flower was wet . No—it had a bit of nectar gathered where the petals met. It was tasteless, but it fizzed on Erin’s tongue.

Immediately she spat onto her palm and looked for somewhere to put the flower as she scrubbed at her mouth. Toren approached, holding his hand out. Gratefully, Erin turned to give the flower to him—

And began to shrink.

“What? Oh no! No, no —what’s happening?”

Toren stared down at her as Erin began shrinking towards the floor. The chairs, the tables—everything got taller around her. Erin stared around, too panicked to move.

The room grew around her until suddenly she was staring up at a ceiling as high as the clouds in the sky. Toren was—a giant tall as a skyscraper, and the nearest chair leg was like the trunk of a massive tree. Erin stared around in horror.

“Oh no. It’s the drink from Alice in Wonderland!”

It was magic! The flowers! That was wonderful and totally horrible at the same time. Erin began to panic.

“I don’t have the other one to make me big! W-what do I do?”

Maybe another flower would help. But suddenly, the table was a thousand of Erin’s feet up. She stared around, at her skeleton, the table, and herself.

Erin panicked harder.

—-

Toren hadn’t been having a good day. He hadn’t been having a bad day either, but today had been decidedly subpar. Ceria had brought him out of the inn when the curious blobs of blue light had appeared, and when he’d tried to warn Erin about the flowers, he’d been silenced and sent away.

The half-Elf had gone to the city, but Toren wasn’t allowed there either. So she’d told him to wait outside till morning.

Fortunately, Toren had not been ordered to follow Ceria’s instructions, just to follow her. And since he couldn’t follow her any further or return to the inn, he’d walked back until it was in sight and then waited until morning.

That had been unpleasant. It wasn’t that Toren got bored, but he didn’t like doing nothing .

He hated it. It was a feeling in his…chest. In the very core of his being. Toren felt something, and that was resentment.

He had been created to…to serve. That was his purpose, wasn’t it? Or was it something else?

To grow. To become stronger. Toren had already realized he was more than his common brethren. They could not restore themselves, and they had no levels. He was unique.

And he was Erin’s best helper. She trusted him. She—

She had sent him away even when he’d tried to help. Stopped him from doing his job. Toren wasn’t sure how he’d felt about that.

The skeleton had wanted nothing in the first days. Those had been good days, when there was only her words and him carrying out her words. The tasks had been hard—so hard!—but he had thought and worked and sometimes she had said ‘good job, Toren’.

But now he was thinking more, and the thinking was making Toren feel…complicated. It made his head ache; only he had no head that could ache or even a brain, so the feelings just built up inside of him until Toren wished he could smash his skull apart.

And now, Erin was doing something Toren couldn’t understand. Again.

The skeleton stared at his mistress as she toppled off her chair and began flailing around on the ground wildly. She shouted up at him.

“Help me!”

Obediently, the skeleton reached down for her, but Erin screamed and flinched away.

“Ah! Don’t! You’ll squash me with your fingers!”

Again, her words didn’t make sense. They weren’t right. Toren hesitated, but he couldn’t disobey her. And yet in his being, for the first time Toren questioned Erin’s words. They were orders, and they were the core of his being.

But they weren’t good orders. And it bothered the skeleton.

Erin was still thrashing around on the ground, kicking her legs and staring at a chair leg as she shouted and screamed. She turned and looked at Toren desperately.

“Go get help! Get someone! Ceria or Pisces! I need someone with magic!”

That at least was doable. Toren started for the door.

“ Hurry! ”

There had to be something he was missing. Toren glanced back at Erin as he shut the door. But she looked completely normal, if panicked, as she squirmed around on the ground like an insect. Maybe it had to do with the flowers?

It was a fault of his that he couldn’t understand. That must be it. Toren needed more levels. Yesterday had already proved his weakness.

The Drake named Relc had threatened his mistress and she hadn’t called on him. She’d motioned for him to stand down. Because…

Because she didn’t think he could defeat Relc. And Toren didn’t think so either. If the Drake had attacked, he would have failed.

Unacceptable.

Toren was so lost in thought he nearly walked past the half-Elf as she ascended the hill, staring at the inn from which Erin’s muffled voice was still audible.

Ceria paused as Toren stopped in front of her, and pointed at the inn.

“What’s all the shouting about? Is Erin okay?”

Toren shrugged, and pointed to the inn. Ceria hesitated, but then she hurried towards the door. Toren watched her go. She knew magic, and she was Ceria. Well, that was that.

Job done, Toren kept walking outside. Normally he would have immediately gone back to Erin, to obey her next instructions but now he didn’t feel like it.

Bad orders. Weak Toren. Unacceptable.

He’d had good orders before. Gathering the mushrooms yesterday had been fine. And he’d killed the Shield Spider in a good fight, crushing the thing again and again and battering it with a rock. And Erin had even been proud of him for bringing the venom!

But the rest had not been good. And Toren had been too weak to destroy the enchanted armor. He’d battered at it for over an hour, dodging attacks, reforming himself until he was dangerously low on mana, but he hadn’t done a thing.

Yet the Goblin had slain the armor. Her tribe had destroyed the enchanted being with flying pieces of clay and the exploding bark. She had something Toren didn’t. She would be more worthy of serving Erin and carrying out her stupid orders.

Toren paused. Stupid? They weren’t stupid orders. They were just…

Just…

He had to level up. He thought more, he became more with each level. But he had to protect Erin.

And yet—protecting Erin could only happen if he was strong enough. And Toren wasn’t strong enough. Therefore, he should level up to protect Erin.

That made sense. Toren thought hard. Erin would probably be screaming and talking with Ceria for a while. She wouldn’t need him for an hour, perhaps. And so what could Toren do in that span of time?

The skeleton looked towards the north. The dungeon entrance and the Goblin’s lair were too far away even if he ran. But there were several Shield Spider nests that way, and hungry bears. And those snow creatures.

Toren began to walk away from the inn. Level. Grow. And then come back, so he could listen to more orders from Erin.

He hoped they wouldn’t be stupid ones.

—-

Justice in Liscor was harsh and swift. Selys had always known it, and even taken comfort from that fact as a child. No one was above the law, and their Watch was stronger than other cities, except for maybe the Walled Cities. Certainly better than Human cities. Criminals could expect a quick end, or at least a hefty fine they’d pay for any misdeeds.

But the same knowledge wasn’t quite as self-evident as an adult. Selys knew the Watch was strong enough to fight off bandits and monsters and even a small army, but Liscor still stood between the south and north, a gateway between species. They couldn’t act without repercussions from either side, and that meant the same justice she’d admired as a child was sometimes more of a compromise.

Perhaps the best example of that was being played out here. Selys stood in a crowd of mainly Drakes standing at the city gates. She was dressed in warm clothing, because it was a cold day and starting to snow again. Even so, it was cold for the Drake, but it had to be even colder for the Human girl.

Selys stared at a blonde-haired girl with very pale skin. She might be beautiful, or she might be ugly; Selys really had no clue. She wasn’t good with human features, anyways.

Even so, the Drake thought the girl was probably some kind of nobility. She was wearing what had once been expensive clothes, and Selys had heard of the many magical artifacts the Watch had taken off her.

Now though, the girl’s hair was tangled and dirty, and her skin was red from the cold and equally unclean. The tears and wretched expression on the girl’s face didn’t help either.

No one seemed bothered by the girl’s distress, though. Tkrn’s own face was blank and impassive as he herded the girl out the gates. Selys knew that was a bad sign. Gnolls didn’t get angry the same way Drakes did. When they got silent, that meant they were really angry.

“A silent Gnoll is death’s bell toll.”

Selys murmured the words and got a few glances from the people around her. But it was true—the other Gnolls that had gathered to watch the Human thief be exiled from the city all had that blank, expressionless look on their faces.

They were furious, Selys knew. They’d wanted to tear apart the girl, but the Watch had intervened before the mob could do so. Now that the Human was being exiled, the Gnolls were even angrier than before.

It was all politics. The Watch hadn’t been able to get out where the thief was from, and they didn’t really care, not with all the Gnolls in the city outraged over the complete destruction of Krshia Silverfang’s shop.

And yet, killing an important Human was also out of the question. No one in Liscor wanted a war if it turned out the girl was from one of the Five Families or some lord’s daughter. So…why not just exile her? It meant they could deny involvement if she died, and it got her out of the city.

The only problem was that the Gnolls wanted her dead, not just gone. And so compromises had been made. The girl had no winter clothing, only the rags she’d had on, and she only had enough food for a day.

It was cruel, but that was Liscorian justice. Far worse would have been a group of Gnolls rioting in the streets. If the Watch had to intervene, there would have been even more bloodshed by the time it was over. After all, the Watch was mostly Drakes—if it became an issue of Drakes versus Gnolls it would be the same terrible conflict that played out across the southern part of the continent.

So the Human was exiled instead, with little chances of survival, and quickly too. No one in the crowd of watching Drakes and Gnolls had any sympathy for the thief, and the other Humans in the city had wisely stayed away from the gathering.

Only Selys had a twinge in her chest as Tkrn forced the crying girl out into the snow. She felt…bad. Mostly for Krshia, but Selys couldn’t watch the sniveling, whimpering girl herded out the city gates without a twinge of guilt. Maybe it was because she’d known Erin for so long. If it had been Erin sent to freeze or be eaten by monsters—

But Erin would never have done something so horrible. Selys glanced across the crowd at an open space. Krshia sat alone, among her own kind yes, but alone in her own small area of space. She watched the girl quietly, and Selys’ heart did hurt then.

Krshia had lost her stall, lost her goods. She had coin in her home still, but it was a crippling blow to the shopkeeper. And the Watch hadn’t repaid her. They didn’t have the coin, the city wouldn’t cover the costs, and the girl’s artifacts were almost all junk, devoid of their magic.

The Gnoll didn’t deserve this. The thief deserved punishment. But—

Selys’ eyes went back to the girl as she stopped, staring out at the snow-covered plains. The girl turned to Tkrn, clearly arguing, but the Gnoll just pushed her forwards. The girl fell into the snow and wailed a thin, piteous sound.

—This wasn’t right. Selys knew the girl would be dead in less than an hour, even if she stuck to the main road and didn’t walk into a Shield Spider nest.

But who would help her? Selys was a citizen of Liscor, and she couldn’t assist a criminal. And whoever the girl’s folks were, even if Selys had a way to get Hawk to deliver the letter, they would never arrive in time.

She knew one person who would help. One person who would help the girl, regardless of how many people disapproved. But Selys had no way of talking to Erin. Not right now.

It was more politics. Everyone knew Selys was Erin’s friend, and so everyone, or at least a lot of them, were watching her. It was why Selys had come here to watch the girl be sent away. She had to support her kind. If people thought she favored Humans over Drakes and Gnolls…

Some of the people in the crowd felt as Selys did, the Drake knew. But they were the minority. People liked Krshia’s shop, and the thefts had hit the city even as they were rebuilding and mourning their dead. Most of the Drakes had bored expressions, or ones of contempt for the girl.

Worse still were the ones who looked like they were enjoying the girl’s misery. Selys noticed Lism in the crowd, grinning and laughing with some of his friends. The old dull-scale even had a small bag of nuts he was snacking on. He was disgusting. Selys tried not to glare as her tail thrashed on the ground with anger. This sight wasn’t fun . It was sad. It was wrong. It was—

“Quite amusing. I wonder—will that guardsmen kick her into the snow?”

Selys looked over. Pisces stood in the middle of the crowd of Drakes, eating food and watching with apparent amusement. Now there was a Human who no one would ever accuse of being speciesist.

He was eating one of the hamburgers that had become the latest fad in Liscor. This one was a triple-patty sandwich smeared with rich mustard. It was meant for Gnolls, but the mage devoured it greedily, ignoring the juice that ran onto his robes.

Selys wanted to ignore him, or at the very least, not look at him, but Pisces had seen her. He unapologetically pushed his way through the crowd until he was standing next to her.

“Miss Selys. I am pleased to see you here.”

“I’m not.”

Selys glared at Pisces. The [Necromancer] returned her look blandly as he licked his fingers noisily.

“Why are you here? This isn’t your affair.”

“No? Well, I may not be a citizen it is true, but I was in need of entertainment.”

“And you think this is entertaining?”

“Vastly. The incompetence of your Watch only matches the amusement of watching fools reap their just dues.”

Pisces nodded at the girl and chuckled. Even the other Drakes around him gave him looks of disgust and moved away, leaving Selys and Pisces together in an opening in the crowd.

“Incompetent? The Watch might not have found her, but she had magical artifacts that hid her—”

“Oh, I’m sure. What I was referring to was not that, but the speed with which they have expedited her sham of a trial and condemned her to death.”

Pisces nodded at the Captain of the Watch, Zevara, as she stood with Klbkch, Relc, and the other Senior Guardsmen. The Drake was watching with a scowl as Tkrn moved the girl further from the gates.

“Drake and Gnolls do not care about Humans—your people have in arrogance and panic forgotten to ask the most pressing questions.”

“Such as?”

“Oh, the most basic of questions. Why is this girl here? Who are her people? She is clearly the runaway of some noble house or lineage—why not keep her for ransom or at least contact other cities by mage spell?”

That was what Selys had been thinking, but she would never have admitted it to the condescending mage.

“We want her out of the city. The Gnolls want her dead, and this is the best compromise. Besides, Liscor doesn’t deal with Humans.”

“How memory fades. I recall just a few decades ago this place was a hub of trade between cultures. But ever since that unpleasantness during the Necromancer’s attack…ah, well, at least everyone is happy. Except for you, I note.”

Pisces peered at Selys and she leaned away from him, frowning. But he was right. And in lieu of anyone else to talk to, Selys reluctantly confessed her opinion. She lowered her voice, although she and Pisces had plenty of space.

“I’m all for punishment. But this—”

Selys waved at the girl, who was trying to fight her way past Tkrn into the city. She was desperate, but the Gnoll was unmoving. He kept shoving her back into the snow.

“—This is murder. ”

“It isn’t murder if it’s a Human. I believe one of your friendly fellow citizens told me that.”

Selys had a pretty good idea of who. Lism had not been quiet after the attacks, and worse, no one was telling him to shut up. She sniffed and twitched her tail in irritation.

“Not everyone hates Humans. And she’s just a child.”

Selys squinted at the girl as she gave up and just knelt in the snow, sobbing.

“Isn’t she?”

“She’s quite young. That’s good. If she dies it will be less trouble to reanimate her.”

Selys turned her head to gape at Pisces in horror. But that was right—he was a [Necromancer]. The mage looked offended and spread his arms wide.

“What? I’m on your side here. The girl gets punished, everyone’s happy, and I get a free body.”

The Drake edged away from him.

“You’re a monster. ”

“I practice my craft without harm. I don’t disturb your graves.”

“Because you’d be killed in a second if you did. I’m surprised the Watch let you in the city! You have a criminal record. You were a thief—you went to villages and scared folks into giving you food and coin!”

“I repaid my debts.”

“Only because Relc made you.”

“I paid three times what I took. In the eyes of the law, my debt is settled.”

That was sadly true. As an apolitical city of commerce, Liscor’s laws meant that someone who had committed a lesser crime could pay off their fine and wipe their slate clean. It didn’t apply for murderers and so on obviously, and the fines were harsh, but it was a testament to that law that even a [Necromancer] with a personality like Pisces could walk through the gates.

“It appears our little show is at an end in either way.”

Pisces pointed, and Selys saw the girl had given up. She was slowly trying to make her way north, through the snow. She kept stumbling and falling onto the frozen ice, though, and she was still crying.

“She’s going to die.”

“Yes. Quite soon, I believe. Incidentally, I wanted to talk to you about entering the Adventurer’s Guild in the city. Do you have a moment?”

Pisces turned from the struggling girl to look at Selys. The crowd was beginning to disperse, but the Gnolls and many Drakes were still watching the girl slowly disappear into the distance.

“What? You? Entering the guild? You have to be joking.”

Selys stared at Pisces incredulously, but he only smiled enigmatically.

“I have my reasons. Being short of coin for one thing, but combat—and the opportunity to acquire fresh corpses is another.”

“Well, good luck. But I’m off duty. Go bother the receptionist at the desk and good luck, because we don’t have to admit you.”

“I know. That is why I’ve come to you.”

Selys laughed.

“If you think I’ll help you because you know Erin—”

She broke off, and hesitated. Her head turned, and she stared at the Human girl. She’d fallen in the snow again, and this time she hadn’t gotten up.

“Erin.”

“Yes, I know Erin. And I provide important services to her, such as the skeleton who assists her in her work. I am an asset, a valuable one you will make full use of if you know—”

Selys raised one clawed finger. She stared hard at Pisces. Now that she looked at him, the mage appeared different to her. He was still the same arrogant jerk he’d always been—he still looked like he was sneering at everyone and everything—but he looked different.

Ceria had helped him buy new robes, but they weren’t good ones. They were thick wool, and already slightly stained. They hung loosely on his frame, and Selys thought Pisces had lost weight. He had always been thin, but now his cheekbones stood out more. And come to think of it, every time Selys had been at the inn recently Pisces had been there. Erin usually only gave him one meal a day, even if it was a big one…

Selys looked back at the girl and made up her mind. She nodded to the girl who’d managed to get to her feet and lowered her voice even further.

“Help her, and I’ll figure something out.”

Pisces frowned at the girl, but didn’t react in any other way. His voice was equally quiet, and he put an annoyed look on his face and brushed at his hair as if offended.

“Help her? Why should I? And how, pray tell?”

“Tell Erin. She can help. If she decides to, I mean.”

“She most eminently will. Very well. Curious. I suppose I could deliver a message. And if I will, you will approve my request?”

“Consider yourself a Bronze-rank adventurer. But you can’t go now. Everyone’s watching and they’ll know I spoke to you!”

Pisces smirked at Selys.

“Please. I am a mage, am I not? I will go back into the city, hounding you about my request, and then cast the spell as soon as you slam the door to the Adventurer’s Guild in my face.”

Selys blinked at Pisces.

“You’ve got that planned out?”

“Any neophyte from Wistram is well versed in the subtleties of politics and subterfuge. If you would raise your voice and call me several names? I could suggest a few.”

Selys nodded. She was no [Actor], but insulting Pisces was easy. She looked back one last time at the girl, now a speck in the distance, cresting a hill. She was a thief, but she was not evil. And maybe she didn’t deserve to die. Selys had given her a chance. A slight one, but a chance.

She hoped that she wouldn’t regret her choice. Or Erin hers.

—-

It was done. Krshia watched as the thief left the city and felt not a thing. The other Gnolls around her muttered as the girl finally disappeared from the hilltop, but none went to follow her. The Watch’s presence here was as much to exile the girl as to make sure she died from the winter’s cold, rather than at a Gnoll’s hand.

It was a sensible decision, and Krshia applauded them for it. She bore Zevara no ill will, although the Drake clearly did not feel the same way. The Watch Captain kept staring at Krshia, possibly looking for signs of anger. But Krshia felt none.

She was hollow. And the girl thief’s fate mattered little to Krshia in any case. She knew the rest of the Gnolls in the city did not feel the same way; Tkrn had offered to cut her down even though it would mean his job, but Krshia had forbidden any action.

The thief was punished, and her few magical items taken away. She would die in the frozen wilderness, or she might live if she met a caravan or traveler on the road. But so what?

The damage was already done.

Slowly, the Gnoll looked down at the small thing in her hands. All else was ash; and this was the only hint of what had been.

Her heart felt like that ash. It was blackened by grief and beat too faintly in her chest. She had lost everything. The Gnolls in the city from her tribe had lost everything. It was all gone.

One of those Gnolls, a tall [Butcher] named Dreshhi growled low as the thief finally disappeared from sight. He had been one of those who wanted to kill the girl—and then chop her into bits and eat her. He was still furious, both at the Human child and at the city itself.

“Hr. And this is what passes for justice here? She has taken much, yes? Much from all of us, but you especially. And the city merely exiles her and does not repay you. If you had been a Drake— ”

Krshia sighed. Best to cut him off. Dreshhi was a good person, but his words were too loud, and she knew many of the young ones in the crowd around her shared his opinion.

“It matters not. What we have lost would not have been replaced in any case. The girl will die either way.”

“Even so—”

Krshia did not want another debate, especially where there were ears which might listen. She cut Dreshhi off again; an offence, but acceptable given her loss.

“The bonds we have built here are more important than vengeance, yes? The goodwill we have won is all we have left.”

“Goodwill will not sway hearts or minds among the others, Krshia.”

That was true, and Krshia felt the weight of it pressing down on her. She sighed.

“Yes. We will have to discuss this. But for now, let us go, yes?”

The Gnolls hesitated, but Krshia had rank, or more accurately, worth. Worth was what governed Gnolls; seniority or power were lesser concerns for them. And until yesterday, Krshia had been most worthy of them by far.

Worth. She still had some of it, still had the debts of old to call upon and the goodwill fostered within this city. But old worth grew stale quickly, like meat. Now that Krshia had lost her shop, what worth could she have?

She could rebuild. Krshia had the coin, but she didn’t have the time. Even if her shop got up and running again, all that she had worked for was already lost.

Dreshhi knew it as well. The Gnoll spoke to Krshia as the Gnolls loped back through the city streets in a pack.

“We must hurry. The tribes already begin to move. If we have nothing to bring to the gathering, our voices will be lost.”

Another truth. But Krshia saw no good answer to the problem before them. They had had something worthy of bringing, something that would have made their clan great. All the clans brought things to share for all Gnollkind, and thus grew in worth and made their voices louder. But the Silverfang Tribe’s hopes had burned with Krshia’s stall.

“We have nothing.”

“We can try again. We have the coin—”

“Not for this. Not for more than one or two trifles. No, it is Erin we must rely on, I think.”

Dreshhi fell silent. That was not a comforting thought, but it was all Krshia could think to give. Erin Solstice. Upon her shoulders, all of Krshia’s hopes now lay.

At first, helping Erin had been such a small thing. An act of charity and aid to a Human who was worthy of both. But now—now she was all Krshia had left. All else was ash.

Krshia stared down at the thing in her paws. A fragment; that was all she’d salvaged. She crumpled the fragment of the spell book and let it fall to the ground.

Who would have known? And even if there had been a fire, non-magical flames would not have damaged the rare collection of books hidden in the back of her stall. Twenty three books; the sum of the efforts of the Silverfang Tribe over these long years.

All gone in an instant. Krshia still remembered the fireball, still remembered throwing herself out of the way just in time. Would that she had leapt towards the burning orb, intercepted the blast.

But how could she have known the spell was that powerful? It had been so secret, the books. They were safe there, with a Gnoll to quietly watch the market each night. Safer than Krshia’s home, which had been broken into twice by petty thieves.

A small mistake, but one that had cost everything. Krshia closed her eyes. She was still most worthy, and thus, on her back fell all the responsibility for the Gnolls she had led to this city. It was heavy, and she was tired.

“I must talk to Erin, perhaps tomorrow. For now, I will go and rest.”

The other Gnolls were instantly solicitous. They offered to walk Krshia back, but she refused. She moved through the streets slowly, nodding as Drakes offered her condolences, slowly ascending the steps to her small home.

Inside, Krshia slowly sank into one of the sturdy chairs she had bought with the first coins she had earned in this city, years ago. It felt like another life. And she had worked so hard, succeeding against all odds—!

This gathering would have been the one to make her Tribe famous. It would have improved all Gnolls, given them the power to cast magic spells. Their young would have prospered. But now—?

What would she tell her sister, the Chieftain? How would she face the others after her bold words and all that they had given her to undertake this grand quest?

Gnolls did not weep. At least, they didn’t weep pointlessly. Krshia had shed all of her tears already; now she only had sadness, pooling in her breast. Sadness, and only the faintest breath of hope.

She needed Erin. The girl had to have something from her world Krshia could use. Something worthy. Something that could make the Gnolls…

The Gnoll leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes. The trouble was, she knew Erin. The girl was good-hearted, brave, and kind. But that she had something in her head worth a fortune? Krshia tried to imagine another world of metal ‘cars’ and the things Erin spoke of. But how different could it be if the girl was just like other humans? Did she know of a different kind of sword—a new forging process, perhaps?

Somehow, Krshia just couldn’t imagine that.

—-

“I see. And the girl will die soon?”

“To the best of my knowledge, yes, my Queen. She has no allies within the city, and the outside temperatures will freeze her without adequate protection.”

Ksmvr stood in front of his Queen and wracked his brains, trying to find something, anything, to add to his report. It was just simply an answer to the question put to him, but he knew it wasn’t right.

His Queen, the Queen of the Free Antinium within Liscor, sat before him, a massive creature hidden in the darkness of the massive cavern underneath Liscor. She was his Queen, his ruler and sole reason for living. And he knew he wasn’t good enough to serve her.

Ksmvr was the Prognugator of the Antinium, but he was new. He was inexperienced, and worse, attempting to fill a position that had once been occupied by Klbkch. The older, newly instated Revalantor was famous among the Antinium, if that word could be applied to any one being in the Hives.

Above him, Ksmvr’s Queen sighed, and shifted ponderously. He had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad one. His Queen was too large to move, but did her movement signify impatience, or simply a desire to stretch her limbs?

“I see. And the Gnolls? Will they attack?”

“I believe not, my Queen. They will be satisfied with the Human’s death, and Krshia Silverfang has ordered no reprisals to be made.”

Another simple answer. But Ksmvr was sure Klbkch could have answered better. With more details perhaps, or some insight? But it would not do to bother his Queen or offer unsolicited opinions.

Again, the Queen shifted. One large feeler waved towards the surface.

“This thief has cost them much.”

“Yes. They have lost the magical tomes stored in Krshia Silverfang’s shop, although I believe her reserves of coin are still hidden in her home.”

“Even so, a grievous loss. Perhaps unwelcome.”

Unwelcome? Ksmvr had no idea the Gnolls in the city were of interest to his Queen, but then, she played a far deeper game than he could imagine. If only Klbkch could advise him—! But Ksmvr was in disgrace with both his Queen and the other Antinium.

At last, his Queen shook her massive head.

“It may be this loss matters. Or not. Local Gnoll politics do not interest me. We will hear when these tribes gather to discuss later. To more important matters. The Workers.”

Ksmvr tried to stand up straighter. He was already standing at attention, but he knew this was the most important reason why he had been summoned.

“Yes, my Queen. We have begun testing the Workers as was suggested by the Individual known as Pawn. He and Bird—”

Ksmvr stumbled slightly over the names. They weren’t Antinium names, and what was worse, they had been chosen by the Workers themselves! It was as if they considered themselves to be the equals of Queens. And yet, these Individuals were desired by his Queen, for reasons Ksmvr did not understand.

“—They brought the Workers who had visited the inn together and attempted to recreate the conditions for reaching individuality.”

“By playing chess?”

“Yes. By playing chess. But questions were asked of the Workers as they played.”

“Which ones?”

“I…do not know, milady. Klbkch and I were positioned outside the room until called for.”

It had been a point Ksmvr had argued hotly against, but he had been overruled by Klbkch. His Queen paused, but did not ask him why.

“Then the results?”

She already knew, so why ask? But Ksmvr obediently reported.

“Of the twenty five workers, four became Individual, choosing names and asserting their independence and loyalty to the Hive. The others…all became Aberration.”

Ksmvr still remembered slicing Workers apart. It didn’t bother him, but even here, Klbkch had surpassed him. The other Antinium had danced a deadly trail of death through the rampant former Workers, while Ksmvr had stuck to the established protocols.

“One in eight? That is very acceptable. Why was that process not continued with the others?”

“I—believe it was due to the effect of meeting the Human known as Erin Solstice, my Queen. After the four Individuals were separated and the other Aberrations destroyed, Klbkch made the assessment that this process was a success. He gathered more Workers and some Soldiers and attempted to repeat the process.”

“And?”

“The rate of those who did not encounter Erin Solstice was—one in one hundred and sixty three. No Soldiers became Individual, but few became Aberration either.”

They had been especially hard to put down. Ksmvr still had a cracked bit of exoskeleton on one leg and his side where he had been struck.

The sound that came from his Queen was a deep sigh, but one tinged by an emotion Ksmvr could not identify. He waited, tense, alert for the next question.

“So it seems Klbkchhezeim was correct. Erin Solstice is needed, for now, at least. But of the five Individuals you have observed. Their loyalty?”

“Of the five, the first, Pawn, is the most independent. He also assumes a position of command among them, but remains receptive to orders from Klbkch. The others do likewise, and none have acted in any unusual manner.”

Aside from the fact that they were taking on responsibilities and roles no other Antinium had ever taken on before. Ksmvr did not mention the way in which Pawn spoke to him, or the painful games of chess they had played.

“Good. Continue.”

Ksmvr bowed his head. It took him a second to realized he’d been dismissed.

—-

The Queen of the Antinium watched and felt Ksmvr go, and sighed when she was sure he was gone from earshot.

“Inconvenient.”

That was the only word for it. Ksmvr was simply not Klbkch, and that was as regrettable as it was inevitable. Perhaps the new Prognugator would rise to the station, or perhaps he would not. In the meantime it was simply another annoyance on top of the Queen’s plate of annoyances.

But the Individuals could be replicated. They could be made anew, even if the cost was prohibitively high at the moment. And even that could be surpassed, if necessary. Erin Solstice was important, but not vital.

That was good. It meant that the Antinium could continue the experiment. It meant that they were not reliant on uncontrollable variables like Humans or other species. It meant…

It meant the time of change was upon them again.

Such a thought sparked excitement even in the languid Queen’s body. Again. Soon, perhaps, the Antinium might change again. And then the other Queens would know she had been right.

It might seem odd for rivalry and argument to form among the Antinium, but it had been discovered long ago that without such, the Antinium would stagnate. The Queen had endured the ridicule and scorn of her fellow Queens for long years, but now she would be proven right. The Great Queen would know of her success soon.

Maybe then she would allow the Queen the other types long denied to her Hive, and provide her with both plans and resources that they might be grown. Or perhaps it was time she created one herself. With the resources and bodies she would be given once her work had been deemed a success, the Queen would be able to improve her hive a thousandfold.

“And maybe then…”

The Queen sighed, relaxing back onto the soft bed that had been made to hold her vast weight. Until that day, she must continue to labor. More than once, the Queen had thought of trying to create yet another Prognugator, or even another Queen, but that had been outlawed both by the Great Queen and the pact made with Liscor. And yet, she was in sore need of another assistant.

Perhaps one of the Individuals might serve? It was part of the reason they were necessary, after all. Pawn had levels in [Tactician] – perhaps not as high as the Queen’s, but then again, perhaps so. The new Antinium leveled up far quicker than Klbkch or the Queen.

And she needed help. She left the above world to Ksmvr and Klbkch, despite her misgivings, so she could better lead her Hive below. The above world was not the Queen’s concern at the moment. She could not turn her attention to lesser matters. For if she were distracted by the concerns of the surface, who would lead her army against the threat from below?

The Antinium had long known of the dungeon underneath Liscor. The Ruins had been only a small part; in their tunneling, the Antinium had uncovered nearly all of the vast ruins. But entering them? Another matter entirely. It was all they could do some days to hold the line.

The Queen settled back against one stone wall and reached out to the rest of her Hive, assessing, commanding. Today’s casualty report: fifty two Workers and eighty six Soldiers slain. Five tunnels breached; fortifications in (242, -42, -4951) were in desperate need of repairs.

She thought as she went over the Workers slowly clearing bodies and hauling the rest to be turned into the easily storable and highly nutritious paste she loathed so much. The surface was inconvenient, but also necessary.

Gold-rank adventurers would soon be entering the city. Was it time to reveal the extent of the ruins? That process was underway, but could be sped up or halted with the Antinium’s help or lack thereof.

Soon. The Queen sat and pondered her hive and the dungeon beneath. It mattered little if it was Antinium or other species who fought their way to the center of the dungeon. But the Antinium must have the artifacts that lurked inside the true treasure rooms. It must be retrieved, but if the guardians were to be freed in the process—

Skinner was the least of their worries. The Antinium had killed nineteen Flesh Worms in the tunnels so far, even if none of them had built up so much flesh as he had, or the gems of [Terror]. No, the real threat was deeper, darker.

The Queen sat on her throne and turned her attention back to her long war in the depths. They had sworn to protect Liscor, that they might grow. The Antinium would do so, and then they would reap their harvest and the world would change with them.

—-

Ceria Springwalker hated the image everyone had of half-Elves. Everyone—mostly Humans, but all species really—had this image of half-Elves as these eternally happy beings who loved to frolic in flowers and hug trees.

Ceria didn’t like flowers, and the only time she hugged trees were to climb up them to escape from bears. She was a city girl, not some crazed nature freak.

Even so, she had to admit there was a grain of truth to the myths. She had an affinity with plants that few other species did. So it made sense Erin would ask her for help planting flowers. It just wasn’t fun for Ceria.

“Here. Space them out a bit more so they can absorb more nutrition.”

Ceria directed Erin as the two young women labored over the pots on the table. They were filled with soil, and Ceria had already made sure they had a good spot in the sun. More than that, she didn’t really know. She might be good with flowers, but she had no idea what to do with these ones.

The flowers that had caused Erin to think she was a tiny person for the better part of an hour were golden and soft to the touch. They were also a trick; Ceria had been expecting gold, but she fully realized that had been stupid of her. And of Erin, but the half-Elf didn’t want to make the Human feel worse than she was already.

Not that Erin looked too upset. The girl was actually humming as she chattered to Ceria about the possible uses of the odd flowers. She was calling them Alice Flowers, for a reason Ceria couldn’t understand. But Ceria did agree the flowers were probably as valuable as gold.

They were…magical. And not; Ceria could sense the same odd feeling from these flowers that she got from the Frost Faeries. It was a tingling in the back of her mind, a stirring in her soul.

Were they valuable or not? Certainly, an [Alchemist] might pay a lot for them if they weren’t common somewhere else, but Ceria just didn’t know. It still seemed a bit pitiful, given that it was payment for all of Erin’s hard work.

And yet, Erin had leveled up four times from that one night! Ceria couldn’t believe it. And her skills! [Wondrous Fare] and [Inn’s Aura]? Ceria knew that some [Chefs] earned [Magical Cooking], but she’d never heard of Erin’s skill.

That settled it. Erin Solstice was no ordinary human, any more than Ryoka was. Ceria glanced over at the other girl. Ryoka was as tight-mouthed as a clam, and twice as tough to crack open, but Erin was far more easygoing and open. She was smiling as she gently patted the flowers into the soil.

“Erin. You um, don’t seem like you’re too normal.”

The girl paused, and frowned at Ceria.

“Thanks? Or wait, is that an insult?”

Ceria laughed and stood up from her pot, dusting off her hands.

“Hardly. You’re unlike any Human I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a few. You and Ryoka are completely unique though; where do the two of you hail from?”

The half-Elf moved to sit at a table as Erin frowned at her pot. The girl replied absently.

“Oh, I come from another world. Ryoka does too.”

Ceria kept walking and then tripped over the chair she’d been going to sit on. She crashed to the ground face-first, breaking her fall with both hands.

“Ceria!”

Erin dropped the flower she was holding, but Ceria was on her feet in an instant. The half-Elf gaped at Erin.

“You what? Wait, you and Ryoka?”

The girl looked panicked.

“Didn’t I say? I thought I told you! Wait—I told Krshia and Klbkch but—I thought Ryoka told you!”

She clapped a hand to her head.

“Oh no. Ryoka’s going to be so mad at me! ”

—-

Ceria sat in a chair and let her head spin for a while. Erin hovered around her anxiously.

“I mean, it isn’t that big a deal, right? There’s no way back—not that I know of, and Ryoka and I don’t know anything special. I think. I mean, technology is really different where I come from, but I can’t build anything like Ryoka’s iPhone.”

“I can’t believe it. I just—”

The half-Elf broke off, shaking her head. The trouble was, she could believe it. It would be far easier to call Erin crazy, but it made sense, especially with everything Ceria had observed about Ryoka.

No wonder the other girl was so cagey. And here was Erin, as oblivious of the dangers as an owl on a summer’s day. Ceria sighed. Someone had to protect the girl. It should probably be her.

“I guess we’ve got more to talk about.”

“I guess. But we’ve got a lot to talk about anyways, right? Like these flowers—and those new skills I’ve got!”

“The skills. Right.”

At this point, the skills were one of the last things on Ceria’s mind, but the half-Elf reluctantly focused on Erin.

“Obviously the [Wondrous Fare] skill has to do with you making food for the faeries. I’m not sure about [Inn’s Aura], but it might just make your inn more attractive or something.”

“Ooh, that could be helpful. But what about [Wondrous Fare]? Does that mean I can make food only for faeries or that it’s somehow…magical?”

“Why don’t you try to make something and see what the skill does?”

“Right! Right…”

Erin nodded a few times and disappeared into the kitchen. Ceria sighed, and Erin poked her head back out.

“Wait one second. I’ll make you some crepes, and then we can talk okay? Magical crepes.”

Ceria nodded weakly. She had no idea what a crepe was, but she prayed it would take Erin some time. Her head still hurt .

And then the door opened and Ceria’s headache doubled. Pisces walked in. She knew it was him because she couldn’t see anything, yet she heard the footsteps.

“Pisces. Don’t tell me you’ve gotten in trouble with the Watch again?”

“Hardly. I’m just here to avoid unwanted attention.”

Pisces reappeared in an instant, and Ceria sighed. This was not a good time for him to show up…which was why she should have expected him.

Somehow he could always pop up at the worst possible moment. She was only glad he hadn’t heard Erin’s accidental admission. Ceria would be the first to admit Pisces wasn’t evil so much as annoying, but he had a habit of causing trouble. If he learned about where Erin was from—

“What interesting flowers. Are they magical?”

Trust Pisces to focus on the magic in the room first. Ceria sighed.

“Take your hands away from those. If you steal one, Erin will hurt you. They’re a gift from the Winter Sprites.”

Pisces immediately snatched his hand away and backed up.

“Those things? I thought even Miss Erin would know to leave them well alone.”

“Well, she didn’t, and they paid her in flowers.”

“Ah. Well, perhaps I will just have something to eat. Is that food I smell?”

Ceria closed her eyes as Pisces strode into the kitchen. She heard a shout, and the mage hurried back out.

“Go away! I’m cooking! And Ceria, these crepes don’t feel magical!”

“Perhaps I should try one to be s—”

Pisces ducked as a ladle flew out of the kitchen. He sniffed loudly.

“That was dangerous. I am a customer.”

“Not paying!”

“ Must you hold that against me? Well, soon enough I will have sufficient funds to pay for my meals. I have enrolled in the Adventurer’s Guild.”

That made Ceria sit up in her seat. Pisces, an adventurer? It was almost as much of a surprise as Erin’s admission. She eyed him. He must have been very hungry to be so desperate.

“You can’t be serious. You’ll die on your first mission.”

He sneered at her.

“If you can do it, Springwalker, I see no reason why I can’t do the same. Of course, with my undead I will be able to accomplish much even by myself. Unless you’d care to join my party…?”

“Fat chance. And stop stealing food or Erin will hurt you. And if she doesn’t do it, I will.”

Pisces was pointing a finger into the kitchen, and Ceria knew he was using a minor levitation spell. He scowled, and Erin yelped as the crepe he’d been levitating dropped back down.

“ Pisces! ”

He raised his hands as the girl stormed out.

“Oh—should I mention this?—there appears to be a girl freezing to death in the snow a few miles north of here. I thought you might be interested.”

“What?”

Erin stared at him as Pisces explained. Ceria narrowed her eyes at her…acquaintance. Friend was far too strong a word.

“How do you know that? And why are you telling Erin? I’d have thought you’d want the girl to die.”

“I would, but Selys insisted I tell Erin. She believes Erin will rescue the girl.”

“Well—of course! She’s out there with no coat? How could they do that?”

Erin stared at Pisces and then rushed into the kitchen. Ceria heard scraping , and then Erin stormed out of the kitchen with a plate of crepes in hand. She shoved it on the table and turned to Ceria.

“I’ve got to go! I’ll be back in a little bit Ceria.”

“What? Erin, listen. That girl is a thief. She was exiled from Liscor for a reason. You can’t just—”

Erin stared at Ceria. There was something disconcerting about the young woman’s gaze. She was normally so amiable, but now her stare was serious and unwavering.

“No one deserves to die in the cold. No one.”

She turned.

“ Toren! Where is he? Nevermind—”

She ran back into the kitchen and reemerged with a coat. Then Erin dashed out the door.

Pisces watched her go and shook his head.

“Too kind by far, that girl. For a child from another world, she is rather careless.”

Ceria stared at Pisces. He smirked at her, and then frowned when he realized she wasn’t taken aback.

“Ah. You know.”

“How do you know?”

“A certain conversation on that device of Ryoka Griffin’s. It was troublesome to copy the [Message] spell as I recreated it, but…”

Pisces shrugged. Ceria remembered him bragging about that bit of magic as they’d exited the ruins. She narrowed her eyes.

“And now you’ve just sent that girl off to rescue a dangerous thief.”

“Not dangerous so much as annoying at this point, I believe. Her magical items are gone.”

Ceria stood up, sighing. She walked over to Pisces and smacked him with her skeletal hand. He yelped as she glared at him.

“Idiot.”

“Come with me. Once we go and make sure Erin doesn’t get mobbed by those damn Gnolls and Drakes, we’ll talk. About you being an adventurer as much as anything else. I’m reforming the Horns of Hammerad.”

Both his eyebrows shot up. He looked at her skeletal hand, and then blinked twice when he realized it had been the one to strike him.

“Well. That is a new development. But you have no wand. And unlike me, you don’t have any Skills in that area.”

Ceria smiled grimly, and raised her skeletal hand.

“Oh, I can do magic. And Yvlon is—well, she’s got scars but she’s still got both arms. And so do I.”

She concentrated, and an [Ice Spike] formed in the air, hovering above her skeletal hand, ready to launch. Pisces’ mouth fell open slightly, and then he regained his composure. He smiled at Ceria, for once genuine, reminding her of the young man she’d studied with back in Wistram.

“Ah. How intriguing. ”

—-

Someone knocked on a door. Someone else opened it. It was an ordinary scene, except that it was Val knocking on Magnolia’s door, and it was a maid who came to open the expensive double doors and lead him inside the vast mansion that was her home within the city of adventurers, Invrisil.

But Val was used to the routine, and so he charmed the maid as she put him in a large waiting room and went to summon the lady of the manor. Magnolia was unique in that way; normally a senior maid or butler would handle Val, but he knew Lady Magnolia talked to all Runners, not just Couriers when accepting their deliveries.

And this one was special. Val had been puzzling over it the entire way north and he was wondering what Lady Magnolia would make of it.

He didn’t have long to wonder. Lady Magnolia, the deadly flower blooming in the north and scion of the Reinhart house swept into the room, charming Val before he could charm her.

“My word, is it Valceif? I haven’t seen you in—why it must be two months at least! Please, sit, sit.”

Val did so, watching as Magnolia sat herself in the rich little room, and her maids joined her. Well, only one maid today. Ressa, the head maid inclined her head at Val and he nodded back respectfully. It had taken a lot of work to get on the prickly maid’s good side, but then, he’d tried to conduct himself as respectfully as possible in Lady Magnolia’s house.

For good reason. No one made an enemy of the Reinharts and didn’t pay for it in some way. For one thing, Magnolia was a far better friend than enemy.

And Val liked her. So he smiled as he reached for his belt and brought out a folded letter and proffered it to her.

“I have a delivery for you, as you might imagine, Lady Magnolia.”

“Really? A delivery? I hadn’t expected one—at least, not from you.”

“Well, it’s a favor for a friend. I’m told you know Ryoka Griffin—this letter is from her to you.”

The name didn’t even make Lady Magnolia blink, but Ressa’s reaction was more dramatic. The normally unflappable maid stirred slightly, and then Magnolia smiled.

“Now that is interesting. Pray, when did you last see Ryoka?”

Val shouldn’t have been surprised Magnolia knew Ryoka; he knew the local Runner’s Guilds loved to fulfill her requests and each Runner took turns doing the lucrative deliveries, but he was surprised at Ressa’s reaction. He smiled back, trying to be as open and honest as possible.

“A day ago. She was in an inn just outside of Liscor. She left in a big hurry, but she gave me this before she went.”

He offered her the letter, and Magnolia took it. Her eyes sparked with interest as she took the letter from him. It was a simple thing, yet Magnolia scrutinized it and Val felt she took something away even from that.

“A letter from Ryoka Griffin. Well, well. Now what could it be…? Ah. It’s unsealed.”

Lady Magnolia took out a small piece of parchment and unfolded it. She looked at it, blinked, and then laughed.

Ressa stood stock still behind her lady, but Val knew that she had read the parchment as well. Her face was stony, but Magnolia was laughing in delight. Val had to smile too. He knew what the little bit of parchment said by heart, now.

We should talk soon.

-R.

That was it. No secret ink, no hidden message. Magnolia’s laughing turned to chuckles before she regained her decorum. She tapped the parchment gently with one fingernail.

“You’ve read this, I take it?”

Val ducked his head apologetically.

“It was my price for delivering it. I do apologize, but—”

“Oh nonsense! How clever of Miss Ryoka. A Courier must have his payment, mustn’t he? But I fear she hasn’t given you much to work off of.”

“Well, your reaction is quite interesting.”

“Isn’t it?”

Lady Magnolia twinkled merrily at Val, and he wondered how much this information was worth. The game of politics featured her as no small player, and any good courier knew to sell the latest tidbit as soon as possible before it grew stale.

Then again, secrets should be kept unless you wanted a dagger in your throat, and he had no desire to harm Ryoka. But she’d known what would happen when she gave him the letter because he’d asked, and so he was doubly interested in what Lady Magnolia would do next.

“Well, what should my response be? I suppose I could hire you—although Ryoka has gone further south, hasn’t she?”

No one knew how Magnolia learned her secrets, so Val didn’t even blink at her knowledge.

“Yes she has. But I’m afraid tracking her down would be something of a chore, even for a Courier. I could recommend you a good one who knows the area, though—”

“Perish the thought. It’s a needless expense. No, Ryoka will come north sooner rather than later. But I’m afraid she might be disappointed. Because my answer is sadly nothing.”

Lady Magnolia handed the letter to Ressa, and the maid made it disappear into her skirt. Val blinked.

“Nothing? Well, Ryoka did say you might have an unusual reaction.”

“I believe I would have—a week ago. But she was a bit too slow for once. Shall I show you what I mean? It may be interesting if you meet her again.”

“I would be delighted, but I fear it is unlikely I’d meet Ryoka again.”

“Nevertheless, I would be delighted to show you, if only to indulge myself. And I find it never pays to be certain of anything in this world. If you would be so good as to join me?”

Lady Magnolia stood up, and ushered Val towards the door. She led him through her mansion, filled with bowing servants and priceless artifacts to a large room. There she paused, and opened the door ever so slightly.

Val, realizing he should be quiet, leaned forwards. He found himself staring into a room expensively decorated as with every place in the mansion, but in this case, filled with sofas and fancy things to sit on. He thought one of the couches was called a ‘chaise longue’, but Val had seldom been this far inside a noble’s home.

But of course, that wasn’t the main feature of the room. The people were. Congregated around a resplendent table filled with every sort of drink and food were several people. They weren’t more than children, really. Oh, some were young adults, but they held themselves without the confidence Val and Magnolia had.

They looked…ordinary. Their faces were like any Val had seen on his travels, and they acted like normal people. But their clothes—they were brightly colored, and embossed with artwork Val had never seen before in his life! And then his heart skipped a beat as he saw one of them held a strange object in his hands.

It was flat, and looked vaguely like a mirror. But instead of reflecting things, it shone with a bright, unnatural light that had to be some kind of magic. And it was emitting sound, and some of the others were clustered around it. And what was that another one had? Some kind of…?

One turned his head, and Val moved his head away from the door, although he was probably far enough away that no one had noticed the small crack in the door in any case. Magnolia stealthily shut the door, and turned to Val.

“Well? Your thoughts, brave Courier?”

Her eyes were dancing. Val had to smile back. Lady Magnolia played games with fates and lives, it was true. That was what anyone with power did in the north, and their subtle wars could ruin lives. But Magnolia did her scheming in the open as much as in the shadows, with laughter and a willingness to share her fortune with others. He couldn’t help but like her for it.

“I believe I have seen something like the device held in that boy’s hands.”

“Yes. Fascinating, isn’t it? I regret to say that it puts Ryoka’s plans in a bit of a bind, however.”

“That is tricky. She’s a good Runner, you know.”

Magnolia led Val back to the room, where a tea set and snacks had already been set out by Ressa. She smiled at him.

“I would like to explain more, but I fear that would place you in jeopardy. Feel free to mention all the details to anyone who pays you well, though.”

He ducked his head, blushing slightly.

“If you wish me to omit anything—”

“Nonsense! You must have your payment, and I would be remiss if I let those busybodies up north miss a chance to gossip, worry, and scheme.”

Lady Magnolia laughed lightly again, and Val had to laugh with her. He leaned forwards and asked the question that was on his mind.

“So what does this mean, Lady Magnolia? Is it good for you, or bad for Ryoka? You said this was an interesting week?”

She beamed at him.

“Let us simply say that it has been a red letter day for all of us. Although the letter you’ve given me is not red. Oh dear. I suppose the analogy works in any case, though. Now, will you take tea or something stronger before you tell me of what has happened with dear Ryoka?”

—-

Later that evening, in Liscor, two teams of Gold-rank adventurers entered the city to the excitement of no one but Selys, who was at the desk in the Adventurer’s Guild at the time. A Named Adventurer began her slow journey as she sailed across the seas from Terandria.

And Erin hired her first employee. That turned out to be a mistake.

2.24 T

Toren took his sword and rammed it a few times into the snow. Yes. That felt…good.

If anything could feel good, that was. Toren only knew that using a sword felt natural to him, just like he was happier to be called ‘he’ rather than ‘it’ or ‘thing’. Was it because Erin had named him?

Questions like that made the skeleton’s head hurt. But now he was about to do something that required less thought and more action.

He was going to kill things. It needed to be done; Toren had to become stronger.

He was currently a Level 14 [Skeleton Warrior], thanks to the battle with the enchanted suit of armor, but that wasn’t nearly good enough. Toren had seen Rags’ tribe fighting, seen Relc and the Antinium and Skinner and the hordes of undead. He could tell how weak he was compared to all of them, so he was determined to gain strength.

But where to kill monsters? Toren paused as he sheathed the sword at his side and stared blankly around the plains. He didn’t see any monsters besides a Rock Crab hiding in its shell in the distance, and it would pulverize his bones in a single strike.

Ah. This could be a problem. Toren had to think for a while before he figured out where he needed to go.

The Watch kept the area around Liscor clear of most monsters. And the roads north were generally safe because trade had to flow. Only secluded areas like Rags’ secret dungeon entrance produced the occasional threat.

If you wanted a fight around here in the winter, you’d have to jump in a Shield Spider pit or build a snowman. But Toren knew that the south was different. That way led to the ‘Blood Fields’ or so Ryoka had told Erin. And different monsters lurked there.

That was good! Toren now knew where he needed to go. But now he faced a different problem. How could he get there and back before Erin called for him? He must obey orders.

Fortunately, Toren had a solution for that too. He knew Erin; not in the sense of knowing what she liked or her personality or hopes or dreams or anything like that, but he knew how she tended to react.

The young woman was busy investigating the faerie flowers that had been left in her inn with Ceria when Toren walked back in. She’d recovered from the hallucinations, and now she was busy talking with Ceria about pots and planting things.

Toren didn’t care. He stealthily edged around the room, taking care not to attract attention. That was the thing; Toren might be a moving skeleton with purple eyes made of flame, but he was also not a person. Like a coatrack or a chair, he could become part of the room simply by standing in one place and stealthily moving a few feet every hour or two.

It was also because he had a valuable skill. Toren wasn’t nearly as high-level as Erin, but he’d still gained a few useful skills from the various classes he’d gained.

He had [Weapon Proficiency: Sword], [Lesser Strength], [Conceal Presence], and a few other skills from his classes, but those were the three valuable ones. [Lesser Strength] in particular had been a gift; Toren had received it when he hit Level 10 in the [Warrior] class.

It was [Conceal Presence] Toren used here though; he silently moved across the room, until he was right behind Erin and Ceria. Then he waited.

“Don’t you see? They’re valuable! If we plant these, I bet I could grow more!”

Erin was talking excitedly to Ceria, gesturing at the golden flowers. The half-Elf looked unconvinced, but she nodded anyways.

“If you think so. It’s winter, but they don’t seem to be dying—and of course the faeries brought them, so they must be resistant to cold. I can help with the replanting, but we’ll need some pots.”

“Pots? No problem. I think I have—”

Erin turned, and only then realized Toren was right behind her. She screamed and punched at him. Toren jumped back reflexively; he’d expected that.

“ Toren! ”

Ceria had her skeletal hand on her heart as Erin panted and glared at the skeleton. He didn’t see what the big deal was, but she always got surprised and upset when she turned around in the middle of the night and saw him staring at her.

“Erin, your skeleton is terrifying.”

“I know, I know. I—okay, fine. Toren, go into the kitchen and get me a pot. Not a cooking pot; a pot for planting things.”

Toren nodded and went into the kitchen. He didn’t want to help with planting flowers, but this was all part of the process. This time he grabbed an old, dented iron pot and came back out just as quietly.

Erin and Ceria were talking again, but then Erin remembered the pot and turned her head. Toren stared into her eyes.

“ Aaah! ”

Toren held out the old pot. Erin took a few steps back, snatched the pot, and shouted at him.

“Stop that! What is with you today?”

The skeleton had no ability to answer, but he’d come to understand that Erin wasn’t really asking. He waited, patiently.

“Go stand over there.”

Erin pointed to the bar, and Toren walked over obediently. All part of the plan. He kept watching as Erin and Ceria began talking about soil and proper lighting conditions and things he cared nothing about. And then it happened.

Ceria caught sight of him and shuddered. She paused, moved a few feet, and shuddered again. Erin looked up.

“Is it Toren again? What’s he doing now?”

“Look.”

The half-Elf pointed, and Toren saw his master poke her head up from her pot. She had a smudge of dirt on her cheek. He stared at her patiently.

“I don’t see—”

“Watch this.”

Ceria walked a few feet and picked up a wooden spoon they were using as a spade. At first, the skeleton’s head didn’t move. Then, slowly, it moved to track Ceria. The half-Elf moved back, and there was that slight delay before Toren’s head slowly rotated back to stare at her some more.

Erin shuddered with Ceria. She put one hand on her face, and swore as she got dirt in her eyes. She rubbed at her eyes and glared at Toren.

“That’s it. Out! Shoo! Don’t come back until later, and stop being…creepy! Understand?”

That was what Toren had been waiting for. The skeleton didn’t smile, but he instantly nodded and moved towards the door before Erin could change her mind. He heard the girl grumbling, but paid no heed.

He was free! Toren sped out the door and into the snowy plains. Yes, he was free, and he only had to come back later that evening, or that night. Or tomorrow, although he sensed that Erin probably only meant for him to be gone a few hours.

Regardless, it had worked. Toren had long ago realized that if he kept standing behind Erin or getting in her way, she would eventually order him outside. He’d never made use of that knowledge, except to carefully avoid doing just that, because he hadn’t ever had a reason to leave her side.

Until now.

Toren walked and then ran out into the Floodplains of Liscor, and then beyond it. He did not tire. He did not slow. He was undead, and death had long ago taken pain and exhaustion from him.

Ryoka could run faster. So could Val, Relc, and probably even Erin if she was being chased by Goblins. Toren had to carry his sword so that made him slower. But he didn’t stop , and so in that respect he was superior to most City-runners like Garia, Persua, or even Fals.

Even so, it took Toren over an hour to move past the Floodplains. He could tell he’d left because he reached a hill. It had quite a gentle incline, but it took Toren nearly thirty minutes to run to the top at full speed. And when he got to the top, he realized that there was a narrower gap on the hill he could have crested in half the time.

Toren didn’t get mad. He was incapable of it. He just marked the spot mentally so he would have a quicker route next time.

Now that Toren was on top of the large hill, he could finally see down the long stretch of land that led south, towards the lands Drakes and Gnolls inhabited.

It was…nothing special. At least, to Toren. He only noted that this place at least was truly a plain. The Floodplains were indeed quite flat in places, but in others they had so many valleys and hills like where the Wandering Inn stood that flat ground became an illusion at best.

But here, beyond the boundaries of Liscor, Toren saw the wilderness begin. He saw snowy ground, rocks, and…trees.

Yes, trees! At first Toren had assumed these were the same kind of trees he’d found earlier, the Boom Trees that exploded with deadly force. But no, these trees were normal coniferous trees, pines and evergreens forming large forests in between the open expanse of land.

It was a pretty sight, but the skeleton had no time for any of it. He scanned the landscape, searching for hints of movement. And then he saw a small shape moving far below.

That was enough. Toren raced down the hill, drawing his sword as he ran. He didn’t bother with stealth or plans; there was something alive, and so he was going to kill it. He wanted to kill it.

A skeleton running down a snowy hill is hard to spot, even with all the snow flying about. But the creature had spotted Toren already, and instead of running, it had stopped and waited for him to approach. That was a good sign; it meant it could probably fight.

Toren halted as he finally laid eyes on the creature that had been ambling through the snow. It was…a deer.

Yes, a deer. This was, in fact, a reindeer, and although it had an impressive set or horns, it was still just a deer and not a flesh-eating Creler or a giant bug with teeth or even a Goblin.

Disappointed, Toren lowered his sword and turned away. Killing things, that was fine, but he was aware that random acts of violence wouldn’t help him level. He turned his back, and thus took the reindeer’s charge straight to the back.

The impact knocked Toren off his feet and the hooves trampled and crushed his bones. If he had been flesh and blood, Toren probably would have had pierced internal organs and countless torn ligaments. But since he was a skeleton, the reindeer’s charge was mostly harmless to him.

Toren sprang to his feet as the reindeer aborted its charge before it could hit a tree, and turned, snorting, to face him. He lifted his sword, and clattered his jaw in delight.

It was an enemy after all! He nearly rejoiced, and only then realized that he might actually be in a bit of trouble.

Because here was the thing. Yes, Toren was facing a reindeer. And yes, it had just charged him to little effect. But only now did the skeleton realize that this particular reindeer, whether by mutation or evolution, was twice the size of a reindeer from Erin’s world.

He didn’t have any other reindeer for comparison of course; Toren was just aware that this deer was huge. It was a Corusdeer, although Toren had no way of knowing that. The two antlers on the reindeer’s head were colored as much orange as brown, and there were sooty marks on the fur around the Corusdeer’s hooves.

Still, it didn’t have a sword. Toren raised his and charged at the deer, slashing viciously at its sides. The deer reared up and Toren saw flashing hooves.

It kicked him in the skull and landed several good blows on his body which cracked bone. He slashed its side open.

Red blood covered the reindeer’s side as it made a distressed sound and retreated. Toren advanced, charging through the snow with his sword raised, but the Corusdeer was agile and darted away from him, easily outdistancing the skeleton.

Well now, this was inconvenient! If Toren had flesh, he would have frowned. He’d come out this far to fight monsters, not overly-territorial animals. He expected the deer to run and decided he would let it go; it wasn’t much of a challenge—when the deer suddenly stopped and lowered its head for another charge.

Toren paused, and then raised his sword. The deer wanted to die, apparently. He had no problem with that. He waited patiently as the deer pawed the ground, snorting. It might be stronger and faster than he was, but it was just a dumb animal. No threat at all.

Then Toren learned what made the Corusdeer different from normal reindeer. The deer’s horns began to glow, and then they lit up like pieces of iron in a forge fire, turning nearly white with the heat they emitted.

The hooves caught fire too. Suddenly, Toren was aware that everything was melting around him. That didn’t bother him, as he was a skeleton, but he had to wonder what would happen if his bones met the super-heated horn.

He hesitated for a second, and the Corusdeer suddenly charged . It kicked off the ground with an explosion of fire, and it was suddenly moving faster. A lot faster.

Toren threw himself out of the way as the deer thundered past him. He felt the air change around his bones, but then he was clear. For a second. He turned, and somehow the reindeer had turned and was already charging.

Too late to block or evade. Toren cut at the deer again as the horns caught him full-on in the chest. The deer veered to one side, bleeding from the face as Toren crashed back into the snow. But the horns still hit Toren’s ribs.

The skeleton heard a hiss , and felt part of his rib cage…disappear. He fought to get to his feet, and felt at his ribs. They were still intact. But—

A good chunk of his bones had been vaporized. As Toren felt at his third rib down, he encountered only air where bone should have been. Bits of ash flaked away at his touch. The deer had burnt away his bones with the intense heat coming from its horns.

That wasn’t bad. Toren’s mobility was still unhindered, and he hadn’t lost much. And he’d hurt the Corusdeer; it was now bleeding from two places. But something else concerned Toren.

He was not healing. Or if he was, it wasn’t as rapidly as broken shattered bone. That was very bad.

The Corusdeer was shaking its head, sending steaming droplets of blood flying into the snow. It was wounded right above the eye, and Toren was sure it couldn’t see out of it. Still, it raked the air with its glowing horns, forcing Toren to retreat.

He hopped backwards in the snow, and the two regarded each other warily for a few seconds. The skeleton considered his next move. He had to kill the deer now, that was plain. But he was more wary of the horns. Charging they might not be so bad, but if the deer pinned him and drove its horns into his body? He’d be ash in less than a minute.

The deer was certainly having second thoughts as well. She’d been trying to chase off the strange intruder who’d entered her grazing spot, and already it had injured her twice. Either skeleton or Corusdeer might have decided the risks here weren’t worth the reward, but that was when the snowman attacked.

Toren had only a second’s warning as the massive shadow engulfed him before a snowy fist smashed into him, engulfing the skeleton in a world of snow. He struggled, but snow was everywhere, and it was too thickly packed for him to move.

For a few minutes all was confusion for Toren. He was fighting to move, and could sense he was being swung around at great speeds. But then he heard a hiss and a roar , and the ice around him melted into water!

Toren fell out of the snowman’s body just in time to see the Corusdeer springing away as part of the massive Snow Golem turned to water and mixed with the snow on the ground. He scrambled away and saw his sword, still embedded in the snowy giant’s side. Toren stared at the huge creation in amazement.

It was a snowman. A crude sculpture of snow come to life. Technically he was a Drake, but his appearance had mutated too much to resemble his creator or any humanoid species for that matter.

A while ago—perhaps near the start of Winter, a Drake child had made a snowman in the fresh snow. The energetic young Drake had given the snowman eyes made of pebbles, long sticks for arms and a tail, a mouth, and even a radish for a nose, but had forgotten the most important thing: clothes.

Unprotected from the external sources, magic had entered the snowman—whether by accident or on purpose—and he had come to life. It might not have been that bad at first; for all the snowman was hostile to everything living, it wasn’t fast and it was made of loosely packed snow after all, hardly a threat. But this one had managed to survive its creation, and it had done what all creatures do.

It grew. The snow on the plains was a banquet for the Snow Golem, and it had absorbed more and more snow until it was taller than a Rock Crab and just as wide across. It had two massive arms made of snow, and large rocks and stones had formed two crude eyes and a mouth on its face.

Oh, and it still had a tail of sorts, but it was more like a third leg.

The Snow Golem roared again, and swung at the deer. The horns met the fist and Toren saw a flash and then a cloud of steam billow up as the Golem reared back, cradling his melted hand.

Something exploded , and Toren realized some of the stones caught in the Golem’s body were overheating when the antlers caught them. That wasn’t a problem for him or the Golem, but the deer caught some of the shrapnel from the rocks and staggered.

That was the Golem’s chance to throw a huge clump of himself at the deer, but it vaporized and became water as the deer lowered its head protectively. The force still threw the Corusdeer on the ground, but it staggered upright and the two creatures began to circle each other.

They’d completely forgotten about Toren. These two natural enemies were so engrossed in each other, that only when the skeleton had climbed all the way up the Golem’s head did the Corusdeer notice he was there.

It paused, and the Snow Golem finally realized something was wrong. It raised its only good hand, but Toren just clung to the massive snowy head, and the clumsy fingers couldn’t pull him out.

That was the Corusdeer’s cue to dart forwards, and the Snow Golem had to focus on the ground. Toren stood back up, and looked at the Golem’s head. Now, how would you kill something made of snow and ice…?

Toren knew how he’d kill himself, so he applied the same logic to the Golem. He didn’t bother with his sword; he just buried his hands in the Snow Golem’s head and began to dig.

For a few seconds, the Golem continued swiping at the deer as it ran around him below, melting his sides and darting in and out of reach. Then Toren tossed another armful of snow into the air and struck the Golem’s center. Then the Golem knew pain.

The Snow Golem roared in fury and agony as Toren dug down into its head, scooping out snow that looked different from the rest. It was somehow even whiter than normal snow, and it felt colder on his bones. The pure snow melted as soon as it reached the air, and the Golem screamed as Toren kept digging into it.

Slowly, the giant behemoth collapsed, and Toren realized it was coming apart. No longer bound by magic, the Golem’s body simply slumped to the ground, a small mountain of snow and dirt and ice.

Toren sat up in the snow, and pulled his sword out with him. Now that had been fun. He looked around quickly, and saw the Corusdeer was staring at the remains of the Golem, as if unsure it was dead. It backed up as Toren leapt onto the ground, sword raised.

Now, back to the fight. Toren waited for the deer to charge. It was clearly waiting for its moment, pawing the ground, feinting forwards, but then the deer hesitated. It raised its horns, and shook them, but too late.

The horns went out. The white-hot light and intense heat faded, and suddenly the Corusdeer was just an oversized reindeer, bleeding and tired.

Toren blinked, but the deer was just as surprised. It pawed at the ground, shaking its head, but it was clear that whatever magic or energy the Corusdeer used, it had run out from fighting both Toren and the Snow Golem.

Too bad. But Toren didn’t mind. As the deer began to back up, he charged it, sword swinging. This time the deer met him head on, raking the skeleton with its antlers, but they did nothing. And Toren stabbed the deer in the side.

This time his blade went in several feet. It didn’t hit the heart, but it did strike something vital because the Corusdeer moaned and pulled itself away. It didn’t strike at Toren, but began to run as the skeleton chased after it.

Even wounded, even half-blind, the reindeer instantly outdistanced Toren. But it left a trail of red in the snow, and a wake besides. That was enough for Toren. He ran after the deer even as it pulled away, not discouraged by how fast it was moving. It would slow in the end.

That was the thing about Toren; he was patient and he didn’t get tired. He pursued the wounded Corusdeer relentlessly through the snow, cutting at its sides each time he drew near. It couldn’t run forever, and each time it slowed there he would be, stabbing at it, cutting it, ignoring the hooves and horns that smashed into him time and time again.

Blood ran into the Corusdeer’s eyes as it surged towards a forest, trying to lose the skeleton. He ran after it, but then the Corusdeer made a mistake. Half-blind, it never noticed the low-hanging tree branches and ran straight into them.

Toren clattered his jaw with delight as the deer careened left and into a tree. The skeleton was on the wounded animal in a second. The Corusdeer raised its horns and knocked the sword out of the skeleton’s hand. It tried to use that moment to run, but Toren was on it in an instant. He put two fingers together and pushed them into the deer’s other eye. The deer screamed , and Toren felt delighted.

This was fighting. This was killing. This was what he had been made to do. The world became a small, concentrated bubble of violence for the skeleton. He punched and bit and battered the deer as it tried to kick him with its hooves or stab him with its horns. But there was no heat. No heat, and the deer was weakening. Dying.

Toren found his sword and brought it back as the deer lay on the ground, hooves moving weakly. He stabbed the deer in the chest, and then the head, repeatedly, painting the snow and his bones with gore.

It was done. He had won. Toren regarded the steaming corpse, and then took a bit of snow and began to clean himself. Erin hated it when he was dirty.

[Skeleton Warrior Level 16!]

[Skill – Even Footing Obtained!]

Toren couldn’t sleep, and he never rested, so the level up notifications always appeared in his head the instant a battle was done or a game of chess was finished. He considered the words as he finished rubbing himself with snow.

[Even Footing]? It didn’t sound that useful, but…Toren lifted a foot experimentally. He began to walk through the snow, and realized the ground was suddenly far, far easier for him to traverse. How? It was as if instead of landing on slick patches of ice or divots in the ground, he was walking on a smooth, hard surface rather than treacherous terrain.

That was useful. Not just for killing things; Toren was sure he’d be able to go wherever he liked with this skill. It was definitely handy, but it was—odd.

Odd, yes. That was the only word for it. Just a while ago Toren had been worried about not moving fast enough. And lo and behold, he’d suddenly gotten a skill that allowed him to do just that. Was thinking and leveling connected in some way?

Perhaps. Toren didn’t know, but he could see the connection. And yet, useful as this new skill was, it wasn’t quite what he needed. It would still take Toren over an hour and a half to get back to the inn, even if he didn’t slip every few minutes.

Speaking of which…Toren glanced at the sky and noted the position of the sun. Yes, he had to return anyways, or it would be dark by the time he got back. No more killing for today. It was inconvenient, but he had orders.

The skeleton began to run back towards Liscor and the inn through the snow, as if he’d never been fighting. The mound that had been the Snow Golem and the slowly freezing corpse of the Corusdeer lay on the ground, to be slowly covered as more snow fell from the sky. Toren ran on, thinking only of Erin, the inn, and the levels he had gained. He’d killed two new enemies today; probably the reason why he’d leveled twice. The Snow Golem was a true threat. If he hadn’t been melted out of it, he might have been trapped there forever.

He wondered what he might kill tomorrow?

That was Toren’s first day of hunting. It was not his last, but when he returned to the inn, he found something new.

A girl.

She was sitting in the middle of Erin’s inn, on a chair, shivering in a blanket as Erin fussed over her. The girl had a cup of warm and expensive milk, and a plate of hot beef and bread besides.

And she was complaining.

“—filthy peasants and monsters! They should all be wiped out!”

Toren stared. She was probably a guest. Probably. But he had an uneasy feeling, made worse when Erin looked around and saw him.

“Oh, Toren! There you are! I was wondering where you were. Look, this is my new employee. Her name is—”

Toren didn’t hear the rest. He looked at the shivering girl, dressed in filthy clothes and staring at him with open-mouthed horror. He looked at Erin.

No.

No, she couldn’t be doing this. She was replacing him? Or—no, not replacing him. Toren listened as Erin explained.

She was going to work here? Doing his jobs? Why? Wasn’t he the only help Erin needed? He’d…

Was it because he’d left? Surely not. Erin was saying something about the girl being rescued or exiled? Toren didn’t quite understand. He didn’t understand a lot of things that happened or that people said. But he looked at the girl and didn’t like her.

Not one bit.

More things happened. Erin began fussing over the girl for one thing, although it appeared the girl was quite capable of fussing over herself. She made the other people who visited the inn angry, Toren saw that. The half-Elf, his creator, and especially the Gnoll [Shopkeeper].

Was it important? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Toren only knew two things. He had leveled today, which was good, and Erin was putting him in charge of the girl, which was bad.

That first night, Toren stayed up late, thinking, trying to figure out if he was being replaced or if this was just punishment for something. He felt his ribs slowly beginning to restore themselves; the bones were reforming out of the air, but slowly, draining the mana within him by quite a bit. But it wasn’t important like the new girl was.

Toren ignored everything as he thought. He stood in the center of the common room until he noticed the girl sneaking downstairs. She didn’t notice him as she snuck into the kitchen, but she did when he caught her hand as it was reaching for Erin’s pouch of coins.

More screaming. More noise. Toren followed orders, and the next day he was left alone with the girl to supervise her. He stared at her in shock, but it was mirrored on her face with not a little revulsion and horror.

He had to teach? Her? Erin wanted the girl to learn how to clean, but all the girl did was back away from Toren, screaming insults and calling him names. He offered her the dustrag several times but she just ran away from him.

At last, she stopped being afraid of him enough to stand still and try to order him around. The girl planted her feet, opened her mouth petulantly and pointed towards the door.

“Thing, I order you to— ”

What was Toren supposed to do? He agonized over the problem. He couldn’t kill the girl; he even had orders to protect her and ‘show her the ropes’, which sadly didn’t mean hang or garrote her either.

Okay. Toren could do that. He was good at following orders. It was just…the thing was…

The thing was…he didn’t care about the girl Erin had hired. He did not. He didn’t care that Erin paid more attention to her than to Toren, he didn’t care that the other girl was doing his job (albeit very poorly), and he especially didn’t care that she was a worthless waste of flesh and space.

She was just so tiresome, that was all. It was only that. Yes, only that. And she gave him orders which were…meaningless. They were just words. They didn’t bother Toren at all .

It was simply inconvenient, and Toren disliked the time he was wasting trying to teach her. But that all changed when Toren discovered he could do very enjoyable things to the girl when Erin wasn’t watching. It was fun; pleasurable even. First he used fists and feet, and then fingers, and then he just had to push to have fun. He could stare of course, but that wasn’t nearly as entertaining.

A distraction. In the end, that was all it boiled down to. After Toren discovered the fun that could be had from the girl, and managed to get her to do some chores, it became less of his problem and more of Erin’s. Teaching the girl was a mandatory part of the day Toren resigned himself to, which was only punctuated by a few enjoyable moments. He did what Erin asked of him, but when she was done and the new girl was sniveling or hiding, he went out and hunted.

—-

The Goblins were creeping through the snow, ten of them, dressed in grey winter pelts of some animal. Toren watched them for a while, but they weren’t part of Rags’ Goblins. He had seen them all, and they were coming from the south. He leapt up from the snow where he’d been lying, almost invisible, and ran the first one through. The second he grabbed and strangled with one hand as he began to slaughter the rest.

They couldn’t hurt him, not without magic or enough force to scatter his bones or grind them to dust. One of them tried to cast a spell, but Toren hacked him to bits before he could finish.

—-

The wolverine hunted through the snow, searching for something he could kill. He took a step and slipped on something smooth. Toren opened his jaws and bit upwards. A shame he didn’t have a Drake or Gnolls’ teeth.

—-

The second Corusdeer went down far more easily than the first. Toren had taken to carrying a small hatchet—one of the weapons he’d liberated from dead adventurers in the Ruins—and he threw it and scored a deep cut on the deer’s leg. It was easy to kill then; Toren ran forwards and cut at it from behind, evading the hooves with ease.

But this time, he miscalculated. The Corusdeer that had wandered too far from the herd was nevertheless within sight of them, and as Toren butchered the animal, the rest of the herd thundered towards him.

The skeleton heard a groan , or perhaps some kind of call, and then he realized he was surrounded. But Toren just raised his sword, and wondered how many of them he could kill.

The Corusdeer’s horns began to glow white-hot, and then the wind picked up. Toren glanced across the plains and saw that the wind had kicked up a cloud of freshly fallen snow. It blew towards Toren and the herd of reindeer, a wave of ice. But as it hit the deer’s glowing horns, the snow suddenly became steam.

They had been waiting for that. Even as the blinding steam rushed past Toren, the Corusdeer charged at him, dark shapes and burning horns and hooves in the haze.

Toren ran at them, howling silently. The first charge knocked him off his feet, but then he was among the herd, slashing, stabbing, tearing. The deer stampeded around him, and Toren felt his bones turning black and catching fire from the heat.

The deer were clustered around the skeleton, swiping with their horns, heedless of the heat which somehow didn’t set fire to their own thick hides when suddenly, as one, they turned and fled. Toren lay on the ground, bones still smoking, and stared at the herd as they raced away across the plains. He’d nearly forgotten about the gem of [Terror], but it had its uses.

It was half a day before he could walk again, but he leveled up from that battle all the same.

—-

The wild boar wasn’t one of the ones herded by shepherds of Liscor. He was an alpha among his pack, and he led them through the snow, foraging for edible food in this frozen landscape. In the summer of course they shed their fur, but right now they needed all the warmth they could get, so the herd huddled together.

Not just for the body heat of course; the boars were weak individually, especially given the numerous deadly monsters living on the plains, but together their tusks and explosive power could gore all but the deadliest enemies.

Still, this boar was taking his herd further south, away from Liscor. True, the threats in the south were just as bad; Rock Crabs and Shield Spider nests might be dangers around Liscor, but deadly tribes of Gnolls and other monsters like Wyverns would slaughter even a group as large as his.

But the alpha boar had made up his mind. His pack had just passed by a freshly slaughtered monster, a tall, semi-bipedal creature with leathery skin, and no face. It had only a mouth and no eyes, but its long talons and barbed forearms more than made up for its lack of sight.

It was a formidable enemy that was twice as tall as the alpha boar, and yet it had been brutally hacked apart. It looked like something had killed it, but not even stopped to consume it. What could be so dangerous?

The boar snuffled, raising his snout to the air. His nose was just as good as his eyes at determining where threats lay. He called to the rest of his herd and they followed him as he pushed a path through the snow.

Toren let them go. He was running low on magic from Erin, and he didn’t think he could win against the boars without using the ruby gemstone. And he didn’t level if he used that, or so it seemed.

—-

They were a Gold-rank team that had arrived late to Liscor. Late to the undead invasion, and too late to claim the best inns in the city, which was the most important thing. They weren’t happy about it, but they could still rent an inn to themselves.

“It beats staying at that little Adventurer’s Guild they’ve got in the City, that’s for certain.”

Halrac, their lead [Scout] and [Marksman] complained as they rode on horses through the snow. He peered at the magical compass in his hands and stared at the snowy landscape ahead before motioning the group forwards.

“I don’t think they would have had room for us even if we’d asked. Dead gods, what a city to come to. Are there no adventurers higher than Bronze-rank here?”

“A few, but the city doesn’t need many. They have a strong Watch.”

That came from one of the two mages. Halrac grunted at Typhenous irritably; not so much for the explanation as the mage’s riding style. He was sitting uncomfortably on the horse, who was clearly not fond of the older man, nor the tight grip the mage took on the reins.

“Well, that might be helpful for us. Less competition that way.”

Halrac pointed left, and the group skirted a Shield Spider nest. He kept looking around, but the other mage—a light-skinned girl with stitch marks around her hands, neck, and knees and a long robe sighed irritably.

“That’s only for now. Already Silver-rank adventurers and even some Gold-rank ones are flooding into the city. Word’s spreading about the dungeon underground, and even the undead invasion hasn’t scared many off. Did you see the one talking to the [Paladin] and one with the hammer in the back? That’s a Silver-rank adventurer named Frostfox; she normally takes on missions solo, but even she’s teaming up. Unless we get a jump on the others, we might be upstaged by a Silver-rank team, or another Gold-rank one. There’s already two in the city!”

Halrac opened his mouth to reply, but their leader, a man with a greatsword and magical armor replied. His name was Ulrien, and Halrac was even more concerned about his horse, which had to bear both the man, his sword, and his armor through the snow.

“No worries. The guardian of the crypts that attacked the city was more than a match for any Silver-rank team, or even a group of them. How many joined up to crack open that place? Four? Five? And they were all slaughtered by the Lesser Guardian.”

“Makes you wonder how we’ll do.”

Halrac muttered the words under his breath, but his three companions didn’t look worried. And in truth, he understood Ulrien’s unspoken point. Silver-rank groups might team up as much as they wanted, but even a hundred Silver-rank teams wouldn’t be able to match the magical items and abilities of a Gold-rank team.

“What about Named Adventurers? If some of them arrive—”

“If some arrive, we’d better have a good foothold in the dungeon already. Which is why we need to find the entrance, Halrac.”

Revi glared at Halrac and looked at the magical compass in his hands pointedly. He opened his mouth to retort—he and Revi got along least well—but he turned his focus back to his task instead.

“We’re close to the center of the magical disturbance, but there’s nothing but snow and dirt around for miles.”

“Damn. Another false trail? Should we just start digging and hope we hit a wall or something?”

Typhenous sighed loudly and pointedly at the two non-mages as he pulled on his horse’s reins to make it stop.

“Even if you wanted to dig however far down it is to this dungeon, I doubt you’d be able to blast through the walls without a serious amount of effort. Frankly, I don’t believe I could do it even with Revi’s help. No; we need to find an opening in the earth, or a surface tunnel. The compass should flash when it detects an opening of some kind.”

“It’s flashed five times already today, each time over a Shield Spider nest.”

Halrac snapped back at Typhenous, irritable and cold. He pointed at the distant mountains looming over the plains.

“It might be the entrance is in one of those damn mountains, don’t you think? And if that’s the case we’d better join up with other teams as well because the High Passes are not a place for a single Gold-rank team to go exploring alone. And stop gripping those reins so tight! You’re hurting your mount!”

“Calm down, Halrac. We bought these mounts outright; it’s not like we’re hurting the animals too badly. We’ve got potions if they need it, and we need to get a drop on the others. Let’s keep searching.”

The [Scout] scowled, but he gently nudged his horse into a walk again. He knew he was being irritable—well, moreso than usual, but they’d been travelling day and night to get here before the others. The [Message] spell Revi had received from Liscor had told them of the dungeon and its possible riches, and that was enough to motivate them to make the thousand-mile journey.

“Alright. Let’s head towards that forest over there. Odds are the entrance is buried behind all those trees or underground.”

Halrac began to ride in that direction, but raised his hand just as quickly. The other three adventurers stopped as he squinted across the plains. His vision was far greater than normal, and so he was the first one to see the undead.

“Is that skeleton…fighting a Snow Golem?”

Revi frowned as the group slowly drew closer to the odd sight. Yes, in the distance a lone skeleton was exchanging blows with a Snow Golem of roughly the same height. It was an uneven fight; Halrac could already tell the skeleton was going to win. It had speed, reach, and strength on the Snow Golem, and even as he watched the undead creature speared the Golem through its vulnerable head.

“Now there’s a sight. Do you suppose it’s one of the undead left over from the attack on Liscor?”

Typhenous shook his head again. He gestured at the skeleton as it stomped the Golem into the snow and planted its sword in the snow.

“Look at how it moves. It’s no ordinary skeleton. It must be a revenant of some kind.”

“Revenant? You mean a possessed undead? That’s dangerous.”

Halrac hated the undead. They were hard to kill with his arrows, and some, like ghosts, couldn’t be harmed by normal weapons at all. It was part of the reason why he worked in a team; a mage was always useful when fighting those horrors.

He’d already put an arrow to his bowstring when Revi grabbed his arm. He glared at her.

“What?”

“Don’t kill it. If it belongs to the city, we’ll have to pay for its destruction.”

Ulrien snorted in disbelief.

“I’ve heard the local Watch uses odd creatures, but an undead?”

“Why else would it be attacking a Snow Golem?”

“Maybe the Golem attacked first. Let me handle this.”

Reluctantly, Halrac lowered his bow. Revi shot him a smile which he did not appreciate or return, and opened a pouch on her belt. Halrac eyed the scrap of cloth the stitch-girl pulled out suspiciously.

“If you’re just going to destroy it, let me—”

“I’m not going to destroy the skeleton. I’ll capture it. If it belongs to the city, we can return it. Otherwise, I’d love to know how strong the spirit bound to the corpse is.”

“And steal the spirit? I’m not having an undead following me around. It’ll spook the horses.”

Revi rolled her eyes as she held the scrap of cloth to the air. It was flesh-colored, much like the fabric that made up her body.

“I’m no [Necromancer], as I’ve told you a thousand times Halrac. But I can still use a spirit, especially if its memory of being alive is still strong.”

Her hands began to glow, and Halrac uneasily moved his mount away from Revi as her voice deepened. She tossed the scrap of fabric into the air and spoke.

“ Arise, ancient warrior. Heed the call and return to fight once more. ”

A figure shimmered into being. He was a tall man, dressed in bronze armor, holding a mace and shield. His face was completely blank, but he snapped to attention as Revi spoke.

“Capture that skeleton. Break his limbs if you must, but deliver the skull and torso to me intact. Go.”

Instantly, the armored warrior shot off through the snow like an arrow. Halrac had to admit he was impressed by the man’s speed even in armor, he seemed to leap from spot to spot, so that each step covered ten feet as he closed with the skeleton.

As the two began to fight, Halrac eyed Revi.

“I still don’t understand how that’s different from revenants. They’re spirits of dead people bound into bodies and forced to obey the caster. How’s that different from your summons?”

Revi scowled at him as Typhenous sighed loudly and Ulrien shook his head. She was the newest addition to their team, Griffon Hunt, and he still wasn’t used to her. Come to that, he’d be happier if they were still hunting Griffons for pay. It was dangerous, but it wasn’t unpredictable like exploring a new dungeon.

“They’re constructs, not ghosts or spirits. They bear some of the power of their previous bodies, but they don’t have minds. I call them from the memory of souls past, but they’re not the souls themselves. If they were, they’d be far stronger.”

“And that’s your ancestor, is it?”

“Perhaps. Not all String People are related. His name was Kelthor, but he’s only a shadow of the warrior he was in life.”

“Still strong enough to take on a lone skeleton, though. I hope you’ve got enough for when we fight a real enemy.”

“With any luck, I’ll have another one soon enough. I can imprint the soul bound to that skeleton and let the spirit go, and then we’ll all be happy.”

Halrac was never happy, but he watched as the skeleton began to fight with the summoned phantom anyways. His eyes travelled to the right, and he called out to Ulrien.

“Corusdeer. A herd of them. We’d best not get too close unless you want a real fight.”

The big man nodded.

“I see them. We’re far enough away and upwind. The only risk is that Revi’s pet warrior or the skeleton attract them.”

“If it comes to that I’ll recall the warrior or banish him on the spot. Stop worrying, Halrac. Watch; the skeleton’s nearly done.”

It was true. A shadow of his past self Kelthor’s image might be, but he was still far stronger than a normal skeleton. Halrac estimated he was around Level 25, give or take a bit. Not enough for a Gold-rank with his poor equipment, but certainly the equal of any Silver-rank adventurer.

He was bashing the skeleton mercilessly, and the undead was falling back, unable to strike back. Indeed, the armored man was still unharmed because every time the skeleton did try to attack, his sword would glance off the armor or shield of the man.

“Ancient equipment. How old is this construct?”

“Oh, I got it from my grandmother. He’s declined in power since she used him, but it’s a testament to his original strength. And he’s quite efficient.”

Kelthor’s phantom had caught the skeleton with a strike that knocked one arm clean off. The skeleton retreated now, running backwards swiftly as he deflected strikes. Halrac cursed.

“Damn. They’re headed straight for the Corusdeer herd.”

“Not if I can help it. Kelthor! Stop the skeleton now!”

It was impossible for Kelthor to have heard Revi’s actual words at that distance, but he did nevertheless. He sprinted at the skeleton, swinging his mace faster. And the skeleton—

Halrac felt the chill on his heart and nearly screamed out loud. Fear, pure and unrelenting, suddenly poured over him for a brief instant. Revi and Typhenous cried out, and Ulrien gritted his teeth. Kelthor suddenly paused and stumbled backwards, and the skeleton ran towards the Corusdeer herd.

The [Scout] turned to the other adventurers, feeling the terrible terror gripping him dissipated as quickly as it had come. Ulrien fingered the protective stone at his chest, and Revi and Typhenous collected themselves as best they could.

“What the hell was that? ”

—-

The gem of [Terror] had worked. Toren scrambled through the snow, towards the herd of Corusdeer, knowing he wouldn’t get another chance to use it. The warrior that was alive-and-not-alive had only paused when he’d used it, which meant he was probably resistant.

And just as the skeleton thought that, the warrior with the mace and shield charged towards him again. He was so fast! He exploded through the snow, leaving a trail behind him as he dashed at Toren, mace raised.

This time the skeleton stood his ground. He swung his sword and dodged back as the mace flew at him. Too slow; Toren felt himself being sent flying again.

But this time, he was close to the herd of Corusdeer. They looked up as one of Toren’s ribs flew through the air above their heads, and then began pawing the ground as they sensed intruders. Perfect.

The warrior had paused, and Toren realized that the odd group of adventurers far away was probably controlling him. Slowly, he backed up out of the Corusdeer’s territory. Toren watched him go, and looked around at the deer.

They were igniting their horns, but not charging. Not yet, anyways. He slowly began to walk away from them as well. Towards the armored warrior, which was death as well. But Toren moved slowly, because he was waiting. Waiting…

They were almost out of range of the Corusdeer when it happened. A gust of air blew snow up into the sky. Toren had been waiting for that. He ran at the other warrior, and the phantom-man raised his mace. Toren knew he couldn’t win, not in a fair fight.

But this fight was about to get less than fair. Because as the snow blew in a cloud past the Corusdeer, it turned to blowing steam and mist as it hit their horns. The blinding fog engulfed Toren and the phantom, and too late the construct realized the danger.

He couldn’t see, or even breathe that well in the hot, vaporous fumes. But Toren had memorized the man’s position, and now he unleashed his gaze of [Terror] as well.

The man with the mace swung blindly, creating an arc of whirling metal around his head. He shifted, crouching low as he looked left and right, waiting for the steam to dis—

Toren’s purple flaming eyes appeared out of the steam, and his sword flashed forwards. His reassembled arm caught the mace and bone shattered once more as his sword flashed past the warrior’s neck.

The slight gap where armor met flesh parted as the sword cut through the ghostly skin. The man choked as blood spurted from the wound. Toren hadn’t expected that. But the phantom was real enough, and he sank to his knees, gasping for air, dying.

He looked up at Toren, and the skeleton thought he saw a smile cross the man’s face before his body dissipated, leaving his weapon, shield, and armor behind in the snow.

The steam vanished, and Toren was left alone as the Corusdeer dimmed their horns and ignored the skeleton once again. He looked at the dented bronze armor, a relic from time long past. He reached down—

And the arrow shattered his skull and sent Toren sprawling in the snow.

—-

Halrac lowered his bow and looked at Revi. The female mage was fuming, her eyes hot with fury.

“It was too close to the Corusdeer. If we went after it, it would only make the herd angry. You’ve already lost one summon—unless you can recover it?”

“No.”

Revi said the words bitterly. She stared at the armor that was all that remained of Kelthor, and shook her head.

“Once they’re dead again, they’re gone. If he was just injured I could restore him but—”

She clenched her teeth.

“What a waste. Let’s just go.”

She turned, and Halrac hesitated as he looked at the armor. It was lying in the snow next to the fallen skeleton.

“Do you want to recover the plate? It’s bronze, but it could be worth something—”

“ Tsk. Leave it. It’s just low-quality armor anyways.”

The adventurers left. Revi was in no mood to talk, Typhenous was saddle-sore, Ulrien was bored, and Halrac had to keep looking for potential dangers as they continued exploring for the entrance to the dungeon below Liscor. But the [Scout] kept looking back at the skeleton. It hadn’t been that strong, but it had been cunning. And what had that terror been? Some feature of the undead, or a magical item?

It was dead, though. It lay in the snow, unmoving. But then why did Halrac still feel uneasy?

—-

It took a long time before Toren was sure he wasn’t being watched, and his skull was finally reassembled. He sat up in the snow and stared around. Well, he’d nearly died again, but he’d leveled up. A good trade, he felt.

On cue, the notification began to read in his head, but with a pleasant surprise this time.

[Skeleton Knight Level 20!]

[Skill – Power Strike Obtained!]

[Skill – Weapon Proficiency: Shield Obtained!]

[Skill Change – Power Strike → Mirage Cut!]

[Skill – Mirage Cut Obtained!]

He was a [Skeleton Knight] now? Was that different than a [Skeleton Warrior]? And did that mean he had the [Knight] class, or was that different from being a skeleton? Toren had no idea, but he looked at the metal armor in the snow and decided that whatever the mysterious message in his head was telling him, it was a good idea.

The armor was cumbersome to don, but when it was on Toren he felt tough . Heavy, and far slower, but tough enough to fight without needing to worry about being disassembled with each strike. He took the shield but left the mace in the snow; he preferred cutting weapons anyways.

It was a long and slow trek back to the inn. Toren was worrying how Erin would react when she saw the armor. Maybe he could hide it? It had never occurred to him to hide anything, or to trick her, rather. But it beat her asking questions, and of course, it wasn’t as if she owned the armor. It was Toren’s. He’d won it.

The annoying girl was probably going to be his responsibility when he got back. Toren dreaded that. Couldn’t he slow down?

Toren was pondering all of this as he slowly walked back to the inn. Then his head snapped up. He saw the struggling shapes on the hill before he heard the sounds of fighting. Toren saw furred shapes—brown, grey, and black mainly, struggling around the inn, and several figures fighting. One held a sword; the others warded the Gnolls off with magic while one more had no weapons and was fighting with her fists.

There was no time for thought, no time for action. Toren had no heart, but he felt a shock at his very core. Erin was in danger. Like her, hate her, he still had his duty. She was under attack, and that meant he would fight.

Toren drew his sword and shield, and charged.

2.25

She was dying. Lyonette du Marquin registered this fact with bitter acceptance. She lay in the snow and knew it.

She’d stopped moving. Lyonette knew she should keep moving, keep walking, but she was too tired. The biting, painful cold had stopped a while ago, and now she was feeling almost warm.

But she was still dying. It was hard to open her eyes, and Lyon knew when she closed them next, she would never open them. So. Death. The knowledge was bitter, but at least it would stop the pain.

What would be far worse, or so the girl felt, was that her death would be ignoble and untold. She would die like a dog, and that was worst of all.

They had done this. The mongrels and lizard folk. Lyonette clung to life for a few more seconds just so she could hate for a while longer.

Curse them. If she had one last wish, she would have sent fire and death to that city of monsters, Liscor. They had killed her. Her, a scion of the Marquin house, one of the Hundred Families of Terandria, Sixth Princess in line to the Eternal Throne of Calanfer.

And they hadn’t even the courage to kill her outright. Instead, she had been exiled, sent to wander through the snow until she collapsed. If she’d had her rings or cloak or any of her heirlooms—

But of course, they were out of power. Drained completely from overuse; their bindings broken. And the wretched creatures had taken the few that still had power.

Lyon snarled weakly. Taken. What was hers by right had been stolen. She had been betrayed. That was the only reason she’d met this end. All these peasants, refusing to recognize her superior nature. If she had only reached Magnolia Reinhart. Then—

The world was cold. Lyonette lay still on the ground. She looked up into the cold, grey sky and breathed out. Her eyes closed and—

Erin charged over the top of the hill and skidded down the side. She ran straight towards Lyon, but didn’t see the girl. Lyonette saw Erin approaching first with incredulity, then hope, and then alarm when she realized the girl wasn’t stopping .

“Where is she? Where is she? I can’t—whoa!”

Lyonette felt a foot slam into her stomach and then Erin landed on top of her. The young girl gasped as Erin flailed about frantically.

“What was that? What—oh.”

Death was preferable to life at the moment. Lyon curled up into a ball of pain and then felt something touching her. She jerked and flailed at it feebly, but then—warmth.

“Here. Hold still. Oh man, you’re so cold. Let me wrap this—”

A thick woolen blanket wrapped itself around Lyon as if by magic, the girl felt part of the chill on her lessening. And then she looked up and saw Erin.

The girl smiled down at Lyon with genuine kindness, warmth, and a bit of guilt.

“Um. Hi.”

Lyon blinked at her. Another human? Another girl? Her cold-addled brain struggled to work, and her mouth wasn’t helping.

“W-w-wha—?”

“I’m Erin Solstice. And you’re freezing. I have an inn nearby; can you stand?”

Instinctively, Lyon tried to move her legs, but they’d been stuck in one place for too long. Erin leaned forwards and Lyon got a good look at her face.

She was nothing special to look at. Part of Lyon thought that as it judged the other girl’s rough clothing, her unmannered appearance, speech, and conduct. But the other, larger part of Lyon looked at Erin and saw something shining.

Erin held out a hand and smiled. And she was like the sun. She melted the cold gripping Lyon.

“Come with me if you want to live. I’ve got crepes!”

The other girl’s hand reached out and took Erin’s. Lyon couldn’t help it. Erin lifted her to her feet easily. Lyon tried to move, and gasped in pain. Her legs were numb and painful at the same time.

“Here. Lean on me.”

Erin bent down and got under Lyon, helping the girl. Half-dragging, half-supporting the girl, she made her way back through the snow.

Lyon didn’t know what was happening. She didn’t really hear Erin as the other girl panted and tried to introduce herself and then gave up. She just knew she was being saved, and like a ship-wrecked survivor, she clung to hope.

The inn stood on the hilltop in the distance, promising shelter, warmth, and food. Lyon’s knees buckled at the sight, and Erin caught her.

“Come on. We’re nearly there!”

Lyon needed no encouragement. She fought for more strength as the two girls began to ascend the gentle slope. Suddenly, she began to believe she might actually live. The knowledge was sweet joy.

She took five more steps towards the inn, and began wondering how much coin Erin had, and whether the girl had a horse Lyon could take.

—-

“My name is Lyonette.”

That was how the girl introduced herself after Erin had stoked the fire, gathered as many blankets as possible, and made some hot soup. Lyonette sat in front of the fire, shivering, cold, and now, suddenly, imperious.

Lyon nodded regally at Erin, and gestured to her inn.

“We—I thank you for your assistance in my time of dire need. You will be handsomely rewarded when I am restored to my proper station, I promise you.”

Erin blinked. It was hard to take anything the girl said seriously. She looked like a multi-colored marshmallow with a tiny human head sticking out of it, so many blankets had Erin wrapped around her. Plus, her nose was drippy.

“Oh, it was no problem. I was happy to help. When I heard you were out in the cold, I couldn’t just let you die.”

“Just so.”

The girl looked around the inn and sniffed. Erin wondered if she had any tissues, when Lyonette looked back at her.

“I will stay at your inn for a while longer, perhaps a day or two. Then I will require assistance travelling north.”

Well, that seemed reason—hold on. Erin’s mind backtracked and focused on Lyon’s words. Somehow, she felt like the girl had missed a step. Or ten.

“What? Uh, no. No…I’m not sure what I said—I don’t think I said anything like that—but I’m not helping you travel. In fact, I was going to give you a job working here.”

“ What? ”

Now it was Lyon’s turn to pause and think. She stared at Erin in shock, and then fury.

“You would have me work here , like a peasant? I am grateful for your help, make no mistake, but I require help.”

Erin chose her words carefully.

“I think I am helping you. A lot, actually. And I’m willing to offer you a job working here. It wouldn’t be hard—well, it might be hard at first, but you’ll get used to it. And I’ll give you room and board, and even some money. I can’t pay much but—”

Lyonette stood up, shedding her blankets. She stared hard at Erin.

“I intend to go north as soon as possible. I will not stay another minute in this—this hellhole of abominations and freaks!”

Erin twitched at the word ‘abomination’. But she still kept her calm.

“If you want to do that, I won’t stop you. But I’m not going to help you.”

Lyon raised her chin and her eyes flashed.

“I order you to assist me!”

“No.”

The girl stared darkly at Erin for a few moments, and then, alarmingly, suddenly switched to placid calm. She sniffed, and looked back towards the fire.

“Very well. I will rest here instead.”

Erin didn’t need to be suspicious; she already was. But she modulated her tone to calm, friendliness.

“Okay, great! In that case I’ll wake you up at breakfast. You can rest today, but tomorrow I’ll show you the ropes. In a few days—”

Lyon frowned.

“I am not going to work. I said I would rest.”

“Yeah…but if you’re going to stay here, you’ve got to work.”

“Am I not your guest? And I am—weak. Why would you force me to work?”

Lyonette looked hurt and reproachful. Erin’s friendly smile didn’t waver.

“Well, you are a thief, aren’t you?”

Lyonette’s face went blank for a second and her eyes flicked to Erin and then away. Erin had a sneaking suspicion the shivering girl was trying to think up a lie.

“I know it’s you. You blew up…well, you destroyed my friend’s shop and robbed a lot of good people. But I didn’t want you to die out there, so I’m offering you a job.”

“I don’t want it. I will head north as soon as I am well.”

Erin took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding. She hated this kind of thing.

“Well, in that case, you won’t be staying here, then. Sorry.”

Lyon stared at Erin incredulously. Her eyes flicked towards the snowy landscape outside, and she wavered. Then a sly look flashed over her face for a second. The girl lightened her tone, looking at the door innocently.

“I suppose I shall simply have to set out myself, then. In the cold and snow. I fear my death will be on your conscience, but then, you wouldn’t let me go out without provisions, would you?”

Lyon’s obvious attempts to manipulate Erin angered her more than anything else the girl had done so far. Erin folded her arms.

“A coat, and five days’ worth of food.”

Lyon stared at Erin, caught off-guard.

“What?”

“That’s all I’m giving you. A coat, maybe some pants and boots, and food. You’ll need a bag to hold it, so I’ll give you that and point you to the main road.”

“But I will freeze long before I get to a city. You wouldn’t want that on your conscience, would you?”

“Not really, but I won’t give you any more help.”

Erin stared hard at Lyon. This was as bad as she’d feared. But she had to make herself clear.

“I’m giving you one chance, Lyonette. One. That’s all. Either work for me at this inn, or try to get to another city, but if you go, I won’t save you even if you die a foot outside my inn.”

Erin leaned forwards and Lyon leaned back. Erin’s gaze didn’t waver as she glared at Lyon.

“You only get one chance.”

The girl stepped back, rattled, and then moved away from the roaring fire. She looked at Erin and her expressions firmed.

“I am—”

The girl hesitated.

“—Of the aristocracy in Terandria. A minor House—the Clavalettes. I am distantly related to the royal family, and I will be treated with respect!”

“Really? Good for you. You’re still a thief. Take my offer, or you’ll be gone after dinner.”

Lyonette stared at Erin, her pleasant mask gone as well. Her brow and nose wrinkled and she hissed at Erin.

“Peon.”

Erin’s face went blank. She knew that peon was an insult, but she wasn’t exactly sure what the word meant.

“Well? Will you work here or not?”

“I will—under duress! I graciously accept your offer.”

Erin felt that last sentence should have been reworded, but she took it.

“Okay. Fine. Good. Now, I’ll let you stay here, but you can’t steal anything. And I’ll make sure of that, because I’m not alone.”

Lyon suddenly looked doubly wary, but she didn’t have time to move. Erin turned and called.

“Ceria? Do you want to introduce yourself?”

Ceria had been upstairs—the half-Elf had not enjoyed going searching for Erin, especially since the two had missed each other and she’d been outside longer than Erin by a good stretch. She descended the stairs and Lyon reacted by backing away.

“A half-breed? Here?”

She looked aghast. Erin frowned at her reaction and Ceria scowled.

“Oh great. She must be from one of the Human-only countries. Wonderful. That explains a lot.”

“What’s wrong? This is Ceria. She’s a half-Elf.”

“She’s a freak! An untrustworthy spy and troublemaker! I insist she leave at once!”

Lyonette stared with hostility at Ceria, who didn’t look that welcoming either. Erin opened her mouth, but Ceria put her good hand on Erin’s arm.

“I would watch your mouth, young Human. I’m a friendly half-Elf, but my kind isn’t always nice to people who offend us. I know you’ve heard the stories.”

Lyonette sneered at Ceria, but with a trace of fear.

“Children’s tales to frighten the simpleminded.”

“Oh, really? Well, not all stories are fake.”

Ceria slowly raised her other hand, and Lyon froze. Ceria had learned to manipulate her dead hand quite well, and the girl standing in front of her turned deathly white as Ceria brought it in front of the girl. Ceria raised her skeletal hand in front of Lyon’s face and flexed it slowly. The girl’s eyes fixed on the bleached bones in horror. Ceria leaned forwards, and Lyon shrank back.

“If you don’t want to find out which stories are true, I’d watch your mouth around here. And I’d tread carefully and obey every order as well.”

Lyonette backed away, nearly stepped in the fire, and screamed. Erin watched as she backed towards the corner of the room, turned, saw Toren standing there, and screamed again.

It wasn’t the first time Lyon had seen the skeleton. Erin had seen him come in earlier—from where? And introduced him, but each time Lyon saw him she screamed. Loudly.

It was almost funny, except that Lyonette had even less fondness for Erin’s skeleton, if that were possible.

“You consort with the dead? What kind of twisted monster are you? I defy your magic, [Necromancer]!”

“I’m not the necromancer. I just own Toren.”

Lyon stared at Erin, and then at Toren. She backed away from everyone, and only accepted some food from Erin at dinner. The rest of the time she spent in a far corner, glaring at everyone as she tore into her meal.

Erin and Ceria were discussing the problem with the Gnolls—and Ceria was adamant that there would be one—when Lyonette stood up. She left her clean plate and neatly arranged silverware on the table and stared at Erin, ignoring Ceria completely.

“I will rest now. I assume you have a bed prepared for me?”

“What? Yeah. Second room on the left. Do you want—?”

Lyon was up the stairs and out of earshot in an instant. Erin sighed exasperatedly, and Ceria shook her head.

“Regretting your choices? I don’t think she’s going to get any better, Erin.”

“She might.”

Ceria stared at Erin. The human girl looked down.

“Well, it’s possible.”

“And I might grow wings and dance naked in a grove, but that’s unlikely too. Look, it’s going to be a lot of work. Are you sure this is the decision you want to make?”

“I think so. I have to give her a shot, at least.”

Erin wasn’t sure. Not at all. But she had to try.

She had to try.

—-

The next day, Erin decided that yesterday had been a bad start. Yes, Lyonette had been rude, uncooperative, sneaky…the point was that tomorrow or rather, today, was a new day. Lyon could be different. She and Erin might really hit it off.

Buoyed up by what even she considered false optimism, Erin ascended the stairs and knocked on the girl’s door. Ceria had already left for the city; she always woke early for some reason. But Lyon had yet to rise, and it was already late morning.

“Lyon? Hello? Are you awake?”

There was no response. Erin frowned and knocked harder. No sound came from inside. Erin put her ear to the door and heard the snoring.

“Lyon.”

The girl didn’t budge when Erin raised her voice, but she did when Erin shook her violently. That was after gentle and insistent shaking; the girl could sleep!

“Whu?”

After a few minutes of irritated blinking at Erin, Lyonette scowled at her boss.

“Go away. I am resting.”

“It’s time for work. You’re working here now, remember?”

Lyon glanced at the window.

“It is far too early. I will get up in a few hours, perhaps.”

Erin stared as the girl lay back in bed and closed her eyes. Lyon quite deliberately rolled over to face the wall, away from Erin.

For two seconds Erin thought, and then she smiled apologetically.

“You know what? I’m so sorry . I had no idea it was so early, and—let me just apologize. I’ll let you sleep.”

“Mm. Good.”

Erin leaned forwards, speaking softly.

“But before that, can I just say one thing?”

“‘f you must.”

The innkeeper brought her lips next to Lyon’s ears and took a deep breath.

“WAKE UP!”

Erin screamed the words in Lyonette’s ear and the girl scrambled out of bed and away from her in an instant. It wasn’t quite as loud as when Erin had performed her one-woman one-iPod concert—she didn’t want to wake someone in the city—but it was still loud enough to deafen.

It was certainly an alarm clock to wake the dead or perhaps kill the living, because Lyon looked like she was about to have a heart attack.

“You twisted, evil—!”

“Lyon, when I ask you to get up, I mean it. You can’t sit around and do what you want, not if you want to actually stay here.”

Erin spoke over the girl’s insults, glad for her [Loud Voice] skill. Lyon stared at Erin and her face went red.

“ What did you just call me? Lyon? That is not my name!”

She didn’t even seem to have registered the rest of what Erin had said. Lyon pointed a trembling finger at Erin in outrage.

“I am Lyonette. You will address me by my full name or not at all!”

Erin thought as she folded her arms and glared at Lyon. That was fair, or at least it would be if a friend had asked it—or a stranger—or anyone, really. It was just the tone of voice and the outrage that made Erin not want to grant Lyon’s request.

“I’m sorry you don’t like it, but it’s a nickname. I’ll try to call you Lyonette if you want, but you can’t overreact, and you will listen to me. Got it?”

Lyonette glared at Erin. It was a good glare; full of hauteur and unrighteous anger and some genuine imperious force behind it. But Erin had been stared at by dead Goblins, an Antinium Queen, and angry Drakes capable of ripping her head off. She was the better starer.

The two locked gazes for three full minutes before Lyon flounced out of bed and down the stairs without a word.

“Where is breakfast?”

“We’ll have some after I teach you how to cook. In fact, you will be cooking your breakfast.”

“No.”

“It’s quite easy. We’ll make eggs. It’s hard to ruin eggs.”

“I will eat now . You may teach me later.”

Erin propped her hands on her hips. This new day approach was fading fast.

“You know what? It’s your choice. Either you learn to make food, or you can skip breakfast.”

“You wouldn’t dare. ”

It was amazing Lyon could deliver the line with a straight face. Erin had to fight not to giggle, but Lyon’s personality helped.

“It’s what I’d do to a spoiled child, and it’s what I’ll do to you.”

“You can’t treat me this way!”

Lyon snarled at Erin, actually snarled. Erin wasn’t impressed. Gnolls could snarl.

“I’ll treat you any way I want. I’m paying you. Well, I’m going to pay you. If you work.”

“You dare. I am—”

Again, the girl hesitated, but recovered quickly.

“—Distant relative to Magnolia Reinhart, and I will not be addressed in that way! You will treat me with respect, or—”

Erin gave up. She pushed Lyon into the kitchen, or at least, tried to. She wasn’t expecting the whirlwind of claws and teeth the girl became when Erin laid hands on her. That was the start of Erin’s no good, very bad, very annoying day.

—-

Lyon. Or rather, as she insisted on being called, Lyonette. She was a nightmare. Erin thought she was good with people—at least, she didn’t have many problems in school even if she wasn’t the popular girl, and she’d always been good with kids. Even the really annoying young boys.

But Lyon. Lyon was a class of brat unto herself. Erin had only begun to realize that yesterday, but today cemented that fact in stone. Lyon was a disaster.

She couldn’t cook, wouldn’t clean, and treated everything and everyone with disdain. She hated and feared Ceria, she refused to stay anywhere near Toren, and she disliked Pisces—which was fair—but not for any of his many flaws, but just the way he dressed.

After an hour Erin had had enough. She’d had enough questions of ‘why should I?’ or ‘what’s the point if it’s going to be dirty tomorrow?’, or worse, ‘do you know who I am?’

Erin dropped the dustrag she’d been trying to get Lyon to accept and looked around. She saw Toren in a corner, right where she’d ordered him to stay. Another fun feature of Lyonette was that she wouldn’t go anywhere if Toren wasn’t in a corner, and Erin had had to argue her into living with that.

The skeleton looked impatient, which was odd. Erin thought she was imagining it, but Toren was developing several human-like qualities. He kept shifting from foot to foot and glancing around, very unlike his normal, stoic, terrifying silence. She hoped he wasn’t about to start asking questions.

“Toren. You teach her…everything.”

The skeleton turned his head and stared at Erin. So did Lyon. It was hard to say who had more horror in their expressions.

Lyonette was the first—and only—one to speak. She glared at Erin as she pointed with a trembling finger to Toren.

“Unacceptable. I will not—”

“You will. I’m going to the city. Toren, don’t kill her or do anything stupid. Just teach her how to clean the inn, okay?”

Toren nodded. Reluctantly, Erin thought. Well, she couldn’t blame him, but at least she could trust him to do his job.

The skeleton didn’t look happy, but at least he was smiling. Erin ignored the fact that this was because he was a skeleton and always grinning, and left the inn. She knew she could leave Lyon to Toren; he never had anything to do.

—-

Toren was busy. He knew this, and he only wished Erin knew this. Moreover, he did not want to teach Lyonette anything, unless it was how to bleed.

But orders were orders, and if he finished this, Erin might give him a nice order that would allow him to kill things. So he picked up the dustrag, and offered it to Lyon. Cleaning was easy, anyways.

The girl refused to take the dustrag. She backed up, screaming, and tried to flee. Eventually, Toren cornered her and the girl huddled in a corner, shrieking and cursing at him until she calmed down.

Once fear had been replaced with contempt and hatred, Lyon tried to push past Toren. She didn’t have much luck because she was afraid to make contact with him, and he kept shoving the dustrag in her face. He was getting impatient, which was new for him, but Lyon wasn’t like a wall.

You could clean a wall, or climb it, or bash it down with time. But the point was a wall was something you could work on. Effort put in was effort gained. But Lyon refused to do what Toren wanted no matter how much time he put in, and that was…

Annoying.

“Move aside.”

Lyon ordered Toren with commanding tones, pointing. The skeleton made no move. He thrust the dustrag in her face and she recoiled.

“Get that away from me. I will not be treated like this. I am r—I am nobility! You will obey me!”

Toren wasn’t completing his task. But it wasn’t his fault! It was Lyon’s. The flames in the skeleton’s eyes burned hotter as she tried to give him more orders. Only Erin gave him orders.

“Thing, I order you to— ”

Toren dropped the dustrag and punched the girl in the stomach. Lyonette doubled over and retched. Toren watched with interest as her breakfast came up and wondered if he should hit her again.

“You—”

Lyonette stumbled away from Toren and her voice rose to a shriek. She started screaming at the skeleton.

“How dare you. I will—”

Toren walked over and punched her in the same spot. Lyon choked again and fell down. She curled into a ball and started whimpering.

Well, she was moving, but she hadn’t picked up the dustrag. Toren pointed to it. Lyon just moaned. So he kicked her.

She screamed, and he kicked her again and pointed. She saw the dustrag, and looked up at the skeleton. He raised his fist again and she scrambled to pick up the dust rag.

—-

“Erin Solstice.”

It was a bad sign when someone used her full name. True, people in this world liked different kinds of formality, but it was also about the tone of voice. Erin heard the warning signs in the voice, but since she knew and liked Krshia, she turned anyways.

“Krshia. Um, hi.”

“You have taken the thief into your home.”

Gnolls didn’t beat about the bush. Erin paused, and then nodded slowly.

“I did.”

“That is unwise. She will steal from you.”

“I know, but she was dying in the cold.”

“Yes. That was her punishment.”

“Death? She’s just a kid, Krshia. It’s not right. Look, I know she caused a lot of trouble, but—”

“You know nothing¸ Erin Solstice. She has done more harm to my tribe than any other. She is my enemy, Erin. Harbor her and you will break the bonds between us.”

Erin stared at Krshia. The Gnoll’s voice was hard and loud, and she’d chosen the middle of the street to confront Erin. That would normally have attracted a crowd, but the Drakes and Gnolls around her had taken one look at Krshia and decided to skip the show.

Her ears were as flat as her voice. Erin hesitated. She knew dogs. She liked dogs. She’d even had a dog that ate too many chess pieces and had to go through surgery as a kid. She liked dogs so much she knew it was a bad idea to pet one when their ears were flat. And Krshia—

“I’m giving her a chance. I’m sorry, Krshia, but I have to.”

“You have made your choice. Goodbye, Erin. We shall see what comes of it.”

Krshia turned abruptly and began to stride away. Erin paused, and then ran after her.

“Krshia, wait! Let me explain. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but—”

She reached out and grabbed at Krshia, but someone caught her hand.

“Aunt. Is this Human bothering you?”

Someone imposed himself between Krshia and Erin. A giant paw firmly grabbed Erin’s hand and she looked up, up into the face of a very tall Gnoll. He was tall, muscular, and, Erin couldn’t help noticing this bit: armed. A longsword hung at one side, and a large shield was strapped to his back. The Gnoll stared down at Erin, without a trace of friendliness in his smile.

“You are Erin Solstice, yes? I would not touch my aunt so lightly, yes?”

“Brunkr. Let her go. She is not an enemy.”

Krshia turned and stared at the Gnoll who had called her aunt. He let go, and Erin stepped back and felt at her wrist. It didn’t feel broken.

“Who—are you? I’ve never seen you before.”

“I am a warrior of the Silverfang Tribe. I have come here with my brethren, yes? We have come to guard, and assist our honored sister of the clan leader, yes? But instead of terrible enemies, all I see are thieves and backstabbing Humans.”

Brunkr gave Erin a wide grin, and stared hard at her. She did her best not to be intimidated, and held her ground.

“I’m not a backstabbing Human. I just wanted to help, that’s all.”

“Help? Help would be bashing in the thief’s head with a rock. I have heard of her deeds; if you harbor her, you are an enemy.”

“Brunkr. Leave her. Erin has made her choice. I will not stop her, but I will not deal with her either.”

Krshia spoke flatly to her nephew and walked away. He hesitated, but turned to follow her. But he gave Erin one last smile.

“I am here to fulfill my aunt’s wishes, and safeguard my people here. And that includes protecting our honor. Walk softly, Erin Solstice.”

Then he was gone. He strode through the crowd, generating a personal bubble of ‘do not touch me’ almost as large as Krshia’s. Erin watched him go.

“That. Is not good.”

She turned. She had been intending to shop at Krshia’s and ask for a bit of forgiveness and explain, but it looked like she was without her Gnoll friend. And without any Gnoll shops either, because she saw several Gnolls on the street giving her the stink-eye.

Erin sighed. She’d have to go to each shop to buy her goods, and only Drake ones at that. And carry all of it back herself. Wonderful. A short shopping spree had suddenly got longer, and probably more costly.

She just hoped this was the only bad thing that would happen today. After all, it wasn’t as if her day could get any worse, could it?

Erin knew full well it could, and that was even before she got back to the inn and Lyon started shrieking at her.

—-

“He hit me!”

Erin paused and stared at Toren as the skeleton stood behind Lyonette. The girl was red in the face as she alternatively raged at Erin and demonstrated with her filthy hands.

“And he made me clean up filth! ”

“Well, that is your job. But he hit you? Hard?”

“He tried to kill me! I demand you destroy him at once!”

Erin stared at Lyon. She didn’t see any bruises on her face, but…

“If Toren hit you, that’s bad. But I don’t see any injuries. Where did he hit you?”

Lyon hesitated, and then pointed to her chest and stomach. Erin frowned.

“Can I see? I mean, I believe you…but I uh, want to see how bad it is.”

The other girl stared at Erin in horror and backed away.

“You want me to bare myself to you? ”

The look on Lyon’s face suggested that Erin was a repeat sexual offender asking her to step into a back alley. Erin scowled at her, patience thin.

“Well, if you can’t prove he hit you—”

“My word as a noble should be good enough!”

“Not for me. And why was Toren so mad at you, anyways? Were you doing something you weren’t supposed to?”

“I was—”

Again, Lyon hesitated, and Erin smelled a rat.

“Look, he shouldn’t have hit you if that’s what he did. But I asked him to teach you, and I told you to listen to him. You agreed to do that when you said you would work here.”

“I never agreed to—”

“I am your boss. You’re my employee. You work for me, and do what I ask you to do, got it?”

“Boss? Employee? Why not just call me a servant and have done with it? I will not be ordered around.”

Lyon sneered at Erin and pointed to Toren.

“He struck me. Only the most craven and despicable masters would do that, even among the lower classes! I want him destroyed. Now.”

“No. You cleaned this room, pretty decently, so good job. Now, please do the upstairs. I think you can do it by yourself, so Toren doesn’t need to go with you. I’ll check on you in half an hour, but no one’s getting dismantled.”

Lyon’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re not going to do anything? I told you, he hit— ”

“ I will make sure he doesn’t do it again. Now, please go clean the upstairs, will you?”

Erin didn’t know that many swear words from this world yet, but she could have sworn she heard a really nasty one from Lyonette. The girl stomped towards the stairs, pausing to shoot daggers at Erin and Toren every few seconds.

When she was gone, Erin exhaled slowly. This was a lot of work, and the stress from her encounter with Krshia and now this was making her usual optimism take a dive into cranky town. She looked at Toren, curious. The skeleton looked completely normal, but Erin had to ask.

“ Did you hit her?”

Toren nodded. Erin sighed.

“Hard?”

The skeleton seemed to think, and then shook his head definitely. Erin scowled.

“That’s what I thought. But don’t hit her again, okay? Just…get her to work without hitting.”

Toren nodded, and Erin sighed. She couldn’t blame her skeleton, not really. He was sort of stupid, and even she’d thought about hitting Lyon. Well, he wouldn’t do it again, and she needed him to teach the girl.

After five minutes with Lyonette, Erin already had a headache.

—-

That night, Erin made a wonderful meal of spaghetti and meatballs. It was as good as any restaurant food, and she was really happy to have her [Advanced Cooking] skill. She ate two plates with Ceria, and the half-Elf talked with Erin for a long time about different foods she’d eaten over the course of her sixty-odd years of life, which included everything from raw insects to elegant cooking at fine restaurants in cities Erin had never heard of before.

Lyon arrived late for dinner, complained about the cold food, refused to wait to heat the food near the fire, made disparaging comments about Erin’s cooking, and sulked off after eating half a plate.

She wanted more in an hour, and Erin refused. She wasn’t feeling generous, and a night of hunger would teach the girl a lesson or make Erin feel better.

It was impossible for Erin and Ceria to stay up late chatting, so they went to bed early. That night, Lyon woke both with a scream as Toren caught her trying to filch food. It was a bad night, and even though Erin got to sleep again, she still had to wake up early. Because the next day, Lyonette was gone with all of Erin’s gold not hidden under the floorboards.

—-

“Where was Toren when she took the money?”

“I don’t know. Out? Getting water? He does chores around the inn when I’m not giving him orders.”

Erin glanced at Toren. The skeleton looked abashed, but also angry. He had a sword in his hands, which was premature, but matched Erin’s general state of mind.

“Can we find her?”

“Easily enough.”

Ceria rubbed sleep from her eyes and yawned as she stood in the ransacked kitchen. She’d been the first up besides Toren, and she’d raised the alarm.

The half-Elf concentrated, and an orb floated upwards. It looked like a [Light] spell, but this one had a small arrow in the center. It was pointing northwest, and slightly downwards.

“Looks like she’s running for the north road. She can’t have gotten far; she took a lot and she’s not exactly a [Runner].”

“How do you know where she is? Can you find people just like that?”

“Hardly. I thought this would happen, so I planted a tracking spell on her.”

Ceria smiled at Erin and shrugged.

“A trick we learned at Wistram. Helped when we snuck around the libraries at night.”

“Well, let’s get her.”

Erin stood up, genuinely angry. She should have expected this as well, but she liked to believe in the best of people. But she was starting to understand that ‘people’ didn’t really include Lyonette.

“Come on. Toren, you run ahead. Catch her, but don’t hurt her, okay? Then I’m going into the city and you’re going to teach her to haul water and do a bunch of hard work, got it?”

Toren seemed to sigh, but he was out the door in a flash. Erin stomped out as well, Ceria following right on her heels.

“Erin, you know I want to say it.”

“You told me. But—”

“Another chance? How many does she get?”

“A lot. If it means not letting her die…”

“Fine. But I’m keeping the spell on her.”

Erin looked wistfully at Ceria.

“Any chance you can magic her into behaving?”

“If I could do that, I’d have fixed Pisces a long time ago.”

“Oh. Obviously.”

They found Lyon only a few miles away, struggling to get through the snow. Much shouting was had, but Erin didn’t feel better. In fact, she felt awful. She left Lyon with Toren in the inn and went into the city. She almost told Toren he could hit her, but refrained.

That would be cruelty, and Erin wasn’t cruel. No matter how hard she wanted to be. Besides, Toren was a good match for Lyon. He was unwavering, inflexible, and he never got bored. If he didn’t hit her, the only thing Lyon was in danger of was overwork.

—-

Toren was bored. He didn’t like teaching Lyon, and he really, really wanted to hit her. But he couldn’t.

The skeleton stared at Lyon. She stared back at him, with a smirk on her face.

“You can’t hit me. I heard your mistress say it.”

Toren nodded grudgingly. He pointed towards a bucket on the floor, but Lyon made no move.

“No. You can’t order me around anymore, monster, and there’s nothing you can do to me.”

What fools these Humans be. Toren nearly sighed, but instead he raised his index finger and poked Lyon hard in the side. She squealed.

“Stop that!”

Toren ignored that. He also ignored her flailing arms and he effortlessly knocked her hands away. He stepped next to Lyon and did the same thing.

He poked her.

“I will not be coerced! Torment me all you want, thing, but I wi—ah!—stop!”

Toren ignored Lyon. If she wouldn’t do what he wanted, he would make her. He wasn’t allowed to hit her, but poking had never been mentioned. So he poked her hard in the side.

Again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And—

After the one hundred and fifty-eighth time, Lyon stopped screaming and trying to hit Toren and gave up and did what he wanted. It wasn’t as satisfying as hitting, but it got the point across, especially because when normal poking failed, Toren got a knife and started poking with that.

Lyonette complained of course, about the poking. But Erin just glared at Lyon until the girl shrank back and so Toren was spared any more orders. And he’d decided making Lyon work could be fun after all.

—-

It was after another day of difficult shopping in Liscor when Ceria invited Erin to visit the only other adventurer who’d survived Skinner. Well, the only one who was still in Liscor, that was. Erin accepted, out of curiosity as much as anything else.

That was how she found herself in a small room in the back of the Adventurer’s Guild, a place reserved for wounded adventurers. It had only one occupant: Yvlon Byres.

The young woman was everything Erin had ever dreamed of when she’d occasionally wondered if she could be a knight like one of her chess pieces, or someone like Indiana Jones or even a superhero.

Yvlon was tall, golden-haired, fair of skin…she actually sort of resembled Lyon, although Lyon’s hair was red and Yvlon had about a head of height on her and muscle and…

Maybe it was just their same posture, that of perfect ruler-straight perfection, and elegant manners. For all Lyon was horrible, she still ate and spoke like someone trained to it, and so did Yvlon.

And unlike Lyon, Yvlon’s manners matched her good nature. She shook Erin’s hand after Ceria introduced her, smiling.

“Yvlon Byres. An honor to meet you again, Miss Erin.”

Erin smiled back, and shook the callused hand, trying to stare Yvlon in the eyes.

She was…pretty. In fact, Erin would have ventured to say she was gorgeous before she’d come to Liscor. Her skin was mostly perfect, and she had great teeth, a shapely nose, and even nice ears. Erin wished she had Yvlon’s ears.

The only flaw was the skin which had been…ripped…away from the left half of Yvlon’s face. Not all of it; and in truth it wasn’t as if she’d lost her nose or anything like that. It was just—noticeable, that was all. The shiny scar tissue was still red and it was clearly different from her smooth skin.

Yvlon smiled bitterly at Erin and the girl tried to look anywhere else.

“I’m sorry. I—”

“It’s noticeable. Don’t worry about it. This is my penance. I failed the people I led, and I’ve been justly punished for that.”

“Don’t say that, Yvlon.”

Ceria scowled at the other woman as she took a seat next to the adventurer. Yvlon was still confined to bed, although the young woman seemed restless. Erin noted the suit of armor neatly packed on a dresser and took a seat as well.

“You and I both know that Skinner wasn’t your fault. How could we have known the door sealing him was unlocked already? Besides, Cervial, Gerald, and Lir were all there and they were all Silver-rank Captains. If they didn’t sense anything amiss, you wouldn’t have either.”

Yvlon shook her head. Her hand was tight on her bed sheets.

“It’s not about excuses, Ceria. I took responsibility for all of the lives of those adventurers when I took command, and worse, I failed to even keep my promise to honor their deaths. I have not a coin to give their dead families and loved ones, aside from my armor and sword. And I cannot sell those; they don’t belong to me.”

“No one expected a complete wipe down there, Yvlon. I’m sure the others will—”

Ceria paused, clearly not willing to lie.

“Well, all of us knew the risks. And Skinner’s dead, so they’re avenged. Just rest, Yvlon.”

The Human sagged in her bed, and Erin saw tears in her eyes. And this was the person Ryoka had disliked so much? Why?

“I wish I could be out and about. But my face—I didn’t want to use a healing potion. I need to bear this.”

“You’re just like Gerial and Calruz. So stubborn—”

Ceria sighed in exasperation, and bowed her head.

“You should use a potion. And then get on your feet. Look Yvlon—and Erin too for that matter—I’ve been thinking. Skinner was…a nightmare I’ve never seen before in my life. And losing all my friends and comrades—it’s crushed me. But I can’t give up now. I won’t. If their deaths mean anything, it’s that I should keep on living. And I can’t rely on Erin forever. So…”

She took a deep breath, and looked Yvlon in the eye.

“I’m going to go back to adventuring.”

Both Yvlon and Erin looked at Ceria, shocked; the half-Elf only shrugged.

“I know. But it’s all I know how to do. I could do small magics for money, but even I’d be ancient by the time I earned enough to buy any new spell books. And…I want to become stronger. I need to become stronger.”

Erin was still surprised, not least by the suddenness of Ceria’s decision, but Yvlon only hesitated a moment longer before clasping the half-Elf’s hand.

“Best of luck. I will get better and perhaps—my sword arm is rusty, and weak, but I’d be honored to journey with you if you’d have me. I must repay my debt somehow.”

“We’ll talk more about it when you’re better. I promise.”

Ceria smiled, and Yvlon clenched her hand tightly.

“Don’t go off alone, Ceria. I’ve seen too many adventurers fall after losing their party.”

“I won’t do anything stupid. I’m still recovering, and I don’t have a party. I’ll wait. Just keep focusing on getting better, alright?”

“I will.”

They talked for a while longer, about less important things. Erin had to tell a few stories to Yvlon of what had happened since she’d last been here and Ceria had to back her up before Yvlon would believe all the crazy things that had happened to Erin. She was especially interested in Ryoka, but all too soon a few hours had passed and Erin and Ceria had to leave.

Yvlon nearly tried to get out of bed before the two girls stopped her.

“I can walk, you know.”

“We know, but guard your strength. If you haven’t used a healing potion, your muscles will still be recovering.”

With resigned grace, Yvlon sank back into her bed. Erin noticed the bottle of glowing liquid by her bed stand and wondered if the former Silver-rank Captain wasn’t just a little bit pigheaded like Ryoka. But Yvlon nodded to Erin with far more courtesy than Ryoka had ever shown.

“A pleasure, Erin Solstice.”

It was, although somehow, Erin doubted she’d been as important as Ceria’s revelation. The two left quietly, and as they walked out of the guild Erin turned to Ceria.

“Adventuring? Really? Now?”

“Yes, yes, and yes, Erin. I know it’s risky, but…”

Ceria shrugged.

“It’s all I know.”

Erin chewed her lip, but couldn’t think of anything to say to that.

“Well, you can stay at my inn either way. My door is always open for you. And you don’t have to jump into it right away. You can stay as long as you want.”

“I know. It’s just—”

“Don’t worry. I’m not trying to talk you out of it; I’ll back you up! You do what you do best, and I’ll be ready with a hot meal and a bath. Well, Toren will have to carry the water for the bath. And I’ll need to buy a bathtub.”

Ceria smiled, touched. She patted Erin on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Erin.”

They both smiled. Then their smiles faded when they remembered who was currently living in their inn.

“At least she’s gathering mushrooms. I don’t see how anyone can mess that—well, poisonous ones—and she could not get any or squash them…huh…”

Ceria sighed, but then she smiled wickedly.

“Look on the bright side. Maybe she’ll fall into a Shield Spider pit and Toren will fail to save her.”

Erin turned and mock-glared at her friend.

“Ceria!”

“Sorry.”

“You should be. Honestly. I mean, if they scratched her a bit I wouldn’t mind, but…”

They laughed, and parted ways. Ceria wanted to talk to Pisces and Erin wanted to hunt for more sugar before she got back to her inn. Neither one noticed the furred shapes moving through the crowds towards the gates in a slow, but steady pattern.

—-

Lyon and Toren were gathering mushrooms that Erin wanted to experiment with when the ground caved in near the girl’s foot. She screamed and jumped back as the Shield Spider nest was revealed.

Toren looked down with interest at the sleepy spiders as they began to move and look for their prey. He looked at Lyon. She was paralyzed with fear.

Casually, Toren put one hand on the girl’s back and pushed her lightly into the pit.

She screamed, and flailed, and the Shield Spiders scurried over to her. Toren enjoyed the sight for as long as possible, until one of the Spiders tried to bite her.

Too bad Erin had told him not to let Lyon come to any harm. Toren almost sighed, although he would have needed lungs to do it.

He scared the Shield Spiders off with his gaze of [Terror] and then turned it on the girl. She screamed and peed a bit, but when she realized that Toren could turn the effect on and off, she ran to each spot. Toren jogged after Lyon happily, enjoying the screams. He mentally marked the spider nest for later, and wondered what he’d kill today.

—-

Later that day, Erin stood by a window, not looking directly outside but counting the shadows. She heard Lyonette stomp downstairs and sighed.

The girl had gotten back with a basket brimming full of mushrooms both poisonous and fair, and then locked herself in her room. Toren had gone out, and Erin was…busy.

She didn’t want to hear Lyon complain in any case. The girl was never happy, never satisfied, and now was not the time for it in any case. Erin sniffed the air and sighed. No. She looked around. Ceria…Pisces…they were both in the city still. And Toren was out hunting. No, not the time.

“He tried to kill me! ”

“Hello, Lyonette. What did Toren do this time?”

Erin nearly added ‘allegedly’ to that sentence. Lyon could never prove when the skeleton had done anything, and she refused to show an inch more skin than necessary.

“He pushed me into a pit full of horrible spiders!”

Erin eyed Lyon dubiously. She didn’t appear to be injured, only scratched and dirty, and Erin was certain that Toren wouldn’t be able to fend off an entire pit of Shield Spiders in any case.

“Can you prove that?”

“I told you— ”

“And I told you I want to see evidence. Besides, why would Toren do that? I specifically told him ‘no killing’. If he’s bothering you, I’ll follow you next time and see. But if you’re lying—look I need to take a break. We’ll talk about this later, okay?”

Erin turned. She really had to get Lyon upstairs, but warn the girl? She’d panic.

Lyonette emitted a strangled scream as Erin tried to walk towards the front door. She flew at Erin, hands raised into claws. Erin turned around—

And punched the girl in the face.

It was a good punch, and it had not a bit of suppressed annoyance in it. Lyon stumbled backwards, and sat down. She felt at her cheek. It was going to turn purple soon; Erin hadn’t hit her as hard as she could, but…fairly hard.

“You hit me.”

“You attacked me.”

Erin felt like she was back in elementary school, arguing with a kid over a fight he’d started. What boys never learned was that while pulling hair and hitting might work, Erin had a chess board which was hard, edged, and quite dangerous if wielded with force.

“You hit me.”

Lyonette appeared to be in shock. Erin didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t try to hit me. I’ve got [Dangersense] for one thing, and it’s going off—look, go upstairs and calm down and we’ll—”

“ You hit me! ”

Lyon got to her feet and screamed at Erin, face red. Her hands clenched into fists, but she wisely didn’t try to leap at Erin again.

“Monster! You violent thug! Criminal! Rogue! You filthy, horrible, wretched —”

Erin slapped her.

This time Lyon didn’t even make proper words. She just turned red, reached for Erin, and hesitated when she saw the look in the young woman’s eyes. She made an inarticulate noise and then she threw herself on the ground and began to sob.

Erin blinked. She’d been ready for an attack, or another fit, but Lyon just curled up into a ball of misery and began to wail. Erin had never really heard wailing done as well or as loudly as Lyon, but in this at least, the girl had some skill.

For a second, Erin’s heart wavered. But then she looked outside and remembered. She looked at Lyon, shook her head, and turned towards the door.

Erin left the girl to cry in the inn and walked outside, head bowed.

—-

It was a cold, snowy day outside. Even without the Frost Faeries, snow liked to fall, and not just in small doses. Erin stood outside and shivered. She closed the door to her inn, and sighed. Then she spoke into the air.

“I wish I’d never done it, to be honest.”

No one answered back. Erin took another step outside, and kicked at the snow, sending it flurrying into the air.

“I thought I could help her, maybe even make her a better person—before I met her. But I guess she’s just as bad as everyone thought. Worse, actually.”

Erin thought about this, and nodded.

“Honestly, she’s horrible. The worst person I’ve ever met…not that I meet many horrible people. I guess there are some eviler people in the world. Well, there are lots actually. But no one’s as petty as she is.”

She spread her arms out, helplessly.

“Ceria was right. Krshia was right. Everyone was right, even Pisces. She tried to steal from me. She’s not a nice person. She’d probably rob me blind if she could, and she wouldn’t be sorry .”

Erin bowed her head.

“And if I keep feeding her and trying to teach her, well, I’m not even sure it’d work. It might be impossible—it probably is. It’s not easy for me, and I’m stressed out and annoyed every day. This is the worst, and I regret ever hearing her name.”

Silence. Erin stared at the lengthening shadows around her inn. She felt the word on her tongue, and felt the air grow still around her.

The snow fell, and then stopped in the air. Erin stared around the open world, a gray world above, and an untouched land scape of white oblivion below. She stood on her inn, and felt the world pause for a moment.

She didn’t have to say it. She could still swallow the words, give up, walk away. For one moment, Erin stood on the abyss, waiting. The world held its breath and Erin savored the feeling of infinity. But then she spoke.

“But.”

It was the word upon which all things changed. Erin stared towards the sky, and spoke louder, speaking to the world and those listening.

“But. But if I don’t do anything, she’ll die. And maybe she deserves it. I don’t know. I can’t judge people. I don’t have the right. But I do know this: if she goes out, even if I give her money and supplies and Toren to guard her, she will die. She can’t make it alone. She can’t do…anything.”

Erin spread her hands out, a lone plaintiff in front of her silent jury.

“Why do people have to die? Why? Even if they do bad things—she’s just a kid. She might be horrible, but is that worthy of death? I don’t know. But I do know that if I don’t do anything, she will die. And that means her death will be because of me.”

The snow fell, and no one spoke. Erin took a deep breath.

“Another chance. It’s not about her. It’s not about one person. It’s not about doing the smart thing. It’s not even about doing the sensible thing. It’s about doing the right thing.”

She looked around. She looked into the shadows, and spoke to them.

“I can’t let people die. Not if I can help it. Not if there’s still a chance. She was a thief, but that was all. She didn’t kill people. And she needs help.”

Erin pointed back to her inn.

“I was alone, once. I was also useless. Maybe not as much as her but…someone saved me, once. They gave their life for me, and other people helped me survive. I wouldn’t be here without them. I won’t give up on her. Not yet. Not here. So—”

Erin broke off. She closed her eyes, and then spoke.

“So, if you want to get her, you’re going to have to go through me. Understand?”

For a second, all was still silence. And then it happened.

The shadows around the inn moved .

Gnolls stepped out of the shadows, tall, lithe figures shaking snow out of their fur. Covered as they’d been, they’d looked like part of the landscape. But now they appeared, and leading them was a Gnoll Erin recognized.

Brunkr stepped forwards. His chest muscles rippled under his fur as he stared down at Erin.

“She has harmed our Clan and deserves death. If you stand in our way, you will be our enemy.”

Erin sniffed. Wet dog. It was a familiar smell. She stared up at Brunkr.

“She is staying in my inn. She works for me. You are not allowed in.”

He bared his teeth at her. Erin didn’t step back.

“And you would stop me?”

“I would.”

Brunkr laughed. He looked around. At least twenty Gnolls were standing on the hill, all of them muscled, all bigger than Erin.

“And what will you do, outnumbered and weak as you are, Human girl?”

Erin stared at Brunkr, and shook her head.

“Nothing much. I guess I’ll just tell you something. Something very important that you should know.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“My name is Erin Solstice. This is my inn. And. You. Are. Trespassing.”

Erin clenched her fist, thumb over knuckles just like Calruz had taught her. She punched Brunkr in the stomach as hard as she could. He blinked down at her and smirked.

He was still smirking when Erin’s leg came up.

“ [Power Strike]! ”

She kicked him in the groin and the Gnoll’s eyes rolled up in his head. He clutched at his groin and toppled over. Erin looked around at the other Gnolls.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Bring it!”

The Gnolls looked at each other. They stared at their fallen comrade, at Erin, and then at the inn. They howled, and charged.

2.26

Selys sat in her guild and desperately scribbled in the guestbook she’d borrowed from Erin. She had so many new adventurers flooding in to the guild recently, she thought she’d never get all the entries done and organized.

That was the thing not many people realized about adventuring. Sure, being able to hack apart a five-eyed slug that spat flaming acid was important, but did anyone think about who had to assess the bloody pieces and make sure it was actually an acid- spitting slug and not one that spat some kind of liquid flame? The bounties on those two varieties were different, and the paperwork that had to be done to make sure adventurers got paid on time was horrendous.

Even worse was the scheduling. Sure, you had a room full of warriors, but who did you send where? Obviously, sending a melee-group against a Rock Crab meant you’d end up with a bunch of red smears unless the adventurers were very high level, but then, who would you send? Mages needed backup, but independent adventurers didn’t work well together, and teams always had an agenda.

It was a tricky thing, running a guild like this. Selys was one of the older receptionists here, and certainly one of the most experienced, which meant that she often had to shoulder a lot of the responsibility. Her grandmother was Guildmaster, but up until now there hadn’t been much of a Guild to run, and so no one was ready for the tide of adventurers that had flooded into the city.

Selys scribbled another entry into her guestbook. At this rate, she’d never get it done. With one earhole she tried to listen to the person talking to her.

“Hmm? What’s that Messy? Another fight?”

Messyl, or Messy as he was known by everyone, made a face and raised his voice above the hubbub of the adventurers. He wasn’t an adventurer—he was just an apprentice [Carpenter], and a rather dreadful one at that. But he was a childhood friend, and so Selys reluctantly looked up as he spoke.

“I said, it’s the Gnolls! They left the city and went out, a whole lot of them! Some had weapons, and they were going towards that inn of yours.”

Selys dropped her quill.

“What? No. Why would they do that?”

Messy rolled his eyes expressively. He had slightly bulbous eyes, even more unusual on a Drake than a Human. His red-scaled tail thrashed with excitement as he spoke.

“The thief, why else? That new group of Gnoll warriors was not happy when they heard what she’d done. I heard they were howling all last night, and now—”

Selys had no time for the whys and wherefores of Gnoll politics. She stood up from her stool.

“If they’re going after the thief, Erin’s going to do something. I have to stop them!”

Messy eyed Selys dubiously.

“I don’t think you’re going to be able to talk down the Gnolls. They seem really angry. How did you not realize this was happening?”

“I’ve been here all day! I didn’t hear anything!”

Selys tried to think. Her tail lashed her stool as she looked around desperately.

“Krshia. Krshia can’t have been okay with this. I need to see her.”

It was abandoning her job, but Selys didn’t care. She stood up, and looked around the room. Could she leave this lot unattended and not come back to a smoldering ruin?

There were the usual assortment of Drakes and Gnolls in the building, but they were now joined by a sizable group of humans and some…not-humans. Selys’ eyes lingered on a group of three sitting in the back. They were one of the three Gold-rank teams who’d entered the city, and she had no idea what to do with them.

But then she spotted three adventurers who stood out from the rest. Mainly because they were all watching her.

Three Gnolls were staring directly at her, even as the other adventurers chatted and drank at their tables. Selys’ eyes darted towards the door, but one of the Gnolls was standing right next to it.

Selys gulped. It took no mean feat of the imagination to guess why they were here. Gnolls never did anything halfway, and if Krshia didn’t know some of them were going to kill the thief, they wouldn’t want anyone telling her. And while Selys knew there were other Drakes and even Humans in the room, she was just a receptionist. She didn’t think they’d stand up for her if some Gnolls decided to block her way. And if they did…

Selys was no fighter, even if she had the [Warrior] class now. She imagined what would happen if she tried to push her way past, and decided a full-scale fight inside the Guild was not something she wanted to be involved in.

But Krshia had to be told. Selys eyed the Gnolls again, and had an idea. The Drake’s tail twitched a few times, and then she slowly looked at the Drake in front of her.

“Messy? I’m going to check on our supplies in the back. Will you cover for me?”

The Drake gaped at Selys.

“What? I’m not a [Receptionist], Selys! What should I do?”

“It doesn’t matter. Just sit here and answer questions, okay?”

Selys slipped out from behind the counter and shoved her friend into the seat. He looked around helplessly as Selys eyed the Gnolls. They were waiting for her to make a break for it, she knew. She didn’t keep them waiting long. Selys ran—just not in the direction they were expecting.

The Gnolls blinked as Selys darted up the stairs. Two of the Gnolls rushed up after her. The other adventurers looked around, confused, and one of the not-quite Humans stood up.

“That was interesting. Should we have a look?”

“I don’t see why not.”

That came from a big…man sitting on the ground. He stood up as his two companions did likewise.

“An inn outside the city. Hm. It rings a bell. Isn’t that where the half-Elf is staying?”

“Coincidence? She might not be mixed up in it.”

“From all I’ve heard of Ceria Springwalker, she probably is. Let’s go, you two. We can at least see what all the fuss is.”

The big half-man walked towards the door, and everyone in his way made themselves scarce. Everyone but the Gnoll at the door, that was. The Gnoll looked up and hesitated, but he had orders.

Casually, the Gnoll stuck a furred arm to block the three adventurer’s passage. The Gnoll smiled up at the one in front.

“You do not want to leave, no?”

“I rather think we do. Could I persuade you to stand aside?”

“No, no. I have heard what you said and it would not be wise, no?”

The big ‘man’ chuckled.

“Wisdom has seldom been our asset. But I can see you won’t be budge. So…”

Delicately, the adventurer reached out. He flicked the Gnoll on the forehead lightly, and the Gnoll blinked and folded up as his eyes rolled back in his head.

The half-human looked around at the other two half-humans and smiled ruefully.

“Well. It looks like this might be very interesting after all. Shall we go?”

—-

Erin hated fighting. She hated when it happened, she hated that she could die, she hated the necessity of it, and the fact that she was actually good at fighting. At least, that was what Calruz had told her.

But in this world it was fight or flight or let a girl die, so Erin chose to fight. She just wished it was easier.

“[Power Strike]!”

She felt her knee connect hard with something, and then the Gnoll charging her grunted in pain. That was the second one she’d hit in the groin, but the problem was that this one wasn’t a guy. And for some reason, while Erin had hit the Gnoll hard, she hadn’t hit the Gnoll a quarter as hard as the skill should have allowed her to do.

The female Gnoll raised a paw and Erin ducked as it whished over her head. She punched the Gnoll twice in the stomach, shouting all the while.

“[Power Strike]! [Power Strike]! Why isn’t this—[Power Strike]!”

The Gnoll grunted and stepped back as Erin hit her. She was big, but Erin had been taught how to hit hard and she had [Lesser Strength]. The Gnoll swiped at Erin again, but she was clearly no warrior. In fact, she was short for a Gnoll, and Erin had the sneaking suspicion she was a teenager.

That made Erin feel guilty as she slugged the Gnoll as hard as she could in the stomach. The female Gnoll gasped and bent over, clutching her stomach, and Erin hit her on the cheek. The Gnoll fell down, and Erin stumbled away, gasping.

One down, a pack to go. The others weren’t going for Erin, though. They were trying to force their way in through the front door, and one had already begun smashing at the door.

“What’s happening? Who’s out there?”

Erin’s heart sank as she heard Lyon’s voice. The girl had no idea what was happening, and she was demanding answers in a high-pitched, frightened voice.

“I order you to tell me what is going on! Who’s out there?”

A snarl was her answer as one of the Gnolls smashed into the door with all his weight. Lyon shrieked and Erin dashed towards the Gnolls.

“Hide!”

Erin shouted at Lyon as she rammed into the first Gnoll from behind. He spun as she punched at him, but Erin twisted her head and hit him just under his ribcage.

“ [Power Strike]! ”

But again, Erin’s fist only struck the Gnoll with bruising strength, not the incredibly heavy blow that she’d used on Brunkr. Erin stared at her fist as she darted backwards, making the Gnoll run after her.

“Why isn’t it working!?”

“Hrr. Can’t do it more than once.”

Erin turned. Brunkr was back on his feet. He was wincing and bending over at the waist, but he was also very, very angry. He seized Erin’s fist as she punched at him and twisted.

“Aagh!”

Erin had to move or have her arm wrenched out of her socket. She bent sideways as Brunkr growled at her and the other Gnolls began ramming the door. Lyon’s screaming was the backdrop to Brunkr’s growling voice.

“Good kick. Now it is my turn, no? My Aunt may want you alive, but that does not mean unharmed, no?”

Well, that was a relief. She wasn’t going to die , but she was going to be horribly beaten up. Erin gulped and then tried to kick Brunkr in the nuts again. He caught her leg, and now Erin was hopping on one foot while she was all twisted up.

“First we will teach you a lesson, no? Then we will deal with the thief.”

“No.”

Brunkr turned. A shimmering ray of frost passed by his ear and struck a Gnoll in the back. The Gnoll howled in pain and confusion as ice spread across his back and he collapsed.

“Put her down and tell your friends to move away from the inn.”

“Ceria!”

Erin stared down the hill at the two mages and Brunkr snarled . Ceria was standing next to Pisces, her skeletal hand raised and pointing at Brunkr’s chest. Pisces stood next to her. He was holding a hamburger and trying to cram the rest of it into his mouth.

“This does not concern you, mages. Leave.”

Pisces looked like he was considering it, but Ceria just narrowed her eyes.

“Put Erin down. You’re not committing murder while I’m around.”

Brunkr scowled darkly down at the half-Elf. He nodded towards the door as he held Erin’s arm and leg.

“She is deserving of death.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

“We will not be stopped.”

So saying, Brunkr lifted Erin above his head and then hurled her at the two mages. Erin felt the world whirling around her as she flew through the air.

“ Hooooooooly— ”

Erin crashed into Ceria and Pisces and scrambled to pick herself up. She couldn’t. She was completely winded and could only writhe on the ground in pain. Pisces was groaning, but Ceria raised her skeletal hand and shouted.

“[Snowy Blast]!”

Lying on the ground, Erin heard a whumph and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. She looked up just in time to see the half-Elf blast another Gnoll off his feet with a massive burst of snow.

Brunkr snarled and descended the hill towards Ceria. She raised a finger and pointed.

“[Ray of Frost].”

A thin beam of shimmering light extended from her skeletal finger and struck Brunkr’s shield as he raised it just in time. The ice that formed around the shield and the intense cold made the Gnoll snarl in pain, but he kept coming.

“Pisces.”

“I’m up. Agh. Springwalker, do something about the ground, would you? They might not be warriors, but there are a lot of them.”

Pisces pushed himself up and rubbed at his head. He raised one hand and flicked an orb of fire at Brunkr as the Gnoll tried to advance. The Gnoll started dodging, but Pisces twisted his hand and the ball of fire flew around the shield and struck the Gnoll’s chest.

Erin heard a howl of pain and smelled burning fur, but then she saw a Gnoll had managed to bow the door of her inn inwards a bit. She didn’t know how she got up and ran the distance so fast, but then she was on his back, punching and hitting him wildly.

Fighting. Dodge, punch, kick. It was like Erin was learning to fight from Calruz again, only this time she was surrounded. And getting hurt. The Gnolls weren’t a friendly Minotaur or even Toren. They weren’t carrying weapons, but they were getting sick of pulling their punches.

Erin was in the thick of the fighting, punching, ducking, and getting hit. Erin reeled back as furred paw smacked the stars into her vision and swung a few times at the Gnoll in front of her. There were so many . And they were angry!

Brunkr was at the door, trying to break it down. But even his strength was having trouble with Antinium construction. The wood was splintering, but the Gnoll in front of Erin was too quick for her to tag, and he kept hitting her.

Erin stumbled and tasted blood in her mouth as the Gnoll struck her again. She felt flashes of darkness around her vision and saw a fist coming in low and fast.

But instead of flesh, the Gnoll’s fist met a shield made of bronze, and as the Gnoll recoiled in pain, a sword lanced out and caught him in the gut.

Toren twisted his sword and the Gnoll stepped backwards, gasping in pain. Erin stared stupidly as the skeleton shoved the Gnoll backwards and the larger Gnoll fell on his back. Toren wrenched the sword free and raised it high.

“ No! ”

Brunkr had seen the skeleton and now he turned from his opponents. He dropped the battered Pisces.

Toren was wearing armor . And he had a helmet! That was armor, but…Erin’s head was spinning. Why was Toren here? No—why was he wearing armor? And was he…bigger?

But the skeleton had dropped the shield in one hand and was holding his battered sword in a two-handed grip. He raised it above the Gnoll who was futilely shielding his face with his hands and Erin realized was going to kill the Gnoll who’d attacked her.

“Toren! Stop! ”

Erin shouted desperately, trying to will oxygen into her depleted lungs. She reached out for Toren as Brunkr charged at him.

The skeleton hesitated. He looked down at the fallen Gnoll, and then started to lower his sword. He turned towards Erin and an arrow pierced the back of his helmet and shattered his skull.

Fragments of something red sprayed out of the skeleton’s eye sockets and mouth like blood. Erin screamed as Toren collapsed to the ground.

Brunkr lowered his sword in confusion, and the other Gnolls looked around. Erin turned, and the Gnoll in front of her took that opportunity to seize her arm. He was about to slam her into the ground when an arrow struck him in the knee and sent him sprawling to the ground.

The Gnolls blinked as arrows suddenly began to take them down from afar. Erin gasped in relief and Brunkr hesitated, and that was when all four members of the Gold-rank team Griffon Hunt charged into the fight.

—-

Halrac drew an arrow out of the quiver at his side and loosed it in one movement. His second arrow struck a Gnoll in the legs and the huge beast went down, roaring as he or she did.

The [Scout] could never tell the furry people apart, but it didn’t really matter. Either gender was dangerous, so Halrac loosed three more arrows at Gnolls, striking them in their midsections and legs to hobble them.

They weren’t lethal shots, and he wasn’t using arrows with points. He had a special type of arrow he used when fighting people, and the blunt arrows might cause serious damage or break bones, but they wouldn’t kill with healing potions being so plentiful.

“Someone get the girl!”

He shouted the words as his three comrades spread out around him. Ulrien charged towards the Human girl they’d seen being attacked while Revi and Typhenous took spots next to Ulrien. It was their classic formation, and Halrac knew what they were doing almost before they spoke.

“Give me a minute and I’ll cover this area with webs.”

Typhenous raised his wand and began pointing it around the hilltop. The old mage watched several Gnolls turn towards him without a hint of concern. Halrac kept firing into the scrum around the human girl, covering her and the door. He could hear another girl screaming inside. They’d have to get to the inn, protect both girls somehow.

But instead of taking advantage of their surprise attack to run, the girl was backing up towards her door. And she was fighting!

The girl punched a tall Gnoll repeatedly in the chest as he swung at her, dodging back as he swiped at her. Halrac cursed as he shot at a huge Gnoll carrying a shield and sword. This Gnoll was clearly a warrior class of some kind; he was blocking every shot as he advanced on the girl.

“What in the name of monsters is she—Revi!”

“I see it. Calm down.”

Revi was pulling scraps of fabric out of her pouches. She tossed three into the air, and shimmering figures appeared.

“Warriors! Guard us and protect that girl!”

Three armed warriors—two male and one female—appeared out of the air and met the Gnolls who’d been charging at the three adventurers. They swung into the Gnolls and smashed into them hard. Even the weakest of Revi’s phantoms was close to a Silver-rank adventurer in strength; far more than a match for untrained fighters.

But there were a lot of angry Gnolls and Griffon Hunt wasn’t about to start killing civilians. Halrac shifted his gaze as he drew another arrow and eyed the two mages fighting the Gnolls separately from them.

Another Gold-rank team…? No, they were using low-level spells. One was throwing small orbs of flame at Gnolls to keep them away while the other one had frozen the ground around them, making footing unstable while she blasted Gnolls with huge showers of snow that knocked them flat.

Then Halrac’s eyes widened and he nudged Revi. The [Summoner] lowered the wand she was using to fire magical bolts of energy and gasped.

“Gods. It’s getting up. Ulrien! ”

“I see it.”

The warrior had halted his charge towards the girl. He instead ran towards the skeleton Halrac had shot through the skull and thought he’d killed again. The shattered bone around the skeleton’s head was reforming, and it was pushing itself onto its feet, shaking its head in a very human way.

Ulrien didn’t give it the chance to recover. He raised his great sword up and slashed horizontally as the skeleton turned. The big man’s blade wasn’t sharp, but the force behind his swing nearly sheared through the armor anyways.

The skeleton crumbled to the ground again, spineless, as Ulrien placed his boot on the broken armor and wrenched his sword free. He raised the sword to crush the skeleton completely, and Halrac prayed it would destroy the wretched thing once and for all.

“ Toren! ”

A voice made Halrac glance away from his friend. Someone was running at Ulrien. It was the girl. As the man turned, the girl ducked under his guard and delivered a right hook that made him stumble. Protected as he was by various enchantments, Ulrien wasn’t hurt so much as shocked. He raised a hand, and the skeleton took that moment to stab at his legs.

Halrac gaped, but his hands moved faster than his incredulous brain. He’d lined up another non-lethal shot to take the girl down when he spotted something flying his way.

The [Scout] ducked, and the tendril-thin beam of magic just missed his head. He saw the half-Elf pointing at him, and suddenly realized the other mage’s arc of fire had just expanded towards him, Revi and Typhenous.

Halrac blinked as both mages and the innkeeper started fighting them instead. He gaped as a stone cracked into his shoulder and then the girl began punching at Ulrien.

“Dead gods! What are they doing? ”

Halrac had to take cover as Typhenous and Revi began erecting magical shields. His shoulder was on fire, despite the leather armor that had protected him from the girl’s throw. He glanced at Revi as everyone, Gnolls, half-Elf, and Humans, suddenly decided they wanted to team up on them.

“There’s more coming from the city. You kill that skeleton—I’ll hold them off.”

“Wait. Typhenous. Don’t—”

Halrac didn’t have time to caution the mage. Revi and Typhenous turned and began casting spells at another foe. Halrac cursed as he saw Ulrien was now trying to ward off the crazed girl and fight the Gnoll with the sword and shield at the same time. This was going from bad to worse.

And the skeleton was still moving. Somehow, even the damage Ulrien had done to it was being repaired, but slowly. Was it running out of mana? Halrac didn’t know, but he drew a special arrow out of his quiver anyways. This one would burn even the damn thing’s bones.

Halrac drew the arrow, sighted down the shaft, and then there was fire.

—-

Zevara hated Humans. Not just because they looked like pink, shaved pigs and they smelled horrible, but because they caused trouble.

True, Drakes and Gnolls caused trouble too, and Zevara was certain it was a Gnoll problem she was walking into right now, but she was also certain it was Humans who’d made the problem even worse.

One Human, in particular. And since Zevara had seen exactly what happened around Erin Solstice, she’d brought her best reinforcements.

“Relc, I want you to get in there and start cracking heads. Don’t use your spear unless you have to.”

The large Drake grinned at Zevara.

“No problem, Captain!”

“Klbkch. I might need Soldiers if the Gnolls start rioting.”

“We will monitor the situation.”

Klbkch and Relc weren’t the only pair of Senior Guardsmen in the city, but between the two, they represented the Watch’s greatest fighting strength. The Antinium nodded at Zevara as she led them and a group of Guardsmen up the hill towards the inn.

“I have heard another group of Gold-rank adventurers have joined the battle. How shall we engage?”

“Let Relc handle them. I’ll try to talk them down.”

“Why’re they here anyways? Did Erin bother them too?”

Zevara snarled and hastened her step. She didn’t want these adventurers in her city, but she had no desire to tangle with a Gold-rank team.

“Who cares why they’re fighting? They’re adventurers. They swarm to brawls like acid flies! Now—”

Her [Dangersense] that had been ringing in the back of her head went off loudly and Zevara ducked as a jet of something sticky flew right at her. It smacked into two Drakes and they cried out as the ball of webbing unfolded and snared them in place.

“Spread out! Relc!”

He was already gone. Zevara saw him sprinting towards a huge adventurer holding a great sword and a Gnoll—one of the ones who’d just entered the city—holding a shield and sword.

Zevara was more concerned about the mages, though. She recognized Ceria and Pisces—they were exchanging spells with two mages and an archer as Gnolls charged both. One lifted up Pisces and threw the screaming mage down the hill and knocked Ceria flat with one paw as she watched.

The Gold-rank adventurers were having a better time of it. Three shimmering warriors defended the group, and Zevara recognized them as summoned beings, brought forth by a [Summoner]. They were battering the Gnolls down with ruthless efficiency. One of the mages was firing bolts of magic that was blasting people off their feet, and the other was engulfing group after group in sticky webs.

That was the group Zevara needed to stop. She strode towards them, shouting.

“This is the Watch! Put down your weapons and stop fighting at once!”

None of the fighters around the inn heard her. Zevara didn’t have [Loud Voice] as a skill, and at times like this she really regretted its absence.

But her voice did attract the attention of the Gold-rank adventurers and one of the ghostly phantasms that was standing next to them. The tanned warrior turned and charged towards them. Zevara reached for her sword, but a brown blur appeared in front of her and met the phantasm in a clash of sparks.

“Klbkch!”

He fell back as the ghostly warrior swung a huge axe at him, forcing the Antinium back. Zevara ducked as one of the adventurers raised a wand and engulfed three of her Guardsman and an equal amount of Gnolls in a sticky web.

Zevara pointed her sword at the mage who’d cast the spell. She shouted at him as she advanced.

“ Enough! Stop this at once! Put down your wand and—”

She got no further. A magical missile flew towards her and Zevara blocked it with her sword. The force of the impact jarred the blade out of her hand and sent the Watch Captain stumbling back. She looked up and saw another mage, a female with stitches around her neck and arms, pointing a wand at her.

That was it. Zevara hissed . She took a deep breath and spat fire at the adventurers. One of them shouted in panic, but the old man with a wand raised his and shouted.

“[Barrier of Air]!”

The flames spread out and vanished as they hit a wall of swirling wind. Zevara watched the flames dissipate, and cursed inwardly. She took a deep breath, and breathed a stronger jet of flame.

Again, the flames dissipated, but the mage had to throw up both hands to maintain the spell. Zevara gasped for air. The world darkened and turned grey as it always did after she used her birthright, and she tried to inhale. But she had to keep breathing fire. She breathed again, and the mages began firing at her. Her guardsmen returned fire with spell and arrow, and Zevara’s only conscious thought was that it was lucky Olesm wasn’t here. That way he wouldn’t see her kill that damn Human.

—-

Far below the surface, Olesm paused as Pawn and Bird both looked up towards the surface. He hesitated, a bishop in his claws.

“Something wrong?”

Both Antinium looked at him silently, and then shook their heads.

“No.”

“Nothing.”

“Oh. Well then.”

Olesm moved a piece and frowned as Bird and Pawn studied the board. He glanced over at the other Workers and the silently watching Ksmvr.

“…Does anyone have anything to drink down here?”

—-

Ulrien, Captain of Griffon Hunt and Gold-rank adventurer, was having trouble. He was fighting two enemies at once, which wouldn’t normally be a problem, but he couldn’t kill either. One, a Gnoll with a sword and shield, was pressuring him fairly hard. He was better than a Silver-rank adventurer, but his equipment wasn’t magical, and so Ulrien could block his strikes with his enchanted great sword and push him back with his superior strength.

But the other was a human girl who Ulrien had thought he was going to save, and she was troublesome. She kept kicking him in his unprotected back, and punching him in the side, shouting all the while. It didn’t hurt much—despite Ulrien’s lack of armor, he had several enchanted rings that took the force of the impacts, but it was throwing him off.

“We are not your ene—”

Ulrien grunted as the girl slammed into his side, and the Gnoll rushed forwards and bashed him with his shield. The big man growled and lashed out, knocking the Gnoll back. He swung at the girl—

And someone caught his fist.

Ulrien’s entire body lurched as all his momentum suddenly stopped against whatever had grabbed him. He looked over and saw a grinning Drake, just as big as he was.

“Hey. Nice sword.”

Relc raised a fist and punched Ulrien, sending the adventurer stumbling backwards as Erin gaped. But not for long; she heard a growl and saw Brunkr coming at her. Erin ducked and hammered at the Gnoll’s ribs, but then Brunkr caught her with a fist that made her wake up on the ground a second later.

“You might be a pretty tough guy, but I—”

The Drake ducked just in time as Ulrien punched back. Relc jumped back and then his spear was stabbing at Ulrien, butt-first so the adventurer staggered back as Relc bludgeoned him.

“Hey! Drop your weapon or I’ll have to hurt you, got it?”

Relc shouted, but Ulrien wasn’t about to surrender. He kept swinging his great sword, cutting the air with devastatingly powerful cuts that made Relc leap back. The Drake laughed as he hammered Ulrien’s chest with his spear.

“You’ll have to be quicker than that! You—ulp!”

An arrow flew at his face. Relc grabbed it out of the air, but that left him open. Ulrien slashed upwards with his sword and Relc raised his spear to block.

The thick shaft of wood splintered and broke as the blade swept right through it. Relc cursed and leapt backwards as Ulrien continued his cut and swung at the Drake’s ribs with the flat of his blade.

The Drake stared at his broken spear in his claws. His eyes narrowed. Relc raised the broken shaft of his spear and stabbed at Ulrien repeatedly, forcing the big man to defend himself.

It was a bad matchup. Ulrien’s teeth gritted as he swing faster, but he couldn’t catch the Drake, even as big as he was. And he was wary of actually hitting the Drake for fear he would kill him—

Relc had no such compunctions. As Ulrien guarded against one of his thrusts, Relc took a step back and twisted. Swung by the momentum of his body, Relc’s tail slapped Ulrien in the face right before he roundhouse-kicked the man off his feet.

The Drake laughed and kicked the great sword out of Ulrien’s hands. He raised his broken spear into the air, crowing with delight.

“Hah! Who’s n—”

Relc twisted as another blunt arrow flew towards his face. Halrac lowered his bow and pulled another arrow out. The arrowhead looked like ice, and it was glowing with blue light.

“Oh?”

—-

Halrac aimed down his arrow straight at the Drake’s torso. He was sure the Drake would survive the shot; the way he’d just outfought Ulrien proved it. The damn Drake could dodge his arrows, but this was magical; it would explode as soon as it got within range of the Drake, dodging or not.

The Drake was watching him, spreading his arms out and shouting something. Halrac ignored the taunting and pulled the arrow as far back as he could. Time to use an activated skill. He spoke as his fingers loosened on the arrow.

“[Pinpoint Sh—]”

Something kicked his bow out of line. Halrac cursed, turned with the arrow still nocked, and froze.

“Alright. That’s enough out of you, Halrac. Unless you really want to get us in trouble with the city?”

A pale woman was standing right next to Halrac, staring down at him. He looked up at her, and recognized her instantly. From the deathly whiteness of her skin to the black chainmail she wore, and her perfectly black eyes, there could be only one person she could be, at least on this continent.

“Jelaqua Ivirith.”

The female adventurer held the three-headed flail at her side as she stood casually next to Halrac. She hadn’t raised it, but he’d stopped moving.

“Halrac. Good to see you again.”

“What in the hells are you doing?”

“Stopping you. I should be asking what you’re doing, fighting the Watch and civilians like this.”

Halrac’s eyes flicked towards the large Drake.

“That’s a guardsman? ”

“Liscor’s best. He’s moderately famous in the south part of the continent.”

The Drake was staring at Jelaqua, and he’d stopped smiling. She winked at him, and he made a face.

“Let’s all calm down, hm?”

Halrac wasn’t sure he wanted to obey her, but he was within her range. He looked over and saw Jelaqua’s other two companions had joined the fight as well.

A massive man, eight or perhaps even nine feet tall stood in front of Typhenous. The old mage hesitated as the giant man smiled down at him. This new adventurer was wearing patched clothing, but held in his hands a massive staff crowned by an orb that shimmered with light. He nodded politely at Typhenous.

The older mage’s lips curled. He stared up at the small giant, his own wand shimmering with magic.

“Moore.”

“Lower your wand, Typhenous. I don’t want any trouble.”

“You can’t stop me. You’re not half the mage I am.”

Moore sighed hugely, and rubbed at his chin with fingers the size of plump sausages.

“I shouldn’t like to argue that point, but I will stop you if need be.”

He and Typhenous stared at each other, and then Typhenous lifted his wand and pointed it at the other adventurer.

“[Eltraz’s Bin—]”

The giant man didn’t raise his staff. Instead he stepped forwards and kicked Typhenous before the mage could utter his spell. The old man choked and fell down.

Moore sighed and stood over the mage. He planted one finger on the man’s back as he struggled to rise.

“All’s fine over here, Jelaqua.”

Jelaqua nodded as Halrac gritted his teeth. Revi had paused, and he could see her hesitating. Two of her warrior constructs were down, bleeding wisps of magic as she faced off against the angry Drake breathing fire, but she had one hand in her pouch. Halrac shook his head at her slightly. Now was not the time to waste magic or her constructs.

“Wise man. Now, let’s hope your leader is just as sensible.”

Halrac saw Jelaqua pointing, and realized the last member of her group had appeared. A tall, gaunt man covered in what looked like a…a shell across half his body was standing next to Ulrien, holding a dagger in one hand. His other hand, or rather, entire arm was segmented with dark fungus and what looked like a crustacean’s pincer instead of a hand.

“Ulrien.”

“Seborn.”

“I hope you’re not going to fight anymore. It seems pointless, given the circumstances.”

Ulrien glanced at Relc and shrugged slightly.

“Depends. But we won’t fight with your lot unless we’ve got a reason.”

“Fair enough. I doubt our Captain wants any more strife than necessary.”

The two…men…nodded at each other. Ulrien glanced around and raised his great sword slightly as Relc glared at both adventurers.

“You wanna fight? Huh?”

The person known as Seborn shifted slightly. He held his dagger backwards as he turned sideways towards Relc instead of Ulrien. Both adventurers eyed the Drake, as Relc glared at both. They were at a standoff, right up until Erin crashed into the center of the trio, swinging at Brunkr as the Gnoll punched back.

—-

“You will regret this!”

Brunkr roared at Erin as she ducked another huge swing from him. He wasn’t quick, but he was so strong and tough! She’d been punching him as hard as she could, but he just kept on coming!

“You’re not going to hurt her! Stop! Go away!”

She lashed out and caught Brunkr with a good kick to the legs, but he just growled and came on. She ran backwards, ducking and dodging away from him.

Erin was vaguely aware that something was going on. She didn’t see any more Gnolls at the door of her inn, and she thought there were more people, but all of her attention was on Brunkr. His face was twisted into a snarl as he came after her.

“You punch like a weakling, no? Who taught you how to fight?”

“A Minotaur! And he was the best fighter in the world!”

Erin shouted as she planted a punch straight on Brunkr’s jaw. He swept his arm at her and backhanded her so hard Erin thought some of her teeth came loose. She staggered.

“Weak. The Minotaur taught you poorly.”

“He did not!”

Her head was spinning, but she couldn’t fall down. She gritted her teeth and ran at Brunkr, ignoring the punch that made the entire world freeze for a second.

“He taught me! Me! Punch! He taught me to punch!”

She was right in front of Brunkr. Erin planted her feet and began hammering him in the chest, screaming. She was out of everything. She didn’t even know what she was saying; all she could do or think was punch.

“Minotaur! Punch! Punch! Minotaur… [Minotaur Punch]! ”

Something clicked in Erin’s head. She felt something change, and then felt her fist meet Brunkr’s stomach. But instead of harmlessly bouncing off his furred body, this time her fist hit the Gnoll and sent him reeling back.

Brunkr coughed, and Erin stared at her fist. He clutched at his stomach, but then roared and raised a fist. Erin raised hers faster.

“[Minotaur Punch]!”

Unlike [Power Strike], this skill worked twice in a row. Erin hit Brunkr so hard even she felt it, and he doubled over and puked up food and blood. Erin staggered back. Her arm felt wobbly , but she stood her ground even so.

Something was happening around her. Erin saw Relc—wait, Relc?— spinning past her, dueling two adventurers at once. One had…fungi on his face and a crab claw on one hand?

What was going on? Erin looked around, bewildered, and saw the man with the bow who’d shot Toren rolling away from a woman with a flail of all things. And Toren was on his feet and fighting Gnolls at the door to the inn, Lyon was screaming, Ceria was pinned by Zevara and—

What was happening? Erin staggered. The world was still spinning, but her blood was still boiling. Her friends were fighting with strangers, and the Gnolls were still trying to get towards the inn. Erin felt sick. She wanted to throw up, but more than that she wanted everyone to stop fighting.

That urge grew in Erin’s chest, until it felt like a living thing wanting to get free. And Erin felt like she could almost feel that desire in the air around her. It was like heat; and it was all around her inn. She opened her mouth, and screamed.

“ Everybody stop! ”

—-

The blast of sound made Halrac jerk and nearly caught one of Jelaqua’s wicked flails to a shoulder as he rolled away from her. He raised his bow, but then felt his arms grow heavy.

The air changed as the innkeeper shouted. Halrac’s body suddenly grew incredibly heavy—he could still move, but it was like something huge was pressing down on him from above.

Jelaqua paused as she raised her flail, and stared over at the inn. Both adventurers saw the entire hilltop had stopped, caught by the same oppressive weight that had struck them.

“Some kind of Skill. Feels like an aura effect.”

“I can still move.”

The dark-eyed adventurer eyed Halrac, annoyed.

“This isn’t your fight, Halrac. Your team is only going to cause trouble for us all.”

Halrac hesitated.

“But the Gnolls—”

“Use your eyes. This has gotten too big. Stop fighting and let’s talk. ”

Jelaqua glared at him as she lowered her flail. Halrac had his fingers on an arrow in his quiver, but he hesitated. He could see she was watching him. Slowly, he lowered his bow.

“Revi—Typhenous—”

Halrac turned and looked around. Typhenous was still on the ground, and Revi was very still. He saw she was standing with both arms raised, not moving an inch. That was probably to avoid the two sword blades from cutting into her neck as an Antinium warrior held them to Revi’s throat.

“I would suggest no one move. This battle is now over.”

Klbkch’s voice was loud and carrying, and unlike Erin’s it generated a silence all of its own. Across the hill, Gnolls stopped fighting and guardsmen lowered their weapons. Revi’s magical constructs were frozen in place, and Relc paused as both Ulrien and Seborn halted.

Zevara got up out of the grass, and Klbkch lowered one of his swords, keeping the other level with Revi’s throat. Halrac could see the drops of sweat as they rolled down her face.

The Antinium looked around calmly, nodding to the girl.

“Miss Solstice. Good day. I regret this state of affairs. I will do my best to resolve it with the assistance of my colleagues in the Watch.”

Everyone stared. Klbkch slowly lowered his other sword, and Revi felt at her uncut throat. She raised one trembling finger and pointed slowly at the Antinium.

“You—you’re in the Watch?”

Klbkch nodded. He looked at her with his expressionless, insect face and Halrac shuddered with fear and disgust.

“I am. My name is Klbkch and I am a Senior Guardsman in the City Watch of Liscor.”

He looked around at the others on the hill.

“And it is my duty to inform you that you are all under arrest.”

—-

Erin had never been arrested back in her world. She was…had been…a normal person who didn’t do anything crazy like start massive brawls. She’d certainly never done drugs, and if she had tried alcohol, it had been in chess clubs late at night where the police seldom go unless someone starts flipping boards.

But now she was under arrest, only…not?

“I believe this incident was not entirely your fault, but considering the damage done and violence, it is my assessment that your inn should be placed under guard temporarily.”

That was Klbkch’s explanation, which essentially just meant a bunch of scary Drakes with swords and bows were standing around her inn looking threateningly while Zevara shouted at people. The Drake had taken her turn with Erin, even though Erin had explained what had happened.

“I don’t care why you decided to pick a fight with half the Gnolls in the city! But thanks to you and that damned thief, I’ve got over thirty wounded civilians and guardsmen here!”

“It wasn’t my fault! They were going to kill her!”

“We have every right! She has done much damage to our clan!”

Brunkr shouted angrily at Erin as he clenched his fists on the other side of Zevara. He was being held by two Gnolls, both of which were as battered and bloody as he was. Relc raised his fist threateningly, but the Gnoll didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. He snarled at Erin and the guardsmen, causing several of them to raise their weapons.

“We demand justice! ”

“Justice has been done! You Gnolls are in defiance of the law! And you!”

Zevara spun and jabbed a finger at the sullen adventurers sitting together.

“Why did you decide to join in the fighting?”

One of the adventurers, a man wearing dark leather and holding a bow, raised his head and glared at the Drake. He pointed at Erin.

“We thought that the Gnolls were attacking the girl. And we’d just seen a skeleton come back to life after we destroyed it once. We were concerned it was Revenant of some kind, and we were tracking it.”

Zevara turned and stared hard at Toren. The skeleton was still wearing his armor, although it had been horribly mangled by the great sword that had cut straight through the middle of it. He stared at Zevara and she turned away in disgust.

“Ancestors save me from idiotic Humans—and you? What’s your excuse?”

She pointed at the three adventurers who’d helped end the fighting. Erin stared at the pale woman with totally black eyes before she shifted to the half-crab-fungi man and the giant with the staff. The female adventurer inclined her head towards Zevara.

“Watch Captain. We heard about the fighting and were spectating until we saw Griffon Hunt entering the fray. We decided to help stop the fighting.”

Zevara shot Jelaqua an icy look, but apparently she didn’t have much to say about that. Instead, it was Brunkr who lurched forwards, forcing the two Gnolls holding him to strain hard to keep him back.

“We demand vengeance! We will have the thief’s heart, Watch or not! You cannot stop us!”

The Captain of the Watch turned on Brunkr with fury in her eyes.

“If you try to attack someone again, I will arrest you and every Gnoll who joins you!”

The Gnoll snarled at Zevara.

“Try it. If anything happens to me, the Silverfang tribe will go to war against this city! We will not be stopped! ”

“Oh really? This is something that I wish to hear. It is news to me. How is it that we will be defying the law in Liscor, hmm?”

Brunkr paused. Erin saw his angry expression suddenly shift, and his ears suddenly flattened down hard. He turned, face apprehensive.

Krshia stood behind Brunkr, arms folded, face like iron. Selys peeked her head around the Gnoll and on her other side, Erin saw a woman dressed in armor.

Yvlon nodded at Erin and smiled. She was wearing the silver armor Erin had spotted in her room. She was also looking a lot healthier—her face was nearly healed, and she looked completely steady on her feet.

Brunkr shrank as Krshia walked forwards until their faces were inches apart. He was taller than his Aunt, but he cowered in front of her. He raised placating hands.

“Aunt—”

She seized him by one ear, and Brunkr yelped like a dog as Krshia began to twist.

“Brunkr. My eyes and ears and nose must be deceiving me, no? Or else why am I seeing many Gnolls here, when they should be in the city? That should not be, no? Because I distinctly remember giving orders not to go after the thief, no? Or is my word no longer good enough for you? Do you want to become Chieftain already, hm? Is that what you are thinking?”

He whined and started to protest, but Krshia bent down and whispered something in his ear. Erin didn’t hear, but it made Brunkr go wide-eyed and silent. Krshia dragged him off and suddenly—

It was over.

—-

“I can’t believe it. That… thing is yours? And you let it wander around unchecked?”

Erin wanted to back away from the angry female mage named Revi. She was already regretting offering a free meal to everyone who’d been fighting. The Gnolls had all left for the city with Krshia, but she had a room full of guardsmen and, unfortunately, irate adventurers.

“Toren? Well…Pisces made him, and he’s helpful. I guess he goes off sometimes, but he doesn’t hurt anyone, right? I mean, you said he was just fighting a…Snow Golem? That’s not bad, is it?”

Another adventurer leaned forwards. He was…Halrac? The [Scout] guy. He looked angry and annoyed, but Erin hadn’t seen his expression change the entire time he’d been here.

“Frankly, Miss Solstice, any undead is potentially dangerous, and this one killed a construct we sent after it. Your servant is far more intelligent than normal undead, which should be impossible if he’s not a Revenant.”

“Well…that’s good, right?”

Erin saw the other adventurers of Griffon Hunt exchange a glance. Ulrien, the big guy who looked like some kind of bodybuilder cleared his throat and shook his head.

“You said one of your customers animated him? Which one?”

“Pisces. Oh—he’s upstairs. Sleeping. I can introduce him to you later, if you like.”

Erin pointed upstairs. Pisces was sleeping, and for once she hadn’t begrudged him the bed. He’d had a horribly swollen face after the battle, and Brunkr and the other Gnolls had battered him repeatedly. Erin knew she owed him a favor, although she hated to think of how many free meals that would mean.

“I don’t think it would help.”

Ulrien looked troubled as he shook his head. The last adventurers, an old man named Typhenous, lowered his mug long enough to stare hard at Erin.

“We don’t mean to accuse you, Miss Solstice. But undead are dangerous, and this one has several unique abilities we’ve never seen a skeleton exhibiting. I would be cautious, if I were you.”

Erin glanced over at Toren. He was circulating the room, refilling mugs held out by wary guardsmen as efficiently as ever. She didn’t get the problem. If anything, it was Lyon who Erin felt like worrying about.

The girl was unusually subdued after the fight, almost worryingly so. She was actually obeying orders albeit ineffectively. Erin winced as she saw the girl nearly trip and splash some soup all over a guardsman’s back.

“I’ll keep an eye on him. But um, thanks for helping me, I guess. I would have been in trouble if you hadn’t helped clear out the Gnolls.”

Halrac waved a hand and grunted while the other adventurers made similar noises and faces to match. Revi glared across the room at Relc. The Drake was laughing loudly at his own table with Klbkch, happily downing all the precious alcohol Erin had just bought in the city.

“Just be careful, and keep that thing on a tighter leash.”

Erin nodded, and backed away from the table. She was so busy backing up she ran into something huge and solid behind her. She turned, and jumped.

“My apologies, Miss Erin.”

Erin looked up, and up into a huge face staring apologetically down at her. She’d seen the giant man before of course, but she’d been a bit busy with everything that had happened. Now, though, Erin could fully realize what she was seeing.

“…Hodor?”

Moore’s face wrinkled up with confusion, but he smiled and stuck out a massive hand anyways.

“It’s Moore, ma’am. I’m very grateful you’ve provided me with such a fine meal, although I must insist I pay.”

“What? Oh, no, I wouldn’t dream of it. You’re very welcome to eat here, especially with how much help you’ve been! Lots! Huge amounts!”

Erin babbled as she gently shook his hands—or rather, a few fingers of his hand. Moore smiled, and gestured towards the door. Erin realized he was trying to get out and hurriedly stepped aside.

“Thank you. I believe I’ve had a bit too much to drink. I suppose it’s too much to hope that you have a giant-sized outhouse to match your hospitality?”

“What? Oh, no. Oh, I don’t. I’m so sorry!”

Moore shook his head and smiled at Erin.

“Please, please. I’m quite used to standing out. I’ll simply find a quiet spot to ah, relieve myself. It’s no worry.”

He stepped out of the inn, bending to avoid smacking his head on the doorframe. Erin heard laughter, and turned to see the other two adventurers sitting at a table.

“I do believe you’ve embarrassed Moore. He’s not used to someone being so concerned for him.”

Erin walked over and saw Ceria was sitting with Jelaqua and the odd man named Seborn. Her eyes drifted down towards the claw on his hand and the odd puffed up skin—or was it mold?—covering half of his body. She jerked her eyes away as he looked at her and smiled at the other two.

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that he’s…I mean, I’ve never seen anyone like him. Is he a, uh, a giant?”

“Quarter-giant, or eighth-giant, actually. He’s not sure, but don’t worry about it. He’s used to the stares, and so are we.”

Jelaqua stood and held out a hand towards Erin. Erin took it and found the other woman’s skin was clammy and cold to the touch. She blinked, but Ceria learned forwards and explained.

“Ah, Erin. These adventurers are all part-human, like me.”

“Really? I mean…oh. That’s cool? I mean, not cool exactly, but it’s nice? Not that being Human is cool or nice or not being Human is bad, but—um. Sorry. Thanks for helping, and uh, nice to meet you?”

Erin blushed as she stumbled over her words. She had no idea what to say , but apparently that was the right thing. Jelaqua blinked, and then burst out laughing. Even Seborn smiled, or at least, half of his face did.

“We’re delighted to meet someone as open-minded as you, Miss Solstice. We would have helped anyways, but I must confess, we had a reason for helping.”

Jelaqua nodded towards Ceria, and the half-Elf blinked in surprise. Seborn nodded.

“ It was good we found you here. We have an offer to extend to you, Springwalker. ”

He had a curiously resonant voice, as if he was speaking from inside some kind of room. Ceria blinked at the two adventurers in surprise.

“Me? I’m surprised you know of me.”

Jelaqua laughed.

“Well, we keep tabs on people like you. But where are my manners?”

She extended a hand towards Ceria, and the half-Elf gingerly took it. She apparently knew that Jelaqua’s skin was different from normal, because she didn’t react as the two briskly shook hands.

“Ceria Springwalker, my name is Jelaqua Ivirith. I’m leader of the Halfseekers or, as you might have heard of us, the Half Freaks.”

Her lips twisted sardonically as the adventurers continued.

“We’re a Gold-rank team, but we’ve lost a few members recently, and we came here looking to explore this new dungeon, but also to scout for someone to join us. And after seeing you fight, we think you might fit well with us.”

Ceria gasped in surprise and half-rose out of her seat. Erin stared at the two adventurers in surprise. Gold-rank? That was…really important, wasn’t it? Ceria looked from Jelaqua to Seborn in stunned astonishment.

“What? Me? But I’m only a Silver-rank adventurer! And I just lost my entire party. I barely have any magical artifacts on me what could I—?”

“Please, Ceria, calm down.”

Jelaqua smiled at Ceria as she put a hand on the half-Elf’s shoulder.

“We may be a Gold-rank team, but that doesn’t mean we have to hire only Gold-rank adventurers. Besides, it’s worth finding someone competent even if we have to level them up and give them a few magical items to get them started. Most importantly, you’re a half-Elf, like us. We need people we can work with, not people afraid of non-Humans.”

“It’s just so sudden. I don’t know—I’m honored of course, but—”

Ceria stammered, and Jelaqua shook her head.

“Take your time. We just wanted to mention that. It’s part of the reason we came out here and were able to help.”

Seborn nodded.

“ Half-species are rare enough that we knew your name. So when we heard of the dungeon, it was easy enough to make the decision to journey here. ”

“I will certainly think about it, thank you. It’s just that I have other people I’m considering forming a party with—”

Ceria glanced down a few tables. Yvlon was eating with Selys in a corner of the room. Jelaqua shrugged.

“Take your time. We’re waiting to unearth the entrance to the dungeon, so there’s plenty of time for you to think. And we’ll talk later – this is just so you know.”

Ceria nodded slowly. She looked overwhelmed. Erin could bear it no more. She raised her voice nervously and all three demi-humans looked at her.

“Um. Uh, is it rude if I ask what species you all are? I don’t want to be rude but—”

“It’s no problem. Most people don’t ask or they know.”

Jelaqua smiled as she pointed at Moore who’d just returned, ducking his head as he reentered the inn.

“Moore is part-Giant as you know. He’s our [Mage]. Our only spell caster, unless Ceria joins us. Next we have Seborn, our [Rogue]. He’s a Drowned Man.”

Seborn nodded.

“ I’ve been like this ever since I was a young man. ”

“Uh, Drowned…?”

The half-man nodded. He turned slightly and raised his crab arm so Erin could get a good look at him. He did look disturbingly like some kind of fungi was growing on him, but now that Erin looked closer, she could see where dark red carapace was had mixed with the puffed skin.

“It’s the name of our people—of everyone who’s suffered this fate. There’s a creature that lives in the sea that latches onto your body and melds with it. It can take your mind over unchecked, but even if you kill it, it will still change you forever. Half of me is monster, but it doesn’t affect me in any way save for my appearance.”

“Oh. I’m…I’m sorry?”

Seborn smiled at Erin, and shrugged.

“No need to be sorry, is there? I’ve gotten used to it.”

“And I’m a Selphid.”

Jelaqua said that as if the name itself should be explanatory. Erin frowned, and Ceria spoke up.

“Erin doesn’t know many other races. Ah, Erin, a Selphid is…well, you could call them parasites if you were rude, but they’re more like…”

“Parasites is a good word. We’re thieves, only we steal bodies instead of anything else. It’s troublesome, but it’s the only way we can live.”

The woman smiled at Erin, who had no idea what any of them were talking about.

“You mean you’re a ghost?”

Again, the adventurers laughed. Jelaqua shook her head.

“Haven’t you heard of the body snatchers of Baleros? No? We’re a species that find dead bodies and inhabit them, sort of like what happened to Seborn. Only, I can move between bodies and…well, I suppose it’s easiest to show you.”

Jelaqua stood up and pushed her chair back. She walked over to Erin, and then pulled her chainmail off. Erin blinked, but then Jelaqua had begun pulling her shirt off. And then her bra.

“What are you—hey!”

Erin turned away, and made shooing motions at the other guardsmen.

“No one look! No staring!”

She paused when she realized no one was. The guardsmen were staring hard the other way, and the members Griffon Hunt were staring at their food grimly. Across the room Relc shouted.

“Aw. The freak’s going to do that disgusting thing!”

Erin turned to glare at him, but Jelaqua chuckled. Erin found herself looking at a very pale—nearly albino in fact—set of breasts. Jelaqua tapped her chest and smiled at Erin.

“Watch. Don’t be alarmed, now. It’s just that Selphids are—”

Her chest opened up. Erin saw the skin part as something inside pushed the skin and bones away like wrapping paper. The inside of Jelaqua wasn’t red—no, it was nearly as white as the rest of her. Her skin was bloodless, as were her organs. Probably because Jelaqua’s body wasn’t living.

She was dead. And it was the writhing mass of creatures inside her, the dark green and yellow things that blinked and squiggled at Erin and waved long, thin tendrils like spaghetti that were living.

Something pulsated , and then Erin saw two lungs inside of Jelaqua’s organs expand, and her mouth opened and spoke.

“See? We live inside dead bodies. We’re parasites, but don’t worry—we don’t inhabit living people as a rule. We take on the attributes of our host, but we can change bodies if one gets damaged. Healing potions don’t work on dead flesh you see, and Erin? Erin?”

“Ah.”

Erin stared down at the chest-bursting…the thing that came out of her body…the tendrils of the flesh-exploding…skin…tearing open…

Her eyelids flickered a few times. Erin smiled at the creatures waving at her inside the dead body’s chest, blinked, and then fainted backwards.

No one caught her.

Jelaqua frowned down at Erin as the vine-like tendrils slowly closed the flesh back together seamlessly. She looked around with her human head at the others and scowled.

“Oh come on. I saw her put a Gnoll’s head through a window, and she went toe-to-toe with a Gold-rank adventurer, but this she faints over?”

Erin didn’t hear her. She lay unconscious on the ground until Klbkch helped Ceria bring her up to a room upstairs and slept for the rest of the day, which passed by with much drama and excitement, but no more chest-bursting or fighting.

It was the first of many eventful days to come.

[Skill Change – Power Strike → Minotaur Punch!]

[Skill – Minotaur Punch Obtained!]

Side Story - [Clown] (Pt. 1)

Do you wanna hear a funny joke? Okay. Here it is.

‘A fat guy appears in a fantasy world and decides to become a [Clown].’

…I’m still working on the punch line. It’s the only joke I’ve got, though. I try to be funny, but really, I’m a [Clown]. I’m not actually sure we’re meant to make people laugh.

Curious about the parenthesis? It means I have a Class. [Clown], to be exact. Yeah. It’s this entire thing which I don’t want to go into.

Suffice it to say that I’m in a world where everyone gains levels and classes. Make sense? It doesn’t to me either. But let’s just call it a videogame where if you get stabbed in the stomach, you still bleed and die horribly.

I’m going to die that way, I just know it. I’m a fat idiot who chose/got the wrong class. Clown. In a world with monsters and magic, who wants to be a clown?

Me, apparently.

According to Edward or Eddy as he likes to be called, I shouldn’t even have this class. He keeps telling me I’m like a Bard or a Troubadour from one of the Final Fantasy series games. Number XXIV or something like that.

I never played those games as a kid. I wasn’t a gamer, and I sort of regret it now. Maybe if I was, I’d be able to deal with this.

Probably not. How could anything prepare you to actually fight and die against creatures twice as terrifying as anything from our world? Nothing could.

So it’s no wonder I don’t want to fight. Maybe that’s why I got the [Clown] class. Those first few days when we were all summoned to this world, I was just trying to cope by telling jokes and get people to laugh. I’m good at being the funny guy, normally. But then I became a [Clown] and everything got a lot less funny when we realized we were here to stay.

Oh yeah? Did I mention that? Okay, let me go back and explain. We—and by we, I mean me and around fifty people around my age of 20—appeared in this world thanks to a summoning spell. We appeared in front of this old guy on a throne, and suddenly everyone was screaming that we were the ‘prophesied heroes’.

Cut to now. Just over twenty of us are left, and instead of being the heroes of the Blighted Lands, we’re disgraces sent to garrison a village on the outskirts, barely acknowledged by the throne or the people.

Because we suck. You know how the main hero in a movie gets teleported to another world and instantly has some kind of special skill or talent? That’s us, just without anything special.

The King—the Blighted King, he’s called, Othius the Fourth – greeted us, and told us we would be the heroes who drove the demons out of his kingdom. He gave us weapons, sent us out into battle—

And we got slaughtered. The survivors couldn’t do anything, and so he gave up on us. He essentially exiled us from the capital city, and sent us out where we couldn’t cause any trouble.

Some of the others, the people from my world, learned to fight. Some even got good enough to hunt monsters and keep the surrounding area safe. But most of us couldn’t deal with what was happening.

Richard’s a [Knight], Level 26 and the strongest person in our group by far. He leads us and keeps us safe.

Emily’s a Level 21 [Hydromancer]. She’s the idol of our group if you can call anyone that. She’s popular.

The others – six or so guys and one girl who fight – all have some kind of fighting or magical class. The others either have barely one or two levels, or have chosen different jobs, like [Cook] or [Tailor] or [Gatherer].

The majority help fight and keep people safe, and the others help out or just…exist. But that’s the group. You can divide it neatly up into combat and non-combat classes, except for one oddball.

That would be me. The fat guy. A [Clown]. Funny man without anything funny to say about what’s happening.

Tom’s my name. It’s actually Thomas, but Tom is what I prefer to be called. And yeah, I’m the class clown of the group in more ways than one. But the truth is, I’m not actually that funny. If you couldn’t tell, no one ever laughs at my jokes.

I always wanted to do stand up, not slapstick. But it turns out I’m not good at either. Yeah, I’m an unfunny fat guy walking around with white makeup on trying to entertain people. Which is pretty funny when you think about it, and just sad when you actually see it.

I know, I know, I should have better self-esteem. And I’m actually just chubby, not fat. Pleasingly plump. Slightly hefty. I’ve got girth to go with my big bones, but I can still get around.

It’s just that I feel like a whale compared to all the people in this village. They all look like they escaped from some horrible refugee camp—or prison. They’ve got gaunt faces, skeletal frames, but they still keep going.

It makes me sick. But not too sick to stuff my face every day. I hate myself, sometimes.

Most of the time.

I’ve got depression. Clinically proven, not self-diagnosed, thanks. And normally I have a good hold on it—well, I used to. But I’m in a place where the only drugs we’ve got are different kinds of alcohol. Good luck finding a bottle of antidepressants here, much less a drug store.

It makes me feel worthless. It doesn’t help that other people share that opinion.

A [Clown]. I’m actually Level 19, which might surprise you. But when I got that class I took it as a sign. I mixed some white face paint, added a bit of red for my mouth and learned how to do things like juggle. I ran around, tried to tumble for people, told bad jokes, and generally made a fool of myself.

Really, I should have gained two levels from that, at most. But it turns out that me and everyone who was summoned to this world gained the [Hero] class when we arrived. We’re all Level 1 [Heroes], and no one’s raised it any higher, but it makes us level in every other class a lot faster.

So I’m Level 19 right now, and trying to get to Level 20. According to common knowledge, you generally get a better-than-average skill at Level 20 and a better array of skills after that.

Yeah. It is like a game, when all’s said and done. But it’s too real for me. Too real, and too terrible.

I can’t be a warrior, like the others. I don’t want to kill things, even horrific things with tons of eyes and claws. Actually, especially not them.

I just want to level up this class. I think…yes, I think it might be worth doing.

Right now? Right now, I’m trying to make people laugh.

Picture the scene, if you will. There’s a grassy spot in the center of the small village, a place where the dirt road turns to soil. It’s a small village they’ve put us in. But there are kids here, and people even this far out in the wilderness.

They can’t stray far from the village. There are several [Hunters] and more than one low-level [Warrior] or [Hedgemage] in the village, but the real protection comes from patrols and the small garrison of [Soldiers] stationed a few miles down the road.

Thanks to us, that garrison is tripled in size, and the villagers feel it in the increased levies on their goods and supplies. We’re even occupying the townhouse, a big building large enough to hold all of us together. We’ve got beds, daily meals, and even basic amenities courtesy of the crown.

The village people don’t have any of that. So they hate us.

But the kids—ah, the kids still enjoy our presence. Unlike the adults, we don’t have set jobs so we can interact with them. We used to more, but now most of the others won’t even play with the kids.

So it falls to me.

Look, look at the clown! See how he waddles around in the grass? I smile, feeling the dried paint crackling on my face. I toss three carved wooden pins up in the air, and juggle them around for the audience of eight or so children who stop playing tag to watch me.

It’s not the first time I’ve put on a performance, and so the tired housewife across the street just looks once at me and then shakes her head and keeps walking. But the kids are more willing to give me another shot, so they watch as I juggle the pins.

They’re horribly rough and awkward in my hands, but I did manage to color them bright red, blue, and yellow. Some of the paint wore off, but it still looks impressive as they flash over my head.

Okay, not impressive. But good. And it’s a miracle I can juggle at all, you know. It wasn’t a skill I had back home, but I learned it as I leveled up in the [Clown] class.

I’ve got several skills that allow me to do clownish things – juggle, do prat falls, etc. I’ve got one horribly annoying skill that isn’t active right now, thank god, and one weird skill.

[Loud Voice]. It does exactly what it sounds like. But it’s odd. It’s not a skill that a [Clown] would really need, right?

Normally, clowns aren’t even supposed to talk. I’ve seen a few in circuses, and they’re like mimes. They might make funny sounds, but they don’t speak.

But if I understand how this class works, then maybe…

Oops. I’m so caught up in thought that I drop one of the pins. The other two thump on the ground, and I search for a recovery as the kids mutter and scratch themselves, bored.

Right, how about this?

I pause, and raise my hands and pucker my lips. Then I point to my empty hand. The children watch my pantomime, knowing the punch line but still interested enough to watch.

I close my fist, and then do the trick where I pretend to pull something out. The only difference is that I do pull something out. I flip the bright blue pin up into the air, and then pull another one out from behind my back. The yellow pin joins it, and I’m juggling again, despite the fact that I never reached down to pick the pins back up off the ground.

The children laugh and point, and I smile for real behind the paint. That wasn’t half bad. And it’s all thanks to my Skill.

My only cool trick is that I can pull objects seemingly out of nowhere. I have to have them on me of course, but within a 5 ft radius of me I can pretty much grab anything and make it appear out of thin air.

But soon enough, even my juggling and hat trick gets boring. Especially since I don’t have any more props besides the pins. A real clown would have balloons, confetti, plates to balance on sticks…

I’ve got nothing else. So I stop juggling as the kids start to stand up and clear my voice.

“Does anyone want to hear a joke?”

They look back at me. One of the older kids groans and shakes his head, but they stick around. Kids are gullible that way.

“Okay.”

I’ve got this. I cough into my gloved hand.

“Um. Knock knock.”

They blink at me. At last, Wilen gives me a hand.

“Who’s there?”

“Goblin.”

“Goblin who?”

“Me. I’m gobblin’ up your food.”

They stare at me, and then at each other. Then the older boy shakes his head.

“I told you that he isn’t funny.”

I can’t tell jokes. I’m not wired that way in my head. I can only…be funny in a group. You know, say something funny when people are having a good time. I can’t make stuff up.

It took me ten minutes to come up with that one. All I get are silent stares.

One of the younger girls still sitting on the ground stares at me. Or more accurately, my flab. It’s covered by my colorful clothes, but the contrast between me and them makes me feel even worse than I already do.

“Are you going to help build another Wall? Or fight monsters?”

What a question out of such a young face. I falter.

“I’m—not a fighter. I’m a [Clown]. I do tricks. See?”

I reach towards her ear and pull out a flower. Lucky there was one nearby. She giggles, takes it, and runs off, and I’m saved. I straighten, and feel sweat running down my back. That was more intense than the juggling.

The Wall. It’s one of the features of this continent, not that I know much about this world in general. But this kingdom—this place—I’ve learned enough to survive.

We’re at the very edge of what people call the Blighted Lands. Here, the Kingdom holds back the Demons. It’s a basic story, because there’s not much more than that.

Go twenty miles north, and the ground will start to change. The grass will turn black; the wildlife will change. Monsters roam the landscape, fighting each other, moving west to snack on humans. The only thing that stops them are patrolling groups of [Soldiers], adventurers constantly hired to eradicate as many monsters as possible, and the few towns and villages of people brave enough to build out this far.

And of course, the Wall. The Fourth Wall if you want to get specific.

It’s a giant stone wall. Yeah. The only thing that’s special about it is that it’s stone, it’s a wall, and it’s about twice as high as the Great Wall of China.

That’s 50 feet, by the way. I know that because one of the people with us – Marian – visited the Great Wall in China, once. She died the first time we went past it.

The four walls are the ultimate defense for the Kingdom. They’re not just walls; there’s magical traps and artillery built into the wall, and they’re always manned by the best soldiers in the army. All monster attacks end at the wall, and the Kingdom behind it is relatively stable.

Sometimes things get through. In times of war, the Fourth, Third, and Second walls have been breached. But the First Wall has never fallen. Even the Demon King’s army never got past it.

Monsters. Demons. There’s a difference, apparently. Monsters are just…monsters. They’re anything from Goblins to Trolls to Manticores and Dragons. They’re mindless, vicious killers. But Demons are different. They’re mutated humans and other species that have their own civilization, their own army. They’re one of three powers in the Blighted Lands, and they’re trying to eradicate the Kingdom once and for all.

Three powers. The Kingdom; the place where sentient species (mainly humans) band together to fight against monsters and Demons. The Demon lands, the other half of the continent where another King rules, and then the place where no one goes.

The origin – or perhaps the center of the curse on this continent. The place where monsters keep spewing from.

Unlike other continents, monsters here don’t just breed to survive. New species keep popping up over here. Something keeps producing different kinds of monsters. People say it’s an ancient monster from the time of Gods, or some terrible spell that went wrong. Whatever it is, it’s too powerful to kill. The Kingdom’s sent countless armies to destroy it over the centuries, and not one has come back.

The Demon King as people call him is just as much of a mystery. Let’s just say that a group of monsters is organized. They raid the Kingdom, and the Kingdom fights back. Each side gives ground and harries the other, sending raiding parties at times, massive armies at others.

I’ve never seen a Demon. Some of the others have; Eddy says he saw one that looked like a Quanari from Dragon Age, it just looked like a person with goat horns. Which is what Eddy says Quanari look like.

That’s the thing. Demons are just mutated versions of whatever species they were. Humans who got exposed to…whatever lives in the Blighted Lands, affected by the magic or whatever. Some Demons have wings and talons and beaks; others look almost normal except for a few differences. The main thing you’d really want to know though is that although they have humanoid forms they have no compunctions against killing humans, even kids.

And the same applies for humans. The war between Humans and Demons has been going on for a thousand years or more, and even if now isn’t a particularly active moment in the conflict, small skirmishes and raids take place every week at least.

But here’s peaceful. Despite it being in front of the Wall, this village hasn’t seen conflict yet. Aside from monster attacks, it’s practically safe here, aside from the poverty and everything. You can live in a village like this quite peacefully for years, given the right circumstances. The nearby outpost keeps away the worst of monsters and enemy attacks, and there’s far more space here than in the cramped confines of the Kingdom behind the Walls.

The Kingdom keeps growing; that’s why humans move out past the Walls. But it’s not safe out here, where you can be attacked by monsters and Demons. That’s why the King wants to build another wall. A Fifth Wall. For that, he summoned us.

With a bunch of powerful [Heroes], the Kingdom would have enough power to build another Wall and seriously constrict the enemy’s land. The Kingdom would, in a single masterstroke, nearly double their available land and cripple the tide of monsters that harassed their exposed settlements.

And it was all going to work until it turned out that his magicians didn’t summon legendary heroes from another time, but a bunch of kids. Us. He still had hopes though; we were all summoned with a class no one had ever heard of – [Hero]. No one in living memory has ever gained that class, and people were treating us like legends.

So the king gave us armor, weapons, and a bunch of soldiers and sent us out to fight on the frontlines. He thought we’d level up quickly, so he arranged an expedition to a lightly-contested area so we’d gain experience.

We went out on one of those forays. Just once.

—-

I trudge through the marshes, trying not to slip and fall in the muck. My legs are burning, but I don’t want to complain. The men and women around me have swords and armor, and they keep telling us to be quiet in case the enemy is near.

I stare around at the dark landscape. It’s just past evening, and we’re trying to make it to the outpost built near here. The only problem is that since we summoned people are moving so slow, we’re still miles away from our destination.

Wet soil squelches underfoot. I push away a dark blue plant worming its way out of the ground and shudder. Flies and other insects buzz around our heads, trying to bite us or lay eggs in our ears or something. It’s miserable, but this spot is apparently important enough to fight a war over.

This is where the next Wall is supposed to be built. But the ground is black and twisted, and magic and fighting has created a swamp where solid ground should be. It’s not like this all the way down the continent; the ground changes after a few miles, the [Soldiers] tell us.

The problem with this “Fifth Wall” is that it has to be long enough to stretch across the entire continent. It’s insanely hard to build one, and it takes decades. The king’s made a good start though—he’s build fortresses and castles along where the Wall needs to be built, and they’re trying to fight off attacks while building the wall.

And we’re being sent to help. I might not have any real idea what’s happening, but I’m not sure I can fight.

“We should have argued more.”

Ahead of me, Richard turns back and shrugs. He blends into the night a lot better than I do, which makes me worried I’m going to be a target if we’re attacked. He grins, and holds up his sword.

“We’ve got weapons, and this rare class, right? And a ton of soldiers protecting us. We’ll be fine!”

Next to me, Katie slaps at a bug on her skin and catches it. She cries out in disgust, and the armed man walking ahead of us turns back, raising his spear. He sees nothing wrong and shakes his head.

“Oh my god! I can’t handle this. Why do we have to do this?”

“We’re [Heroes]. This is a gaming world. It’s our job.”

Eddy says that. He’s trying to lug a massive greatsword behind him, and he’s sweating horribly. But he wanted to be that kind of warrior. I think he regrets it now; it was easy enough to carry on the wagon ride this far, but we’ve barely gone two miles and he looks ready to stop.

Katie shudders, but she doesn’t protest. She still thinks we’re in a virtual reality world, or dreaming. Over half of us have that opinion, but I don’t. This all feels way too real. And being told that we’ll be fighting—

Most of the guys seem really into it. They chose weapons and talked about what class they want. But—I’m not a fighter. I don’t think I could stab anyone. I have a sword I barely know how to use. I’ve kept it sheathed because I’m afraid I’ll hurt myself if I try to pull it out. How are we supposed to fight? Will it be automatic?

“It’s so dark. And wet.”

Katie’s still complaining, even though she knows we should be quiet. She tries to step higher to keep her feet out of the mud.

Marian nods. She shudders as she steps in something that bursts underfoot .

“Dank.”

Ron turns and grins.

“Dank memes.”

Half of us chuckles or groan. Katie giggles uncontrollably. That’s when the first arrow shrieks through the air and takes Ron in the chest. A giant, scaled monster with more teeth than face rises out of the muck. He raises a spear and—

—-

I twitch , and my skin breaks out in a cold sweat. I wipe at my forehead before it can ruin the paint on my face, but it just smears the colors.

God. I still remember the sound the Demons made as they attacked. They were waiting for us, hiding with some monsters in the swampy waters. When they attacked, they caught everyone off guard.

Over a third of us died on that first bad night. The only thing that saved us were the soldiers; the king had given us a huge escort, and they died trying to protect us.

We got to safety, but no one was ready to fight after that. Half of us had some kind of breakdown, and when we returned to the capital, we didn’t look at all like heroes. I think that was when the King realized he’d made a mistake.

He had a few of his knights capture some monsters so we could learn to fight. I can still remember standing in the throne room as we were given a sword and told to cut a Goblin’s head off.

I didn’t have to even try. They gave up before they reached me. Only three people managed to behead a Goblin, and the rest of us were throwing up or crying.

So, after a few days of sitting in the capital doing nothing, the King sent us out to the village. Since then some of us have actually leveled up like he hoped—lightning fast according to the locals—but most of us still aren’t ready to fight.

After I’m done clowning around I walk back home, or rather, the place where we all sleep in the village. It’s the townhouse, and the only building big enough to hold all of us. Even so, as I push open one of the side doors I’m still struck by how cramped it is.

Beds fill the entire room. Small rolls of cloth, actual beds with wood frames, and in one spot a hammock—the villagers gave everything they had to give us enough places to sleep.

Over ten people are still inside, some sleeping, others talking quietly or trying to play card games. It’s like this at pretty much any time of the day. True, some people like Richard and Eddy go out on patrols and hunt monsters, but the rest just sit around. There’s not much to do in the village.

Awkwardly, I slip through the room and find my bed. Some of the guys and girls glance up, but they don’t say anything to me. I’m not exactly really popular, and I’m also dressed like a clown. Sort of weird, right?

I sink into the rough fabric sheets of my bed and look around. The only person nearby is Vincent—on the other side of the room I can see most people hanging out. That’s the girl’s side. We don’t have any walls, but we made a cloth curtain for privacy’s sake.

I sigh and lean back against the wall of the townhouse. Well, I did something. Not much, but I’m already tired. I feel despondent; depressed. Like I can’t do anything. I need my medication, but…

“ ♪Doo doo doodle do do doo doo doot~♫ ”

Oh god. Not now. A few beds over Vincent sits up. He’d been dozing, but he looks at me as I cover my face in my hands. It’s happening again.

It’s a cheerful little carnival tune, the kind you’d imagine hearing at any circus you visit. It’s clown music, it’s loud, and it’s coming from me. I don’t want to make the sound, but it’s a Skill.

Everyone in the room pauses as they hear the sound. They glare at me and I shrug helplessly. Most try to ignore it, but after a few minutes the tune gets on people’s nerves. For some people, it’s the last straw.

“ Stop it! ”

I hear the voice, and then Cynthia’s in front of me. She screams at me, face red as she points at my face with a shaking finger.

“Stop it! Stop making that sound! ”

“I’m sorry! I can’t control it!”

I raise my hands, but she doesn’t care. She hurls something—a pillow at my head.

“ Stop it! Just stop! ”

She doesn’t like clowns. She was afraid of them as a child, I think. And she’s stressed out. Like the rest of us, but she’s been crying more than most. And she just can’t stand the tone.

“God damn it, Tom! Can’t you turn that off?”

Someone else shouts at me across the room. I think it’s Kevin. He stands up, fists clenched.

“I’m sorry!”

Cynthia screams at me—more wordless than anything coherent. Chole comes over and pulls Cynthia away while giving me the stink-eye. Cynthia goes with her, crying now.

“I want to go home! ”

Vincent follows Cynthia with his gaze and looks at me. The stupid little clown music is still playing in the background.

“Tom—”

“I got it. I’ll go. Sorry.”

I raise my hands and retreat. So much for a rest. Whenever the music starts playing, I annoy everyone around me. I can’t switch it off.

I go outside until the music stops. It only takes five minutes. It’s never long. But it always seems to happen at the wrong time—whenever there’s a group around, which I suppose is the trigger. Thank god it never happens when I sleep.

When it’s finally quiet again, I hear voices arguing. In the time I’ve been gone, it looks like an argument’s started. My fault.

“Well call them back. Why can’t you?”

Chole is arguing as she points to Vincent’s phone. He’s one of the only people in the group who had anything useful with them when they were caught by the spell. It was running out of batteries, but we found out that a [Mage] can cast [Repair] to recharge it.

“It doesn’t work like that! It was a spell that did the call, not the phone itself!”

Vincent holds his iPhone protectively as he argues with her. It’s been nearly two weeks since we got the call where we realized we weren’t the only people in this world, and we haven’t heard anything since. All the euphoria we got from realizing we might be saved is long gone, and we’re even more worried since it seems someone’s gunning for us.

Faces turn red, and they begin an old argument again. I listen as I go back to my bed, trying not to attract attention.

“Why can’t we use a spell? What’s wrong?”

“The guy who made the call – BlackDragon – he said it took a lot of magic! I’m not a [Mage], and I don’t think even Emily can cast the right spells.”

“Well then what do we do? ”

Vincent shrugs. He gestures helplessly at the dagger on his belt. He’s got a [Thief] class—although it was from learning to set and disable traps and sneaking around, not from stealing things.

“We just need to keep leveling up. It’s how the games work. We grind and then we get stronger. Once we all get to a higher level and buy enchanted gear—”

“Bullshit. You think that’s gonna help? We’re going to die out here. Everyone’s abandoned us.”

Kevin gets right up in Vincent’s face as he says that. I try to hide as Vincent gets mad.

“Well what do you think we should do? At least I go out and fight. All you do is sit around all day and complain!”

That’s true. Vincent’s normally with the hunting party and Kevin’s not. But that just makes Kevin angrier. His face goes really red and he shoves Vincent.

“Fuck you!”

“Fuck you , asshole!”

“Stop it! Stop fighting!”

Chole and one of the other girls gets between the two of them before it can come to fists again. Behind them, Cynthia raises her voice as Vincent and Kevin let themselves be dragged back by the others.

“Someone’s going to save us. Someone’s going to come any day now…”

She rocks back and forth, mumbling to herself. She says it loud enough that the rest of us can hear—but not so loud that we can really tell her to shut up.

When she’s not upset, Cynthia keeps telling us that we’ll be rescued. She claims that the army will find a way to save us, or someone will open a portal to this world or—we’ll wake up or something. She wants to believe. And some of the others do, but I think the rest are starting to think like I do.

Even if people notice we’re gone, how would they get here? We can barely get to other planets, let alone to other dimensions. And even if by some miracle people build a…a Stargate or something, how would they know to look for us here? In a remote village in probably the worst part of the entire world?

Cynthia keeps repeating the words as she rocks back and forth. Stacy puts a hand on her knee, but the rocking doesn’t stop.

At least it’s only muttering and crying and shouting at me. It could be a lot worse.

The last time Cynthia freaked, she broke half of the plates and cups the villagers gave us, and the only glass window in the townhouse and the village itself for that matter.

Is it any wonder why the people here hate us? I’m not surprised at all. All this time, they were hoping desperately for someone to save them. Their King told them heroes were coming, and they believed.

They prayed for heroes.

Instead, they got us.

The argument isn’t over. Vincent and Kevin are giving each other the evil-eye, and Chole still wants the iPhone, which Vincent doesn’t want to hand over. He only gave it to Richard because everyone agreed he should be the one to talk, but aside from that Vincent won’t let anyone touch it.

That came after a few bad incidents where people kept the iPhone and pretended they didn’t have it…as voices raise again I decide I’m not going to get any sleep after all.

I leave the townhouse and wander around. I’ve eaten enough. Well—not enough since I’m hungry, but enough to survive. I can handle the hunger. And I still have one of the fruity buns in my pocket from breakfast.

One good thing about dressing like a [Clown] is that you get baggy pockets. Add that to my Skill to pull objects seemingly out of nowhere, and I can do one good trick. And eat food when no one’s watching.

Good thing Vincent didn’t get into a fight with Kevin. Because if they had, he would have won. It’s the thing about Classes and this world.

The thing is, Kevin’s a big guy. Also African American, which I know is really racist, but he looks scarier than Vincent, who looks…like an overfed white guy, if I’m honest. Sort of like me, although he’s in a bit better shape.

But Kevin has muscles . Vincent has muscles, but not nearly as many. But if it came to a fight, Vincent would win hands down.

He’s a Level 14 [Thief] with several skills that let him set traps, move around stealthily, and so on, but the levels have also made him stronger. We actually tested it; despite him not having any skills, he’s a bit stronger than another guy who’s as fit as he is. But he’s faster too; a lot faster. It seems there’s some passive benefit to leveling, but maybe it’s just the Level 1 [Hero] class he has.

Because that would be the big difference between Kevin and Vincent. A lot of the people in our group—all of the people who sit around in the townhouse all day but me, really—they’ve lost their [Hero] class.

It started happening a few days after we got to the village. One day Cynthia woke up and told us that she heard a voice saying she’d lost her [Hero] class. No one could explain it, and we didn’t dare tell the villagers or the soldiers.

Slowly, it happened to the others. Everyone who wasn’t fighting monsters.

Not me, though. And that’s the thing. I think I get why it’s happening, but I haven’t told anyone what I think but Richard. And even he doesn’t know the whole of my theory.

We’re all Level 1 [Heroes], the people who still have the class. But none of us have leveled, even though Richard’s a Level 26 [Knight] and Emily’s a Level 21 [Hydromancer]. But none of us have leveled the [Hero] class.

Some of us think that’s because there’s only one level for that class. Eddy thinks it’s a special class, and most people agree with that. After all, why wouldn’t Richard level up? He’s the leader and the best fighter out of all of us. If anyone’s a hero, it’s him.

Because that’s what they don’t get, the others. A hero isn’t someone who’s brave or courageous. A hero doesn’t slay monsters or rescue princesses (or princes). If you look up the word ‘hero’ in a dictionary, you get a different answer.

A hero is someone admired or idealized. A hero is a person others look up to.

A [Hero] is only a hero if other people think he’s a hero. Which explains how we got the class when we were summoned.

Trouble is, I’m no hero. And I don’t think anyone else in our group is, either. And the more these villagers and the rest of the kingdom gets a look at us, the less they think we’re heroes as well.

So we start losing the class. The villagers might have some hopes for Richard and the other fighters, but when you look at a bunch of whining, crying teenagers and young adults who argue all the time and do nothing…

We’re useless. I’m the most useless, but we’re just a drain on the village. God. I just want to not be here. But if I’m not in the townhouse, I’d better try to level up again. I just need one more level.

This time the kids ignore me just like the adults as I start my juggling act. They ignore me as they play, except as an obstacle. Tomorrow they probably won’t even stop to watch, and how will I level then?

Don’t think of that. Keep smiling. Keep waddling around. I spin the three pins higher in the air.

“A [Tumbler] can juggle six balls.”

I drop a pin and glare at the boy who addresses me. It’s the same one who commented on my joke.

Wilen. He’s too young to have a job besides help his parents, but he’s a bit too old to play with the other kids. He scratches at his uncombed hair as he stares at my fat belly covered by ill-fitting clown clothes.

“Are you going to leave?”

“No. I don’t think so, I mean. Not unless the king—I mean, your King sends for us.”

“Okay.”

Should I keep juggling? I really don’t want to. I’m sweaty, my arms are tired, and I’m not feeling funny. Wilen stands with me as I look around awkwardly.

“Are you trying to level up?”

“Yep.”

It’s weird to have a conversation like this, but Wilen is native to this world, and he seems perfectly at ease.

“How do [Clowns] level up? Is it from how long you juggle pins? [Tumblers] level up if they get a large crowd.”

“I think it works the same way with [Clowns]. I don’t know.”

“Don’t they have more [Clowns] where you come from, then?”

“They do but…I don’t know. Sorry.”

I shrug awkwardly, just as unsatisfied as Wilen with my explanation. I frown and bend to pick up one of my pins.

“It’s about making people laugh. I think.”

“But no one ever laughs at you. Your jokes are terrible. ”

“Yeah.”

Wilen’s one of my regulars, so he’d know. I’ve tried nearly a hundred jokes in the time I’ve been here, but I’m really just not that funny.

“Well, I’m Level 19, so I should be doing something right.”

How much of that is due to the [Hero] class?

“If no one’s laughing at you, that can’t be the way [Clowns] level up.”

Wilen says this as if it’s obvious and I’m an idiot for not realizing it. I nod, and he scratches at his head.

“Is it about attracting attention?”

“No…[Clowns] are meant to be funny.”

“Really? But—”

“I know . But not really funny. It’s…”

How can I explain clowns to someone who’s never seen one? I mean, how do you even explain the funny guys who scare just as many people as you entertain? In the first place, clowns aren’t nearly the funniest bit of the circus act. They’re—we’re the sideshows at best.

“Clowns…are more like the jokers. They’re like the butt of the joke.”

“Joke? You mean, telling jokes?”

Wilen looks at me skeptically, and I shake my head. Then I have it.

“No—it’s about distracting people. Being a clown is about setting up the joke. ”

“What joke?”

“I’m not sure.”

But it was right, what I said. Wilen frowns and opens his mouth to ask me another question. Gah.

I fish at my pocket, and then remember I’m a [Clown] and pull the fruit bun out of Wilen’s ear instead. He doesn’t look impressed, but he does look hungry. I hold the slightly-squished bun out to him.

“Here. It’s not very funny, but it’s edible.”

He looks at me suspiciously, but I keep my face straight. Wilen hesitates as he stares at the baked fruit bun in my hands. Then he takes it, awkwardly.

“Thanks.”

He shouldn’t be thanking me. I should be thanking him. We’re the village’s responsibility; even if we occasionally get supplies from the capital, the villagers are forced to feed us from their stores.

“So. Um, how’s it going?”

Wilen shrugs as he devours the bun.

“Good. I’m trying to learn how to use a sword so I can get a [Warrior] class. My mom wants me to be a [Merchant] instead.”

He makes a face. I guess it’s sort of like wanting to be a policeman and being told to study economics instead. But after seeing monsters up close myself, I can’t argue with his mother’s opinion.

“You know, being a [Warrior] isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A [Merchant] probably makes more money.”

Wilen looks at me scornfully.

“And how would I protect myself when the Demons attack? They’re gonna come again someday. The Demon King’s going to attack the Wall soon, everyone knows.”

I’ve got nothing to say to that. He’s right. This isn’t a safe place like America. Hell, America’s not even that safe, but at least only a few people get shot every day. But here you could get eaten by a giant…snail or something.

“Well, good luck. I’m going to uh, well, I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

Wilen runs off to play with his friends. I waddle off to visit the horses.

The village has a large stable and about sixteen horses inside it. It’s very barnyard in terms of smell and appearance, but at least the horses don’t judge me like people. They just sniff at me and blow air.

I don’t like horses, and I doubt they like carrying me. But no one bothers me there, and I don’t bother anyone else.

It might be odd to have so many horses in a village, but they’re there in case a message needs to be sent to an outpost or a [Soldier] needs one. Besides, keeping the stable earns the villagers some badly needed coin.

I sit in some straw, praying the squishy thing underneath my butt isn’t something that came out of a horse’s rear end and take a nap until I hear a voice and sense someone standing over me.

“Tom.”

I look up at the sound of the voice, and try to smile. It’s Richard. The leader of our wonderful little group.

He’s returned with the others. They came in on horseback, eight people – three girls and five guys. Before, they’d have an escort of soldiers, but Richard is considered to be enough protection to lead the group on his own.

Around me, people dismount, most still awkwardly. There’s not a lot of natural riders in the group. I see one tall, pretty girl dismounting and brushing at her robes.

Emily. You could say she’s the second leader of the group aside from Richard. Most of the guys like her, and she’s got the highest level besides Richard. She sniffs at me, but doesn’t say anything.

Richard dismounts and tends to his horse while the others leave theirs still saddled and walk out. He’s a considerate guy, and he actually knows how to ride a horse. He grew up down south, in Mississippi, on a ranch of all things.

“Tom. How’s it been down here?”

I shrug as I stand up and dust straw off my pants.

“Quiet. I uh, I made Cynthia cry when the music started playing. Kevin and Vince nearly got into a fight.”

Richard sighs as he hangs up the saddle and rubs at his shoulders. He’s wearing chainmail, a shield, and sword, but carries it all as if it weighs nothing.

“Can’t you stop it?”

I hunch my shoulders, and my voice gets defensive.

“I can’t help it.”

He pats my shoulder.

“I know. Sorry. Cynthia’s barking up the wrong tree when she gets mad at you, anyways. She needs to get out some, or she’ll go crazy.”

“We’ll all go crazy soon if we can’t go somewhere else.”

“You still doing your juggling act for the kids?”

“A bit.”

People have no idea what I am. They stare at the white paint on my face and ask me what kind of class a [Clown] is. They don’t laugh, and they just watch me until they have something to do. I can’t make them laugh and take away their worries.

Richard picks at his fingernails as he leans against a stall. The horse he rode in on blinks at me.

“You know, Tom, you could come with us next time we go out. You—could fight. We’re going to go out hunting again tomorrow. You could join us.”

“I…don’t think I can. I’m not a fighter.”

I get sick at the sight of blood. When I thought I’d have to behead that screaming Goblin…I still have nightmares about Ron and Marian.

“But why a [Clown]? Clowns aren’t…”

He trails off before he can say the rest, but I get it. Clowns aren’t funny. Yeah, that’s true. But there’s a reason I decided to keep pursuing this class. It’s just a hunch. Just a gamble, but maybe…

I’m saved from having to answer by a familiar sound.

“ ♪Doo doo doodle do do doo doo doot~♫ ”

We both listen to the obnoxious music in silence. Richard clears his throat.

“Can you at least change the music?”

“If I could man, believe me, I would. Anything but this.”

“Well, I guess it’s good you’re not coming with us when we’re patrolling. Imagine that going off when we’re sneaking up on a monster.”

Both of us laugh. Now why can’t I be funny like that?

“Chole wants to use Vincent’s phone to call the others again.”

“That’s probably not a good idea. Remember what happened?”

“Yeah. But she said…”

“I’ll talk with her. But we’ve got bigger news. I just talked with an officer on the road, and he says we might be getting reinforcements.”

I perk up.

“You mean, more soldiers?”

Richard shakes his head. He looks grim.

“No. I mean more people like us.”

That takes a moment to sink in.

“ What? ”

“The King thinks we were a mistake. He wants to perform the summoning ritual again and call more heroes to this world.”

“How can they do that again? Isn’t there a huge cost or something?”

“I think they can keep doing it so long as they’ve got enough [Mages]. They were saying that it took a lot of mana—and something else—but they want to give it another shot.”

“I can’t really blame them. Can you?”

Richard laughs, and looks at the hay on the stable floor.

“No. I can’t either. But it’s a mistake.”

It is. More people. I try to imagine that. I don’t want to see more people our age dying. Richard grasps the hilt of his sword reflexively and stares towards the doors.

“I’ll try talking to the soldiers again; try to get an audience with him.”

“He doesn’t listen to us. He never did.”

“But I’ve got to try. It’s the right thing to do.”

The right thing to do. No wonder Richard got the [Knight] class. He’s always looking out for the rest of us, and he’s got that famous Southern courtesy. He ponders as I watch him out of the corner of my eye.

“If I could convince him that some of us can be the heroes he wants, then maybe he’d listen.”

“You think you can?”

“Well, Emily’s over Level 20 and Red’s nearly there as well. That’s a lot faster than anyone in this world levels. If I can hit Level 30, I’d be the equivalent of a Gold-rank adventurer.”

“Maybe you should be adventurers. Vincent was saying that’s what we need. Magical items.”

“Eddy says the same thing. Maybe. If we could get an escort back behind the wall and into the capital, we could try one of the dungeons. It would be a lot safer behind the wall.”

“Yeah.”

Richard falls silent, and I can’t add anything. We stand together for a while, until Richard clears his throat.

“Let’s get some sleep.”

Funny. I mean, not really funny, but it’s odd. When did we all start taking orders so easily? I mean, I haven’t had anyone tell me when to go to sleep since I was a kid. But Richard says it and so we get back to the townhouse.

Cynthia’s done crying, and with the others, the minor squabbles of the morning are forgotten. For a while we eat some bland stew with bits of meat soaking in the gravy, and then we all blow out the lanterns and roll into the hard mattresses.

I sit in the darkness for a while, listening to people talking quietly as more and more drop off to sleep. Someone begins snoring, and I put my head back in the pillow.

My eyes close, and I begin drifting off. But I don’t hear any voice in my head

…No level up again. Darn.

Something’s going to happen at Level 20, I just know. If what I think is going to happen can happen, maybe—

Got to make people laugh. Do clown things. I need a red nose. A tomato? Do they have those in the market?

Can’t think. Got to sleep. I try to make the pillow slightly more comfortable as my breathing eases. Another day down. My thoughts dwindle as I close my eyes.

I really…need…better jokes…

—-

“Tom. Tom! ”

Someone shakes me back into wakefulness. I look around, and see Richard’s face. There’s no light in the townhouse, but I can still see his face, lit by the orange light. He looks as close to panic as I’ve ever seen him—just like the first time we went past the wall.

He hauls me to my feet.

“Get up. And stay quiet.”

“W-what’s happening?”

“We’re under attack. It’s a Demon raiding party.”

Around me, I hear others waking up and spreading the news. I hear someone moaning loudly – Cynthia – and then she’s instantly silenced. Only now do I hear the crackling flames, the screams, and in the distance, the ringing of metal on metal.

War has come to the village. And it’s about to come to us.

Once everyone’s on their feet, awake and scared, Richard stands up on a chair in the center of the building. He raises his voice loud enough to be heard.

“A group of Demon archers is killing anything that moves in the square. If we go out on horseback they’ll shoot us down. We have to sneak out.”

“What about the soldiers? Where are they?”

Emily answers for Richard.

“They’re fighting at the outpost. They’ll send help, but we have to leave. Grab anything valuable and wait for my signal.”

She casts a spell, and I see some kind of magical shield forming around her. She pushes a side door open cautiously, and a few of our fighters follow her out. After a second, the door opens and Emily pokes her head back in.

“No one’s around. Follow me. Stay low and move fast!”

Guys and girls start to funnel out the doors. No one else is speaking, but I look around and the words pop out of my mouth before I can stop them.

“What about the villagers?”

Everyone pauses. Emily scowls at me, and points out the window in the direction the fighting sounds are coming from.

“They’re fighting with the soldiers. We can’t risk going to help them. There’s a group of Demons out there, not just monsters!

“But—”

“Tom. There’s nothing we can do.”

Richard looks tired as he unsheathes his sword. He’s going to bring up the rear. He motions me towards the door, but I hesitate.

“There are kids out there. Can’t we—?”

No one else meets my eyes. Richard hesitates, but Emily stares at him and something silent passes between them.

“There’s nothing we can do. We have to leave now. ”

“Then I’ll go.”

“What?”

I’m shaking. But I can’t stop myself. I think of Wilen and the girl I gave a flower to this morning. I can’t not go.

“I’ll go. I’ll find you later if—I’ll go.”

Richard stares at me. To my great relief, he doesn’t try to stop me; he just pulls a flask out of his belt.

“Take this.”

He presses the yellow healing potion into my hands. Its high-quality stuff and I know it’s saved his life more than once when fighting. I take it and nod at him. What can I say?

The others look at me, but no one says anything. After a few seconds, Emily pulls someone towards the door and they start moving again.

You’d think one of them would try to stop me, try to tell me not to do anything stupid. But they’re already leaving. This isn’t a time for stupid heroic lines like a movie.

So why am I doing the stupid, heroic thing?

I don’t know. I certainly don’t feel like a hero as I scuttle down the street, trying to stay in the shadows. But maybe it’s just because I can’t stand us running away. Not now. Not—without trying to do something.

I’m just a [Clown]. I thought it would be a good idea, that there was something in there. But right now I don’t think of classes or skills or anything else. I’m just a frightened guy. Trying to do something right.

I hear someone screaming ahead of me and my heart stops in my chest. But it’s not a human sound. Ahead of me, the stable is sitting right next to a burning house. The flames haven’t touched the stable yet, but the horses are inside and they can smell the smoke.

I don’t have time to free them. If I rode a horse—but I can’t.

“I’m sorry.”

I say it quietly and move on. I can’t stop. Every instinct in me is telling me I’m in danger. I just need to find Wilen and the kids. They know to make for the outpost if they’re in danger, but if the soldiers there are under attack, where would they go?

If I can bring them to the others, Richard and Emily could protect them. If—

Something darts out of an alley ahead of me. I freeze, but it’s no Goblin. A small form runs through the street. I shout out, forgetting caution.

“ Wilen! ”

He turns towards me, face written with desperation. He starts towards me, but then I hear a crash , and something bursts through a wall of a house behind Wilen.

A huge hand punches through the stone, and a club that’s just a beam of wood sends burning wood flying through the air as it roars and charges towards me. I freeze.

A Troll. A massive, gray-green hulk of a monster, squat face grinning as he lumbers down the street after Wilen. The boy runs towards me, and I freeze up again. What should I—?

“Run! I’ll stop it!”

Wilen stares at me, but I shove him behind me. The Troll pauses as I run towards his left side, trying to draw him away. He turns towards me—the bigger target by far, and grins as he raises the broken piece of timber.

I’ve got to buy Wilen some time. I shout and wave my arms as I run left. I can get into an alleyway, lose him that way.

But the Troll lumbers to cut me off, and I realize he’s moving faster than I am. He cuts me off and raises his club. I slow and try to backpedal, but too late.

He swings the broken piece of timber. So fast! Too quick to dodge. I raise my arm—

—And wake up on the ground. I raise my head and puke as my everything spins. I have to turn over to empty my stomach, but I’m on my feet even before I fully think.

Wilen. Got to find him. The Troll must have thought I was dead. Where is…?

Something’s lying in the street twenty feet further down. I stare at it.

No.

It’s still moving. I stumble forwards, feeling my body screaming in agony. But it’s a distant scream; no louder than the one in my head. I run, and then the small shape comes into view.

Wilen. He turns his head towards me as I halt in the street. Despite the flames around me, my skin is cold. And my heart—

“Is that you, Mister [Clown]?”

He’s in one piece. Mostly. But his spine is twisted the wrong way, and his skin—

The young boy gasps up at me, face pale. He’s just a kid. Just a kid. Tears streaks down his face as I lurch towards him and fall to my knees.

“I tried to run like you said, but he was too fast. He caught me.”

“Wilen—”

I reach for him, but stop. What can I do? There’s nothing to do. Wilen gasps, his face pale.

“I think he hurt me. Am I okay?”

“I—”

My head is spinning. Wilen doesn’t need an answer. He bites his lip so hard it bleeds. He’s trying not to scream.

“Mister [Clown]—he’s coming back.”

I look over my shoulder. Maybe the Troll found something else to kill. Maybe he thought we were dead. Maybe he just got bored.

He lumbers back down the street, dragging his club along the ground. He squints at me and Wilen, and then grins again.

He takes a few step forwards and I feel the thumping in my bones. Wilen whimpers on the ground as the Troll’s grin widens. His chest heaves as the massive creature opens his mouth. He’s laughing.

I don’t get the joke.

Side Story - [Clown] (Pt. 2)

Perhaps it’s just as well the gods are dead. Because as I hold a dying child in my arms, I can’t believe in anything greater. Not God, not heaven—

Certainly not myself.

I’ve always been a failure. It eats at me in the dark times and my happy moments. Before, I had medicine to stop the thoughts clawing at me, dragging me down. But now I see I was always right. The happy times were an illusion.

I can do nothing. I am nothing. I can’t be a hero, I can’t fight. I can’t even save a single kid.

Wilen gasps as he clings to me. He’s still alive. But not for long. I can see it. His spine and lower torso are—

“It hurts. A bit.”

He’s biting down so hard his teeth have gone through his lips . I hold him to my chest. I don’t know what to say.

“You’re going to be okay.”

He gives me the same look as whenever I make a truly terrible joke. It almost makes me want to laugh.

“I’m going to die. But you should run. He’s coming.”

I can hear the Troll thumping towards me down the street. The gargantuan bastard is taking his time, strolling along. I don’t move. I can’t.

“I’m not leaving you here.”

“You’ve got to. I am dying.”

He says it so matter-of-fact, but his small hand is squeezing my arm. I know he’s right. He does too. I don’t know what to do. He holds something out to me. A sword? No—just a knife. A kitchen knife. He must have tried to defend himself.

It falls from his fingers. He can’t even hold it. Wilen is in pain. He’s—I can see the hurt in his eyes.

So I tell a joke.

“Hey. I’ve got a joke for you.”

I say it out of desperation, out of fear. Because he hurts and I want to take away the pain.

Wilen looks at me. He tries to smile and fails. Sweat and tears roll down his face, indistinguishable.

“Is it a good one?”

“You tell me.”

“Okay.”

I take a deep breath. I don’t have a joke. But it comes to me in a flash.

“Wh-what do you call a fat [Clown] sitting in front of a Troll?”

Wilen gasps. His face goes a little paler, and he grips my arm as strongly as he can. His grasp is weakening. I look down, and see the blood pooling under the skin.

“What? What’s a…fat [Clown] sitting in front of a Troll?”

“The main course.”

It’s not funny. But he giggles, and blood trickles out of his stomach.

“That’s good. But I don’t want—”

He loses focus for a second and stops speaking. I hold him in my arms for a while, waiting for him to finish the sentence. Then I realize he’s dead.

Behind me the earth shakes and I hear a heavy laugh from overhead. I smell a terrible, putrid stench, and the smell of blood and death.

But I don’t care.

My head is swimming, but my eyes are dry. All my tears run from my heart. Like blood, dripping onto the ground. My blood.

Everything is spinning. I can feel death approaching, snuffling and grunting. The Troll.

I close Wilen’s eyes and move. I stand up. I keep moving. And I smile.

I am not happy. I don’t think I’ll ever be happy again. But this is tragedy, and I can either fold up and die, or move on.

Because that’s what a clown does. I think I get it. We make comedy out of tragedy, and pretend everything’s funny when it’s not. We…

Tell jokes so no one can see the tears inside.

The Troll is behind me. I see his massive shadow as he raises his club. Laughing. But he doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand true humor. He doesn’t understand anything.

I close my eyes. Sometimes you just need to let go. And let the funny inside you out.

Ha. It was a pretty funny joke.

Hahahaha.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—

[Clown Level 24!]

[Skill – Greater Pain Tolerance Obtained.]

[Skill – Devil’s Luck Obtained.]

[Condition – Horrific Laughter Received.]

[Condition – Lesser Insanity Received.]

Oh. Oh.

So that’s what it feels like. It feels great. It feels aMaZIng.

I was right all along. Classes are what we make them. A [Clown] might not exist in this world, but we brought a bit of our world with us.

And [Clowns] aren’t just funny.

We’re hilarious.

Remember when I said I had depression? I lied. I go up and down. And right now, the world is terribly, awfully, and horribly funny to me.

I put down the small body on the ground and stand up. The Troll stands over me, licking his lips. He laughs thickly, cruelly. That’s not a laugh. I show him what a real laugh sounds like.

“Hehe. Ohoho. Hahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. ”

It hears me laughing. The Troll’s huge face wrinkles up in confusion. He doesn’t like what he hears. He doesn’t like the sound I’m making.

He swings his club. I go flying. Like a bird! I’m just a clown. I can’t dodge. Why would anyone think I could dodge?

I think my bones break as I hit the ground. But I sit up and keep laughing. Pain is just another side of pleasure, right? It’s so funny my broken ribs don’t even bother me.

The Troll stomps over towards me. He punches me as I sit up and down I go. Whee!

Haha. It hurts! It hurts and I bleed.

The Troll reaches to grab me, and then pauses as he notices the knife in his arm. It goes in and out as I stab.

“Stab. Stab. Stab. Stabbity.”

He stares at me. I giggle . Trolls bleed red! A wonderful discovery!

The Troll roars in my face. Ooh, scary. He steps back and raises his club. A bit too far!

“Aha! A weak spot!”

This time he screams as I stick the knife right into his loincloth. He throws me away and I roll around. Poor bones! Poor flesh! Where’s my healing potion?

The Troll stares at me as I lurch to my feet. He clutches at his groin and staggers away. I’m not hurting him much, but he’s too afraid. Of what? My face? The laughing? Can’t he take a joke?

I take two steps and remember. Oh right. Bones are broken! I take the potion Richard gave me. How horrible it is! What’s the point of getting hurt if you’re going to fix it so easily?

I drink the potion down completely. And then a second. It burns like fire. Healing potions aren’t meant to be consumed so much as applied. Too much, and you’ll suffer. But what’s suffering?

The Troll runs off—well, limps, really. I follow him. How am I supposed to find anyone with all this smoke? I keep tripping over dead bodies. Honestly. You’d think the villagers would clean up after themselves after they go bleeding all over the place.

That’s when I see the Demons. Eight of them, standing together. A group of archers, firing at someone in the distance. I hear a scream , and then the Troll shouts something at the archers as he runs towards them.

One turns her face, and I see a harsh, angular face, dark purple fur, and two ram’s horns. Hey, Eddy was right! They do sort of look like that.

“Wow. She is hot! ”

But she had compound eyes, and some kind of chitin on her upper body that looks like armor. Mutants. Oh god.

That’s too funny. I’m fighting X-men?

“Hah!”

She looks at me. She’s probably in charge of this merry band. And oh look, they’ve got bows!

The other demons vary in appearance as well. One looks like he’s got fish scales, another one looks human except for the horn sticking out of his forehead, and another one is sliming from the arm.

Something inside of me wants to rage out. Something in me is disappointed. Demons? These are just people with skin problems. They’re no different than humans. They work as a team—they fight and kill, and they probably fear and hate us as much as we hate them.

What a crappy thing to be afraid of.

But that’s not what a [Clown] does! My thoughts twist, and my lips do the same. A [Clown] points out the way the world is broken and laughs at it. I’m an entertainer. A funny guy.

“Smile, smile, smile. ”

The Troll runs past the group of archers, ignoring their leader’s orders to stop or take a bath. And now they’re looking around. Oh my. Did I scare the big bad demons?

One of them looks my way and shouts something. The others raise their bows and take aim, but uncertainly. Oops. I’m in the shadows, aren’t I? Well, time for the dramatic reveal.

I step out and give them a big grin and a bow. First impressions are important. And I must be a good showman.

Oddly, they all freeze when my face comes into view. Why? Is it my winning smile? Something on my face?

“Don’t look so frightened. I’m here to put a smile on your faces. Want to hear a funny joke?”

The Demon lieutenant raises her bow. She looses an arrow at my head before I can blink.

Something rips open my cheek. I blink, and touch at the cut flesh.

“Hey! I nearly died!”

She blinks at me. I glare at her, and then grin as I lick the blood.

“What do you call a fat man standing in front of a bunch of archers? A pincushion?”

I laugh and the Demons stare at me uncertainly. Don’t they get the joke ? Or can’t they hear me? That’s even funnier.

“ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA— ”

Another arrow misses my head as I double over, full of mirth. Whoops! I stand back upright, and spread my arms out. I walk towards them, shouting merrily.

“Come on then! Fire! Fill me full of arrows!”

The archers hesitate. They’ve never seen anyone just walk at them, arms stretched out wide. I grin at the gleaming arrow tips.

One of them fires. This time he hits me in the leg. I stumble, but hey, what’s an arrow between friends? There’s a potion in my pocket. I pull it out of the air and drink it as another one hits my other leg. And I move towards them.

“Do you really think—”

Another arrow appears in my chest and I stumble. But the potion works. I regain my footing and keep walking.

“Do you really think you can shoot a guy with a great smile like mine?”

The arrow tips are seeking my heart. But they’ve missed. And there’s nothing for them to pierce, anyways. My heart’s in my mouth. Get it? Ha.

One of the leather-clad Demons lowers his bow as I draw close to him. He rips a sword out of his sheathe. Ooh, scary.

I wave at him, and smile wider. His eyes are wide as he stares at me. What? Am I that ugly or is it the lack of horns?

“Hey. Wanna see a magic trick?”

He blinks at the unfamiliar words. But that’s okay; I’m going to show him. I flick my hand, and a knife appears in it. I’d prefer a bunny, but they’re harder to kill people with.

The archer isn’t ready for that. He hesitates, and I slash at his throat.

I miss. He’s got a Skill, or maybe he’s just more athletic than an uncoordinated guy with arrows sticking out his chest. He leans back and the knife strikes his armor instead. The impact jars the blade out of my hand.

Oops. He stabs towards me with a sword, and I grab his hand. He shakes me off and tries to slash at me, but suddenly he’s not holding anything. His sword is gone . I waggle my fingers at him.

“ Tada .”

Then I pull it back out and run him through with it. He chokes, and I laugh as I push him away.

“Now, anyone know where I can find a pencil?”

I hear a shout, and turn my head. An arrow spins me around. That one nearly got me for good! The Lieutenant drops his bow and charges with a long knife in hand.

“Aren’t you just precious? Here, catch!”

I toss the sword at her, and she dodges left. Right into the knife that’s suddenly in my hand.

But of course she’s a soldier! Big, bad, and oh-so-skillful. She deflects the knife and then rushes at me. She kicks me so hard I feel something burst in my gut. But the potion’s still in me, and you know what? It doesn’t hurt that much.

I fall to my knees as she raises the dagger over my head. She brings it down, and I bring my hand up. I catch the blade with my fingers.

“Hey, this thing’s sharp! Mind if I borrow it?”

The long, curved dagger disappears and the Lieutenant gasps. Probably because I just stabbed her in the stomach with her own weapon.

“What, no applause? Your other friend thought it was good enough to die for. ”

I nudge her a few times with an elbow as she staggers back.

“Get it? Die for? No?”

The other archers charge me, screaming, trying to protect their boss.

“Oh come on. One at a time. Form a line!”

I pull an arrow out of my shoulder and slash at one of the soldiers. He dodges. Ooh, he’s got a knife too.

He should have stabbed me in the face or somewhere wonderfully painful then, but I grin at him as he lunges, and he goes all stiff. His eyes go wide, and I make them even wider as I stab the arrow into his right socket.

“Look at me! Look at —oh, wait. You can’t.”

I need better material. But now the other soldiers are pausing. Their leader is desperately trying to pull the blade out and use a potion before she bleeds out. So I give them my biggest smile to show them I don’t want to hold a grudge.

They run.

“Hey! The performance isn’t over yet!”

I run after them, but I’m too slow. And blood loss and all that. I look down and realize I’m still bleeding from several spots.

“Potions. They just don’t work like they used to, do they? Back when I was a lad, we all had negative AC scores and mages could only cast 6 th level spells. Bah.”

The world spins, but it’s nothing compared to the twisting in my head, and the laughter in my ears. Who’s laughing?

Oh, right. It’s me.

But I have no audience to share the funny with? I look around. Nope. Just dead bodies.

Ooh, and one freshly dead Demon lieutenant! She’s trying to drag herself away. Looks like her healing potions aren’t as nice as mine.

She screams when I twist my head and torso down to stare sideways at her. What’s wrong? I even smiled.

“Would you like to hear a joke?”

She slashes at me wildly with the dagger covered in her own blood. I tut and take it away from her.

“Not very nice is it? Now, I’m not a good [Clown]—barely past Level 20, so give me a break, will you?”

I start chatting as I drag her through the dirt and blood on the street. She’s shouting something, but I’m trying to tell a joke.

“It’s really, really good of you to put up with my bad jokes. I’m just ripping off some of the greats, you know? Improvising my act. I’ll come up with something original soon, I promise.”

She spits at me. I laugh, and she tenses.

“Okay, okay. Too real? Too personal? I know. A [Clown] should be professional. Sorry about that. On to the real material! You wanna know how I got these scars…? Nah, just yanking your leg.”

I pull it and she gasps a bit and tries to get away. I kick her in her half-healed wound and she convulses. Then I pull the knife out and shove it in her mouth. Not too far, just far enough that it tickles the back of her throat. Her eyes go wide as I bring my grinning face right up to hers.

“Here’s the joke! All you—you people out there. You’re fighting against these humans and you think you’re the scariest things around. But here’s the funny thing: you’re just killing people like you. Ordinary people who become soldiers. We called you monsters and you believed it. But listen. You’ve never seen a real monster.”

I shove the knife a bit further into her mouth and she gurgles. The whites of her eyes are showing as I bring my grinning face close to hers.

I’m smiling. I can’t stop. Her rough skin rasps below my gloved hands as I whisper in her ears.

“Why so serious? Can’t you take a joke?”

That was cheap. But she still doesn’t hear me. The Demon officer shouts something as I drag her down the street. Towards a burning building. I can hear the horses screaming in their stable.

“Shh. Shh. Let’s go say hi to the nice horsies, shall we?”

There’s a heavy bar on the door. I huff and puff and nearly pull a muscle getting it out! By the time the doors open, the lieutenant is trying to run down the street.

“Hold on, hold on! We just got to the good part! And after you came all this way—let’s watch the final part of the show together, shall we?”

I tackle her to the ground and grab her by the ankle. Ooh, cloven hooves. Kinky.

She kicks me a few times in the face, but I don’t leg go. I’m just watching the stables. Any second now…

The horses inside the stable are nearly mad from fear and panic from the flames and blood in the air. When they sense there’s a way out, they kick through their paddocks and rush towards the exit.

The doors fly open. The horses rush out. The Demon girl I’m holding screams and tries to get away, but I hold her in place.

“ My little pony, my little pony… something, something, look out for the hooves!”

The maddened horses stampede past us, screaming and braying so loudly I can’t even hear the Lieutenant screaming. She doesn’t even try to move; just curls up into a ball and completely misses the entertainment!

Me? I’m laughing.

The first horse knocks me flat and I hear ringing. And laughing. Another one hits me in the face and my nose breaks. Another steps on my hand. The bones break and I feel the flesh ripping. And I’m still laughing.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha—

It’s morning and the sunlight is bright on my skin before I realize she’s gone. I blink, look down, and notice the blood. It’s all over me. On my hands, my face, my clothes…

I’m standing in a ring of bodies. Not human bodies; Demon corpses. Soldiers. They’re all dead.

Except one. How do I keep missing the last guy? Must be a blind spot. Probably the eye I can’t see out of at the moment.

I turn towards him staggering a bit. Hey, what happened to my body? Looks like someone tap-danced on my skin with a pair of skates.

The Demon soldier flinches as I turn my face towards him. I try to appear composed. Shame on me. I’m at a wake, after all. His. Did he hear me chuckling?

He’s got a strange, half-melted face. Not from any injury—it looks too clean to be a wound. The five bloody holes in his leather armor on the other hand are probably my fault.

“Hey pal. You don’t look so good.”

The soldier bares his teeth at me and tries to raise a mace. But he’s too far gone. He says something as he collapses in a puddle of his own gore. I don’t know the words, but I understand him even so.

“Monster.”

That’s fair. Harsh, but fair. I feel at my face. Cuts—broken skin—nothing like how I remembered leaving it. But the face paint is still mostly intact, which is the important thing. Actually, I think all that blood’s started a new layer. How avant-garde!

I look around for my special friend, the Lieutenant who can’t take a joke. Is she this body? This one? No?

I turn over the corpses, but find no horns—at least, not the ones I’m looking for. She’s not among them. I can’t tell if I’m disappointed or relieved.

I’m aware…my thoughts aren’t quite right. I’m alive. After all of this, I’m alive. I shouldn’t be, but I’m alive.

And I’m still insane.

“Heh. Ha. Hahaha.”

Oops. Looks like I was completely right. But you know that thing about the hidden cost and all that? Probably should have read the fine print.

“Tom, Tom, lost his mind! What a shock; what a bind! Ahahahahaha! ”

That’s how they find me. Laughing and covered in blood, out of my mind in the ruins of the village.

It’s a huge group of people holding weapons. Some of them I know; others are new faces.

I wave at Richard. He’s leading a group of eighteen [Soldiers] and several of the combat-capable townsfolk from a few miles down the road. He stops as I approach, and the [Soldiers] raise their weapons. The civilians just freeze and stare at me.

“Tom…?”

Richard’s dark skin is very pale behind the faceguard of his helmet. He looks at me, and I can see the whites of his eyes.

I look at him, and he flinches. The others can’t even look at me. I catch Emily throwing up on the ground, and even Richard’s face is far too pale. I grin at him, and he takes a step back.

“Hey. Want to see a magic trick?”

“Magic…?”

I spread my arms and bow theatrically. I gesture towards the death and destruction around me; the dead bodies and the burned village.

“ Tada. ”

—-

The village is destroyed. Those who didn’t flee for their lives perished at the hands of the Demons and monsters. But the Demons perished at the hands of terrible comedy, and I think the Troll just decided to go back home.

The people from my world wander the ruins with the few villagers, staring at the death as the soldiers collect bodies and stare at me. Actually, everyone stares at me.

My friends—well, the people I arrived with can’t even look at me. I give them my best smile and they just freeze up. Or run away. But the soldiers and townspeople don’t look at me the same way.

They can’t stand the carnage either. But they look towards me and the dead with a different perspective. They count. They see only enemy soldiers, and me standing surrounded by the dead.

They have something else in their eyes. Fear. Fear of the unknown. But hope, too. The funniest thing. They don’t understand what I’ve done, or what I am. But I killed monsters and they think that makes me a good person.

Hilarious.

Sleep and waking are the same part of the nightmare. I hear the voice, those dispassionate words that aren’t said so much as projected into my mind.

[Hero Level 2!]

[Skill – Weapon Proficiency: Knives Obtained!]

It’s so funny I can’t stop laughing. And crying.

I’m a [Clown] who kills people. I’m a fat man who’s lost his funny. I’m just a guy who kills people and lets kids die—

But I guess I’m still a [Hero], too. If that’s not funny, I don’t know what is.

Want to hear a joke? A guy gets transported to a fantasy world, becomes a [Clown]—

And stabs people in the face. It’s not funny I’ll grant you, but I’m working on it.

I’m—

—Already far gone. Goodbye, Wilen. The part of me that still remembers whispers it. Goodbye.

I’m so sorry.

2.27 G

The Gold Stone Tribe was mobilized and marching towards a gathering point just outside the High Passes as the sun reached the midway point in the sky. The Chieftain looked up, but declined to increase their pace. They were moving fast enough already, and they had many miles to go.

They were going towards a gathering of the tribes. Every Goblin tribe north of Liscor had been summoned by the most powerful tribe in the region: the Red Fang Tribe. Such was the power of their Chieftain and the tribe that the Gold Stone Tribe’s Chieftain hadn’t hesitated and set out at once upon being summoned.

But he still took care not to move too quickly, and his tribe moved with a large scouting perimeter out and all of his best warriors near the center, armed and ready. There was an enemy hiding in this snowy landscape, and it was another tribe of Goblins.

A big one, too. The Chieftain was no great thinker and Goblins weren’t exactly the most erudite speakers, but they gossiped and news of this sort travelled fast.

The Flooded Waters Tribe had come north. That normally wouldn’t be a big issue; their Chieftain was nothing special and they were few in number. But something had happened. In less than a week, their tribe had overrun the Jawbreaker, Sword Taker, and Bloody Hand Tribes, slaying or defeating their Chieftains and absorbing their Goblins into the tribe.

They attacked by surprise and used strange weapons, and their Chieftain could use magic. That was close enough to the Ghostly Hand Tribe to be disturbing, but apparently their Chieftain was also a [Tactician] who could manipulate the battlefield.

That was disturbing, and the Gold Stone’s Chieftain knew that in any other place, this new, ambitious Chieftain might well become a major power among the tribes in time. But here?

No. Not here. The Red Fang Tribe had heard about this incursion, and they had taken swift action. The clans were being summoned, and when they moved as one, this upstart tribe would be ground to dust in moments.

All the Gold Stone Tribe had to do was get to the meeting place soon enough. It was no difficult task; even a Gold-rank team would think twice before attacking the two hundred-odd Goblins travelling across the snowy terrain. And the Gold Stone tribe wouldn’t stay in any one place long enough to warrant an army coming at their backs.

Even if the Flooded Waters Tribe came for them, the Chieftain thought they might be surprised. How big could this new tribe be? They had to have lost many Goblins fighting three tribes already, and he had three Hobs under his command, and many warriors with equipment seized from Bronze-rank adventurers. They wouldn’t be troubled. They—

A shrill horn call rang through the crisp morning air, and the Chieftain’s head snapped up. He looked around wildly, and then saw the Goblins.

A small group of them appeared out of a forest miles ahead of the Gold Stone Tribe. The Chieftain called an immediate halt as his warriors raised their weapons. He counted.

Forty? No. Fifty Goblins at most, and not a Hob in sight. He relaxed. These might not be all of the Flooded Waters Tribe, but if that was all they could muster—

One of his Goblin scouts screeched , and the Chieftain’s head twisted. He saw another group of equal size emerging from the left. A hundred, then. Not a prob—

Another horn call sounded and the Chieftain’s heart sank. He looked right, already knowing what he’d see.

Fifty more Goblins. A hundred and fifty, and if the same held true for behind, two hundred all told. An equal fight, then. The Gold Stone tribe might be surrounded, but they could still bunch up and break out in any direction if need be. They could—

Movement. From the front again. The Chieftain saw the fifty Goblins spreading out, so that they formed a thin wall, each Goblin spread out in the distance. He almost laughed. What could they do like that? Each Goblin had nearly five feet separating them; anyone could push through them.

That’s when the other Goblins stood up.

They’d been sitting or lying on the ground, and at this distance, had been invisible. But now they stood, the real numbers of the Flooded Waters Tribe. Fifty became a hundred, and then the Goblins ahead of the Gold Stone Tribe parted and he saw the core of their army.

A different force of Goblins ran towards the Gold Stone Tribe, taking their position on a small mound ahead of them. They were all Goblin warriors, and there were two hundred of them.

Despair. But the Chieftain had no time to look for a place to escape. He heard a third horn call, long and whining, and then the Goblins raised something. He squinted. It was hard to see, but they looked like…bows?

Suddenly the air was full of arrows and stones. Goblins around the Chieftain cried out as the deadly hail began falling from all sides. He raised a shield to his face; the old iron rang as several projectiles struck it. The horn call blew one last time, loudest yet, from behind him.

The Chieftain turned, and saw the enemy Chieftain. She was sitting on a small hill behind his Tribe, surrounded by warriors. And Hobs.

His heart stopped when he saw the Hobs. Eight of them stared down at the Chieftain. They stood behind a small Goblin who raised a sword that shone in her hand. She screamed, and one of the Hobs raised a weapon. The Chieftain saw a black thing streaking towards his face. And then—

Nothing.

—-

Rags saw the black crossbow’s bolt catch the Gold Stone Chieftain in the chest and grimaced. She’d ordered her Hob archers to take the shot, and she’d also told them to try not to kill the enemy Chieftain if possible. Well, one out of two was good enough.

She watched as the Chieftain fell, and wondered if he’d survive the bolt. If his Tribe surrendered quickly enough, they might be able to get a potion down to him. She had more than a few healing potions on her belt and in her tribe’s grasp, and Hobs were tough. He might survive.

Either way, she wanted the other three Hobs, so she shouted an order and the rest of her archers carrying bows immediately lowered them while the Goblins holding the bullet-throwing crossbows fired on. They had practically unlimited numbers of the hard clay pellets and stones anyways, and it was the best way to wear down their enemy at no cost to either side.

Rags stood on her hill and watched as the Gold Stone tribe milled about in confusion, Goblins screaming as they realized their Chieftain was down and they were under attack from all sides. She hoped no one would rally them; she wanted this over with quick.

And indeed, the initial deadly volley followed by the rain of pellets quickly broke the spirit of the tribe. In minutes, their warriors were throwing down their weapons and cowering on the ground. Even the Hobs abandoned their weapons and clustered around their Chieftain, protecting him from the painful barrage. They could count. The eight Hobs that Rags had was more than enough of a deterrent by itself.

Rags let the Goblins fire for another minute before she blew on the horn again. It took all of her breath, but the effects were immediate and gratifying. Her warriors ceased firing, and moved in with her as she advanced towards the surrendered tribe.

Things went quickly then; the defeated Goblins knew what to do, and Rags was experienced now. She quickly found the Chieftain and poured a healing potion into the wound in his chest as a Hob helped pull the bolt out.

That done, Rags looked around. The Gold Stone Tribe Goblins were milling about, tending to the wounded or staring at her Hobs with as much apprehension as envy. She raised her voice, and Goblins immediately scrambled to do her bidding.

First, Rags organized her new Goblins, separating them. The children and pregnant females she put with the others, while she took any Goblins with archery skills and weapons and added them to her own ranks. Those with useful skills she put in special groups; the best warriors she added to her personal vanguard and the others she assigned to the largest, unskilled group of Goblins she used for every task.

Then she had the Goblins gather up their weapons, grab their supplies, and add them to her own. The Goblins leapt to obey as their former Chieftain sat up and poked at his chest experimentally. Rags ignored him, and mentally tallied up her latest acquisitions.

Nearly two hundred Goblins and four Hobs? That was an excellent outcome, and not least because this was probably the last tribe Rags could hit safely. The Red Fang tribe was calling all the other tribes together, perhaps to absorb them, but at the very least to come after her. They’d have to retreat soon.

The Gold Stone Chieftain lurched to his feet and lumbered over to Rags. She glanced up at him, and then pointed to some food her Goblins were dragging out. He nodded, and meekly walked over to eat without so much as a word of protest or moment of hesitation.

That was the thing about Goblins. The Tribes might fight, but it was customary for a defeated tribe to follow the victor, regardless of what had passed before. Either that, or they left without incident; slaughtering each other as prisoners wasn’t something Goblins did, regardless of how they treated other species they captured.

Neither was Rags worried about any other Goblin knifing her in the back while she stood in the snow and issued orders. Betrayal and backstabbing was not a Goblin trait, which might surprise Humans and other species. But while Goblins were completely fine with killing an enemy in their sleep, they tended to avoid that amongst themselves, at least within their own tribe. A Chieftain ruled because they were strongest; someone who took that position by cowardice would not lead the tribe well.

Now, declaring you’d be the next Chieftain and putting poison in the old Chief’s food while they slept? That was fine. Even commendable if no one saw you do it. After all, you’d have every Goblin in the tribe watching out for you and they’d tear you to shreds the instant you got close to the camp. A Goblin who could sneak past a hundred watchful eyes and disappear into the night was a Goblin who would make a great Chieftain.

Even the newly defeated Gold Stone Chieftain seemed perfectly happy to munch down on the dead Corusdeer her hunters had killed while she reworked his Goblins into her tribe. He had acknowledged her strength and had given in; his tenuous subservience to the Red Fang tribe hadn’t been worth more than his life.

Rags was relieved of that. This was an easy battle she’d won by virtue of superior tactics and a well-planned trap; but other tribes might have gone down fighting. And best yet, the Gold Stone Chieftain had accepted her. If he’d thought she was completely unworthy to lead, he would have fought her to the very last.

One young Goblin—well, young by Goblin standards, she was only a year older than he—brought Rags a bone with meat on it. It was hot, steaming, and still bloody. Rags tore into it greedily as her Hobs received the same treatment.

Another victory! Now that all the complexities were dealt with, Rags allowed herself to feel her accomplishment fully. And it felt good.

She had defeated a tribe of over two hundred Goblins with no casualties on her side and virtually none on theirs! The very idea of that a month ago would have been too much for Rags. And the fact that she now led over eight hundred Goblins…it boggled her mind. But she’d won, and she’d kept winning after that day in the inn when she’d decided to fight.

And it was so easy! Rags felt like she was walking on clouds, and her head was almost swimming with the joy of it. In one short week she’d absorbed three—now four—tribes into her own, each one larger than the last.

It wasn’t due to luck, either. Rags had planned each victory out and reaped the fruits of her labor. She’d defeated the other Goblins with her mind , not just with a sword and overwhelming numbers.

The other Goblin tribes might have been bigger, but their Chieftains had no concept of strategy. Rags did, and that, combined with her [Firefly] spell and stone bows meant that she could arm nearly every Goblin in her tribe with some kind of ranged weapon, even if it was only a rock.

Surround them, pummel them, cripple their leader. Attack at night or from defensible positions. These were all basic concepts, but Rags had seen how just one of these factors could turn a battle entirely around.

Already she’d leveled up several times as both a [Leader], [Tactician], and [Mage]. Rags had done very little fighting herself, so she was still the same level of [Warrior], but she could feel herself getting stronger. A Chieftain’s strength was their tribe; as their tribe grew, so did the Chieftain. And Rags had put the resources of each defeated tribe to good use.

She’d had more of the stone bows built of course – but the crossbows required specific parts that most tribes didn’t have access to. Fortunately, each tribe she’d conquered had any number of Goblins able to use bows, slings, and in some cases, crude javelins.

Thus, Rags armed her weakest Goblins with the crossbows. They were best in inexperienced hands; it took time to learn how to sling a stone or fire a bow, but a crossbow was point and shoot and even children could roll the clay pellets.

She’d taken the best weapons from each tribe’s collection and outfitted herself and her best warriors with them. She and her Hobs all had armor now; and semi-decent weapons. Steel maces, wicked battleaxes and even a magical dagger—Rags felt strong with all her equipment.

Only her bronze shortsword and shield were the same. There were better weapons of course, but Rags had been given them as a gift by Erin and besides…they were shiny. When she caught the light on her sword, the Goblins were impressed, and that was important.

And she had Hobs. Hobs! That was the greatest miracle of all. They were devastating warriors and each one was worth twenty Goblins. At least.

They were twelve now, former Chieftains and the strongest warriors of a tribe the lot of them. They weren’t all fat, like her former Chieftain and the Gold Stone Chieftain were. Hobs could be huge, round creatures, but some were just tall versions of Goblins. In any case, they were all her best warriors, easily the equivalent of any two Silver-rank team of adventurers.

In terms of Hobs, she had more than even the Red Fang tribe, although that was a poor comparison to make. Rags was well aware that her Hobs were only a drop in the bucket in a larger conflict; they had to be used well or they would be lost, much like a Queen in a game of chess.

She had no intention of clashing with the Red Fang tribe in any case; Rags had decided to head back to Liscor after this. There they could rest and prepare for future battles in peace. Her new tribe would put her on equal terms with the Watch, or at least make them too big to fight.

Besides, now Rags was sure she could hunt the more dangerous types of enemies around Liscor. Rock Crabs were still a problem of course, but her Hobs had fought Shield Spiders, and they told Rags it was easy to destroy a nest with few casualties if you had two Hobs and enough Goblins.

Rags bit into her meal and realized she was at the bone. She began to snap it so she could suck the marrow when she realized all of her Goblins had gone silent. Slowly, she followed their turned heads and saw the wolves.

As a young Goblin, Rags had heard stories but had never seen Carn Wolves in person. The massive wolves—three times as large as a regular wolf at least and capable of bringing down a horse in a single strike—were deadly enemies to Goblins.

But there was one tribe that had tamed the ferocious animals, much as the Broken Spear Tribe had tamed the Shield Spiders. This tribe of Goblins had learned to raise the massive wolves and even learned to ride them. With them, and led by their ferocious Chieftain, they had conquered hundreds of miles of territory north of Liscor.

And here they were, larger than life, watching the Flooded Waters tribe. They’d appeared without warning from her scouts, without a whisper.

The Red Fang Tribe.

Sixty Goblins, sitting on the backs of the rust-red giant Carn Wolves, stared down at Rags’ Tribe. A Hob Goblin sat on a massive wolf at the head of the group of riders, holding a red sword in his hand.

It wasn’t their entire tribe. That was the first thought that came into Rags’ mind after her heart began beating again. This—this was only a scouting group. Led by their Chieftain. But they were barely a drop in the bucket compared to Rags’ forces.

But words cannot lie so easily to the heart, and Rags’ was in her throat and beating out of control. She stared up at the leader of the Red Fang Tribe and saw only strength.

He was a tall Goblin, but not particularly big for a Hob. He would have been around the height of a normal Human man, but that was not what made him so terrifying. It was his presence. The Chieftain of the Red Fang Tribe practically vibrated with his will to fight and his confidence in his own strength. He bore battle scars all over his body, and his gaze was a lighthouse, a red beacon that swept the Goblins below him.

They cringed, all of them, unable to meet his gaze. The Chieftain stared down, looking for someone among the Goblins.

Rags.

He didn’t find her. Of course. Even armored as she was, Rags was no Hob to tower above the rest. The Chieftain rolled his shoulders and raised his sword into the air. Rags tensed, but the next thing the Chieftain did wasn’t order a charge. Instead, he spoke.

Flooded Waters Tribe! Send your Chieftain to fight! I challenge her!

His words boomed down the hill, echoing in the vast wilderness. Rags stared up at him, suddenly afraid. It was a traditional challenge, one she had heard many times when she had been growing up. But it had never been addressed to her.

Within her tribe, Rags ruled by virtue of her superior intelligence. And she had her black crossbow. Any challenge would have been settled in two seconds and she had always defeated enemy Chieftains with her tribe, as was fair.

But a challenge? No. Rags stared up at the Red Fang Chieftain and imagined trying to fight him. She couldn’t. He would cut her apart with a single strike.

But she had to say something. Her Goblins were looking at her, and Rags couldn’t back down. She stepped forwards, discarding the bone in the snow and stared up at the Red Fang Chieftain.

He saw her then, and frowned. Displeased? She was as far from him in nature as possible. Rags was still young; she was no Hob, and she was not going to accept his challenge.

That was clear from the way Rags stood with her arms folded, staring up at him. She had not run, which would be the sign of an unworthy Chieftain, but she refused to take up his offer. The only other course of action would be to fight, and Rags was tensed for the Red Fang Chieftain to do just that.

Was his entire Tribe nearby? If so, the only option Rags had was to retreat. But if it was just this group of riders…could they actually take down the Red Fang tribe here and now?

Surely not. But Rags had the black crossbow by her side, and her Goblins outnumbered his by a huge margin. Maybe…

The Chieftain moved. He kicked the wolf he rode gently in the sides, and it started to descend the slope. Rags’ Goblins stirred, but she held them back. Instead, she caught the eye of one of her Goblin warriors and slowly drew a circle on her palm. He nodded and stealthily moved off among her Goblins, grabbing others.

Her warriors would circle around, trapping the Red Fang’s riders. They could capture this tribe as well, Rags was sure. But she was still vibrating with nerves, and as the Red Fang’s Chieftain drew closer on his wolf—

Pressure.

Rags stared up at the Chieftain as he moved with his Red Fang warriors. He was the only Hob among them, but each mounted Goblin projected that same aura of strength. They were all armored with unrusted chainmail and thick leather. And their weapons—

They might be as strong as Hobs, each one. That was the sense Rags got. How high level were they? And their Carn Wolves were just as deadly. The great animals didn’t even flinch as the riders moved into the center of Rags’ tribe, and Red Fang warriors looked just as unconcerned.

They advanced down the slope, heedless of the countless bows trained on them. The leader of the Red Fang Tribe sat on his Carn Wolf and stared down at Rags as she approached.

The difference in their heights was beyond staggering. Rags felt like she was staring up at a giant. But it was equally difficult simply because up close, the Chieftain radiated danger. Rags didn’t have [Dangersense], but she was sure it would be screaming at her right now if she did.

The Chieftain looked at Rags and spoke, his voice low and rumbling.

Submit to my tribe. Or die.

He spoke in the Goblin’s tongue, which was short and guttural, so much so that many Goblins preferred to just grunt and point if the problem was simple enough. Rags stared up at him, and felt her mind go blank.

Submit? To his tribe? It was better than dying, which was how she’d gained control of the other tribes. And it was the sensible thing to do. The Red Fang Tribe—they were legendary. Rags knew her tribe was not their match. Even if they had only a fraction of their strength here, it was the smart thing to do.

She should do it. Rags hesitated as the Chieftain waited for her response. She could do it. He would probably let her keep her tribe, and they could go back to Liscor. She could pay tribute, and she would be safe.

It was the best choice. But Rags looked at the Chieftain and his sixty riders. They were in the center of her tribe and her ambush party was making their way around the rear. Could they…?

Submit. It was the smart thing to do. The safe thing. But Rags looked up and remembered a Drake staring down at her with hatred in his eyes. She saw the severed heads and knew her answer in a heartbeat.

Slowly, Rags shook her head. The Chieftain’s eyes narrowed.

Then die.

Rags didn’t even see him swing his sword. She only saw the Hob next to her move, and then the Gold Stone Chieftain was in front of her, taking the one-handed slash meant for Rags.

The blow broke the Hob’s shield and cut through his armor. Rags stared as the Gold Stone Chieftain fell, bleeding. The Red Fang Chieftain shook his head, and then raised his sword. And his warriors attacked.

Rags screamed orders as the mounted riders suddenly leapt at her Goblins. Her archers fired and warriors rushed towards the riders, but too slow. The wolves bounded forwards and into the ranks of her Goblins, snarling , and the mounted Goblins stabbed with their spears and slashed downwards, turning the front ranks into bloody ribbons.

The Red Fang Chieftain pointed at Rags and his wolf leapt forwards. Rags stumbled back, and more Hobs and Goblins rushed to protect her. One Goblin raised a crossbow—

And the Red Fang Chieftain sliced off the top of his head. It was a smooth swing that didn’t even slow as it cut the Goblin’s skull open. The Chieftain grinned with battle fury in his eyes as he cut left, right, left, right. Each time he did, a Goblin died.

The Chieftain took an arrow from a bow to the shoulder and didn’t even blink. The arrowhead snapped off as it hit his skin, and Rags realized he had some kind of skill. He swung backwards and delivered a backhanded punch to a Hob that floored the other Goblin. His Carn Wolf seized a small Goblin and crunched the struggling warrior in an instant.

All around Rags, her Goblins were screaming and trying to fight off the wolf riders who had charged into their ranks. Clay bullets and arrows broke or bounced off the Goblin warriors’ armor and the Carn Wolves’ hide. Each Red Fang warrior fought with a ferocity and speed of a Hob, and their wolves were just as horrible to fight; Goblins struggled to even get close enough to strike in the face of those slashing paws, and snapping teeth.

Rags moved backwards, looking around wildly. Where was her ambush group? Still getting into position probably. The attack had been so sudden they’d all been caught off-guard, and now the Red Fang’s Chieftain was cutting his way towards her.

His Carn Wolf howled and rammed its way through the ranks of Goblins, trampling them underfoot. The Chieftain leapt from its back and dodged a bolt as it flew towards his chest. He grinned, turned, cut two Goblins in half, and then charged towards Rags.

She dropped the black crossbow and drew her sword just in time. She raised her sword and braced the flat side with her hand as the Chieftain raised his sword high. He brought it down, and Rags saw whiteness and felt as if the sky had fallen on her head. But though her sword shook and bent , it miraculously held.

The Chieftain grinned, and Rags barely managed to turn her blade to block the next strike. He locked blades with her—on purpose. Rags could feel the unyielding strength behind his blade; if he’d wanted to, he could have cut through her bronze sword and straight through Rags in a single blow.

You are not true Goblin.

Rags felt a shock as her feet struggled for purchase in the snow. The Chieftain stared down at her, looking almost disappointed. He stared into her eyes, red eyes intent on her face.

You are too small to lead. Too weak. I will prove this.

He turned, and his wolf bounded away into the darkness. He roared , and suddenly his riders moved away, cutting themselves free of her Goblins. Rags fumbled for her bow and then raised her hand to cast a spell, but too late.

The Red Fang riders were already racing away as Goblins scrambled for their bows and tried to fire after them. Rags stared around, but saw no fallen wolves or dead Goblins from their tribe. Only her slaughtered Goblins.

Sixty against close to a thousand, and yet they’d fought their way out without a scratch. Rags was in shock. She stared around and the dead and dying and at her hands. Her small hands. They still trembled at the memory of clashing with the Red Fang’s Chieftain.

That was when the Goblin scout raced through her milling tribe, shouting for her. Rags turned, and he nearly fell in his panic. She caught him, and he gabbled his message. Rags felt her head go light with shock.

Over a thousand Goblins, perhaps many thousands—the scout had no accurate number—were marching towards them. The Red Fang Tribe’s main host.

They had to run. Rags looked around and began to shout. The Goblins abandoned the dead and seized the wounded, but as they did, more screams rang out.

Rags grabbed at her sword, but the sounds weren’t coming from here. She looked over the hill and realized what was happening.

The Red Fang Chieftain. He was killing the Goblins she’d sent to encircle him. In the distance, she saw her hiding warriors break and run as his wolf riders fell upon them. The Chieftain was fastest, and he swung his sword at the leader of the ambush team. The Goblin fell, and the Chieftain rode on, swinging his sword. Once, twice. Goblins bled and died.

Rags shouted, and her Goblins streamed out after the riders, but again, too slowly. Even as she watched, the Red Fang riders broke away from the combat, dashing over a hill and out of sight.

This time Rags didn’t hesitate. She ordered her Goblins to grab everything they could and began marching the main body of her tribe away from where the Red Fang Tribe was. But she could sense the Red Fang’s Chieftain was still nearby. He had promised to show her how weak she was? What did he mean by that?

She soon found out. The Red Fang’s Chief struck her tribe eight more times that day, until she finally realized what was going on. And then the next day, and the next. He forced her tribe on the defensive, making them fall back until the days became all the same.

Retreating, fleeing, running.

South.

Back towards Liscor.

—-

They were being hunted. That was all Rags knew. She sat around the small campfire, head bowed, too exhausted for any other thoughts. Her Goblins lay around her, some passed out on top of each other.

It was still light, but that hardly mattered. Her tribe was too exhausted to keep going, so Rags had called a halt. Even so, she’d posted half of her soldiers as a watch, in case the Red Fang’s Chieftain returned, which he would.

He always did.

Rags looked around. Her tribe. It was still mostly intact. Mostly. But over the course of a few days, they’d lost over a hundred Goblins, and half again as many were wounded. And not because the Red Fang Tribe had caught up with them, no. It was all due to the sixty riders and the Red Fang Chieftain.

They kept on attacking. Rags closed her eyes and remembered.

Flashes.

The Red Fang riders charged out of a forest ahead of Rags’ tribe. Her Goblins screamed and scattered, but she reformed them. She’d been expecting this. Rags ordered them into a line and had her archers prepare to fire. As the riders raced at her, she pulled something out of her belt.

A red gemstone. The gem of [Terror]. It had little effect on Goblins, but wolves? Rags raised it and activated the magic.

Terror, pure terror, rolled over the Carn Wolves and made them halt in their tracks. Their confused riders pulled and yanked at them, trying to make the wolves go on, but they refused, trying to retreat.

The Red Fang Chieftain stared at the gem in Rags’ hand and narrowed his eyes. As the first arrows and clay pellets began to bombard his warriors he raised his sword into the air and—

Roared.

The sound was deafening and bestial. It made Rags’ Goblins hesitate, and the fearful wolves froze in place. The Chieftain pointed towards Rags as her heart stopped again in her chest and shouted.

Charge!

The wolves leapt forwards, their fear forgotten. Rags screamed an order, and her Goblins warriors surged forwards to protect her unguarded archers, but too slow, too late. The first ranks were completely crushed as the Red Fang riders screamed into them, slashing, cutting—

Pain and defeat. Again and—

This time Rags had set up on high ground, but the Red Fang’s Chieftain didn’t even hesitate. He came up the gorge, so quickly her archers were barely able to target him. But that was fine. Rags waited. The steep incline was only passable in a few places. And in each—

The camouflaged rolls of boom bark were hidden beneath rocks, but the explosions would just turn the stone into deadly shrapnel. She held her hand at her side, the [Firefly] spell hot in her mind as she waited. The Red Fang Chieftain ran on, staring directly at her. The Hobs at her side hid their arrows dipped in oil, ready to fire. Nearly, nearly—

At the last moment, the Chieftain stared at the ground and suddenly pulled his wolf to a stop. Rags stared in disbelief as he studied the perfectly concealed ground where the boom bark was hidden, and then shook his head. He shouted, and his wolf riders turned with him, racing away. Rags stared at their backs, furious, confused, until she heard screaming from behind and realized he’d split his force in two—

And now, today, she’d tried to make a stand and corner him. But he’d spotted every one of her ambush teams and torn into them and retreated before she could get close.

That was the thing. The Red Fang’s Chieftain might be warlike, but he wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t trying to fight head-on. If she could corner him and force him to fight, it might be a fair one. His fifty wolf riders might be strong, but even with the Carn Wolves they were outnumbered eight-to-one by her Goblins.

But they didn’t do that. Instead, they launched devastating attacks on Rags’ Tribe, outrunning her archers and slaughtering dozens of Goblins before turning and running away.

They were too well-armored, too strong individually, and they never fought Rags’ best warriors. Instead, they aimed for the weak spots, the archers, her unguarded flanks. And Rags couldn’t send her Hobs to counter, because of the Chieftain.

If her Hobs strayed anywhere outside the center of her tribe, the Red Fang’s Chieftain would come for them. He was unstoppable. Arrows didn’t slow him or his mount down and he had already killed two Hobs by himself. He was a monster, and at his back his small group of warriors turned into an unstoppable force that bled Rags day and night.

If they could have stopped, they might have found a cave to dig into, or some place to fortify which the riders wouldn’t dare attack. But even that wasn’t an option, because the Red Fang tribe was following in huge numbers, poised to strike down Rags’ tribe if they slowed.

The main body of the Red Fang tribe and all the lesser tribes under their command were advancing slowly, backing up their wolf riders and forcing Rags to keep moving or risk being caught. They were blocking every escape route, forcing Rags and her tribe back towards Liscor.

It was the neatest trap Rags had ever seen, and it was terrifying as well. She couldn’t do anything against these riders; her crossbow was the only weapon capable of hurting his warriors at a distance, and they could outrun her archers and outfight almost all of her Goblins.

Even so, Rags might have had hope. A hundred dead was terrible, but it was only a tenth of her fighting force. They’d killed several of the wolf riders and the wolves in return. But that wasn’t the real consequence of these daily raids, no. It was the effect they were having on her Tribes’ morale, and worse, confidence in her.

Small Goblin! Fight me!

The Red Fang’s Chieftain would roar that challenge with every new day, and his warriors would beat their shields and their wolves would howl. And each time Rags would turn and take her Goblins back, back towards her home.

She couldn’t fight. It was suicide, and her Goblins knew it. But still, they saw their Chieftain retreating and saw too that she was unable to protect them or hurt their enemy, and they lost faith.

Rags tried to project confidence, but that was hard because she had no idea what to do. She had to get back to Liscor. That was her home territory; she knew the landscape and could set a trap. But what?

Luring the Red Fang riders to Liscor would be pointless. The city would close their gates, or send the Watch and the terrible Antinium out to crush both sides. The Red Fang riders would just run while Rags’ tribe was cut to pieces.

They couldn’t hide in the caves either. It was no longer big enough for them, and if they pressed themselves in that small confine, she was sure the Red Fang Chief would walk in and slaughter them one Goblin at a time.

So what else was there? Rags was sure going into the dungeon itself would be death; she doubted even her Hobs could defeat the stone golems past the broken wall. And if not them then there was only one thing she could think of.

Erin. But Rags couldn’t even imagine the innkeeper defeating the Red Fang’s Chieftain, even with her friends to help. And besides—

No. No, this was Rags’ fight. She had half of an idea left, a wild guess. She just had to get back to Liscor to implement it, and soon. Because if she didn’t hurry, she wouldn’t have a Tribe by the time she got back.

The second night after the continued attacks by the Red Hand tribe, Rags had woken up and realized some Goblins were missing. A few families had vanished overnight, as well as some stragglers.

That was normal. Goblins left tribes if they were unhappy, to start their own tribes or wander. But the next night more had left, and then even more. The Goblins were losing their faith in their Chieftain, and so they were abandoning her.

Not all of them; this was mostly just from the Gold Stone tribe, although incredibly, their Chieftain had persuaded most of them to stay. But the exodus was increasing.

More Goblins left last night as well. Rags sat up and counted the empty beds. Twenty six this time. Almost exactly how many she’d predicted. Good? She didn’t feel anything was good right now.

She stumbled over to the campfire, and found the stew cooking on the fire. It was full of rations, dried meat and leftovers. It tasted awful, but it was hot and Rags scarfed the food down. She only realized someone was behind her when she heard the heavy footstep.

She whirled, and reached for her weapons warily. But it was only a Hob. He was one of the ones from the Sword Taker tribe, a tall Hob who used a huge hammer as a weapon.

He was staring at her. Rags hesitated. Did he want food? As Chieftain, she had first rights to food, but there was more than enough in the pot. Was he waiting for her to finish? Some tribes had different customs.

But then the Hob spoke and Rags understood.

Chieftain. Fight.

It was half a request, half an order. And the Hob shouldn’t have said it, but if he did, it meant others were thinking it. He stared down at her, silently. Rags looked expressionlessly at him, and then around.

More than one Goblin pretended to be asleep, but she realized she had a watching audience. Well, it didn’t matter. Rags looked at the Hob and slowly shook her head.

She wouldn’t die. But she wouldn’t surrender either. Not without one last try. She wasn’t going to sacrifice her entire tribe though; she wouldn’t be worthy of a Chieftain if she were willing to do that. Her Goblins had to trust in her.

But the Hob was insistent. He locked eyes with Rags, and she felt the hairs on her body rising. He wasn’t going to back down, and she couldn’t as Chieftain. She eyed him. He wasn’t wearing armor, but he was still bigger and stronger than she was. He was three times her size, at least.

The two Goblins stared at each other silently, and the tension in the air rose another level. The Goblins stopped pretending to be asleep and sat up. They knew what was about to happen.

The Hob spoke.

Challenge—

Rags dove and rolled as a fist missed her head by inches. She grabbed the crossbow she’d been sleeping next to and fired. The Hob gurgled and fell back, clutching at the shaft in his chest. The other Goblins stared as he collapsed onto the ground. He tried to raise one hand, fell back, and died.

It took Rags a long time for her beating heart to cease. She left the Hob’s body where it lay; they might use it as food, or not. They had to keep moving. But her head was full of…regret. It shouldn’t have come to that.

None of her Goblins looked at her, although she’d acted in accordance with their traditions. It was a fair fight, at least by Goblin standards. They knew she had the crossbow, and Goblins don’t believe in fair fights. Or rather, everything is fair since a fight is never fair. But it was still bad, for a Chieftain to have to kill her Hob.

Rags made her tribe move, and before long they were attacked again. They fought off the Red Fang’s attack and Rags continued onwards. One last try. All or nothing.

She spoke little that day, only a bit to her Hobs. They stared at her silently, and nodded when she insisted. But when she turned her back she could feel their eyes on her.

Again and again the Red Fang riders surged into her Tribe, but this time their tight formations made it harder for the warriors to stay and engage. Rags took down another rider and two wolves with careful shots, but her ammunition was running low and none of her other Goblins could penetrate the wolves’ thick coats.

They’d reached the very edges of Liscor when they made camp that night. They were just past the cave leading into the dungeon when Rags decided to make camp. Silently, her Goblins got to work as Rags planned out her last stand. She knew the area well; it was only a day’s journey away. They could make it, perhaps late if they had to fight off more attacks.

She went to sleep, worrying, dreaming. Was she making a mistake? No—she had to become strong.

But. But. Should she have given in?

No. Yes. Rags tossed and turned. One last try. What did she have? A final jar of Erin’s acid. Boom bark that the Red Fang’s Chieftain wouldn’t go near. And knowledge of the terrain.

Rags closed her eyes. She was a Goblin. She was not weak. She would show the Red Fang’s Chieftain her strength.

She slept.

When Rags woke up the next day, all her Hobs were gone.

—-

It was midnight when the Goblins of the Flooded Waters tribe finally halted. The Chieftain of the Red Fang Tribe watched them set up in a small valley, but not to sleep. He’d nipped at their flanks all day, slaying Goblins, but their small Chieftain hadn’t reacted as normal. She’d forged ahead, until she reached this place.

He could see why. The valley was a natural trap of the terrain. It would be harder for his riders to get away, and if they were surrounded—but of course there was a second reason as well.

The Chieftain shook his head. He was disappointed, but he would show the small Goblin the true nature of Goblins here and now. He waited, his fifty riders poised and waiting around him as their wolves sniffed and pawed at the snow. They could sense it too, no doubt.

The Goblins in the valley began to spread out, forming a large circular formation, warriors with shields and swords facing outwards while archers and women and children armed with a few slings and the odd crossbows waited in the middle.

It was a pitiful formation, one that failed to rise to the stories he’d heard about the small Chieftain’s cunning. But then, it was all she had to work with.

Her Tribe had lost more than half their numbers last night, and all of her Hobs had gone with the Goblins. And by the looks of it, they’d taken most of her bows, slings, and new crossbows. All this Goblin had left were normal arms. She didn’t even have enough pikes to form a proper defense, not that they would have slowed his riders anyways.

The Red Fang Chieftain shook his head. Time to end this. He raised his hand and his riders tensed. But then the Goblins below began to make noise.

It was the small Chieftain who started it. She stared up at him and began to bang her sword on her buckler. She shouted—a faint voice in the vast emptiness of the rolling plains. But then other Goblins took up the same call.

They began to shout and stomp the ground, rattling their weapons against metal. They screamed at the wolf riders as the Red Fang Chief stared down at Rags. She met his eyes.

Well. Perhaps there was some Goblin in her. It wouldn’t save her, though. The Red Fang’s Chieftain unsheathed his sword and raised it high. It ended tonight. They would break her will with this.

The Chieftain took a breath of the cold night air and roared at his warriors as their mounts howled with him.

We ride!

The Red Fang warriors shouted and followed their Chieftain as he leapt down the slope. The Red Fang Chieftain was shouting as he sped downwards on his giant wolf, eyes locked on the small Chieftain’s. He couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

He’d really expected more of her.

—-

Rags watched the Red Fang Chieftain charge and held her breath. This was it. This was all she had left. Her depleted tribe stood at her back, loyal till the end. There were still enough of them to win. If they could just stop the riders for a second. If—

The Red Fang Chieftain roared as he came down the slope, and Rags felt a chill far colder than the cold air. He was coming. Her sword was sweaty in her palm, and her heart was beating too fast.

But the Chieftain was coming at her in a straight line. Rags watched his wolf dash through the snow, raising a cloud behind him. He hadn’t noticed.

She held her breath. One more step—

The Red Fang Chieftain kicked his wolf, and the huge animal turned, and leapt left, avoiding the hidden pit full of Shield Spiders. It was casual, almost contemptuous how easily he skirted the pit, urging his wolf right to avoid a second one, and then running around a third.

Rags stared at the Red Fang Chieftain, shocked, as he dashed between the Shield Spider pits without even disturbing the snow covering each trap. Despair was in her eyes, and as he halted in front of the ranks of her Goblins, he shook his head. He looked almost regretful as he raised his sword and his riders howled , charging towards her front lines.

Die, small one.

Rags let the look of shock linger on her face for two more seconds, and then grinned. The Red Fang’s Chieftain blinked. She raised her hand and clenched it into a fist—

And the ground shifted .

Behind the wolf riders, the snow-covered Shield Spider pits fell away. The Red Fang riders turned, confused, and saw Goblins. The Red Fang’s Chieftain turned, and his eyes widened as he realized the true nature of the trap.

Shield Spider pits. They were easy to detect even without [Dangersense]. Any living Goblin knew how to spot them. But then, Shield Spiders weren’t much of a threat to a proper tribe. All you needed to clear out a nest was a bunch of Goblins with long weapons. Oh, and a few Hobs of course.

They were all there, all of Rags’ Hobs and half of her tribe. They stood in the pits, Goblins all armed with bows and slings and crossbows. They fired into the wolf rider’s backs and sides as more climbed out of the pits and charged the rider from every side.

Rags shouted a command, and her warriors charged as well. Her archers began to fire, and the Red Fang riders found themselves surrounded on all sides.

The Red Fang’s Chieftain narrowed his eyes at the Shield Spider pits. He realized the problem instantly. In those shelters, Rags’ archers could continue firing without any fear.

Unless of course his riders went in after them.

The Chieftain pointed, and shouted. One of the wolf riders jumped his wolf into a pit and then screamed . His Carn Wolf screamed too; they’d both impaled themselves on the thick wooden stakes planted around the Goblin archers.

Rags grinned, and for the first time, she saw the Red Fang’s Chieftain hesitate. But then he turned to look at her, and she saw not a glimmer of fear in his eyes. Her smiled faded. No. He wasn’t going to…

Any other Chieftain would have surrendered, or tried to flee. But the Red Fang Chieftain just narrowed his eyes, and then raised his sword. He pointed, and shouted one word.

Charge!

His warriors didn’t hesitate. Fifty Goblins riding Carn Wolves crashed into the ranks of hundreds, and began to cut their way through. They didn’t stop.

A Red Fang warrior screamed as he lashed out with his sword, riding his Carn Wolf into the Goblins. He struck wildly, ignoring the countless hands that tried to pull him down.

A Hob buried an axe in his Carn Wolf’s head. The Red Fang warrior went down, but was on his feet in an instant, fighting with his sword even as countless weapons pierced his body. With his last moments he ran forwards and ripped a Goblin’s throat out with his teeth.

Goblins fell back as the Chieftain swung his sword, cleaving through multiple bodies with one swing. He didn’t even look around as he struck; the blood flew in his wake as he charged straight at Rags.

She had the black crossbow at her side. There was only time for one shot. Rags sighted down the bolt, and fired once. The Chieftain’s Carn Wolf howled and collapsed with a bolt in its neck. But the Chieftain just leapt off its back and cut Goblins down as he ran towards her.

Rags was shaking. Her blood was fire. But she didn’t run. She tossed the black crossbow aside and raised her sword. It was time.

Challenge.

In the snowy night, Goblins fought and died. Mounted Goblins on huge wolves fought against a vast number of Goblins, bleeding, dying, but killing scores for each Goblin pulled off their wolf. And in the center of the fighting and dying, two Chieftains found each other.

Rags and the Red Fang’s Chieftain had nearly a hundred feet separating them, and countless bodies in the way. But they ran as if they were both alone in the world, eyes locked on each other.

They charged at each other through the mud, each one screaming. Two kinds of Goblin raised their swords as their tribes cleared out in front of them. They met in fury and fire, one dodging, retreating, using magic and cunning. The other raged, running through fire, attacking, slashing.

Two Goblins, each with a vision of the future. And as they locked blades, both Chieftains stared into each other’s eyes and for a second, their hearts beat as one.

They both felt it. They heard the voice echoing in their souls as they struggled for purchase on the slippery ground, in each beat of their hearts as they struck at each other.

This. This is Goblin. This is our nature.

It was a scream of a thousand lives, a thousand memories of Goblins who had lived and died before them. It rang in their ears, coursed through their veins.

This is Goblin. This is what we were born to do.

Rags saw a bare foot flash towards her chest and blocked just in time. She felt the impact—as she landed ten feet away. Her arm was broken. She uncorked a potion with her teeth and poured it over the bone, holding it in place as the Red Fang Chieftain charged.

Another potion. Rags downed it and pointed. Fire burst from her fingers and struck the other Goblin in the chest. He roared as the flames burned him but ran on.

Thunder. Rags ducked and rolled between his legs as the Red Fang’s Chieftain sliced at her. He missed, but turned and cut down three Goblins as they ran at him. A Hob tried to get in his way; the Chieftain ran him through without looking in his direction.

The voices in Rags’ head urged her on as she raised her sword, and she knew the Chieftain could hear the same words.

Fight. Fight! FIGHT. Fight or die! Kill or die!

They charged, for the last time. But as they did, Rags heard another voice. It was quiet, but it spoke in her mind, a younger voice, from twenty-odd years ago. The voice of a King. It whispered to her.

This is not who we are.

It made her falter. Rags hesitated as the other Chieftain screamed at her. She heard the voice in her head, louder than the rest.

Remember.

And she looked up at the Red Fang Chieftain—

And rolled into one of the pits.

It was close enough that Rags made it nearly to the center as she fell into it. She saw the wooden stakes rushing towards her, horribly sharp—

And felt one brush against her side. But she was small, and the burning pain was no worse than the impact of falling. Rags scrambled to her feet, and saw the Chieftain. He was standing on top of the pit, eyes on fire.

Coward!

He leapt. She knew he would. The Goblins around her scattered, but Rags waited. She felt the impact, and saw the Chieftain roar in agony as a stake struck him. But he was slashing at her before she could blink.

Her shield—

The impact tore through the metal, ramming Rags against the dirt wall of the pit. She fell down, stunned, as the Red Fang Chieftain walked towards her.

You.

He coughed and yanked the wooden spear out of his side. He looked at his blood, and then reached down and seized Rags. She kicked feebly as he lifted her into the air, reaching at her belt, feeling the world go dark.

The Red Fang Chieftain raised his sword and then looked around. His warriors were falling, dying. He was alone in the pit with Rags, but already Goblins were approaching with bows and arrows. He had lost, but Rags was dead.

How? How are you so small but able to do so much?

Rags met his eyes. She felt the cold glass in her palm. She gritted her teeth, and rasped.

I am Goblin. I am small. But I look down upon you all.

Then she raised the jar and smashed it above both of them. The acid rained down, covering both Rags and the Chieftain. They screamed, and Rags fell to the ground, writhing in agony.

Burning. Pain. Death.

Rags couldn’t see. She could barely think. But her hands fumbled at her belt, reaching for her only salvation. The glass was cold, and she broke it on her face, heedless of the shards.

Pain. But suddenly her melting skin was also healing. Rags felt her skin burning away and regenerating at the same time. She screamed, a raw sound, and broke another potion over her head, washing away the acid.

The pain continued, searing into her memory and soul. But eventually, it faded enough for her to be part of the world again. Rags sat up, screamed, and then stood up.

She had to—she had to—

The Red Fang’s Chieftain was lying on the ground, silent, smoking as the acid ate away at his flesh. Rags stared at him. She hesitated, and then uncorked her last potion and poured it over his head.

The wisps of dissolving flesh ceased. Rags saw flesh begin to grow over bone, and prayed she wasn’t too late. But then she saw the Chieftain sit up, and then stand and reach towards his own belt.

A second potion grew back muscles and flesh, and then he was standing over her, healed, and silent. The Chieftain of the Red Fang Tribe looked down at Rags, but it was she who spoke first.

I won.

He stared at her. Then the tall Hob shook his head.

Won once. Will not happen twice.

Rags shrugged.

Once is all. No second time.

For a second, she thought the Chieftain would grab his sword and run her through. His face was blank, expressionless, eyes fixed on her face. But then the taller Goblin grinned, and winced as flesh began to grow around his lips.

Is enough. You are Chieftain. Red Fang Tribe will submit.

He raised his fist and roared into the night sky.

Flooded Waters Tribe is strongest! Stop fighting!

Around the valley, Goblins slowly lowered their weapons, and even the handful of Carn Wolves stopped moving. The Red Fang Chieftain climbed out of the pit, and repeated his words to the shocked Goblins. His surviving warriors hesitated, and then took up the call. Rags’ Goblins echoed the shout, and then the night was full of voices. Rags stood in the center of it, listening to the roaring.

The Chieftain looked at Rags, serious now.

You have won. You were strongest, Chieftain.

Rags thought about this. She looked at the dead, the many dying, and thought about all that had passed. And then she looked at the Red Fang Chieftain and smiled.

Liar.

—-

It was not fair. You let me win.

That was what Rags said after the battle had ended and her Goblins were either recovering or clearing the dead. She stared at the Red Fang Chieftain as he squatted near a fire, not wary so much as curious.

Up close, the Hob Goblin looked like some kind of Goblin war god. His scars shone in the light, and his red-forged sword was beautiful—far too well-made for any Goblin. His giant wolf lay near the fire, glaring at Rags as he stared into the flames.

The Chieftain looked up. He had told Rags his name. Garen. It was…an odd name. Not a Goblin name. But Garen Red Fang was a legend in his own right, and Rags was certain, yes, certain that she shouldn’t have won. Even with a thousand Goblins versus his sixty.

You pretended to lose.

He looked up from the fire and shook his head.

No pretend. Tested. You won. Did not think you would.

Why?

He paused.

Must have good Chieftain. Must have better one than I.

It was an explanation, but not a satisfactory one. Rags had seen Garen fight. He was a devious leader, and a peerless warrior. She said so, but he laughed.

I am not Goblin enough. Not to lead all Goblins.

She understood that even less, but then, Rags was practically asleep on her feet from the healing and the battle. She could ask later, and she sensed he would tell her. He had submitted to her, and, stronger or not, she was now in charge. She was now in charge of the entire Red Fang tribe and all the lesser tribes. It hadn’t sunk in yet. But when they joined the main group…

Small Goblin. Chieftain. What is name?

Rags jerked, and then realized Garen was asking her. No Goblin had ever asked that question before. She hesitated, and then shook her head.

No shaman. No name.

He frowned slightly.

No name is bad luck. Must have one.

Again, Rags hesitated. She knew that. She looked into the fire and then at him.

Others have name for me. “Rags.”

There was no word for ‘rags’ in the language of Goblins. Rags had to sound out the word slowly. Garen frowned, and then laughed as he realized what she was saying.

“Rags? It is good name. Good name for Goblin.”

He spoke ! Rags was so stunned she took a step back. Garen had spoken! Not with the Goblin’s language, but like a Human or a Drake or Gnoll! She’d thought that was impossible.

How? How speak?

He shrugged carelessly in reply.

“Many days practice. Many, many days. Learned to once, when adventurer.”

Liar.

“No liar. Was once adventurer. Became strong. Strongest.”

That was impossible. Even the most tolerant Human would kill any Goblin—especially a Hob—on sight. But Garen just grinned when Rags said that.

“Special adventurers. Once. Trusted me.”

And?

Rags was intensely curious, but Garen’s face closed. He studied the fire, and looked at her.

“Trusted. I fought with them until one day. Then I killed them.”

Rags was suddenly bursting with questions. She wanted to ask them all, but Garen looked at her, and she realized he had something to say.

Came here to find Chieftain. Me or you. Must unite tribes.

Why?

Enemy is South. Great enemy. Bad Goblin. Goblin Lord.

Goblin Lord. Rags stared at Garen as his words struck her. No. It couldn’t be. But if he said it—

She stared at the sky. The cloudy sky. It was a peaceful night now, now that the bloodshed had stopped. But if Garen was right, it explained everything. Bad Goblin? A bad Goblin Lord? If that was the case, then—

She looked out at her tribe. If that was the case…if a Goblin Lord was really growing, then it meant only one thing.

It meant all of the violence, all the death before this was only an opening act. A Goblin Lord was rising, and with it, war would engulf this region.

Garen grinned, and in his eyes Rags saw fire and war and death. She couldn’t help it. She laughed, and felt the world begin to move again.

2.28

The Stone Spears Tribe was not the largest Gnoll tribe in the southern half of the continent of Izril, nor the wealthiest or most powerful, not by far. They occupied the northernmost lands below the Blood Fields, and mainly roamed the rocky slopes close to the mountain range that separated the continent in two.

It was sparse living so far north, with far fewer animals than down in the rich flatlands or populated swamps. And the dangers of the mountains could not be ignored; Grisrith, the mountain range revered by the Gnolls as a place where legends and myths still roamed high above the sky, often saw deadly monsters descend the slopes to find easier pickings down below.

And yet, the tribe lived and even prospered in their own way here. They had made a good living prospecting for gemstones and other valuable minerals in caves and on the slopes; the constant avalanches and shifting geography meant that it was possible to find the gems close to the surface, and they had many Gnolls in their tribe who specialized in [Miner] classes.

Everyone loved shiny objects. Gnolls did, Humans did, and Drakes really did. Their shared ancestry with Dragons meant that the Stone Spears Tribe could sell their uncut gemstones to Drakes in cities at a steep price, which paid for food and supplies when shortages occurred.

But it did mean that much of the tribe had to spend all their time digging or prospecting for rocks, away from their main camp. It was too dangerous for their young and elderly to venture up the slopes, so most of the adults and warriors would leave on long trips while the young and a few experienced warriors stayed behind with the tribe in safe territory.

That was where the Stone Spear Tribe was now, in the center of a snowy patch of ground far from the distant forest or bottom of the mountain to the north and west. It was exposed land, which meant the cold wind could be harsh, but the sturdy huts the Gnolls had built kept away the weather, and besides, this way they could see any approaching dangers from miles away.

The small camp bustled with activity even this early in the day. Older Gnolls were busy tanning hides, tending the cooking fires, or fletching arrows and skinning dead animals in preparation for later processing. Nothing went to waste in a Gnoll tribe.

Young Gnolls, awkward furry creatures that scampered around on all fours as much as two legs and nipped and got into trouble all over the camp were the only exception to this efficiency. They had pretty much free rein to do what they liked…so long as that didn’t involve getting in the way or into too much trouble. Gnoll adults and elders were quick to cuff an errant child and send the unfortunate troublemaker whining back to play with the others.

There were the Gnolls, working, busy, living out another normal day. They had organized their tents in a rough circle to help mitigate any sudden winds, and closer to the center, the largest tent stood, a place for the entire tribe to eat and gather at, or where important decisions had to be made. The fire in front of it was large, but guarded by stones so that none of the flames could jump into the tents made of hide and wood.

And there, in front of the fire, sat a Human. She stood out in the bustling camp, not least because she had no fur, but also because she looked like she had been through a war.

Ryoka Griffin sat on a rough woolen rug, shivering and looking at nothing in particular. She stared ahead, gaze empty. Eyes tired. She was very, very…

Tired.

Over a week had passed since the day Ryoka had left The Wandering Inn. And it was not the same Ryoka who sat in the center of the Gnoll camp now as the one who’d left.

She was injured. Ryoka’s face, her neck—all of her exposed skin not covered by clothing was red and raw. She’d taken off her heavier layers to expose her arms and legs, and they were cut in places and yellow, black, and purple in other places. She had stings on her right leg and shallow, thin cuts on the left side of her body and face. Her face looked like parts of her skin had been rubbed right off.

And she was exhausted. Ryoka’s eyes were deeply shadowed, and her gaze was sunken, marked by desperation. She barely looked up as the Gnoll Chieftain of the Stone Spears tribe walked over with a bowl in his hands.

“Hrm. Here.”

He bent, and sat cross-legged next to Ryoka as he placed the bowl at her side. Ryoka glanced over disinterestedly, and saw a strange grey-brown paste with flecks of red mixed with what looked like…a fish?

Yes, it was a fish, a trout or whatever this world’s equivalent was. It looked like a normal trout, cooked and still steaming in the cold air. The Gnoll indicated the fish.

“Here. Eat while I apply this.”

Ryoka hesitated as she looked at him. She’d only met this Gnoll thirty minutes ago when he’d helped dig her out of the snow. His name was…Urksh. Ryoka had to struggle to remember. He was the Chieftain here, and he’d offered her food and shelter. She’d been too tired and hurt to refuse, but—

“Thanks. But you shouldn’t be doing this. I’m being followed.”

“Mrr. By the Winter Sprites? Yes, you have said. But they will not bother you here, I think. And hospitality has been offered; it would be wrong to refuse, yes?”

Ryoka shrugged. She eyed the paste as the Gnoll dipped a large, furred finger into it. He reached for her arm and she pulled away.

“What’s that?”

“Healing ointment. It is not a healing potion, but works well either way, yes? And it is better than wasting a potion.”

“And the fish?”

“Food. Eat. The ointment does not make it taste worse.”

Ryoka eyed the Gnoll for a second, but then picked up the fish, ignoring the heat that nearly scalded her fingers. She was starving , and she quickly began to tear into the fish, spitting bones into the fire.

Urksh raised his paw and carefully took Ryoka’s right arm as she ate with her left. She winced, and he adjusted his grip to hold her as lightly as possible.

“Apologies. But it must be done, yes?”

“Go ahead.”

Ryoka tried to ignore the stinging pain and burning that cooled as the Gnoll began to spread the thick paste over her arm. It felt wonderful; she’d been running with the pain for so long, the absence of it was pure release.

Urksh frowned as he studied Ryoka’s arm. He looked at the circular red bumps on her arm and the unnatural swollenness of her flesh that began to recede as the ointment did its work.

“Wasp stings. Odd to see in the winter.”

Ryoka shrugged, winced, and snapped a fish bone with her teeth. She remembered, and tried not to as she spoke around a full mouth.

“A colony wasn’t quite dead when the faeries woke them up. Got me before I could run away.”

“I see. And the skin? It is too red, even for Human flesh.”

“Snowballs. Lots of snowballs.”

“Hrm. And this?”

Gently, Urksh spread the ointment over the cuts on Ryoka’s face. She flinched a bit, but kept still, chewing on the hot fish.

“Ice shards. They made a bunch of icicles explode as I ran past. ”

The Gnoll sat back and frowned. Ryoka sighed as the pain radiating from her arms and legs began to ease. She wondered if he was going to ask her to take off her shirt and pants so he could treat the rest of her body; she was certainly bruised enough, but she had no idea if Gnolls even acknowledged Human nakedness.

But Urksh was more interested in the skies. He looked around, searching perhaps for the Frost Faeries. There was no sign of them in the sky overhead, but Ryoka had learned they were always nearby. He shook his head as he studied Ryoka’s injuries.

“We know the Winter Sprites. They bring snows and sometimes sleet. But though they play tricks, never have we seen them attack like this. Defend, yes, and cause trouble, but never cause such misery.”

“Well, I’m special.”

“Hm. Evidently so, yes? What did you do to anger them? Even those who shoot at the faeries with iron do not incur such wrath.”

Ryoka grinned, or rather, bared her teeth.

“I hit one.”

“Hr.”

The Human looked at the Gnoll, and the Gnoll looked at her with both furry eyebrows raised.

“It is a story, this.”

“Yes.”

Ryoka sighed. She’d explained some of what had happened when the Gnolls had rescued her from the snowdrift, but now it was time for the rest.

“To put it in a sentence…I was defending a friend from the Winter Sprites and I hit one to make them stop.”

“Interesting. Your friend, this was a half-Elf, yes?”

“Yes. They don’t do well with Frost Faeries.”

“No. This is known. But their dislike of you—it is concerning, yes?”

Ryoka closed her eyes.

“Yeah. It was a mistake.”

A mistake. That was an understatement. Ryoka shuddered and she tried not to remember again. Urksh looked at her sympathetically.

“How long will they pursue you, do you know?”

“A month? A year? A thousand days and one? Until they get bored, I guess. Or until I die.”

Silence. The Gnoll stared at Ryoka as she sat by the crackling fire. Warmth. She’d nearly forgotten the feeling after so many days of running through the cold.

“That does not seem fair.”

“It’s not about being fair. They want vengeance and so they’ll have it. Rules and mercy…they could care less about what other people think. They do what they want, and they want me to suffer.”

Ryoka half-smiled.

“I envy that kind of mentality.”

Again, the Chieftain of the Stone Spears paused. Ryoka knew he was important—at least, as much as any Chieftain was. How important he might be compared to say, Zevara, the Captain of Liscor she couldn’t tell, but she didn’t have any diplomacy left in her at the moment. Just exhaustion.

“We of the Stone Spear tribe have offered you our protection, and you shall have it. Many of our warriors are gone to mine in the mountains, but our tribe is strong, and we have fire and iron.”

“It won’t be enough. Seriously just—if the faeries come back, don’t bother them. You can’t even see them right?”

“It is…faint. And they smell of nothing. But we have promised—”

Ryoka laughed.

“I respect that, but you can do nothing.”

She stared at the fire, remembering now. The Frost Faeries. They had chased her the day she’d left Liscor without mercy or pause.

“I’ve been running for over a week now, nonstop. All the way from Liscor.”

“Far.”

“Yeah, but guess what? On my way down here, not once have I been bothered by a single monster. Not one.”

“That is…odd.”

“Not so odd. It’s the Frost Faeries. They’ve scared away every creature around me for miles.”

Urksh frowned at Ryoka, as if he wanted to doubt her.

“I did not know they had such power. They are spirits of winter and can bring cold, but many things here are dangerous.”

Again Ryoka laughed, bitterly.

“Have you ever seen a Wyvern get taken out by a herd of faeries? They froze the damn thing two miles up in the air.”

Ryoka had just heard the terrifying shriek overhead when the half-dead creature had crashed into the ground a few feet away from her. The Wyvern had been a humongous beast, nearly three times as tall as she was – a lesser Dragon without claws and dark, purple scales.

She had no idea how it had even been able to lift off the ground; the impact the Wyvern had made as it hit the earth had thrown her off her feet. Worse, the faeries hadn’t actually killed the beast, and as it slowly regained consciousness and mobility as the frost dissipated, it had looked around and realized there was a nice snack nearby it could eat to warm itself up.

“I’ve been running from them and only them. I can’t get away from them, though, and they don’t want to kill me. They just want to see me suffer.”

Yes, suffer. The Frost Faeries delighted in Ryoka’s anger and annoyance. Ever since she’d hit one. Ever since then, her life had been torment.

—-

Ryoka had known she’d made a mistake after hitting that faerie in Erin’s inn, but what should she had done? She had been defending Ceria, and she wouldn’t regret that. Besides, she was on an important delivery for Teriarch anyways.

So she’d run. Run out of the inn and through the snow, as fast as she could. At first, the faeries had just followed her, pelting her with snow, shouting in her ears, freezing her skin. Annoying and painful as it had been, Ryoka had felt relieved that was all that was happening.

Then it got worse.

She’d passed through the frozen landscape quickly, running past the Blood Plains after four days of being struck by snow at random times. The first night, the Frost Faeries had dumped cold water on Ryoka as she slept. It had lowered her body temperature so quickly that she’d had to practically lie on top of the campfire to get warm.

The second night, they somehow managed to lift the burning coals of her campfire into the air and toss them onto Ryoka as she slept. She’d healed up her burns with spare use of her healing potions, but in the following days she’d stopped using them – if she had healed every cut and bruise she’d received, she would have used up her small supply by the end of the second day.

Each day, Ryoka had gotten up, eaten, and run, all the while being harassed by as few as one, or as many as forty faeries at once. They threw snowballs – that seemed to be their default mode of torment when they were out of ideas – but they also got creative. Some used twigs to poke Ryoka endlessly, while others blew wind in her face, or found horribly smelly things to drop on her.

As Ryoka ran, she encountered every miserable winter weather pattern imaginable. Blinding flurries that led her off course and into patches of briars, pelting rain that took away her precious body heat, hail—and sometimes, blessedly, the faeries would get bored and stop bothering her for a few hours. But they’d always come back with some new prank.

Ryoka had tried to ignore them, tried to run on. The stone Teriarch had given her was pointing her further south and far to the west of the Blood Fields, and so she’d followed it despite the faeries’ interference, running through a winter wonderland.

It was a beautiful world Ryoka saw, even tarnished as it was by the flying ice bugs. Here was a landscape never industrialized or paved by machines. And everything was so vast! The forests she ran through were full of towering evergreens far taller than any Christmas tree she’d ever laid eyes on, and she had run through open snow-covered fields that a farmer could have driven a tractor over for an entire day and never reached the end.

On her sixth day, Ryoka ran across a vast, frozen lake so large that she actually had to make camp on it. She didn’t even realize it was a lake until her campfire actually melted the ground underneath it. The Frost Faeries hadn’t done anything to her that day, but they’d blown away all the snow when she woke up so that the sun’s rays made the ice slippery and treacherous.

Nearly ten miles of running on frozen ice had left her sides a mass of bruises. But it was just one misery on top of many.

From the lowlands Ryoka had begun to climb, following the stone, up rolling slopes, higher and higher. The near daily ascents were no worse than some of the runs Ryoka had gone on, but it meant that the faeries could play even more dangerous games. They’d form massive snowballs and roll them down at Ryoka—the powdered snow would hit her hard enough to send her tumbling backwards. Worse, sometimes the faeries would freeze a particularly difficult gradient so everything turned to smooth ice. Ryoka would find herself sliding all the way down, screaming curses that made the faeries laugh and clutch their sides in the air.

That was not the worst though, no. One night Ryoka had woken up just as the faeries dropped a black, squirming mass on top of her. They’d collected every single insect they could find, and the mass of unhappy bugs had covered Ryoka, biting or just trying to crawl into her mouth.

Misery.

But Ryoka refused to give up. She kept moving, kept running, trying to avoid depleting her stock of healing potions. She kept going, gritting her teeth as the faeries undid her boot strings, or tied the laces into knots. She ignored their insults, their continual assaults on her dignity. Until she was nearly at the breaking point.

It had come one day when Ryoka had found the faeries had stolen all of her clothing during the night and hung them on a particularly tall tree. She’d—snapped.

Screaming, throwing rocks, blistering the air with as many foul words as she could think of. The faeries had laughed and flown around her as Ryoka tried to smash their little heads.

Afterwards, Ryoka had just given up. She sat on the ground, desolate, convinced that the instant she tried to climb up for her things the faeries would just blow her off the tree, or snap one of the branches she was on. She’d given up and just sat in the snow, ignoring their remarks and their attempts to get her attention. And then something miraculous had happened.

The Frost Faeries went away.

Perhaps they were bored, perhaps – unlikely but perhaps – they had had a shred of mercy for her, or most probably they’d seen something interesting. All Ryoka knew was that they had left, and when she was sure they weren’t just hiding to betray her hopes, she’d gotten her things and began running, blissfully unhindered.

The faeries had come back when she was feeling better, three days later. And when they did, they’d been unrelenting as before. Ryoka had run on though, running and running until the day when they decided to drop as much snow as possible on her, burying her in a huge mound. She’d thought that was the end of it, until she’d heard the scraping and seen a furry face peering down at her curiously from above. The Gnoll had growled something, and then had come more sounds, light and warmth and—

Poke.

Ryoka snapped out of her memories and looked around. Had she dozed off? She was sitting in front of the fire in the Stone Spears camp, only it was later, the bowl of ointment was empty, the fish was blackened bones in the fire and a small Gnoll was sitting next to her, staring curiously at Ryoka’s face.

“What?”

The young woman blinked as she laid eyes on the young Gnoll. It was young, and it was a Gnoll, unless there were Gnoll dwarfs as well. But Ryoka suspected this was a child anyways, because the young Gnoll had that mix of curiosity and boundless energy that appeared in some children. And she was looking at Ryoka.

“Hrr?”

The Gnoll reached out and gingerly poked Ryoka in the side with one finger. That wasn’t bad, but Gnolls had claws, even the young ones. Ryoka twitched , and the Gnoll jumped back a bit.

“Stop that.”

Either the Gnoll child didn’t understand her, or didn’t care. Ryoka saw the Gnoll move out of sight, but refused to turn her head. She stared back into the fire, and then felt something prickling her back.

Poke, poke .

Ryoka’s left eye twitched. The young Gnoll looked delighted, and she reached out to poke Ryoka again.

“ Stop. ”

The young Gnoll’s questing paw was suddenly seized as Ryoka spun round and grabbed her hand. The Gnoll looked at Ryoka wide-eyed.

Ryoka stared down into two frightened eyes and felt like a monster. She released the child. All the hair on the young Gnoll went up and it—she fled, yipping like a dog.

“Hrm. Apologies. Mrsha is young and she does not know boundaries yet.”

The girl looked up and saw Urksh approaching, another bowl in his hands. This one was full of some kind of flatbread and lentils. Ryoka’s stomach growled and she stood up, legs pins and needles to speak to the Gnoll.

“I’m…sorry about that. I didn’t meant to scare her.”

The older Gnoll shrugged.

“Better to be scared than to be unwary, yes? She will return sooner than you will like. But her curiosity did some good this day, I think.”

“How so?”

Urksh pointed, and Ryoka looked across the bustling camp. Mrsha, the young Gnoll was hiding around one of the Gnoll tents. She disappeared when Ryoka met her eyes.

“She was the one who found you, yes? The young ones, they have the best noses. She smelled you while others were gathering food.”

Ryoka frowned as she saw a bushy tail poking out from behind the tent. Apparently that nose was good enough to smell Ryoka underneath five feet of snow.

“Well I’m…grateful. Ah, did the faeries…?”

“We have not seen them since they first left you. Do not worry. Here; eat. You must regain strength.”

The Chieftain handed Ryoka the bowl, and sat next to her. Ryoka ate awkwardly and tried to chat. She had many questions and the Gnoll Chieftain was a good host, but after only a few minutes Ryoka felt a prickling on the back of her neck.

That wasn’t unusual; most of the Gnolls stared at her back. But only one of them was actually brave enough to poke at her neck with an experimental claw.

Ryoka turned.

“What?”

Mrsha froze as she reached up towards one of Ryoka’s ears. Urksh growled and said something in the Gnoll’s language—Mrsha fled again. Ryoka turned back to the Chieftain and accepted his apologies, but five minutes later the young Gnoll was back, this time hiding behind a drying hide and watching Ryoka.

She was insatiably curious. Not just about Ryoka’s skin, but her hair and clothing as well. Gnolls were light dressers even in the winter, and so Ryoka’s layers of padded clothing were fascinating to the young Mrsha.

“Apologies, Ryoka Griffin. Her parents, they are both warriors and guarding the [Miners], yes? We must watch her and she is very interested in you, I think.”

Urksh sat back down at the fire after chasing Mrsha off. Ryoka nodded. She’d gotten a good glimpse of how the Stone Spears tribe lived, but she was curious about Gnolls in general.

“Do all Gnolls live in tribes?”

The Chieftain looked surprised at the question. He hesitated.

“Some do not. They live in cities, yes? They have given up their tribe and are outsiders, but we do speak with them. Why?”

Why? Ryoka nearly smiled. She was full of good food, warm, and not being hounded. And she was sitting next to a species like Humans but unlike them in so many ways. Why? Why everything . She wanted to know all there was about Gnolls and how they lived.

But Ryoka was so tired that after finishing the food her head was already nodding. Urksh smiled.

“There is time for talk tomorrow, yes? For now, accept our hospitality, Ryoka Griffin.”

He led her back through the camp, towards a tent the Gnolls had set up for her. It was a tall, circular construction and reminded Ryoka much of a Mongolian yurt. She stumbled inside, and fell asleep at once.

—-

The next day, Ryoka woke up to a rough sensation—almost like someone was rubbing a washcloth over her face. She opened her eyes and sat up—only to find two brown eyes staring into hers.

“ What the hell? ”

The Gnoll cub jumped and fled as Ryoka sat up. Her small room was completely trashed, and as Mrsha pulled back the flap, Ryoka realized the Gnoll child had taken some of Ryoka’s things. More accurately, she was wearing some of Ryoka’s things.

“Give me back my bra.”

Mrsha peered back at Ryoka with the bra hanging loose around the Gnoll’s own chest. She’d somehow gotten it off Ryoka during the night, along with all of the clothes Ryoka had fallen asleep in. She’d gotten off all of Ryoka’s clothes and it was only a small mercy that she hadn’t gotten to Ryoka’s underwear.

“Mrsha. Give. That. Back.”

The Gnoll hesitated. She looked at Ryoka, at the tent flap, and Ryoka, and yelped as the girl charged at her.

The Gnolls of the Stone Spear tribe saw Mrsha dashing out of the Human’s tent early in the morning, and then saw the Human in question a second later. Ryoka dove out of the tent flap and seized Mrsha as the young Gnoll tried to escape.

It was hard to wrest the bra back from the young Gnoll without breaking the fabric or hurting the young Gnoll, who was clearly expecting to be thrashed by the way she was struggling to get away. But after a minute Ryoka had her bra, and stood up…only to realize that she really should have put on another bra and some clothes before going after her missing one.

Half of the young Gnolls in the camp stared avidly at Ryoka, as well as some of the older Gnolls, although some were polite enough to look away. But all of the adults chuckled, aside from Urksh, who scowled and chased after Mrsha as she fled.

Ryoka stomped back into her tent and emerged fifteen minutes later, fully clothed, much to the disappointment of some of the Gnolls. Urksh was waiting for her, with a sulking Mrsha helping to debone fish under the eye of a watchful old Gnoll.

“Apologies again. I hope your sleep was not interrupted until now? Our sentries saw no signs of anything during the night, and we have lit more fires. They should keep away the sprites, yes?”

Perhaps. Ryoka could only shrug. She didn’t know anything that would keep away the Frost Faeries, aside from not being invited in somewhere. Erin had said Pisces had tried to scare them off with fire and they’d nearly buried the inn.

“You should eat. Here.”

Again, the Gnoll handed Ryoka a bowl, this time of fishy soup and a side dish of dried beef. She ate it gratefully, although Ryoka was tickled by the inclusion of a meat side to go with fish. Did Gnolls consider fish to be the equivalent of a vegetable or something?

Ryoka had just finished scraping the bottom of her bowl with a wooden spoon when she heard sniffing. She saw Mrsha at her side, sniffing at Ryoka’s hair curiously. The Gnoll backed up on all fours in alarm when Ryoka turned, but the girl just sighed.

“It’s alright.”

She wasn’t even that mad at the young Gnoll. Ryoka sighed as she tried to grind away at the tough, dried meat. She didn’t hate kids; it was just that she couldn’t deal with them. So she ignored the Gnoll as best she could as the youngster prowled around Ryoka, sniffing, touching, poking, and even licking once.

“Stop that.”

Ryoka pushed at the young Gnoll, and felt the heavy body shift only a little. Even Gnoll kids were heavy. She frowned at Mrsha, but then realized the child wasn’t looking at her for once, but upwards.

And so was every Gnoll in the camp. They’d all gone still, the entire Stone Spears tribe, over fifty Gnolls all staring at the sky. Silent. Watching.

Ryoka froze, and then felt the happiness of the day leave in an instant. She turned, and saw them.

Faeries.

They were circling in the blue morning sky like vultures, and even as Ryoka watched, the clear skies suddenly grew darker as clouds formed above her head. She stared upwards, eyes empty, and dropped the piece of meat she’d been chewing.

“So much for a break.”

When she’d started to run, Ryoka had been full of defiance, ready to ignore and endure whatever the faeries could do. But they were beings of forever, and she was just a mortal. In just a week they’d nearly shattered her spirit.

She had a mission, a job, a delivery to run. But it was so hard. Ryoka was just tired. So tired, she wanted to give up and go home. Only there wasn’t really any home, was there? Just an inn, and Ryoka couldn’t go back. Not empty-handed, and not with…

She looked up into the sky. The Gnoll’s fire hadn’t warded off the faeries long, if they’d even been bothered by the flames. One day of respite. That was…enough, she supposed. The faeries were descending, and now Ryoka could see the expressions on their tiny faces. For once she wished she didn’t have 20/20 vision.

They were smiling. For some reason, Ryoka couldn’t even get mad at that. This was what faeries were; fickle, tempestuous, but not evil. Just…themselves.

She stood up. The Gnolls were still watching the Frost Faeries warily, but she could see several, including Urksh, holding weapons. She couldn’t let them fight. The faeries might not kill – or maybe they did – but they’d destroy this camp in seconds.

So Ryoka stood up. She looked at the faeries.

“Come on then. What are you waiting for?”

All of her belongings were in the hut. Ryoka could probably grab them in a few seconds – hopefully the faeries wouldn’t scatter them to the far winds. Then she’d be out of the camp and running. That way only she’d go through whatever the faeries were planning. It would be wrong to get the Gnolls buried by an avalanche, especially if they tried to interfere.

Ryoka felt a churning in her stomach at the thought of more days and nights being hounded. But that was life. That was her life and it was how things were. Maybe this was hell. But it was probably just punishment. For everything.

One of the fairies spiraled downwards and looked at Ryoka.

“Having fun with the dog people, mortal? We do not fear their fire and their camp is open for all. But you know, if you grovel, we might relent and not bury everything in snow.”

Ryoka stared up at the faerie, vaguely surprised. That wasn’t how they normally greeted her. An insult and a face full of snow was more customary.

“Piss off.”

She waited, but the Frost Faerie didn’t attack. Instead, the little fey only frowned a bit.

“Are ye sure? If ye bow yer head a little bit we’ll relent.”

Now that was suspicious. Ryoka narrowed her eyes upwards. Her brain, inactive for so long from running and just surviving, began to spin back into gear.

“I’m not doing anything. And if you were going to attack me, you wouldn’t care what I did. What’s stopping you?”

The faerie hesitated.

“Naught but a little thing. But we decided that mercy would be best, even for a useless mortal like you.”

Ryoka just raised an eyebrow. The fairy pouted, blowing up her cheeks.

“Well, we owe a small favor. A tiny favor, really. We promised to forgive your attack, and so we shall. But a bit of groveling would help, mortal.”

The mortal fool ignored that while her mind raced. What had the faerie just said? A favor? A faerie’s favor? That was incredible, odd, and suspicious all at once. But the fey didn’t lie, or if they did, not often, and Ryoka assumed they were telling the truth. Then who would be able to get them to stop bothering her and how…?

Her eyes narrowed. Ryoka looked up at the faeries.

“…Erin.”

—-

She did it. I don’t know how, but she did it. Erin managed to earn the favor of the fey, and I…

Damn me, but I’m jealous.

And weary. Bone-weary. I just wish I could rest.

The faeries left me alone after that. Oh, they tried to get me to bow down and beg for forgiveness and dance for their amusement, but it seems like my punching one of them really is forgiven. Whether that means I’m immune to their normal pranks is different; I already saw them lift an arrow out of a Gnoll’s quiver and use it to spear one of the caught fish and carry it off.

Should I leave the tribe? Urksh tells me everything’s alright and maybe it is. But I’m still tired.

So tired.

Some days…are like that. In fact, most days back home felt very much like today. It’s the emptiness that I remember. It was that empty void in my chest; that lack.

The lack of anything to live for.

How can I describe it? It’s like being tired, but only in my heart. My body can feel as fresh and rested as I please, but there’s nothing in my mind, no burning passion in my soul. There’s nothing I want to do and nothing I want to strive for.

That’s what I remember most about growing up.

There’s a void in my heart, an empty little hole that sucks feelings into it. It waits, a small little creature growing bigger by the day until it will devour me entirely. The great beast of not caring.

Or perhaps it’s the whisper of my despair. Greater yet.

I am worthless. It’s true. Undeniably true.

I am in a magic world, but I still can’t do anything. I can’t learn any new spells, I reject the system of classes, I can’t kill or help my friends…

All these thoughts are because I’m tired right now. Tomorrow, maybe, I’ll feel better but right now I’m depressed and I know it. It makes nothing better. Because I can feel the same bad cycle in my head.

It’s the same as my childhood. It’s the rhythm I run to; the beat of my life.

Stay lonely. Fight with friends. Ignore my parents. Rebel. Cause trouble. Stay alone. Live in my head. Wish other people were dead.

Something like that.

And now, as I sit here next to a warm fire in a place of sanctuary with a hot belly full of food, I still despair. Because I can look up two inches and see the limit of my abilities floating next to my head.

One of the frost faeries waves at me and flicks a bit of snow at my face. It melts on my skin. I glance over at that shimmering creature of crystal and ice and magic and see wonder. And despair.

Here sits an unsurpassable wall. It’s ridiculous, but as I look at the faerie, I can’t imagine myself ever defeating one of these things. I punched one, once, and I nearly lost my hand to frostbite. Their bodies are ice, but their nature is magic. How could you even begin to destroy one? Maybe Teriarch could do it, but I am no Dragon.

They can freeze a Wyvern in seconds, conjure snow and ice, and they’re practically invisible and untouchable. That’s right. One of these little overgrown ice wasps is far, far stronger than Ryoka Griffin can ever be.

And now it speaks to me, in a voice that makes my earwax want to vibrate out of my ears.

“You should be grateful, oaf. Were it not for your Human friend we would have chased you out of this place and hounded you to the ends of this world.”

Funny thing about faeries; they never say hello or goodbye, or any of the pleasantries Humans use. They’re direct and to the point, another thing I admire about the bastards.

And they’re speaking to me, which is rare but not unusual. Sometimes they do that. When they’re bored of making my life a living nightmare. They float alongside my head and chatter to me, although when I say anything to them they refuse to answer.

But today’s different. My pride is exhausted, so I look over at the faeries.

“What did she do? Erin, I mean.”

The faerie narrows her eyes at me, as if she’s wondering if she should deign to respond. But then she raises her small chin, like a queen.

“She did what few mortals remember to do in any day and age. She honored us. She followed the traditions. But most wondrous of all: she made food fit for the fey.”

I stare at the faerie. Part of me, a large part, wants to ask how hard it is to slap together a bowl of milk and sugar. Another part wants to ask the faerie how many dead snails Erin had to gather to feed all of them. A third part just wants to slap the damn thing.

But all of those parts would just land me in trouble, or at least get me a face full of ice. So I look at the faerie and ask.

“How? A Skill?”

The faerie looks offended. It’s practically their default expression around me.

“A Skill? Pshaw! As if you could bottle knowledge and true magic so easily! Nay, what she did, she did herself and for that she is special.”

Special. Yes. I close my eyes briefly. Erin is special. Stupid and weird as well, but unique in her own way.

I look over. Mrsha is sitting next to me, staring up at the faeries. I wonder what she sees. The other Gnolls are twitching their ears every time I speak, but I don’t think they can hear the faeries speaking.

Part of me wants nothing to do with these faeries still, but they’re different from people like Persua. She’s a coward and a hateful fool, but the faeries at least are honest about their action and they’ve never tried to cripple me for life.

Plus, they’re magical. And I have to know as much as I can about magic. So I open my mouth, however reluctantly.

“I’ve heard of idio—people from my world going out to leave food and gifts for faeries. Do you visit them as well?”

The faerie looks insulted. She raises two fingers in my direction* and sniffs.

*Ah, the lovely V sign. Definitely means she’s from the U.K. or some country colonized by them. All bets are on U.K. though, given their accents.

“Us? Visit your pathetic kind and take your small gifts? We left your crumbling, dying world centuries ago. The earth dies, and death fills the air. We want nothing of it.”

And just like that she drops a bombshell in my lap. I’d suspected the faeries journey across worlds, but ours? We once had…?

And we lost them because of pollution. Holy fuck.

“You mean there were actually faeries on our world once?”

The faerie looks disappointed, and only now do I notice others are floating around nearby. Are they interested in this topic?

“Once. Do ye have no stories left that tell of us?”

They look almost…crestfallen. And I stare at them and remember.

“Excalibur. King Arthur. That story is the backbone of modern culture.”

But the faeries don’t look happy. One of them shakes their head.

“Is that all ye know? Naught of any other stories?”

Cautionary fables, stories about faeries spiriting away children…I don’t think that’s what they’re looking for. I hesitate and rack my brains. Think. Old myths…

“Are you…the Tuatha Dé Danann?”

“Tuatha! ‘Twould be as like to call us Fomoire , you fool, you!”

Great. Now they’re insulted. But again, the implications are staggering.

“So the Tuatha are real? ”

Now it’s their turn to hesitate.

“Maybe not in your world, bratling. But each tale has a grain of truth. In another world, perhaps. But ye shall never live long enough to know the truth of it.”

“I remember the old stories. Did heroes like Cú Chulainn once walk our earth?”

The faeries pause, and then a look of infinite regret passes across their gaze. Just for a second.

“Not yours, mortal. Not yours. There is magic in the worlds, but yours has no heroes or legends that ever walked your earth. Nothing true or worthy. All ye have now is dust and old dreams.”

It shouldn’t hurt. It really shouldn’t. But I’d hoped—no. I should have known better. I lower my head, bitterly. It was just a dream of a kid after all.

“No gods, and no heroes. I guess superheroes were only a wish.”

A petty wish from a world too weak to save itself. I close my eyes and turn away. Is that our world? A place without magic or legends?

I stand. I’m done with faeries. I’m going to my tent to lie down. To think. Maybe—

“Wait, wait. What did she say?”

“Superhero? What’s that?”

I pause with my back to the faeries. But I can’t help it. I turn.

“You’ve never heard of superheroes? Superman? Batman?”

I feel silly speaking those names out loud in front of actual beings of myth and legend. But the faeries exchange glances and shake their heads.

“No.”

“Nay.”

“We have not heard of them. But if they are heroes, surely you know their story?”

I hesitate. But now Mrsha looks up me. And slowly, a thought passes into my head, so slowly I can’t believe it.

Of course. If the faeries left right after the dawn of pollution—the Industrial Revolution perhaps—they would never have heard of superheroes or—or anything since.

Well, what does it matter? It doesn’t. It’s just a story, and a stupid one at that. Modern-day legends meant to make money by selling comic books. But I still hesitate.

Once.

Once upon a time, there was a girl who jumped around with a red cape made from curtains she tore down. If I didn’t have the pictures I wouldn’t believe it. But it’s true. And if I have to admit it, I still went to see the movies.

Maybe it’s that which makes me turn and sit back down. And maybe it’s because they’re alike a bit, the faeries and I. We might be different in size, temperament…well, not temperament, but in our natures, mortal and fey, but we are alike in one sense.

We can’t let some stories die. We hope. And that’s what makes me speak.

“I do know a few stories. About heroes you’ve never heard of.”

“Hah! They’re probably not good stories anyways.”

But is it just me, or are all the faeries now floating around my head? They’re clustering so tightly that even the Gnolls can see something. And Mrsha is sitting, staring up at me, and I look over and see some other Gnoll children staring at me from a distance.

Well then. Maybe, just maybe…? But what story should I tell? They’re all silly, and culturally they make no sense. How would you even begin to explain half of the things they do?

But another part of me says that it doesn’t matter. They’re timeless stories. The details may change, but the heroes remain. And so I hesitate, and then look at the fire. Which one? Well, I could be feminist, but I never really liked her as much as the other two.

One dark, and one light. A duality. If there were only two heroes in the world I’d talk about to someone who’d never heard of them, it would be those two*.

*And maybe Spiderman. But honestly, I was never into Marvel as much.

And if I’m honest, I always did like him a bit more than Batman. So I look up, to the sky. The dark storm clouds are still there, but they’re clearing up a bit. And is that a bit of blue sky I see overhead?

Maybe not. But that’s the thing. It might be. So I take a deep breath and look at the faeries, Mrsha, and the sky.

And begin.

“Do you believe…a man can fly?”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Fools! Any mortal can fly with magic!”

“Anyone can fly for a few seconds if we push them off a cliff!”

“Shut up.”

They quiet down. And now I have an audience. I take a deep breath. My heart is beating fast for some reason. Why? It’s just a story.

But it’s a good one. It’s one I have to tell. It’s something I cling to, a legend I want to be true. And maybe, just maybe, there’s magic there.

“Once upon a time—no, a long way away, so far you’d never dream of it, there was a boy. And his world was dying. But his parents wanted him to live, so they sent him far, far away. Not by spell or any kind of magic you know. But by a ship. A wondrous ship, made of metal and glass. It carried the boy through the air, higher than mountains and further than the furthest sea, across worlds, through space. His parents sent him away that he might live, while their world died. And their world was called Krypton. But the boy would not know that for a long time. He travelled far, and came to our world—my world, where a young couple lived. They were two Humans, named Martha and Jonathan Kent, and they found the boy in his ship as he landed on their world. And they named him Clark …”

—-

Stories. They don’t mean much to people who don’t listen. But to some, they mean everything.

Perhaps if you live forever you wouldn’t care about the passing of mortal lives, the concerns of those who flicker in and out of existence like mayflies. But I think you’d still care about stories. You’d still care about fables even as history passed you by. Because unlike the fragile conceit of mortal empires, some tales are immortal.

And sometimes, people write new stories which become legend. Perhaps the tale of Superman, Batman and all the other heroes I grew up with aren’t such stories. Perhaps.

But they’re damn close.

I’m no storyteller, and neither do I have a gift for words. Hell, my throat was hurting after the first five minutes. But I had an audience who hung on my every word, tiny mouths agape, and Mrsha and the Gnolls as well. They might not have gotten every nuance, but they understood heroes, and I think they were just as blown away by the idea of a superhero. Not someone with a [Class], but a truly supernatural person, someone who could lift a mountain over his head and had skin stronger than dragon scales and could outrun even the fastest arrow*.

*Look, I had to improvise a bit to explain. And Batman—well, it’s hard to explain a guy who hangs around in shadows and leaps from building to building to a non-brachiating species. I did my best.

Perhaps it was all meaningless, but that day I sat in front of a fire and told stories from my world. Not just for an hour, or even five, but the entire day. The fire in front of me waned, and then grew brighter as Gnolls threw wood on it. The camp bustled, but slowly, quietly, as Gnolls worked and listened.

First superheroes, but not just them. I realized something as I told the first story, and then Batman’s. These people, this world…they’ve never heard these tales. Never. And that’s a realization worth more money than—

I’ll dwell on it later. Some things are worth more than gold, and that’s the look on the Frost Faerie’s faces when I told them what they’d missed.

“To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”

Blake, William, Auguries of Innocence. Print. Not sure about the date or anything – the 1800’s? But the faeries had never heard those words. They had actual tears in their eyes, and some of the Gnolls looked just as moved.

How many years? Two hundred? Three hundred? Something like that. To the fey, I suppose it seems like not any time at all since they left. But how much have Humans made since then? Maybe not much in terms of moral gains or evolution of our bodies, but vast strides in areas like literature.

They’d never heard Lord of the Rings either. Hah. The entire time they swooped around my head, shouting.

“They live, they live! ”

“Rings! Forged in darkness to bind souls! Yes! How did the Human know?”

“The small folk! They remember them!”

“To Mordor! To Isengard! To the ends of the earth!”

“Ye shall not pass!”

“Shut up! ”

It was the best of times and the worst of times. Actually, it was just the best of times. I told that story too, and you’d be surprised how emotional Gnolls get. They get pretty physically demonstrative too.

I could close my eyes and remember a thousand times where my audience gasped or cheered or reacted with wonder and awe to stories that I’d nearly forgotten. But one moment stood out to me, as I sat beneath a dark sky full of stars and retold a moment from the Lord of the Rings.

Trick memory. It was just one conversation in a three-hour long film in a quartet of movies, but I’ve always remembered it.

“And Gandalf paused, and spoke. He looked at Pippin with a smile, and said ‘End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.’ And Pippin said, ‘What? Gandalf? See what?’”

I look around. My audience is spellbound. I take a breath.

“‘White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.’”

As I finish speaking, I look up, about to finish the scene and describe the Rohirrim coming to Gondor’s aid. But I pause, and hesitate. I see a speck of something bright and pure and eternal fall to the ground and melt in the snow.

A tear.

The faerie floating in the air above me slowly drifts downwards, until she’s right in front of me. Eye-to-eye. She stares at me, and her voice is quiet.

“I was wrong, mortal. There are still things in your world worth seeing and hearing.”

Just that. I cleared my throat and kept speaking afterwards. But I sensed the change in the air after that, a lightening. A difference in the way their small eyes looked at me.

Maybe, just maybe, not all stories are just that. I kept telling stories into the night, until the fire was low and everyone was dozing. But I went to sleep smiling.

Some weeks, some months, some years are bad ones. But it can take just one day to turn it around.

One day, or a story. A bit of magic.

It may be all that we brought from our world, but—

It’s enough.

—-

It was a bright and clear day when Ryoka shook hands with the Chieftain of the Stone Spears tribe and bade farewell to the Gnolls gathered to see her. She looked nothing like the Human who had first limped into the camp site, injured and weary. She stood straight and tall, and her flesh was healed. And she had something in her, a spark in her eyes.

She smiled at Urksh and bowed her head slightly.

“I owe you a debt, Urksh of the Stone Spears Tribe. I will repay it someday.”

Urksh shook his head slightly as he offered Ryoka a refilled backpack full of provisions.

“There is no debt for the joy you have given us. If you wish to stay, you would be more than welcome, Ryoka Griffin.”

“Three days is more than enough. They’ll get bored and start causing trouble to you if I don’t go soon. I need to keep moving.”

Overhead, the Frost Faeries flew high in the sky, telling jokes, laughing, but for once, not bothering her. Urksh glanced up and shook his head.

“You do not know where you are going?”

“Sort of.”

Ryoka hesitated, and then showed him the stone with the arrow.

“I think it’s taking me to a [Necromancer] of some kind.”

He looked troubled.

“We know of one Necromancer, but he is dead. And even a lesser one would be terrible indeed. Going by only a stone is dangerous, yes?”

“Hah! Is that what you seek, Human? Why didn’t you say so? We can find your dead-raiser far more easily than that bauble!”

Both Urksh and Ryoka looked up. One of the faeries flew down and gave Ryoka a pointy-toothed smile.

“We can sense where the dead gather. If you wish, we will take you to the one you seek.”

Ryoka looked suspicious, but then her expression changed. She nodded.

“If you know where to go. I’ll accept.”

Something tugged at her shirt. Ryoka looked down. It was Mrsha. The young Gnoll child was tugging at Ryoka’s shirt, insistently. She looked heartbroken. Ryoka hesitated, and then turned and bent. She patted Mrsha on the head, like a kid, ruffling her hair. The Gnoll girl shied away, but looked imploringly at Ryoka nonetheless.

“I’ve got to go.”

Ryoka turned, and—had the Frost Faeries been smiling? It was just a flash, but she could have sworn they’d been smiling at Mrsha. But as Ryoka turned towards them they were wearing their customary looks of mischief or contempt. But that was just an act too, wasn’t it?

“Come on slow Human! We go west now, west towards death! You will tell us many stories as we travel, won’t you?”

“Maybe.”

The faeries scowled. One flipped backwards in the air.

“Bah! ‘Tis just another way of saying ‘never’!”

“I’ll tell you stories if you don’t bother me, but only after we stop. Deal?”

“Maybe.”

Ryoka rolled her eyes, but then it was really time to go. Mrsha clung to her leg, but at last Ryoka prised her loose. The young woman turned and waved towards the Gnolls, and set out. It was a clear, blue day and the winter air was crisp and fresh.

She smiled, and waved one last time as the distant figures and tents disappeared from sight. For once, Ryoka wasn’t running from something but to something. And she was following faeries.

Ryoka’s good spirits lasted for fifteen minutes as she ran through the snow. Then a snowball dropped onto her face and she heard a voice in her ear.

“Oops!”

2.29

Some called him Az’kerash. Others, quite few now, remembered the past and called him Perril Chandler. No one living or dead remembered to call him by the nickname even he had forgotten, Peril. And those who spoke of him usually didn’t even bother with ‘Az’kerash’. They called him the Necromancer.

He cared not. He cared little about many things, in fact, and that lack of emotion was a void which grew with each passing year. A little sphere of silence and empty feeling in his heart. But he had grown used to that, too.

He was busy. In fact, he was so busy he didn’t even bother looking around as his servant spoke to him. All of his gaze was focused upwards, and the magelight was the only thing that lit up the grand chamber he used for creation.

Creation. There was no other word for it. The Necromancer looked up and created something never dreamt of by any species, now or in the past. It took up all almost all of his focus, and yet he still replied absently to the woman with pale skin and green eyes who stood attentively by his side.

Her name was Venitra; all else was meaningless. She stood before her master, in darkness, in the silence of his castle. She was here to report, and that provided her with all the joy in her life. When she spoke to her creator—when she was in his presence and felt his attention on her, however slightly—she felt fulfilled.

“Another being has breached the outer web, master.”

Perril Chandler did not frown; his face never changed as he stared upwards. He was devoting so much energy to what floated above that needless expressions would have been a waste. The fact that he could even respond at all was incredible to anyone who could understand what was happening. But he had been a genius, once. A prodigy. Now he was a legend and so he spoke, although he would only truly remember what had been said when the spell was finished. If there was something important enough to warrant his full cognition he would attend to it. But until then he simply trusted to his subconscious.

“Another one? Curious. Describe this new intruder.”

“Human. Female. Six feet in height. Black hair; athletic build.”

“Hmm. Not part of either army, then. Are there any other features that set her apart?”

Venitra nodded, although she knew Az’kerash wouldn’t see her. She had been taught to mimic the gestures of the living and she did so dutifully even though she’d never been alive.

“She resembles a Drath Archipelago native. Also, she appears to have several pieces of highly magical equipment, and she is running quickly in this direction.”

“Anything else?”

Venitra hesitated. The watchers had seen something else around the girl. Some kind of…things. Blurry, fuzzy blue things. Frost Sprites. But her master had long ago insisted they were unimportant, so she did not mention them. She did not want to fail him or bother him. That would be her greatest nightmare, if she actually slept.

“Nothing of consequence.”

“Hm. And you said she is running?”

“Yes. Quickly, but without any movement-enhancing Skills.”

“A Runner, then. Possibly a Courier, although they move more quickly. Interesting.”

One pale white hand came up and rested on his lips as Peril devoted more thought to this new information.

“I would investigate myself but my work—no, no. She is no doubt a messenger for one of the armies. Are they still engaged in combat?”

“Yes, master. Zel Shivertail has retreated from Wall Lord Ilvriss and is attempting to reform his shattered forces. The other army is actively hunting the scattered bands of warriors. Neither side has noticed the presence of the castle or made their way through the second web.”

A sigh. The Necromancer would have shaken his head, but he didn’t need to think as deeply.

“How troublesome. Even in this remote region, chance and the petty squabbles of the Drake cities can bring an army upon our doorstep. Well, it matters not who wins. Observe them, mark the spots where the dead fall. And if any penetrate the veil and enter the castle – kill them.”

Venitra’s eyes glowed brightly and she smiled.

“Yes.”

“Leave me.”

Her moment was over. Reluctantly, Venitra withdrew, and then went to deliver the instructions she had been given to the guardians of this place. She left the large room where the supposedly-dead legend stood, and walked out the double doors, letting them swing silently closed behind her.

It was a castle where Az’kerash made his home, but not one that would have been familiar to anyone who studied castles in Erin and Ryoka’s world. The corridors in this castle were vast, and the stones that made up the walls, floor, and ceiling were huge chunks of black stone, far too large for even the most advanced construction equipment from this world to ever lift.

And it was inhabited, just not by the living. A small army stood in front of the doors, waiting for an enemy that had never penetrated these walls. But it was always best to be vigilant, lest their master be troubled, so Venitra decided to be extra-cautious.

She raised her hand, and a dozen undead warriors followed her as she strode through the halls. Venitra walked through the darkness, needing no light. Only the glow of the deathless eyes lit the darkness, not just from her and behind, but from the corridors, the walls, the ceiling…

The undead stood silently, waiting. Waiting.

Waiting.

—-

Four days after leaving the Stone Spears tribe, Ryoka realized she was smiling.

It wasn’t an unnatural thing; normal human beings did it all the time. So did Ryoka. But she had trouble remembering when she’d last done it unconsciously, just because she was in a good mood.

And it wasn’t even as if she was even doing something insanely fun. In fact, she was failing to do something. But it was the challenge Ryoka loved, the feeling of pushing herself hard and doing something of real worth.

She frowned down at her open hands, which were glowing with light. That wasn’t a normal human thing, and neither was the sound that came from her hands. It was loud, and incomprehensible.

It sounded vaguely like someone saying ‘eh’ through a microphone, but only if that someone was a rock who could speak and the microphone in question was some kind of tricked out synthesizer that made the sound warble and bounce.

It sounded weird, and it was loud enough to make some birds in the distance fly up as Ryoka walked through the snow. She frowned, concentrated, and the ‘eh’ changed into an ‘ah’ that was high-pitched, sonorous, and somehow, flat.

“Is it…? No. Damn.”

Something landed on Ryoka’s head. The girl ignored it, although the cold was just slightly below a comfortable temperature. She frowned at her hands, until a small face appeared upside-down in her vision.

“Human. What is that?”

Ryoka ignored the question. Two seconds later the Frost Faerie pulled back Ryoka’s eyelids and the girl swatted at the faerie with a shout of anger. The faerie flew away, laughing, and Ryoka looked up.

The Frost Faeries flew high overhead, a group of twenty or more. Only one was hovering around Ryoka, but she was sure the others could hear every word she said. And because they were traveling companions and because she knew they wouldn’t leave her alone until she answered, Ryoka spoke.

“I was working on a spell until you interrupted me.”

“A spell? Ooh, what is it? Tell me!”

“[Noise]. It’s a Tier 0 spell that Ceria taught me.”

The faerie just blinked at Ryoka. She sighed, and lifted her hand to demonstrate. Her palm glowed for a second, and then the same warbling ‘eh’ echoed from her palm, only quieter. The faerie stared at Ryoka’s palm in expectation, flicking her glance between it and the girl’s face.

“Is…that it?”

Ryoka shrugged.

“It’s what the spell does. Ceria taught me it as a way to practice controlling magic. It’s not very useful, according to her; you can’t toss the sound and complex things like voices or music are impossible to create.”

She’d been trying to figure out if that was actually true. But after nearly an hour of producing various squelches of noise, Ryoka had to admit that Ceria was probably right. The spell was too limited to create actual sounds, let alone any kind of deliberate sound no matter how much mana she put in it.

Not that she had much mana or understood magic that well. Ryoka could only sense half of the things Ceria had spoken about. To her, the spell was a vague feeling in her head, a feeling or thought she could focus on. It was like nothing else she had ever felt; if there was such a thing as a sixth sense, magic would probably be it. It was like feeling a new part of her brain open up, and Ryoka had no idea how any of it worked.

She could add mana to a spell to make it stronger, adjust certain parameters like the loudness of her [Noise] spell or change the noise that came out, but nothing else. Even that was apparently tremendous work for a beginner, but Ryoka had sort of been hoping for more out of the spell.

So had the faerie. She looked at Ryoka and shook her head.

“Magic here is so silly . Tiers? More nonsense for you playthings and fools.”

She flew around Ryoka’s head and landed on the young woman’s left shoulder. Ryoka looked over and saw the small faerie resting comfortably on her jacket, legs swinging. It was such an odd sight, Ryoka had to blink even though this wasn’t the first time the faeries had done it.

They acted so familiar now it was eerie. But after four days—six if you counted the two in the Gnoll tribe’s camp—Ryoka had gotten to know the Frost Faeries, at least in the sense that neither side was actively trying to kill or maim the other.

She told them stories, and for that they helped guide her, played less pranks on her, and generally deigned to answer her questions. Ryoka still had a definite sense that she was more ‘interesting lesser being’ than ‘equal sentient’ to them, but she took what she could get and put up with their remarks and occasional snowball to the face.

And honestly, it was a small piece of wonder for a faerie, a being of the fey and myth and legend to sit on Ryoka’s shoulder. She just wished it wasn’t so cold.

“It might be silly, but that’s the only magic I can do. That, and [Light].”

The faerie sniffed dismissively.

“Aye, we’ve seen you playing with your faint glows at night. ‘Tis a pale specter of faerie fire or wyrd light. Have ye never seen a will-o’-wisp? That light is true light.”

“I have not, and I don’t particularly want to be led astray. And what do you mean ‘faint’?”

Ryoka had been experimenting with the [Light] spell, and at least there, she’d realized she could actually alter the orb of light significantly. Instead of having it float next to her, she could just project light from her hands like a flashlight, or even shoot it from one finger. It was incredible, but again, only to Ryoka.

“Hah! You think your light is bright? It’s but feeble glimmer compared to yon candle up overhead.”

The faerie gestured upwards, and Ryoka didn’t have to look to know she was pointing at the sun.

“Well, I can’t make light as bright as the sun. I’m sorry if that’s disappointing to you.”

“Worry not, pathetic human. All you mortals do is disappointing and sad.”

The faerie laughed and back flipped off Ryoka’s shoulder to reappear at the girl’s side even as Ryoka abandoned her magic practice and picked up the pace. The faerie leaned backwards in the air and adopted a lounging pose, as if she was lying down in the air. But she never lost her position in front of Ryoka, even when the girl transitioned into a run through the snow.

“We did promise to guide you to your destination, but so slowly? We bore, Human! Run faster! Or tell us a story!”

Ryoka gritted her teeth and raised her voice as she ran through the snow that tried to drag down her every step.

“I’m just a sad, sorry mortal. I can’t fly, and I don’t have Skills. I’m sorry I’m not Val, okay?”

The faerie blinked down at Ryoka, and then laughed in amusement.

“The Human? He is just as slow as ye are.”

That was interesting. Ryoka frowned up at the faerie. They didn’t like answering too many questions when she put it to them directly, but she’d learned to draw answers out of them in the form of conversations.

“Really? I thought he’d be fast, to you at least. What about Hawk? Isn’t he quick?”

“Would ye compare snails to birds, Human? We ride the wind and race through storms! We move across paths beyond worlds—what can your small feet do to catch us?”

The faerie looked insulted, and Ryoka quickly changed the subject.

“Okay, fine. You’re fast and I’m not. I guess you travel around a lot, then? Is that how you know Teriarch?”

The faerie narrowed her eyes down at Ryoka. She and her friends had already refused to answer Ryoka’s many questions about their home, their magic, and pretty much anything else of value. Reluctantly, she nodded.

“We’ve seen the old fool about before. In passing, when he was but a whelp, and later. What of it?”

“You’ve been around here for a long time, then. Are you older than Teriarch? How old are you—or do faeries move through time differently?”

Now the faerie did frown. She flipped her wings and ‘sat’ in the air, facing away from Ryoka.

“Secret.”

“Oh come on. What’s the point of a secret if you can’t share it?”

Ryoka felt like she was coaxing a kid, but the faeries were childish at times. But when the immortal turned her head to look at Ryoka, she felt a chill as she realized she was speaking to just that. Sometimes the faeries were childish, at other times their gazes turned ancient and unreadable. Like now.

“Some things cannot be told, and certainly not for a single tale, mortal.”

“How about a hundred? Don’t you owe me a favor? You may have promised to take me to the place where the dead gather, but I’ve told you countless stories and poems. Doesn’t that mean I get a few questions answered or—”

Squish.

Ryoka grimaced as she stepped on something soft and mushy. That was the problem with running in the winter, the fall, or outdoors in general. Oh, sure, the snowy landscape looked pristine, but she’d probably just landed in a patch of half-frozen muck, or a pile of compressed leaves of something.

“Damn.”

The faerie looked down at Ryoka and shook her head. Ryoka made a face as she pushed through whatever it was and ran on. She hated running in the snow. She had boots and heavy clothing on, and she was moving far more slowly than she or the faeries would have liked as a result.

And she couldn’t see where she was going, which led to moments like these.

“Okay, what about—shit!”

She stepped on something else that was slippery and gave way under her boot. Ryoka made a face as she lifted her feet higher so she could run on top of the powdery snow rather than on what was beneath it.

“God. Is this some kind of mountainous swampland or something?”

It didn’t look like it. Ryoka was heading up a hill, and she’d been running through a forest high up in the hills, close to the foot of one of the impossibly tall mountains. The faeries flew up the hill, and Ryoka followed, swearing as she slipped a few times on the ascent.

“Come on. I don’t want gold or any of those trick flowers you give, but I’d settle for knowledge. You told me you’re not even supposed to talk to mortals, right? Aren’t you breaking a rule already?”

Some more faeries flew down to fly next to Ryoka. The first one shook her head.

“Some rules can be broken. Others cannot. What you ask is too much, mortal. Leave it be.”

They’d stopped smiling for some reason. Ryoka wondered if she were treading on dangerous ground; she was certainly squishing through something.

“Is gossip really that important? I’m just asking about things of this world, not the secrets of faerie mounds or anything. What about Teriarch—I mean, the Dragon? Do you bother him at all?”

Ryoka grinned as she imagined Teriarch trying to keep his dignity intact while the Frost Faeries pestered him. No wonder he’d flamed them. She chuckled to herself, trying to keep her balance as she ran.

She was still laughing when she saw the first body.

At first, it just looked like an odd shape in the snow, a dash of color in the white landscape. Then, as Ryoka jogged nearer she saw the dark green scales covered with frost and the dried blood. And then she realized what she was seeing and stopped.

It was a corpse. Ryoka had never seen one before coming to this world. Well, of course she’d seen cadavers and she’d gone to a few open-casket funerals, but a corpse? Never.

And now everywhere she went she saw death. She should have been used to it by now. After the slaughtered Gnolls and the ruins in Liscor. But…

This person—no, this Drake hadn’t just died in the snow. Someone had killed him. Ryoka didn’t want to, but her feet took her closer, until she was about ten feet away. There they stopped. She couldn’t move forwards. And she couldn’t look away.

Death. The Drake had been killed, yes, but now the gristly details had emerged. He—or she, Ryoka thought the body size and shape belonged to a he—was lying face-down in the snow. The leather armor on his back had been split open by a powerful thrust; Ryoka could look into frozen insides from here. She didn’t want to.

Her stomach trembled. Her heart beat faster. Ryoka stared at the dead body for a long time, trying to make sense of it. And failing.

He was dead. Someone had killed him. Of course. It only made sense. This was a dangerous world…people killed each other. Or things killed people. Either way, it was normal. Even in Ryoka’s ‘safe’ world, people got shot and stabbed all the time. It made sense.

That’s what she kept telling herself. But Ryoka just couldn’t accept the fact of the dead Drake lying in the snow on this bright, crisp clear day, in the middle of nowhere.

She had to look away. She had to go. If there was a monster nearby—but the Frost Faeries would warn her, wouldn’t they? Or wouldn’t they?

Ryoka took a look around, and stepped backwards uncertainty. She had to go forwards, though, right?

She took a step to take her well around the Drake’s body, and felt something else squish slightly under her boot. The young woman froze.

Just something on the ground. But now a horrible premonition stole over Ryoka, the leaping of her subconscious to a conclusion her brain didn’t want to accept. No. It couldn’t be.

Slowly, Ryoka looked around. This place was very deeply buried in snow. You could barely see anything, but she’d started landing on something that tore and burst underfoot, hadn’t she?

Ryoka stared at the ground, and then at her boots. Slowly, she lifted them up and stared at the bottom. There was snow stuck to the bottom of her soles, but a piece of something else as well. Ryoka’s gloves picked out a fragment of fur and grey flesh. The hair was dusky blonde; the flesh was rotted from decomposition and frozen. The girl stared at it.

Then she threw up. And ran.

“Slow down, mortal.”

A faerie appeared in Ryoka’s vision as she dashed through the snow, slipping, running, pumping her legs as fast as possible to get away from the buried corpses. Each time her foot stepped on something that wasn’t snow Ryoka tried to vomit again, but she kept running.

“Human, slow down!”

The faerie was in front of Ryoka, speaking urgently. But the girl’s panicked, horrified mind was unable to listen to the words. She only stopped when the massive gust of wind blew her backwards so hard she crashed into the snow with a thump.

Ryoka hit something hard and she panicked, thrashing about. Was it another body? But no, it was just the ground. She tried to get back up, but a blue face was in front of her.

“ Human! ”

“W-what? What is…?”

Ryoka stood up, shaking, but she stopped running. The faerie hovered in front of her, serious now, face no longer lit by mischief.

“You are in danger. Do not blunder around like the fool ye are or you too will be dead.”

What did that mean? Ryoka stared at the faerie and tried to force moisture into a suddenly-dry mouth.

“They’re dead. It’s—the corpses. How many died? What happened?”

The faerie looked at Ryoka.

“What do ye think? We are close, now. Follow. And slowly.”

She flew off, ahead of Ryoka with the others. The young woman hesitated, but then stumbled after her. The smile she’d worn just a few minutes earlier was gone, and now there was a pit of fear and horror in her stomach.

The faeries pushed uphill a bit further, until they were at the crest. There they floated in the air, looking out at something below. Ryoka hesitated, and then climbed the last few steps and stopped as she saw what lay below.

…

Her mind was blank for a while. When it slowly returned, Ryoka stared on in silence. She’d heard the word of course, heard it quite often in her world. And she’d thought she’d known the meaning, but it was one thing to know, and another to see it before her eyes. Such a simple word. She breathed it into the cold air.

“War.”

Below her and far away, miles away, Ryoka could see people in the snow. Fighting. Drakes in armor and tall Gnolls struggled with each other, cutting each other with swords and axes and other weapons, bashing each other, fighting, bleeding, dying.

Red blood spurted from a Gnoll’s chest far below, and he fell back, mouth open. Ryoka heard her pulse roaring in her ears as she saw the Drake raise a spear and drive it through his chest.

How long she watched she didn’t know. Long enough for her frantic heartbeat to slow ever so slightly. And then she heard the horn calls in the distance, the sound of drums, the faint clash of metal and the thump of explosions.

And the screaming.

On her hilltop, the Human girl stumbled backwards, and one of the faeries looked at her. The fey were all floating in the air, silently watching the battle without a hint of the glee they normally exhibited.

“They fight fiercely down below, do they not? The children of Dragons and the hunting dogs?”

The faerie looked at Ryoka; the girl could only stare back. Her eyes travelled back to the battle below, caught by the carnage. She tried to speak. Her voice was shaky when it finally emerged.

“I—”

—-

I can’t believe what I’m seeing. No. It’s because I can believe it that everything is so horrible.

War.

They’re killing each other down below. Blood and guts spill onto the ground as a Gnoll rips a Drake apart with an axe. I can’t even—

My stomach wants to heave, but I try to contain it. No. Don’t throw up. Look at the faerie. I turn my gaze, and try to focus on the wondrous being. It helps, a tiny bit. But I still hear the screaming.

“You are pale. Have ye never seen war before, Human?”

The faerie points at the battlefield and my eyes follow unwillingly. It doesn’t seem real. But I know it is. I can’t even speak, but somehow the words still come out.

“No. Never.”

The Frost Faerie shrugs.

“It is just another battle. It is natural.”

The faeries eye me as I shake my head.

“It’s not.”

I can’t even look away. The battle is a ways away, but now I can make out the details of what’s happening as the shock fades ever so slightly. There are sides, yes. Two sides. One seems to be made of organized soldiers wearing livery with purple—the other seems far more ragtag.

And the other side is being slaughtered.

Maybe it’s a skill. Or maybe this is just how this world fights. But I can see the soldiers in livery starting to tear right through the ranks of the other side. One Drake runs another through with a sword and yanks it out as he cuts another Drake down and charges forwards with his friends. The lines were never that even, but now they bend and break as the soldiers on the other side turn and run.

And they’re cut down from behind.

Magic spells—fire and flashes of lightning strike warriors in the back, and arrows rain down from a group of archers on a hill. I can see a Drake standing there, sword unsheathed as he points down at the battle.

Some of the fleeing warriors are tossing down their weapons and raising their hands up. They get ignored, but everyone who doesn’t gets hacked to pieces, staining the white ground red.

I want to vomit. I want to run. But I can’t do either. I’m transfixed, and a thought floats above the revulsion and horror in my head. Just when I think I understand this world, I realize how alien it truly is.

The battle’s over, or close enough. The few who got to the trees keep running as archers fire after them, and only now can I take in the bloody scene in its entirety. My knees are shaking.

“A problem, is it not?”

The voice in my ear makes me start. I look around and see the faerie.

“What…what is?”

The small creature points ahead, nearly directly past the sight of the battle.

“Yonder lies your destination.”

My destination…? I’d nearly forgotten about the Necromancer. I swallow. Oh god. How am I supposed to get past all that?

Running? They’ve got arrows and magic. This—this isn’t the same as the Lich. That was a monster, but this is a battle. What can I do if the army decides I’m a threat. Could the faeries—?

I look at them, and they seem to read my mind. One of the faeries fixes me with a serious look.

“We do not interfere in the quarrels of mortals. Remember that, Human.”

Oh. I don’t know what to say, but I open my mouth and I’m terribly afraid I’m going to beg them to help me. To—I don’t know—bury the army in an avalanche or something? Maybe I can just get around them. If I run west and then north for ten—no, twenty miles, maybe I can get—

“Look out! Duck, fool!”

A faerie shouts and points. I whirl, and see some of the archers and soldiers down below facing my way . They’re pointing, and I realize they’ve spotted my obvious position on the hill. I hear a shout, and suddenly they’re raising bows!

“ God! ”

I dive into the snow just as the distant figures loose. Something whistles overhead, and I look up just in time to see black blurs shoot past where my head had been.

Oh no. This is bad. How could I have been so stupid? Who stands on a hill and gives away their position like that? I wasn’t thinking and now I’m dead.

I crawl towards the edge of the hill, back the way I’ve come. Get below their line of fire. But already I can hear shouting, growing louder.

“Damn it. Hey, can you—?”

I look up, and the faeries are gone. I’m alone.

Oh no.

I try to crawl faster, but the snow is so deep around me I can barely move, and if I stand up, I’m sure I’ll be shot. But now I can hear voices, angry ones, and a female voice roaring commands.

“Spread out! Don’t let the Human escape!”

I have to run. I brace my knees to get up and dash. How fast can I go in this deep snow? It’s knee-deep in places and nearly up to my waist where it piles up. If I slip—I can’t outrun people with bows and spells! But I have to.

A thought strikes me. Hold on, hold on. What if I…?

The shouting is getting nearer. I look around, and then take a chance. I dig into the snow around me. It’s deep. If I lie down, what then? I push snow up over my head, my body. Just pretend you’re a dead body. Hide. Don’t run; that’s what they expect.

I worm my way into the snow, trying to bury myself without making it seem like I’ve dug myself in. All the while I can hear sounds getting louder, but they’re practically drowned out by the thunder of my heart.

This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.

The snow buries my head, and all I see is white. The cold is around me, but I’m so panicked I can’t even feel it. I try to breathe slowly, and dig myself deeper while making no sound. The shouting is all around me now.

“Oh my god. fucking…shit, shit, shit— ”

A dim part of me feels outraged that in a time of crisis, I don’t have the vocabulary to express myself. What am I, a middle-schooler? Even they know how to swear. But I’m scared out of my mind. I don’t even believe in a god*, but if I could pray—

*By that, I mean I don’t believe in worshiping one. That gods exist, or existed, well…that’s pretty definite in this world.

What do I do if they find me? I can hear snow crunching , and I wonder if they accept Human prisoners. If I have to fight—

Potions. The cloth bags. They’re my only weapons; I haven’t had to use any against monsters yet, but people—

I’ve got only a few of the ones Octavia gave me. Three potions, two bags. Which one was…?

I feel at my belt and then freeze as I hear someone speaking only a few feet away.

“Any sightings?”

“None, milady.”

“Then the Human is still here. Have the others set up a net and look for traps. The rest of you, with me.”

I hear snow crunching, and then the voice grows louder. They’re right on top of me! I hold my breath. I am invisible, unseen—

But a terrible thought strikes me. This would work in my world, but here they have mages. And then the voice seems like it’s right overhead.

“We know you’re here, Human. If you don’t come out right now we’ll blast this entire hill with magic!”

No. No, no, no…

“Come forward! Now! ”

The tone in her voice makes it clear she’s a second away from ordering a strike. I have to move.

Slowly, I sit up out of the snow, raising my hands. I’m nearly blinded by the light. I blink, look around—

And see the soldiers.

There are eight of them, all Drakes except for a single Gnoll with a bow. And they’re armed, wearing chainmail, heavy leather, and holding weapons still covered in blood. And…they’re not looking at me.

Nope. Not at all. The Drake leading them is surveying the landscape below the hill with the other Drakes. They’re looking the other way…and they’re standing about ten feet downhill from me. One of the Drakes turns around as he hears me sit up, and shouts. The others turn, and raise their weapons as they react with obvious surprise.

Oh my god.

It was a bluff. And I fell for it!

Their leader is the first to react. She unsheathes her sword and points it at me as she shouts.

“Do not move! Soldiers on me!”

Her voice rings out and I hear shouting. I keep my hands raised, mind racing.

Ryoka, you damn idiot…! What can I do? The Gnoll had his bow trained on me. I’m not going to be able to grab a potion, but what about a spell? If I could buy a second, I could use Teriarch’s potion. It’s my last resort, but—

I have two spells. [Light] and [Noise]. I could use either one with my hands, but what could it do? The arrow is pointed at my face. I’ve got an idea for one spell—but no.

No. I stare down the shaft and eye the arrow tip. I…I’m too afraid to try. The soldiers are encircling me, and now more charge up the hill.

The Drake captain or commander or whatever points at me with her sword. She seems cautious of me, but all I’m in danger of doing is turning the snow yellow.

“On your feet, Human. Slowly. Make no sudden moves.”

This isn’t my first arrest, although it is the first one in this world and the first one where I’m being held up at sword point. I move with exaggerated care, making no moves that would alarm the soldiers. The Drake eyes me from head to snowy toe.

“Who are you? Are you a soldier from the Trisstral Alliance? Or a mercenary? An adventurer? Speak!”

Trisstral Alliance? I have no idea what she’s talking about—probably all those soldiers her army just slaughtered. I shake my head slowly.

“I’m a Runner.”

The Drake Captain blinks, but her eyes narrow.

“A Runner? Prove it.”

Thankfully, I can. Runners use Seals, but we also get one of our own to show to suspicious people…mainly like her. I’ve got one that lists my designation as City Runner; it’s spelled so the seal would break if it left my possession for longer than five minutes.

“I’ve got a Seal in my belt pouch.”

She looks at one of the Drakes.

“Find it.”

The Drake approaches me warily. She’s smaller than I am by a few inches, but she eyes me as if she’d like nothing more than to stab me in the eye. I don’t move, but I have to speak.

“It’s in the third pouch from your left. Don’t touch the other ones.”

That might not be the best thing to say, but it’s a valid damn concern. Teriarch’s ring and letter is in the second pouch, and he warned me what would happen if someone else touched it.

The soldier certainly doesn’t like hearing that. Her movements slow and I can sense the arrows and weapons around me as she slowly reaches into the pouch and fishes around. She pulls out the seal, and backs away quickly as she hands it to the Captain.

The Drake studies the seal and nods reluctantly.

“It’s real. Here.”

She tosses it back at me. I catch it unthinking, and I sense the soldiers lowering their weapons. Looks like Runner status means I do qualify as a non-combatant, but then, they’re not sheathing their blades either.

“What’s a City Runner doing out so far from any of the cities?”

The Captain eyes me suspiciously, but here at least I can lie with conviction. Oh so much conviction.

“Got a delivery for a tribe around here. Gnolls. The Stone Spears. I’m looking for their Chieftain, Urksh.”

“We’ve met them. You’re several days off.”

I shrug.

“Got chased by a Wyvern. If you point me in the right direction, I’ll go.”

It’s a good story. I keep telling myself that, and I hope I can still do fake honesty as well as I used to. The Drake is nodding as if she’s buying my story, and I’ve got the advantage that if she does bring me to Urksh, he’d probably cover for me.

I think she’s about to let me go when she nods at the soldiers.

“You may be telling the truth, but without someone with lie-detecting Skills I can’t confirm that. Regardless though, you’re going to have to come with us.”

Shit. My heart races.

“Where to?”

“Wall Lord Ilvriss will want to see you. You won’t be harmed so long as you don’t resist. Take her.”

She nods, and two soldiers come to flank me. They don’t seize me, but they point and I go. Don’t fight soldiers.

God, I’ve made a big mistake. Or maybe not. Maybe this Wall Lord is a reasonable guy. I’m sure he is. I’m sure he’ll send me on my way with an apology and a shake of the hand…claw.

I’m so fucked.

I can hear the female Drake shouting orders, recalling the soldiers, as they form up and move around and behind me. No chance I’ll be left with my two charming, smiling companions. I eye the blood on their weapons until one of them snarls at me and I look ahead.

I descend the hill and follow the small column of soldiers as it winds its way back towards the battlefield. As I walk, I try to figure things out. Is this army here to fight the Necromancer? People think he’s dead, and besides the Drake was mentioning some kind of alliance.

A war, then? I doubt anyone’s allying with the infamous Az’kerash, and I didn’t see any undead on that battlefield. Dead, yes, but they all bled quite a lot before they died.

Am I in danger because of the war? I mean, what does a [Necromancer] like more than dead bodies? Shit. I was going to plan how to meet the guy before I went to knock on his front door, but if this army gets attacked—

I stumble, and a soldier catches me and pushes me along. Nice to see they’re so interested in my well-being. What do I do? What can I do? The potions—

I see a glimmer of light out of the corner of my eye as I’m pushed along, and I see a faerie floating by, as conspicuous as can be. But the soldiers probably only see a fuzzy blur, and so she flies closer to me as I walk along. I stare not-quite at her, and she waves a hand.

Are they…going to help? She points to the soldiers, and my heart beats faster. If she freezes their weapons or hits them with something I can probably do the rest.

The faerie taps one of the soldier’s swords, making it frost over for a second and then points at me. She draws a line across her neck, waves, and flies away. I stare forwards and bite my tongue so hard it nearly bleeds.

I hate those bastards.

—-

His name was Zel, although few called him by that name anymore. It was a sign of respect, but it made him lonely at times. To others, he was Shivertail, or the legendary General of the Line, the famous Tidebreaker.

Some days he wished they didn’t believe in him so much. Because one day he would lose a battle, and his life.

It might be today.

The [General] stood over his maps, staring at a rough drawing of the terrain and landscape. Their army hadn’t been here long, and this was a forsaken part of the continent that not even Gnoll Tribes visited that often. He grimly marked a spot on the map and tapped it.

“We missed the battle. Ilvriss just got the entire group from Verdam and lost barely more than a handful of his own.”

The officers and adjutants standing around the war table muttered at this news. Zel felt the same, although his face didn’t show it.

“They got cut to ribbons. That was the last group not scattered to the winds, which means we’re on our own now. So. Let’s recap.”

Zel walked around the table, looking at his highest-ranking officers. In the privacy of his head, Zel Shivertail winced. They weren’t much. These were all low-level [Tacticians] and [Lieutenants] and even a few [Leaders] the allied cites had sent, not the high-ranking [Strategists] and [Captains] in Ilvriss’s army. No wonder the Verdam soldiers had been destroyed so quickly.

He wished he’d been at that battle, to even the odds. If he’d been there with his army, it would have been a fair fight—more than one. His abilities would have been a counter for Ilvriss, but that was war, wasn’t it? Fairness was a dream.

Zel cleared his throat, and everyone in the room snapped to attention, although they’d hardly been slouching before. They were brave, and loyal, and they were fighting to protect their homes. He couldn’t fault them for that, but the battle rested heavier on his shoulders because of it.

“Ilvriss caught us off guard when we were mustering our forces. If we’d gotten our army together we would have been fine, but none of our [Scouts] caught him and our [Strategists] didn’t think a Lord of the Wall would come out of one of the Walled Cities. Well, recriminations aside, he did and he’s here. And he’s just taken away our last chance at evening the odds. They outnumber us two-to-one, and we lost several good officers in that ambush.”

No one spoke, although Zel heard a muffled groan. He agreed, privately, but the soldiers had faith in him, despite the difference in levels, equipment, and soldiers between them and Ilvriss. He was a [General], and his abilities could turn the tide of this battle. But if he fell or couldn’t use them—

“Wall Lord Ilvriss’s forces don’t have to move; they know they’re guarding the only viable pass. Either we try to get out somewhere else and they fall on our backs, or we assault them head-on and try to rout them.”

Neither option was a good one. Zel saw it on the faces of those around him.

“An offensive battle isn’t one Ilvriss expects us to take. He’s hoping we’ll try to sneak around and catch us up against a cliff or in a tight spot so he can hammer us flat. It might work.”

Skills only did so much. They couldn’t produce miracles. Zel paused as he pointed to the battlefield, and the place where Ilvriss’s army was camped.

“That’s what he expects. That’s what would suit my abilities. So that’s what we’re not going to do. We’re advancing on his camp and attacking. Not tomorrow, not in an hour; right now. His soldiers are still healing and he’s probably assuming we’re still trying to gather those who have fled. No. We move out in ten minutes; leave the camp and have everyone ready.”

Zel fit action to word as he strode out of the tent. All or nothing. The cold air was harsh on his scales. Was today the day he died? He hoped it wasn’t. But if it was, he’d go down with a claw on Ilvriss’s damned throat.

He probably wouldn’t die. A captive was just what the leaders of the Walled City wanted. High-level officers and [Generals] were too valuable to lose in a small war like this.

The Drake growled under his breath as he stomped through the snow. He clenched his hands as he growled.

“What a burning stupid reason for a war.”

Good soldiers were going to die for politics. He hated that. But as his soldiers rallied and he prepared to launch an attack on Ilvriss, Zel had one consolation:

At least he’d get to see the surprise on that arrogant lizard’s face when he attacked.

—-

I really want to wipe the smug look off of that bastard’s face.

I’m standing in a tent, facing Lord of the Wall Ilvriss, the [Lord] in charge of the army that just slaughtered all those soldiers not an hour ago. Unlike his soldiers, he’s not in muck, snow, and blood. Rather, he’s wearing pristine red-and-gold armor in a luxurious, warm tent in the center of the camp that was going up as we speak.

And he’s arrogant. Exceedingly so. I can see it in the way he lifts his chin, the way he moves and looks at everyone around him as if they’re less important, and especially the way he talks.

He reminds me of some of my dad’s buddies, the politicians and bigwigs who you really want to smack a few times, or at the very least throw dog crap at*.

*Oddly specific? I did it once. Hilarity ensued.

And he’s about as trusting as a snake, and paranoid to boot.

“I told you, I’m a Runner. I’m not part of your little war.”

That earns me a glare from one of the Drakes in the room, the one who captured me. Her name is Periss, and she’s a [Commander] who seems to worship the ground Ilvriss stands on. I think she’s his second-in-command, but honestly, I don’t care.

I’d rather just run away from here and forget all these people, their names and titles. But that’s not an option, apparently.

“So you are. But a Runner is still a threat, especially if you are delivering messages or items to the enemy.”

Ilvriss stares hard at me and I stare right back. At first, I tried to be polite and humble, but when it became clear there’s a rule about killing Runners and after I got to know him* I sort of lost the humility bit.

*It took five seconds. ‘What is a Human doing in my tent?’ Pretty much sums it all up, or maybe it was the tone he said it in.

“I told you, I’m not delivering anything to this Zef or Zwell or whatever his name is. You can get someone to prove I’m telling the truth.”

Ilvriss stares hard at me, but I’m not going to blink. To his credit, neither does he, and he looks away, too important to get into a staring contest with a Human. He sniffs and his tail twitches slightly at me.

“A [Lord] can detect falsehoods as well as any other class, Human. I know you are speaking the truth, but it does not change the fact that you are here.”

“What could I do that’s so dangerous?”

“You could send word of Zel’s…predicament, or perhaps he would contract you to deliver something yourself. It matters not. You are a random element, and I will not have you disturb my battle.”

He’s almost sensible. Although, I wouldn’t ever accept a request to dodge an enemy army—well, I probably wouldn’t. I bite my tongue and try to come up with a response.

“I’m a City Runner, not a citizen of your Walled Cities. You don’t have any right to detain me.”

He raises his non-existent eyebrows and I hear Periss chuckle softly.

“Indeed? And who will enforce your ‘rights’, Human? An army from one of your precious cities? If they can make it past Liscor, I would be much impressed. But until then, I am a [Lord] and this is my army who provide all the right I need.”

Well, I hate to say it, but he’s right. You can’t exactly say ‘you and what army?’ to this guy, and he’s not about to budge on his position. I can see it in his eyes.

Ilvriss turns and studies a map in his tent. I stare at it covertly, trying to spot any landmarks, like say, a castle made of bones or something helpful to locate that Necromancer.

“Zel may have been injured in this skirmish, but his main force is still out there. Until we find and crush them, you will stay in our camp.”

I grind my teeth.

“Fine. Great. Wonderful. I’m honored.”

“You will not be treated unfairly, unless of course you attempt to escape. I honor all the tenets of war. But you must first relinquish any magical items on your person.”

One of his aides comes towards me, reaching for my belt. Shit. I step back, and Periss reaches for her sword.

“Don’t resist, Human.”

“I’m not resisting.”

Yet. I wonder if I could get out of this tent? The last thing I want to do is sit in a camp while I’m tied up and an enemy army is about to attack. I try to look around as I speak.

“Don’t touch my belt. I’m carrying a magical item that will attack anyone who’s not me or the recipient.”

They brought me into the center of this camp, but the soldiers are healing and they’re guarding the perimeter, not me at the moment. Only Periss is really watching me, and if I could cause a distraction, my potions might help me get away.

The aide hesitates, and Ilvriss looks over.

“What are you carrying that is so important?”

“Stuff. It’s confidential; I can’t speak of it.”

“If it is a weapon, we may seize it for use during our campaign.”

“I don’t know what it is, but if you want to touch it, do it a few miles away from me, will you?”

Periss glares at me, but now I’ve got Ilvriss interested enough to come over. He points at me.

“Show me what you are carrying.”

Slowly, I reach into my belt and sense the Drake behind me reach for her sword. But I’m not about to use the ring as a weapon. Rather, I’m taking the time to remember where all of Octavia’s potions are. Some in my belt, some in my pack. Well, damn. But I know one of them is small enough that I put it in a pouch…

I take out the ring and letter and show it to Ilvriss. Wisely, he doesn’t get any closer, but he studies both.

“Berlyrssat.”

One of the Drakes hurries forwards. He’s not a soldier either; probably a servant of some kind. He’s holding a stone, a clear bit of quartz or something. He waves it over the stone, and it turns deep violet, almost black.

Berlys-whatever takes a step back and gulps as he looks at Ilvriss.

“My Lord. This is a potent magical artifact. The magic on it is Tier 5 or higher.”

That makes the Wall Lord look at me. He narrows his eyes, and Periss’s sword is so close to my back that I can practically feel it tickling my spine. Don’t move. But I know exactly where Octavia’s potion is, now. If she’d just move away—

“What are you carrying? No, do not answer. You have your rules. Intriguing. This may be a weapon, but if it is it is lost to us.” He looks over at Periss, and the Drake nods reluctantly.

“We don’t have time to dispel the magic, if we even could.”

Ilvriss nods once, and then turns back to me, now suddenly and unfortunately focused on me.

“Well then, what else are you carrying?”

“Potions. Defensive equipment. Not stuff I want stolen.”

“We will recompense you for your items. Show me.”

Great, now he’s curious. I sigh, and reach into a pouch slowly.

“Stop. Berlyrssat will take your items, unless any of them are trapped?”

“No. But be careful.”

The Drake aide takes my belt, and begins opening pouches. My pack is sitting on the table, and pretty soon he has most of the items out. Ilvriss ignores my normal gear and stares hard at the potions, especially the one Teriarch gave me.

“Quite an odd collection for a mere City Runner.”

“It’s a dangerous world. Sue me.”

Poke. Unlike Mrsha’s claws, the sword actually goes into my skin a bit and draws blood. I glare at Periss and she gives me a death-look in return.

Ilvriss ignores us lesser beings and studies the glowing potion. Then he frowns as he stares at a clear liquid in another potion.

“What’s this? It’s not like any potion I’ve ever seen.”

“Don’t open it.”

“Is it deadly?”

The Drake eyes the bottle, and I shake my head.

“It’s not. It just smells bad.”

He looks over at me and sniffs.

“Smells bad? What kind of a potion does that? ”

“Hey, I don’t judge your armor.”

Poke. I grit my teeth. Aagh! That hurt! I project as much sincerity into my voice as possible.

“Just don’t open it, alright? It smells bad. You’ll regret it. Don’t be stupid.”

This time Periss growls , but Ilvriss just raises an eyebrow. Yep, he’s like all those arrogant idiots. Tell him not to do something and he wants to try it just to show he can.

“Smell is hardly one of the things I fear. Any scent can be easily erased by magic.”

His claw reaches for the cork stopper. Periss raises her voice.

“My lord, is that such a good idea? Please allow me.”

“It is not deadly. The Human has said so and I have read the truth of it in her words. Let us see what she fears so much.”

I hold my breath and hope like hell I don’t puke. Ilvriss struggles to uncork Octavia’s wedged-in stopper, but then it comes out and—

“ Dead gods! ”

Have you ever smelled—no, wait, that’s not how I should explain it. Have you ever been hit by a car? Because the smell that fills the tent is more like a physical blow than anything else. I’m ready for it, and I still double over and nearly retch. The others aren’t so lucky.

Ilvriss jerks as the smell hits him, and I see his face change. He grasps at his throat—to stop from vomiting?—and his other claw grabs at the bottle. Mistake. It falls to the ground and the stink-liquid pours out and the smell gets worse.

In front of me I see the aide topple over in a dead faint. I hear the sound of vomiting and turn to see Periss throwing up.

No time to hesitate. I spin, step forwards hard as my other leg comes up.

Periss is still holding her sword. I guess soldiers really do have good instincts. She sees me move and tries to raise her weapon, but too late. My shin smashes into her face and she crumbles to the ground.

Oh god. I’ve got vomit all over my pants . But no time to rejoice. I charge towards Ilvriss and the table.

He’s still gasping, trying not to puke. I snatch a potion off the table as he turns towards me. Shit. He’s got a sword too.

“ You— ”

I uncork the potion and throw it in his face. I bought several potions from Octavia, all of them based on things from my world. This one I know works, because she tested it on herself.

The pepper spray potion splashes Ilvriss in the eyes and he doubles backwards, howling in agony. I toss the bottle to the ground and pray like hell I don’t have any of it anywhere near my face. I step around the fallen Lord of the Wall and grab everything I can, stuffing it into my pack.

No time to sort stuff. I can already hear shouting and people drawing close. I grab the rest of Octavia’s special items – two bags and one potion left now—and look around.

Everyone in the tent is down, but Periss is already stirring and Ilvriss is screaming and rolling around. He might be able to hurt me if he ever stops rubbing the peppers deeper into his eyeballs.

Do I try to take them hostage? No. Then the tent? I see figures? Where—?

I turn, and realize I’m an idiot again. I grab my pack, spare one second to kick Ilvriss in the stomach, and charge at a wall. Any wall. It’s a tent.

Periss’s sword makes a handy canvas-opener. I slash a triangle of fabric out to open a path just as the first soldier races into the room. I hurl the sword at him and he ducks—and it hits his leg. Swords are really heavy, okay? Then I’m out of the tent and running.

The camp is in chaos. When I used the stink potion to get to the High Passes, I had it uncorked in the bottle. Ilvriss shattered it, so everyone’s getting the entire dose straight up. Some of the Drakes can function, like me, but they’re still green* and it looks like every Gnoll is rolling on the ground clutching their nose.

*Green as in green in the face. Some have green scales, others have blue, yellow, black…look, I’m busy right now, okay?

I charge towards the edge of the camp, just as the soldiers notice me. Some of them reach for their bows and I curse.

Zig-zag motion, crouched low and moving fast. But no—there are too many. Potion, then? Teriarch’s or…?

I grab for a bag at my side. First bag I asked her to make. I undo the string and toss it to the ground as what’s inside ignites.

Smoke billows out of the bag, thick and white. The [Soldiers] cry out and some retreat back from me, but it’s not poison. I dive to the ground next to the bag as arrows begin flying overhead. The smoke quickly engulfs me and everything around me.

Smoke. I wanted a grenade, but a fuse takes time to light. But Octavia was able to make it into a bag, and she’s got a stone that lights on fire when it meets the air.

It’s some kind of pyrophoric substance, and it lights up the mixture I told her to make. Smoke. You can make a military-style smoke grenade with some saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal, and wood dust. All of that’s fairly common—people use saltpeter as food preservatives, and only sulfur is hard to get. But an [Alchemist] has some, and so she sifted the ingredients together and added a material that catches fire in the open air.

Instant smoke bomb. I made ones like it all the time when I was a kid, until the police caught me.

But unlike the small versions I made, this one’s got enough smoke to cover me and a huge section of the camp. Smoke billows upwards and I cough.

Stay low, get out of the radius. I hear shouting and thundering footsteps, but I just go for it. I charge forwards, praying like hell I don’t run into anyone.

I do. Five times. But they’re just as confused as I am, and Muay Thai teaches all kinds of throws, sweeps, and takedowns. I run on out of the smoke and out of the camp as soldiers rush around, and then charge after me.

I’m nearly at the edge of the camp and running towards a ridge when I hear shouting. Not from behind, but ahead. I hesitate, and that’s when the second army crests the hill and starts charging right at me.

—-

Zel Shivertail paused as his soldiers crouched at the base of the ridge that led directly to the enemy camp. He was confident—fairly confident his soldiers had managed to take down all of the [Scouts] that Ilvriss had posted, but they had only minutes before their disappearance was noted.

Now was the moment. He looked at his commanders, and saw only trust in their eyes. He hoped they wouldn’t be betrayed. He was leading the charge himself, which was risky, but he had to. A [General] led from the front and he was the strongest warrior.

He raised an arm, and hesitated as a [Scout] charged towards him, waving a furry paw as he abandoned the cover of the treeline. Zel raced towards him and spoke when they were close.

“Report!”

He listened for a few seconds to the Gnoll, and then dashed back to his commanders. They stared at him, tense, expecting the worse.

“This is it! The Ancestors are smiling on us today. Our [Scouts] report that something’s just happened in the camp! Headquarters is in disarray, and they’re off guard! Follow me!”

He leapt to his feet, and his soldiers rose as well in a roar. Zel charged up the ridge in seconds, and when he got to the top he looked down on chaos.

The enemy camp was full of running soldiers, and a thick white smoke that covered the main tent. Zel saw them running towards him, but they hadn’t even spotted the army running up the ridge yet. No, they were chasing something else. Zel grinned.

“A monster attack, or reinforcements from another side? Either way, this is our chance.”

He looked back as the first [Soldier] made it up towards him. Zel raised a claw into the air and shouted .

“Charge!”

He shot down the slope, and heard his army roaring behind him as they surged down the incline. Zel ran towards the smoke, unsure of what he’d find. Something was in the air, and it stank so horribly he wanted to gag. But he ran on, prepared for everything.

Everything, except for a tall Human female sprinting out of the smoke, running as if Wyverns were on her tail. Zel’s charge faltered as he saw her sprinting away, shouting.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—”

The Human girl wasn’t alone. Soldiers billowed out of the smoke, practically half of the camp. They paused as they saw the charging army, but the girl just turned and sprinted away from both groups.

“Who is that? ”

Zel had no answer. A wild arrow shot past his head and he grinned. He ran towards the soldiers who were struggling to form a line, and shouted.

“[Glorious Charge]!”

The effect on the army behind him was immediate. They roared as they felt it take effect, and Zel grinned to see the expressions on the enemy soldiers ahead. Everyone knew Zel Shivertail was the greatest defensive general on the continent. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have a few good offensive skills.

Few people knew he had that skill or how devastating it could be if used right. As the momentum built up behind him and he felt the Skill make his body lighter and his soldiers rush towards the enemy like a moving wall of flesh and steel, Zel grinned.

The Human was already gone, but the enemy formation was in shreds, and he could smell something horrible in the air and see smoke billowing out from the center of the camp. He might have to thank that girl when this was all over. Thanks to her, it looked like this battle might be winnable after all.

The first soldier saw Zel approaching and raised a spear, eyes widening with fear as he saw the famous [General] charging at him. Zel raised a weaponless claw and slashed, and both armor and flesh tore. Then he was turning, lashing out, cutting a huge Gnoll down. He blocked a spear with one hand, catching the tempered point as the Drake holding the weapon struggled to move it.

One of Zel’s soldiers charged into him, stabbing, and then the first rank of Zel’s soldiers crashed into the enemy like the tide. Zel grinned, and slashed left-right at a huge Drake who fended off the blows with his shield. And then the battle had truly begun.

2.30

I’ve always thought I was pretty detached and aloof. Growing up, I learned to ignore people and go my own way. Take running, for example. Lots of people run and everyone agrees that’s healthy.

But take off your shoes and suddenly everyone is a medical doctor who can’t wait to share their opinion on how stupid running barefoot is for your knees, your feet, your arch…

Somehow, what I do is important to other people, as if I’m making them run barefoot. Or, alternatively, if someone sees me running around in sports gear in the winter, they decide that I’m a poor, homeless girl who’s about to freeze to death and try to bother me again.

What I’m saying is that I learned to ignore other people and not react to the world around me, at least externally. I don’t show my feelings, and I keep calm most of the time as a result.

“ Shit, shit, shit! ”

Now is not one of those times. I’m currently crawling my way through a snow bank, and believe me, I’m doing it fast. Every two seconds I look around for moving shapes in the darkness, and I try not to piss myself as I do.

I’m in hell. Literal hell. You want to see blood and death all around? That’s pretty much a battlefield, and this one has gone to hell, mainly thanks to me.

Let’s set the scene. I walked in on a skirmish between two armies, and got captured. Somehow, I managed to escape by causing a lot of chaos, pepper spraying the general of the army and dropping a smoke bomb in the center of the camp. I was just running away when the other army attacked, and sent my lovely escape right into the middle of the crap heap.

Thousands of soldiers came charging down the ridge as I ran out of the camp. I saw this Drake guy in armor charge right past me, with no weapons but his bare hands. But the army behind him hit the soldiers chasing me like a brick wall, and before I knew it I was in the middle of a huge battle, three times as large as the one I’d seen from the hill.

I tried to get away, but I guess assaulting a [General] isn’t so easily forgivable because archers and mages were still trying to tag me even as both sides began fighting. I ended up sprinting behind a grove of trees and hiding in cover while both sides tried to push the other back.

That’s all okay, right? All I’d have to do is wait until attention was away from me and sprint out of there. I can run fast. That’s practically all I do.

But right when it looked like the soldiers were falling back, someone—a mage—decided that my smoke bomb was a good idea. I felt wind, and suddenly the entire world was covered in thick mist.

Mist? I take that back. It was more like fog. It made everything blurry after about five feet, and as a result I had no idea where the hell I was. I made a break for it twice, and found that each side was just as lost as I was. The soldiers began spreading out and fighting in groups everywhere , so that I had no idea where to run to.

It’s hard being lost in the middle of a battlefield, but the hardest part is being the one Human caught between two armies comprised solely of Drakes and Gnolls. You kind of stand out, and when one side is out for blood and the other one doesn’t trust you, you tend to get shot at.

A lot.

My leg is still burning. I lie down in the snow and feel at it. I pulled the shaft out and poured a healing potion over it, but I guess it wasn’t enough or something was wrong with the arrow. Damn. Is there a fragment caught in my skin?

I can’t tell. It’s dark, my winter clothes are covering the wound, and I don’t dare start a fire or even make a torch. I can hear shouting and screams all around me. The armies are still fighting, and occasionally I hear someone loose a really powerful spell, or shout orders in the distance. I’m just praying they don’t find me.

The snow is melting into my gear, and I know that it’s going to weigh me down if I stay there any longer. I don’t have the latest high-tech snow gear; my clothes aren’t waterproof and I really don’t want to try outrunning soldiers with another twenty pounds of weight on me. I have to get up.

Slowly, I push myself up into a crouch and look around. Now, where am I? I could be a few miles from where I was taken prisoner, or I could be two feet away from the camp. The mist dissipated after a few hours—just in time for the sun to set.

Damn winter days. Damn soldiers. Damn that Wall Lord and his stupid attack dog. Damn opportunistic enemy army.

And damn me for not waiting for Octavia to make copies of all of the bags and potions I ordered! What the hell was I thinking?

I’m down to one bag, one potion, and Teriarch’s magical potion of [Haste] now. And the problem is that the bag and potion work in tandem – realistically, I’ve only got one last diversionary tactic left. And this one—

I feel at the heavy bag I’ve secured to my waist. I really hope it’s not wet; that would render it completely useless, but Octavia reassured me the material that goes into the alchemical bags is both puncture and waterproof. It has to be, in order to contain most of the things [Alchemists] stuff in there*.

*They’ve got everything from those tripvine bags to deadly magical explosives I really wish I’d paid for right now. Here’s the thing: Octavia knew of alchemical versions of everything I wanted, but they were all more expensive than the versions I had her make. I didn’t exactly break the creativity bank with my requests, but I did offer far cheaper variations of existing equipment. A smoke bomb a la my world cost me only a handful of silver (aside from the experimentation and research fee), where it would normally cost a few gold for all the magical ingredients or spells that go into it.

Toss the bag first and then the potion. Right, right. Problem is, it’ll probably kill any normal person and I…don’t want that.

What am I saying? This is a war. But I’m no soldier, and I’m not a killer. Erin told me that.

Damnit.

The potion, then? I was tempted to pop the cork open and take a few swallows several times, but Teriarch’s potion is truly my last resort. Unless I am literally about to die, I won’t use it because if I end up in a situation where I’m without it—

Something else. One deadly diversion, emergency potion. A few healing potions left. And my leg—

Agh. I wince as I stand up and move into a snow-covered bush. It hurts. Damn it, there is something wrong. I need to see.

But the light…I glance around.

I’m in a small copse of trees, or is it a huge forest? There’s open ground to my left, and most of the noise is coming from that direction.

Can I risk it? Do I have any choice? I crouch in the bush, ignoring the prickling branches. They are not an issue at the moment. I’ll risk it.

And at least I don’t have to fumble around with a flint and bits of wood in the dark. I take a deep breath and concentrate.

“Okay, okay. You can do this.”

I can’t make a sphere of [Light] like the spell normally gives off. That’s a huge giveaway in the darkness; I saw a few [Soldiers] making those and they got sniped by a group of archers right off. It’s too obvious, but I do need light.

So what if I alter the spell a bit? It’s [Light]; when we were practicing, Ceria told me the spell is very easy to manipulate. All I need is an image, and I have one in my head.

“Come on, you’ve seen this a million times.”

I whisper to myself as I point a finger at my leg. Focus, think pinpoint, directed. Concentrated. A narrow beam, just like—

“[Flashlight].”

Something twists in my head as the word comes out. It feels like incredible pressure in my brain, and then sudden relief as the [Light] spell alters and a new one takes its place.

And there is light. Not from an orb, though.

Slowly, I raise my finger and stare at it. The tip of my finger is glowing white-yellow, and it’s emitting a cone of light that looks like any flashlight beam. It’s a narrow band; more like a penlight than anything else. It’s perfect, and just what I need.

“Holy shit. ”

That is so convenient. Why didn’t Ceria teach me  this spell instead of the orb of light? It’s so useful—but of course it’s probably another spell mages learn. Or not. If you’ve got the ability to light up your surroundings, why bother with directed light?

Regardless, it’s perfect for being covert. I doubt the light is too visible from my position in the bush, so I quickly shine it down at my leg.

It’s awkward, rolling back the cloth around my injury with one hand as my light source, but I pull the wet fabric back and see the problem at last.

“Ow.”

Looks like I missed a spot when I pulled that damn arrow out. I see a sliver—well, more like a large fragment buried in my flesh. The potion grew the skin right around it, and as I touch the wood gently I wince.

Damnit. It’s stuck in there now. But I need it out, and so I pinch at it and pull .

Sparks. Flashes of pain. My flesh tears and I nearly scream as the wood splinters . I grab at my belt and come up with a small knife.

Slowly, ever so slowly I lever out pieces of the wood and push back my skin to dig the rest out. The pain—

It’s not the worst I’ve felt, but there are tears in my eyes when I’m done. I grab a bottle out of my pack and pour the last of the healing potion over the wound. It closes instantly, and the pain is gone.

I have to sit after that. Just for a second. I shuffled out of the bush and squat in the snow for a second. Only then to I realize my fingers is still shining like E.T. I scowl, and cancel the magic.

I cover my face with both hands. God. This is beyond intense. I can still hear the fighting all around me, in the distance. What now? Do I run for it? I should, shouldn’t I?

Let’s consider the options. Either I run now, or I wait and hide until morning. But what then? Running in the light of day is going to get me spotted instantly, and if I keep trying to hide, the odds of me being detected go up as well. After a battle like this, whichever side wins is going to be scouring the woods for survivors, and if Wall Lord’s army finds me, I’m not going to be one of them.

Escaping the radius of the battlefield now is my only option, but the only issue is—to where?

Anywhere. Anywhere is fine. If I just pick a direction and run, eventually I’ll get away from them. That’s what I have to hope.

I squat in the snow, and suddenly realize something awful.

I need to go to the bathroom. As in, now. It’s gross, but it’s nature. I was with the Frost Faeries in the morning, and then I was pretty much being taken prisoner, tricking idiot [Lords], and running for my life and hiding for the rest of it.

Shit. I mean, not shit. This is not the place for any of that. I’m in the middle of a war here!

But what am I supposed to do? This is another issue that I never thought I’d have to deal with, but again, I’ve got no choice.

Cover, cover…I eye the bush. That is a very uncomfortable place to squat, but it beats anything else.

“Damn it.”

…

Do you know how hard it is to take off several layers of winter clothing and then do your business when you can hear people dying and hacking each other to bits around you? I mean, that does help the bowel movements in one sense, but in another—

Fear and hatred are pretty much equal in my heart as I brush away branches and try to hurry nature on its course. I’m terrified at any moment someone’s going to see me and this is not the way I want to die—

“Should we come back when she’s done, do ye think?”

“Bah! ‘Tis only a bit of night soil. ‘Twill do the thorn bush good.”

I swear, I had a small heart attack when I heard the voices in my ear. I look around, and see a familiar face. A Frost Faerie grins at me as she perches on a leaf, and more of her friends sit in the bush. Watching me in a very intimate moment.

I growl at them.

“ Piss off! ”

“It’s not us doing the pissing now, is it?”

The faeries laugh as I grab at my clothes. Here’s one small mercy: I did bring toilet paper with me*. I wipe fast and stumble out of the bush as the faeries float around me, chatting and winging through the air as if they don’t notice the battle going on.

*Toilet paper in this case being blank pieces of parchment, broad leaves, and anything else I could grab that looked soft on the skin. It’s not as if there’s actual factories manufacturing the good stuff, and some people in this world use stones, clay, sponges…fuck that.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

I hiss at the faeries once I’m properly decent. One of them settles on the bush, seemingly ignoring what just transpired there.

“We’re here to fulfill our part of the bargain, silly mortal. Do ye think we’re oath breakers who’d go back on our word for a silly little mortal war?”

I blink at them, and then remember.

“You mean you’re going to take me to the Necromancer? Do you not see the people killing each other over there?”

One of the faeries yawn and she floats up to the tree line.

“I see naught to worry us. Do ye fear the soldiers? Hah!”

She raises her voice and shouts.

“Come then, pitiful mortals! Come with your spears and metal! Yon Human will fight all of you!”

“ Shut up! ”

I hiss as loudly as I can at the faerie, looking around wildly. She flies back down and laughs in my face.

“‘Tis you who should be quiet! Have you forgotten? Mortals cannot hear our words any more than they can see our true forms. You’re the one clomping around and making sound in the darkness.”

That’s…true. True, but I just want to smack the smirk off the faerie’s face. I take several deep breaths. Even in the middle of a war these little nightmares act the same. If I were on the gallows, they’d be telling jokes and eating popcorn. They’d probably love the show.

But they’re here, and oddly, their presence reassures me even as they piss me off. I steady myself, and readjust my plans.

“Okay. Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry. Can you…take me to the Necromancer?”

“We will take you to the place where the dead gather, as per our agreement, Human.”

Faerie deals. Always beware the fine print. I’m not in the mood to analyze that statement, so I nod.

“Will you take me through safe paths? Away from soldiers, I mean?”

The faeries eye me.

“No paths are safe in war, Human. At least, not to you. We will take you away from the worst of the fighting, but we make no promises.”

Damn. But it beats wandering around, and hey, maybe this Necromancer isn’t interested in a single human. I haven’t seen any undead yet, which sort of makes me more inclined to seek him out than anything living at the moment.

“Alright, lead on.”

“Move quick, and silently as you can, Human. This way.”

The faeries fly off ahead of me, to my right. Deeper into the forest. I hesitate, and then move after them, slowly, quietly, wincing each time my boots crunch in the snow or I snap a branch.

It’s a long, harrowing journey in the darkness, with only the blue glow of the faerie’s light to guide my path. But then we enter a clearing and the faeries hover, pointing.

“There. Beyond lies the place you seek.”

My heart pounds as I stop and stare at the trees. They’re nothing special. Dark shadows seem to consume sight a few feet in, but otherwise the stand of trees looks ordinary to me.

“Are you s—”

Of course they’re sure. I bite the question back on my tongue.

“Okay, let’s go.”

I slowly walk into the trees, pushing past the thick branches. My nerves are twanging as I slowly make my way forwards. It’s so dark . What will I find beyond these trees? Death? It can’t be worse than what lies behind me.

But then—a voice in my ear.

“Stop.”

Instantly, I stop, listening for the sounds of something approaching. But then the faerie hovering by my face points.

“Go left here.”

I eye her, but do as she instructs. But after only a few feet she stops me again.

“Now forwards.”

Again, I take no more than ten steps before she speaks.

“Now right.”

“Oh come on. ”

The faerie glares at me as I give her an irritated look.

“This is the path, Human. Do ye want to find this Necromancer or not?”

I’d soon as rather not, but maybe they’re steering me around pitfalls or something. Grumpily I obey, but then the faerie floats in front of me.

“Good. Now, walk backwards.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“You do that well enough. ‘Tis the only way through this maze.”

“Maze? What maze? We’re in the trees! ”

The faerie gives me another look, and I realize how stupid that sounds. Magic doesn’t need to be visible, does it? But then…she could just be messing with me. The problem is, both theories sound equally valid.

But the faeries don’t lie…much. So I sigh and turn around, only to have the faerie yell at me again.

“No, don’t turn! Walk backwards , fool!”

I glare at her, but face forwards again and slowly walk backwards.

“If this is some kind of prank—”

The faerie rolls her eyes in impatience.

“Look at your stone, you fool, you!”

For a moment I forget that I have Teriarch’s enchanted stone. Then I pull it out and stare at the magical arrow.

It’s pointing behind me. I turn, and it swings around. What the hell? You can only get to your destination by walking backwards at this point?

I try to follow the stone’s directions, walking backwards, forwards, left and right seemingly at random. No wonder everyone thinks this Necromancer is dead if this is how you have to get to him.

“That’s a clever trick.”

“Not so clever. And ye missed a step. You walked too far forwards.”

Damn. She’s right. Somehow I’m back in the clearing. I sigh, and then freeze as I hear a voice.

“Are you a Courier, then?”

I whirl around. Standing behind me is a Drake, a tall warrior wearing plate armor. My heart freezes in my chest. Oh no. A soldier.

My hand shoots towards my belt, but the soldier sighs.

“Don’t move. I don’t want to hurt you, but I’m not in the mood to get hit with some [Alchemist]’s concoction.”

I freeze, and the Drake nods. My eyes dart around the clearing, but he’s the only person here besides me. Literally.

The faeries are gone. Looks like they won’t help me if I’m attacked. I have no idea what to do.

I stare at the Drake and recognize him, vaguely. He’s the one who led the charge on the other army. He’s covered with blood, and it’s practically painting his arms.

“I saw you fleeing Ilvriss’s camp. I don’t suppose you have a message for me?”

He doesn’t seem to be overly hostile, and he’s clearly not with the soldiers I escaped from. I hesitate.

“No. I’m on a different mission. But I am a Runner?”

“Who else could be living this far away from civilization? No, don’t answer. I don’t particularly care right now. But tell me, have you seen any other soldiers here? I’ve been separated from my army, and I keep getting turned around here.”

He’s lost? I glance at the trees behind me out of the corner of my eyes. Must be an unfortunate side effect of the magic.

“I haven’t seen anyone, but I think there’s fighting that way.”

I point back the way I came.

“Not sure if they’re your side or the other side, though. I didn’t get close enough to check.”

The Drake shrugs wearily.

“It doesn’t matter either way. So long as I get back to the fighting. I’d like to talk with you once this is over, assuming we win. Seems like I owe you a debt for causing that chaos in the camp.”

Really? A Drake that isn’t immediately suspicious of me? A sensible soldier? This is almost harder to believe than the magic forest maze. But I don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when he looks like he’s just ripped apart a bunch of people with his claws.

“Sure. Thanks. I’ll just be going now…”

I take a few steps backwards. The Drake smiles.

“I understand. But before you go—could I get your name? My name is Zel.”

“…I’m Ryoka.”

He nods and smiles again.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Ryoka. Now then, I’ll let you be on your way.”

He turns and begins to walk past me, but then, stops, and sighs. I tense, but he’s not looking at me. Zel scratches at his cheek wearily, leaving a thin trail of blood.

“Oh Dragon dung.”

I look over. Standing at the edge of the clearing is a group of soldiers, weapons drawn, and leading them are two Drakes I recognize.

Lord of the Wall Ilvriss strides forwards, resplendent in his gold and crimson armor, his loyal subordinate Periss at his side. His cape swirls around him as he draws his sword, a shining blade that glows even in the darkness.

The effect is somewhat ruined by his red eyes and the awful stench coming from him and Periss. That might be why the elite soldiers are standing a bit farther behind the two than necessary.

Ilvriss stares at me and Zel, his eyes burning and blinking rapidly. He looks pissed. And uh, I might be edging behind Zel at this point.

The lone Drake looks at Ilvriss and the warriors without a trace of fear, but rather, weary resignation. He nods his head and Ilvriss returns the gesture.

“Zel Shivertail.”

“Wall Lord Ilvriss. I don’t suppose you’re here to surrender, are you?”

“On the contrary. I will have you surrender here, now, or after I have subdued you. This battle is over.”

Zel nods as if he expected nothing more. He eyes Ilvriss’ red eyes with interest, as well as Periss. She’s got a nasty bruise on her scales where I kicked her, and both she and Ilvriss are giving me casual looks of murderous rage.

“That’s a lot of elite soldiers to capture me. I’m flattered.”

Ilvriss shakes his head in irritation.

“I would not sully our duel with underhanded tricks. They are here for her .”

He points at me with his sword, and every eye shifts towards me. Oh shit.

There’s got to be at least fifteen soldiers behind Periss, and they all look like they’ve got special armor. How do I know? Magic runes, shining metal where there’s no light, and a general sense of…death emanating from the group of warriors.

I am so dead.

Ilvriss nods to his second-in-command.

“I will deal with Shivertail. Capture the Human.”

I tense to run, but surprisingly, Zel interrupts. He takes a casual step towards Ilvriss and everyone in the clearing raises their weapon. Is this guy some sort of badass? Or…the general of the other army?

“Hold on now, that’s a bit unfair. Why don’t you send some of those warriors my way? I’m sure it will make this a fairer fight.”

He raises a bloody claw, and Periss hesitates. She looks towards Ilvriss.

“My Lord—”

He glares at her. Looks like he wants an honor duel, no matter how stupid everyone else thinks it is. He points at me.

“Go, Periss. Hack off her legs if you must, but bring her to me alive. ”

That doesn’t sound good. I take two steps back, but one of the Drakes in the ground raises a bow. Well, shit. I’m definitely not faster than a speeding arrow. Think, Ryoka. What can I…?

It’s dark in the clearing. I glance around. The moonlight is faint as it filters through the thick canopy. If I run…no, their eyes are too good.

Eyes. Too good. Darkvision. My eyes narrow. Zel is beginning to circle with Ilvriss and Periss is slowly advancing towards me, sword raised. Her eyes are on my belt, but I don’t reach for a potion. Instead, I slowly raise my hand.

“Hey Lord Asshole. Take a good look at this. ”

Ilvriss spares one glance towards me and opens his mouth at the same time Periss does. But that’s all I need. I focus, and push all the magic I have into one spell.

Now.

My palm shines white , and the Drakes and Gnolls cry out and cover their eyes. It’s the [Flashlight] spell again, only this time it’s on high beam.

I turn and sprint back towards the enchanted section of trees, pointing my hand backwards as I do. The light is blinding, but I hear the soldiers blundering after me even as the Zel guy leaps towards Ilvriss.

The trees encircle me. I hesitate. Teriarch’s stone is in my belt. Which way do I—?

“To your right, Human!”

A faerie flies down and shouts in my ear. I immediately run right even as I point my palm backwards. Blind them. I can hear Periss shouting angrily, her voice ringing through the trees.

“Seize her! Cancel that spell!”

The bright light emanating from my palm suddenly goes out. I blink in shock and nearly stumble as the now far-darker forest closes in around me.

Oh hell. I didn’t know mages could do that. I drop my hand and put all my energy into sprinting ahead. The faeries keep calling out directions and I obey them as I hear my pursuers shouting just behind me.

“Forwards! Now right!”

“Diagonal left! No, other left!”

“Stop and turn right! There! Run!”

“Left now!”

My foot catches on a root, and I stumble. My arms windmill and I jerk back upright—

And stop when I see the castle.

It sits in the center of a flat, open stretch of land covered by white snow. It’s impossible, but the castle is suddenly there, a structure sitting in the center of a cleared section of forest. It was invisible until I made my way through this maze; I could have sworn that only more trees were ahead of me.

But here it is. A castle. The home of the Necromancer, I’ve no doubt. It looms overhead, a black fortress of stone, a lone sentinel in the open landscape filled with snow. There’s something beautiful about it, but I have no time to admire the sights.

“Don’t move, Human.”

I hear the voice a second before a hand grabs me and a shaft of edged steel appears at my throat. Periss roughly drags me back as her soldiers rush out of the forest behind me. Somehow, they managed to follow me through the maze.

“Mage, watch for any magic coming from her and neutralize it.”

Periss is so intent on me she hasn’t even seen the castle. I hold very still as the steel nicks my skin, watching as the other soldiers gasp and stagger backwards from the massive castle. But Periss only has eyes for me. She snaps orders at the other soldiers.

“Someone search her belt and pack! Remove any suspicious items.”

One of the soldiers, a tall Gnoll with a poleaxe hesitates.

“Lady Periss—”

The Drake ignores him. She glares at me.

“We are going to go back to Wall Lord Ilvriss to aid in his battle. Prepare for combat against Zel Shivertail. And I swear to you Human, if you try anything I will slice off both your legs and arms—”

“ Lady Periss! ”

At last she looks up and freezes. The sword at my throat lowers, but I don’t dare move. Periss slowly lets go of me and takes a step back.

“By all the Ancestors, what…?”

She looks at me, and suddenly the sword is right back at my throat. I raise my hands, but the tip of the sword is literally tickling my larynx.

“What is this place, Human. Where have you taken us?”

I gulp. That actually hurts, as the sword tip pierces my throat. .

“This is the place where the dead go.”

“ What? ”

“It’s the home of a [Necromancer]. Ah, the Necromancer. Az’kerash.”

It’s like I just said I brought them to the gates of hell. The elite soldiers groan aloud, and Periss’ scales go nearly as white as the snow. To her credit, she doesn’t even hesitate.

“Retreat! Now!”

She seizes me and another Drake drags me backwards. I’m practically lifted off my feet as the soldiers rush back towards the forest.

We get fifteen steps in, and then suddenly we’re rushing back out. Periss and her warriors stop in confusion, but I know what’s wrong.

“It’s a maze. You have to follow a path to get out.”

She turns and seizes me with both claws.

“What path!? Tell us how to get out?”

“I don’t know! I’ve only got this, but it points towards the Necromancer, not away!”

I show her the magical stone. Periss looks at it and shakes her head.

“We’re trapped here, then.”

She slowly lets go of me and looks around.

“Soldiers, comrades. It’s been an honor. Say your last words now, if you have them.”

The other Drakes and Gnolls look at Periss, and their weapons lower. They hesitate. Then a Drake begins to murmur, and a Gnoll howls towards the sky. I stare as the others begin speaking quietly, or simply wait, hands on hilts, staring at the castle.

Periss looks at me, all hostility gone.

“I have always loved my Lord. I wish I had the courage to tell him.”

I stare at her, uncomprehending. Periss holds my gaze, and then nods once and turns away.

A goodbye.

I don’t get it. I don’t understand. And in truth, I never have.

The Necromancer. Az’kerash. To me, he’s just another name, another bigwig in a world where everyone’s bald. How could I understand who he is, when everyone just says his name as if what he’s done is common knowledge?

Well, it probably is. But I don’t know it. It’s like someone who’s never been to our world hearing the name Hitler and wondering who he was. I didn’t realize the gravity of what Teriarch was asking me to do, and I don’t know why the soldiers look like they’re ready for death.

But then the earth shakes , and I do. I hear a groan , not the sound of any natural geological process, but the sound of something that is neither living nor natural. It echoes out of the ground, a horrible noise that comes from beyond, from the depths of dark horror and fear.

Bleeding in the brain. Squiggling shapes in your bedroom. The shadow standing at your front door. Maggots crawling in your mouth and eyes.

Fear.

Thump. Thump.

My heartbeat echoes. I turn, and look towards a patch of ground that begins to bulge upwards. Periss raises her sword slowly.

The earth shakes . I can feel it in my bones.

This is the place where the dead gather. This is the place where the Necromancer lives. But somehow I forgot what that means.

Now I know. Now I understand.

Something reaches up out of the ground, a hand, grey-green flesh, rotten sinew. But pink in places, too, oozing red. And bone. An arm, but not one any Human would have.

It reaches towards the sky, each finger as tall as I am, and the colossus rises. A head breaks the snow, and two eyes filled with huge, squirming maggots gapes at us. I’m screaming in my head, but the cold air is filled only with silence.

Az’Kerash. The Necromancer.

The undead giant slowly rises out of the ground and the soldiers behind me stare up at it. Suddenly, their magical gear that was so deadly seems like toys in the hands of children. They are ants, and so am I.

The giant stops halfway out of the ground. It raises its other arm, shedding snow and dirt and waits. I hesitate, but then I see more shapes.

They’re sitting up out of the snow, or walking from the castle. Skeletons, undead, both far more ghastly shapes too. A hideous, bloated creature with bones for teeth and claws drags itself across the ground, dribbling black blood from its ‘mouth’. A thing made of many worms reshapes itself as it slowly drags itself through the snow.

A tall corpse of a Gnoll strides towards us, a massive battleaxe in his hand, faded silver armor and a circlet shining in the moonlight.

An army of the dead. They advance towards us, walking slowly, as if they’ve got all the time in the world. And they do. They’re dead, endless, immortal. And we are trapped and alone.

“Human.”

Periss speaks quietly to me, her eyes never leaving the approaching undead. She holds her sword at the ready, tip pointed straight ahead.

“What was it that you were supposed to deliver?”

I don’t even bother with hesitation. What’s the point, now? I sense the ruby ring and letter in my pouch.

“A letter to Az’kerash from a Dragon.”

She stares at me silently. Then her lips quirk into a half-smile.

“And my Lord thought you were carrying a mere artifact of the past. Would that he knew this. Well, go.”

She points towards the castle and I stare at her.

“You’re just letting me leave?”

She shrugs as the horror drags itself out of the ground. The soldiers around her are forming into a line, their faces grim.

“You have your duty, I have mine. Let us both die fulfilling our roles.”

Across the snowy expanse, the undead Gnoll wearing armor stops and speaks. His voice is hollow, booming.

“ I am Kerash, Commander of the Endless Legions of Az’Kerash. Die with honor. ”

Something walks beside him. She looks almost humanoid, but she has no face, no features. Her body is rotted flesh, green in places, purple and blue and black in others. She rots, even in this cold, giving off a putrid stench.

“I am Bea. Am I not beautiful?”

Her dead flesh moves and I feel my stomach heaving involuntarily. Periss grits her teeth together, but her voice never wavers.

“Run, Human. This is between us and them.”

“The old blood shall be avenged.”

A Gnoll says that. He raises an arrow and sights towards the thing that called itself Bea, but doesn’t fire. Not yet.

“Death to the Necromancer.”

I look to Periss.

“You’ll die. Run.”

She looks at me, just once, and shakes her head.

“ Drakes do not run. Go!”

My feet take me away as the soldiers charge. Sixteen against a horde. Kerash raises his battleaxe with one hand and Bea spreads her arms wide. I turn and pump my legs, running past zombies and horrors that reach for me.

The screaming begins in only seconds. I hear the sounds of death, of flesh being torn and bones breaking. But I hear the living shouting in defiance as they charge the dead, fighting to the last. But falling.

One by one.

—-

Zel Shivertail and Lord Ilvriss dueled in the snowy clearing, exchanging blows as they circled in the cold night. One wore armor sparkling with enchantments and held a sword which glowed in the night; the other wore plain steel and fought with his claws.

It was a close fight, but unbalanced. Zel was swifter, stronger, tougher. His claws were like steel and he had two and Ilvriss had only his sword. But the [Lord]’s armaments were magic, and he fought taking full advantage of that fact.

The magic enchantments on Ilvriss’s armor deflected Zel’s every strike, and the Drake [General] found himself slowly being pressed backwards as the [Lord] slashed with rapid, powerful cuts of his long sword.

With each cut Zel took, no matter how small, he stumbled, and his scales would darken around the cuts. Ilvriss pressed the attack mercilessly, guarding his uncovered face, the only spot Zel could truly attack.

“Surrender, Shivertail. This is too small a place for you to die. Once your Alliance surrenders you will be released.”

“It’s not over yet, Ilvriss.”

Zel ducked a slash and kicked out, sending Ilvriss stumbling back. The Drake snarled and raised his sword, and the blade glowed brighter. But then he wavered.

In the silence of the snowy night, something cracked . The [Lord] stared at his clawed hands. They were decorated by several rings that swirled with light, but one now grew dark. Slowly, the emerald gemstone, a brilliant stone with luminescent depths, broke in two. The gold holding the gemstone split, and the pieces fell into the snow.

Ilvriss stared at the broken ring. For a few seconds, the world stopped for him, and the sword lowered in his grasp. He whispered.

“Periss?”

Ilvriss stared for just a second too long. Zel rushed forwards and seized the long sword by the base of the blade. The Drake howled as his hand bled, but now Ilvriss was caught, and although the [Lord] struggled, he was unable to tear his blade loose.

Zel raised a hand and balled it into a fist. Ilvriss shouted with rage as he released his sword and reached for a dagger at his belt. He lashed out, took a blow to the chin, and collapsed on the ground.

Slowly, Zel Shivertail sat next to Ilvriss and sighed. Then he heaved the Drake onto his shoulder and looked around. There was no sign of Ryoka or Lady Periss and her soldiers. And he had no time to look.

The [General] started running back the way both Ryoka and Ilvriss’s soldiers had come, bouncing the unconscious [Lord] on his shoulder. The battle wasn’t won. Not yet.

Zel pretended not to have seen the tears on Ilvriss’s face, and the salty drops fell into the snow as the Drake carried the Lord of the Wall onwards, leaving the broken ring behind in the snow.

—-

Somehow I made it across the open stretch of ground between me and the castle. I don’t know how; I just ran. Ran as I’d never done before. The undead tried to seize me, but most of them were still focused on the soldiers fighting behind me.

I run, with blood freezing in my veins, towards the drawbridge. It was lowered, and I pound across the black metal, hearing the voices dwindling behind me. I did this. I brought them here.

A courtyard, deserted, paving stones covered with snow. And at the end, two vast double doors. My legs cover the distance in seconds and my hands seize the vast rings, pulling with all my strength.

I hear a scream as I throw open the wide doors and rush inside. Periss. I can’t focus on her death, but I feel the pang in my heart. She went down fighting.

I have to run. I can’t hear any sounds of pursuit, but the undead are terrifyingly silent.

The castle’s corridors are massive and silent. I run through them, blindly at first, and then by the faint light of Teriarch’s stone. Run, run!

Glowing, pinpoints of light all around me. The corridors are filled with silent skeletons, zombies, the undead! But they don’t move. They don’t even look at me as I run past. They’re…inactive. But something is moving down here.

“Intruder. Halt and—”

I skid to a halt. Someone is standing down the dark corridor. A woman. No. Not a woman.

A…knight? She’s wearing armor. But then she walks forwards, and I see that armor is bone. Her skin is bone. She is bone.

The knight made of bones is no Toren, though. Her face is that of a beautiful woman, harsh and angular though it might be, but her face is ivory white. Bone. And her armor, which is just another part of her body, is gleaming white. She has a great sword made of bone in her hands.

At her back are a group of skeletons. Again, not like Toren. These ones look like they’ve been…altered. They have far too many ribs, and it looks like their frames have been redesigned so they look like walking tanks. They’re all armed, and the bone-woman is striding towards me.

I reach towards my belt. Teriarch’s potion? No. The bag. I rip the string away and hurl it towards the woman.

She slices the bag in half before it gets anywhere near her. But that just makes the contents explode in her face. White powder fills the air and she halts, looking confused.

The fine particles fill the corridor, practically a smokescreen in itself. The woman stares at the particles covering her and the skeletons and waves it away.

“…Flour?”

That’s exactly what it is. I don’t know how the hell Octavia packed the flour in so tight—probably the same way she made the smokescreen. But now the air is saturated, and I grab the last potion out of my belt. I uncork it and hurl it in one motion.

Flames burst from the bottle the instant it meets the air. But even as the bone woman dodges, the liquid inside the bottle combusts and the hot oil and animal fat mixed with the pine resin burst outwards.

Liquid flame. Greek fire. Napalm. My last resort. But it misses the woman and instead bursts on a skeleton. She looks back at me—

And the air explodes .

The swirling flour dust and sugar I had Octavia pack into the bag combusts as the fine particles ignite. It’s called a dust explosion, and it’s as close to an actual bomb as I was willing to make.

Dust in the air. People know flour explodes when heated, but it’s really any fine particle in enough density that will combust. Coal mines, grain silos, even a kitchen can create these conditions.

The force of the blast nearly throws me off my feet and the heat cooks me. The flour dust blows outwards as the flames expand, engulfing everything caught in the center of the blast in fire.

But as the smoke clears, the woman made of bone strides forward, unharmed, untouched. Her eyes glow silver with rage, as she raises her great sword.

“You cannot—”

She stops. I’m already sprinting down the corridor, far, far away from her. I started running even before the flour exploded*.

*Rule one of monsters. You didn’t kill them. You didn’t even hurt them. I don’t care if you dropped a bomb on them or cut off their heads. They’re alive. Run.

I come to a cross in the halls filled with the waiting dead. I look at my stone. Left. I run, and see a pair of massive double doors. They’re guarded, but the soldiers stand still and silent like the others. I hesitate, but I hear thunder from behind and look over my shoulder and see the undead bone monster charging down at me. She’s running fast for someone so huge, but she looks like a freight train heading my way.

I rush towards the doors and heave at them. They’re heavy. I have to push all my weight against one, but slowly, slowly, the left door slides open. I slide through, and tumble into the vast room ahead of me. I spring to my feet—

“[Sticky Webbing].”

Thick strands of web fly out and encircle me. Instantly, I’m covered in webs, barely able to move. I stare at the hand that cast the spell, and for the first time, I see Az’kerash, Perril Chandler, the Necromancer in person.

He’s just…an old man.

Az’kerash stands in the center of a vast, circular room, staring upwards, one finger pointed at me. He looks like an old man. Just that.

His face is lined and he has white hair; he looks like Teriarch’s human form, but without the superhuman physique. He’s just an old man, with white locks and skin that’s albino white.

But he is the Necromancer. I can feel the power he has in the air. It seems to pulse off him, so much raw energy it makes me sick. I fear him more than anything else.

His right hand is glowing, and he’s staring up at something. My eyes travel towards it, and my head goes blank.

Impossible. Horrific. But what hangs above me is a nightmare of flesh and bones. It looks like a—whale. Or parts of one. Something—his magic—is shaping the flesh and bone overhead, transforming the carcass into a shifting mass of organs and muscle. There’s too much bone up there, and it’s curving against the whale’s skull. It shifts , and I see tendons and muscle moving—

I have to look away. The Necromancer doesn’t even glance my way, but he speaks.

“Venitra. Lower your sword.”

I can’t look around. I can barely move my legs; if I tried I’d definitely fall over. But I hear the heavy footsteps.

“Master—”

“You have failed. Regard this as a lesson and learn from it.”

“Yes, master.”

Her voice is deep, but surprisingly soft. I feel a presence behind me.

“I will dispose of the intruder now.”

“That won’t be necessary. Thank you, Venitra. I will take care of this myself. Leave me.”

I see the bone woman appear in my peripherals for just a moment. She looks at me with eyes full of cold fury, and then turns and silently exits the room.

I am left alone with Az’kerash. And now that I can look away from the terrible sight above me, I begin to see other details.

He is just a human or—he looks like one. But he bears other marks of his profession.

His robes are black. But that word and color don’t describe a tenth of what he is actually wearing. Can you weave shadows together? Can you take midnight and color it with shades of darkness, so finely woven that the world bends where the folds of the robes meet and swirl together? That’s his robe.

It is shadows, and they slowly ripple over his form, sucking in all light. And he has a ring on his finger, a piece of silver that looks normal, but makes what little magical sense I have scream at me that it is not.

And then Az’kerash speaks, and his voice is normal. Old, cracked, but still clear and strong. And—distant. He doesn’t look at me as he talks out loud.

“What is the point of having help if they can’t even keep out a single intruder? But then, if they were as competent as the creator, what would be my role? Wouldn’t you agree, young lady?”

“I—”

“It is impressive that you made it this far. But I am busy, and I will discover anything of value from your corpse at a later time.”

He points at my face and speaks.

“[Silent Sickle].”

The air ripples, and a ring of edged silver speeds towards my face. I throw my weight against the webs, and topple over.

The sickle cuts my hair, and through the flesh of my shoulder, so finely that only when I fall and jar the cut does it start to bleed. And the pain hasn’t begun yet, so severe is the cut.

“Interesting. Low-level spells have their weaknesses. I commend you.”

His finger shifts downwards towards my face. I stare at the Necromancer and know I’m about to die.

He’s—he’s not even looking at me. His other hand is shimmering with so much magic that it’s making me feel sick just looking at it. I don’t even think he’s paying attention; he’s acting on autopilot!

“Wait!”

I shout as Az’kerash’s finger glows. He makes no response and I desperately call out.

“I have a letter! I’m a messenger!”

The black glow around his fingers fades. Az’kerash pauses.

“A letter? From whom?”

“Teriarch. He sent a letter and a ring. It’s in my belt.”

I don’t feel the spider webs vanish. But they’re suddenly gone, and I scramble to my feet. I reach for my belt pouch, but it disappears from my waist and reappears in the Necromancer’s hand. He casually opens it and discards the belt as he takes both ring and letter in his hand.

For the first time he diverts his gaze from the floating collection of body parts overhead and glances down at the letter. I see his pupils only once—pale ghostly white light shining from behind two black corneas.

He doesn’t even look at me, but my heart falters in my chest. There’s something behind those eyes. Something inside that gaze, something else. It’s not Human anymore, if it ever was. But then he looks down and blinks once, and I look away, at his dark robes made from shadows and midnight.

“Let me see. Ah, yes. I was expecting this.”

I hold my breath. Az’kerash reads the letter swiftly, murmuring around.

“The usual long-winded greetings…my deepest congratulations to you…accept this small token of my esteem. Ah. And he’s sent a ring enchanted with warding and movement spells in the Silvarian dueling fashion – no, knowing him, it’s most likely an original. A nod to my passions and an expensive and practical gift. Appropriate.”

The Necromancer flicked his hand, and the ring vanished.

“How…predictable. A note and token of esteem to mark my two hundredth year of existence. He needn’t have bothered especially given our strained relationship. But Dragons are quite conscientious about such things and they are nothing if not formal. I don’t suppose this comes with a request for a reply? No, I don’t believe he would want to impose. Ah, well.”

The Necromancer looked over at Ryoka.

“Is there anything else?”

—-

Ryoka tried to work moisture into a suddenly dry mouth. What? Her mind was full of roaring static.

Az’kerash turned back towards the ever-changing monstrosity above.

“Is there anything else?”

“N-no.”

“Very well then. I suppose it would not do to kill one of his messengers. Go, then.”

Ryoka stood in place for a few seconds, but her legs wisely moved her towards the door. The static roared louder in her ears. A voice whispered in her ears.

Let’s see.

Hundreds of miles.

Countless dangers.

Two armies at war.

Frost Faeries.

Necromancer and undead minions.

For this. A delivery worth eight hundred gold pieces.

A letter. A…happy birthday letter and a token gift.

“I’ll just…be going now.”

The Necromancer didn’t even glance her way. He was totally engrossed in his project overhead.

“Ah, hm. Goodbye. Shut the door on your way out.”

She did, pausing only to pick her belt off the ground. Ryoka stared at the door, and then looked over and saw Venitra. And Kerash. And Bea. They stood around her, faces full of—

“The Master let her go? Why?”

“He is busy. His decision may be in error.”

“He doesn’t make mistakes.”

“No. But we should hold her until he is finished.”

“Agreed.”

Ryoka stared at them. Static.

She punched Venitra in her bony face and felt her hand crack . Broken bone? No, just horribly bruised. She reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a glowing orange-and-pink potion. Bea reached for her and Kerash intervened, pushing her pallid hands back with his.

“We need her alive.”

“Apologies.”

Ryoka uncorked the potion. The undead didn’t even seem to regard her as a threat. She downed the entire bottle. Wasn’t she supposed to only take a few gulps?

Venitra reached out towards Ryoka. Her fingers began to close over the young woman’s shoulders and then froze.

Ryoka blinked at the fingers. They’d stopped? No, they were moving slowly. Carefully, Ryoka moved backwards and watched as the fingers slowly closed together. The bone-woman’s face registered shock, and then Kerash moved, striking out at Ryoka, faster, but still at a snail’s pace to Ryoka.

She walked away. Then began to jog. And then run . Ryoka frowned, but her legs moved against her will. Faster, faster, faster.

“Ohnothisisn’tgoodIcan’tstop.”

Out of the castle in a blink of the eye. Ryoka’s mind was racing, but it couldn’t catch up with her body. Something in her was steering her legs, but her conscious mind was still trying to process what was happening. And then Ryoka was running—

—-

Zel’s soldiers charged towards the enemy, and the Drake [General] lifted a bloodstained claw and roared , inspiring his warriors and demoralizing the enemy army. Without either Periss or Ilvriss, their ranks were crumbling as his superior Skills and abilities turned the tide of the battle.

“Reform ranks and prepare another charge!”

This would shatter them. As Zel took his place at the head of the line, he felt tired. Too many cuts from Ilvriss’s damn sword. But he was getting old, too. Too old for meaningless battles.

The enemy was still regrouping. Zel narrowed his eyes. His troops were trying to form up, but this was the moment.

“ Charge! ”

He thundered across the ground, feet splashing in mud and blood. The enemy soldiers raised shields and tried to close ranks, but he could see the fear in their eyes. Zel raised a claw like a hammer and hesitated. His head turned.

“What is that ?”

—-

Like lightning. Like the breeze on a summer’s day, elusive, fleeting, a breath of air and then clear skies. She runs.

A lone Human runs out of the forest, out of the place where everything died. She runs through magic, through snow and across forests and hills, her feet barely touching the ground. Her body is constant motion, and only the air holds her back. Her wake is a gale and storm; the snow blows up around her and the wind creates a snowstorm in the air.

She runs through the snow, across the battlefield, between soldiers who turn and stare at the blur of movement kicking up a storm of snow behind her.

Warriors raise their weapons and slash at the Human, archers loose arrows and mages blast the ground around her with spells. But she runs on, between charging soldiers, ducking a scything blade, vaulting over a falling soldier. On and on, ceaseless, unable to stop.

A messenger, a carrier of words and private things.

A courier for both rich and poor.

A traveler with no allegiance but her own.

A Runner.

Screaming, but in words spoken so quick only the Frost Faeries flying ahead of her can hear.

“Ican’tstop!Goddamnitstoplaughingandhelpme!”

The faeries hear her of course, and they keep pace with her easily. Perhaps they could stop her, but they’re laughing too hard to reply.

2.31

Erin stared hard at the golden substance bubbling and turning brown over the fire. It was cheese. Cheese, on top of a tomato sauce spread evenly over a doughy base.

With pepperoni. It had to be with pepperoni, or else there wouldn’t be any point, would there? Erin was a firm believer in pepperoni; she could take or leave pineapple and she refused to acknowledge anchovies.

These were the essential secrets of the universe, and this was the substance that made the world spin. Okay, maybe they weren’t essential , but they were pretty important!

“Pizza.”

Erin breathed the word, as she sensed the moment was now. She reached forwards and yanked the pizza off the metal rack over the fire, glad that she’d remembered to wear gloves this time.

“ Pizza! ”

It was glorious. Perfectly round, with a radius you could bite into with fluffy crust and generous toppings of both cheese and meat. None of the skimpy, bare-bones layer over the tomato sauce, thank you very much.

Erin slid the pizza onto the counter and grabbed a knife. She didn’t have a pizza roller, but it was easy enough to cut into the traditional eight slices. That too was essential; you couldn’t have unevenly sized slices, or someone might get stabbed.

It was done. Erin stared at her newest creation and felt her stomach rumble. But no, this wasn’t for her. This was for her customers.

As Erin swept back into the common room she enjoyed the sound of that word. Customer. She had some! But maybe that wasn’t the word for the people sitting in her inn. Hm. Patron? No, that sounded awful.

“Guest.”

That was a good word. Erin beamed as she sat her pizza down in front of the Drakes who eyed the food suspiciously. She didn’t know them, and that was glorious too!

She had guests that weren’t friends. It didn’t sound like much, but it was progress! For the last few days, Erin had been getting Gnolls, Drakes, and the odd Human into her inn, and not just her friends and Pisces. She was making money , and with her newest creation she was sure she was going to make even more.

“Is this…‘pizza’?”

One of the Drakes poked at a slice with a claw. Erin nodded proudly.

“Yup! It’s really good! As good as a hamburger. Try it; you’ll see!”

One of the three Drakes who’d come to her inn for lunch looked at his companions. He shrugged, and gingerly picked up a still-steaming slice. He blew on it a few times, and then nibbled it.

His eyes widened, and his tail twitched a bit. Erin watched his face and his tail anxiously. Drakes were like dogs, and Gnolls were even more like Dogs. They could lie pretty well, but their tails always gave them away.

“Hm. Lots of cheese. And chewy. Warm.”

He bit deeper into the slice as his companions watched expectantly. Erin held her breath. His tail twitched…and then began to wag!

Just a bit. But when the Drake finished the rest of his slice and reached for another one Erin knew she’d done it again. Or rather, copied it again.

“How is it?”

The Drake chewed thoughtfully and then nodded in satisfaction.

“Delicious. It quite suits our needs.”

Erin beamed, and the other Drakes nodded happily in approval. One picked up a slice, but rather than eat it, began to dissect it, examining the parts.

“Melted cheese, sauce…from a tomato? And rising dough. Extraordinary. But how delicious!”

The third Drake nodded. He wasn’t eating either, which was strange to Erin, but he also inspected the pizza with great interest.

“It seems easy to make. Simple recipe—”

“Tomatoes might be hard to come by. Not much call for them.”

“There will be. Put in an order and we’ll have enough.”

The first Drake nodded as he licked his claws.

“Cheese and sauce base—the meat is good, but I can see sliced fish being equally appealing. I’ll do a few prototypes.”

“Prototypes?”

All three Drakes froze and looked over at Erin. The second one gave her an unconvincing smile.

“W-well, we were just saying what an extraordinary recipe it is.”

“Oh. Um. Thanks? Are you some kind of [Cooks]?”

The third Drake nodded. He stood and extended a claw to Erin. She shook it, still not quite sure what was going on.

“Terres Hangclaw, at your service. I’m a [Chef] at the Dancing Drake in Liscor.”

“Oh, it’s very nice to—”

Erin paused as her mind caught up with what he’d said. She frowned at the third Drake, who cringed as the other two glared at him.

“Wait a second, what was that? You’re a [Chef]? Why are you here to—”

One of the Drakes hurriedly tossed down several silver coins on the table. His two companions rose and they gathered up the slices of pizza and retreated towards the door.

“Much appreciated Miss Human. But we’ve got to go. Don’t worry about the change!”

They practically dashed out of the inn with the rest of the pizza. Erin watched them go, mouth gaping.

“I’ve just been plagiarized! Again!”

She stared at the table, at her coins, and at the open door. She felt she should be upset, but they’d left a lot of money for one pizza. But they’d taken the recipe! …Which wasn’t hers. But it was still theft!

The door began to swing closed, but someone caught it. Ceria walked in, staring over her shoulder suspiciously.

“…Did I just see three Drakes running away with a bunch of food in their arms?”

“It’s called ‘pizza’ and they just stole my recipe.”

Ceria blinked at Erin. It was hard for the girl to explain, but the half-Elf got the gist of what had happened after only a few seconds.

“Ah, recipe thieves. It happens. The instant someone makes something worth eating, there’s always a huge race for other famous [Chefs] and [Cooks] to find out how it was made and improve on the recipe. I suppose it’s a sign of how well those hamburgers did that they were sticking around for you to come up with something else.”

“Yeah, but—!”

Erin gestured helplessly at the door as Ceria helped her gather all the silver coins. Ceria glanced out the door—the Drakes hadn’t yet made it to the city gates. They weren’t exactly fast on their feet, especially as they tried not to drop the pizza slices.

“Want me to hit them with a spell? I’ve got a pretty good aim.”

“No, no. I just wish I’d had a day to sell my food before it got taken away. I guess they’re going to earn a lot of money tonight.”

Ceria patted Erin sympathetically on the shoulder.

“If it helps, I think people will know where the food came from. Next time, you should only bring out the new stuff when it’s dinnertime. That way you’ll get at least one big crowd.”

Erin sighed, and Ceria offered her the handful of silver.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like they’re your only customers.”

It was true. Erin had been happy with her increase in clientele, but they still weren’t exactly the crowds that she’d seen in Peslas’ inn.

“I guess.”

She took the silver coins, and then hesitated. Erin looked over at Ceria and smiled, forgetting about her stolen pizza recipe for just one second. She’d been looking forward to this all day.

“Say, Ceria, I’m running low on silver. Can you exchange a gold coin for me?”

“No problem.”

Ceria reached for her pouch, and blinked as Erin handed her a shiny gold coin.

“That was quick. You shouldn’t keep your gold lying out.”

“Oh, I had one lying around.”

Erin smiled mischievously at Ceria. The half-Elf frowned but reached for the coin.

“Well, thanks anyw—”

Ceria paused and stared hard at the gold coin Erin handed her. Then her eyes slowly travelled over to one of the windows. There, the boxes full of faerie flowers were still blooming, golden and shining in the sunlight. Ceria stared at the gold coin, and then narrowed her eyes at Erin. The Human girl tried to keep her face straight as Ceria peered hard at her.

“A gold coin, huh? Well, I’m happy to accept one. Let me just—”

Ceria raised the coin up and tried to bend it with both fingers. She frowned.

“Huh.”

The half-Elf hesitated, and eyed Erin’s twitching face. Slowly, she raised it to her mouth and bit the gold coin. She eyed the faint marks her teeth had left in the soft gold.

“It tastes like gold, but—Erin. Is this an illusion or not?”

“It’s fake! Isn’t it so cool? ”

Erin pointed to the flowers.

“I just figured out how to make them turn into coins like the faeries did! See, if I pluck it and say ‘gold’—”

Erin carefully broke a flower off by the stem and Ceria blinked. Suddenly, Erin was holding a second gold coin in her hand.

“That’s incredible, Erin. I didn’t even sense any magic. And these coins feel like gold—real gold too, not the partially gold coins we use.”

She frowned at the coin in her hand and hefted it slightly.

“It weighs the same, feels the same, tastes and smells…rot, that’s good magic. Can you transform the flowers into anything else?”

Erin shook her head.

“It doesn’t seem to work with other things, really. But the coin feels real for an entire day. Then it turns back into a flower in the morning.”

Ceria eyed the bed of flowers speculatively. The blooms were growing quite fast even in the winter, and already Erin had seen a few more shoots poking their head out of the soil.

“Looks like that faerie prank is more useful than it seems. Are you planning on doing anything with the flowers?”

Erin looked at her friend blankly.

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know…use them to buy something nice, perhaps?”

Ceria rolled the gold coin between her fingers. Erin frowned.

“Why would I do that? I mean, they’d find out and it’d be stealing, right?”

Ceria coughed into one hand.

“I know a few Human shopkeepers that—rot, never mind. You’re too nice.”

Erin laughed. Ceria tossed the coin back on the table and folded her arms.

“But seriously, Erin. Those flowers might be useful, but your new recipes are just as valuable. Be careful about letting people run off with them, okay?”

Erin nodded meekly. She chatted with Ceria for a bit longer before the half-Elf trooped upstairs to rest and practice some spells. Erin sighed as she went back into the kitchen. She put the gold coin on a counter next to her silver ones and sighed twice as she stared at the empty pan.

Another day up, another day down. It wasn’t as if it had been a particularly bad one so far, it was just that Erin felt like she was missing something. Someone, perhaps. She wondered where Ryoka was. She missed being able to talk to her.

And as for the recipe…

Shaking her head, Erin flipped the coin into the air and caught it. It really was amazing. But it wasn’t useful. She plonked the coin back onto the counter. After a minute, she mumbled into the silence.

“Besides, I probably wouldn’t get away with it…”

—-

Halrac was in a foul mood, and he didn’t bother trying to hide it. Not that that was particularly surprising to his teammates—the [Scout] was usually grumpy at the best times.

But right now he was sitting in an inn, and contrary to most people’s preferences, Halrac preferred to be outdoors sitting in the rain or sloughing through mud than indoors. Part of that was because of the company he had to share.

Gold-rank parties were often highly selective as to the people they recruited. New adventurers went through a thorough vetting process, but even the best parties usually had their moments of friction.

In this case, friction was a daily state of being between Halrac, Revi, and Typhenous. Ulrien was their silent leader and usually didn’t get into their arguments, but Halrac made no effort to hide his feelings about his new teammates, and Revi and Typhenous were typical mages through and through.

“Calm down, Halrac.”

Ulrien said it, but Halrac had been adventuring longer than his Captain, and he’d known Ulrien back when the other man had been a Bronze-rank adventurer. Halrac glared at his Captain and moderated his tone only slightly.

“I’m telling you, we shouldn’t be here! It’s a waste of coin, especially if all we do is sit on our asses!”

Revi frowned at Halrac and Typhenous barely looked up from his spellbook. But he spoke in a bored voice.

“We don’t have much to do but sit while we look for someone to dig out those ruins. I don’t see what the problem is, Halrac.”

The [Scout] gritted his teeth.

“The problem is that we’re not doing anything while other adventurers could be getting the drop on us!”

He pointed out of their private room. Griffon Hunt had been seated in this expensive side room in the inn, ostensibly as a mark of respect for their rank and the amount of gold they were paying the innkeeper—but also he suspected, to keep them out of the sight of the regular clientele of Drakes.

“That damn Drake seems to delight in serving us all the local recipes. With what we’re paying him, we should be eating whatever we want.”

Revi raised her eyebrows.

“Then tell him to make your local specialty or whatever, Halrac. But stop grouching because we can’t find anyone to dig.”

“How are there no [Miners] in this entire damn city?”

“There are. But they’re all Antinium. If we hire them—”

Typhenous broke off as Ulrien shook his head and Halrac growled.

“I’m not working with those monsters. Besides, the Halfseekers have tried and had no luck.”

“Well then, until we either decide to call out some people from Esthelm or pick up a spade ourselves, I think we’re stuck here. Come on, sit back and have a pint.”

Halrac shook his head and stood up.

“I’ve had enough of sitting in that inn waiting for something to happen. I’m going to look for some [Diggers] or [Miners] again. I’ll be back tonight or tomorrow.”

None of his comrades stopped him. Ulrien went back to reading, Typhenous did likewise, and Revi made another attempt at downing the bottle of wine she’d bought. Halrac shook his head as he stomped out of the inn, completely ignoring the Drake innkeeper who halfheartedly tried to persuade him to sit and have a drink.

Halrac walked through the streets, avoiding the crowds and trying to find his way through the unfamiliar territory. That was another thing. He was a [Scout]; he could fight in cities, but it didn’t mean he enjoyed trying to find his way through streets where everything was written in the Drake’s language and incomprehensible to him.

He scowled as he passed by a group of laughing Drakes. They fell silent as he walked past, which only caused Halrac’s scowl to deepen.

This entire quest for the dungeon’s treasure – if there even was a dungeon – was pointless. He never should have let Ulrien talk him into this. Griffon Hunt was wasting time and money here when they could be doing good somewhere else.

Plus, Halrac hated this city. He didn’t like Drakes much. Halrac had spent too much time fighting them off-and-on over the years as a soldier to trust them. The same went for Gnolls, and as for the Antinium…

The [Scout]’s gaze darkened as he saw one of the Workers scuttling down the street. He could never trust one of them. They were all heartless monsters.

He turned away in disgust. Even if he’d ever consider hiring the Antinium – and there was little chance of that! – he’d heard they were refusing to dig even for other adventuring groups. Self serving, useless—

“Oh, hey, you’re that [Scout] guy!”

Halrac stopped and turned. A young woman was approaching him down the street. A Human. He recognized her, but dimly. Where had he—?

Oh. The inn. She was the owner of the undead skeleton. The [Scout] debated walking off, but at least she didn’t have scales, fur, or chitin. He tried to remember her name. Solstice…?

“Good evening, Miss.”

“Hey, how are you doing? Sorry about the other day. Uh, you’re…H…Hal…?”

“Halrac.”

The [Scout] tried not to frown at her, or glare, or do any of the hundred things which he had been told he shouldn’t do when talking to people. But the young woman had an energetic enthusiasm about her and more importantly, the ability to completely ignore Halrac’s own dour mood.

“Halrac, right! I’m Erin Solstice. We uh, met when you were trying to kill my skeleton. I threw a rock at you.”

“I remember.”

“Um. Right. Sorry about that.”

“It’s nothing.”

What did she want? Halrac looked around. He had no idea where to find a guild for [Miners], if there even was one. He could start asking around, but that was likely to be a fruitless endeavor.

“So, um, how are you doing?”

Halrac looked back at Erin in mild surprise. He wasn’t used to people continuing to engage him in conversation.

“Nothing in particular. Why?”

“Oh, no reason. I mean, I heard your party was staying at an inn, but I’m always looking for customers—and I made this great new food! So I was wondering if you’d like to try it. At my inn, I mean.”

The older man blinked down at Erin a few times. He opened his mouth to refuse, and then hesitated. It wasn’t an issue of money that made him pause; he had more than he could spend when it came to drinks and food as a Gold-rank adventurer, but he was on a mission.

And yet, the idea of interviewing a bunch of unfriendly Drakes and Gnolls lost a lot of its appeal when he considered sitting by himself in her inn. It was certainly better than the other Drake’s inn where the large innkeeper would be constantly laughing and talking with a raised voice and getting on Halrac’s nerves.

“…How full is your inn?”

“My inn?”

Suddenly, the young woman looked wary. She scuffed at the paving stones.

“Well…there might be a few people, but even if there’s not, I’m great company!”

She didn’t expect the smile that appeared on Halrac’s face, but then, neither did he. An empty inn? Perfect. He was a [Scout], and used to isolation. And it beat having that fat Drake waddling around all the time.

What was his name? Peslas? Halrac shook his head, but he accepted the girl’s offer.

“Just give me a table in the corner and I’ll be fine.”

The girl beamed at him and led him towards her inn. Halrac followed, bemused, as she chattered to him the entire time. Erin Solstice seemed to have no trouble carrying on a conversation by herself, but to his surprise he found himself talking to her after a bit.

“If money is an issue, why not become an adventurer?”

“Really? You think I’d be good at it? I don’t like—I mean, I’m not a killer.”

Halrac shrugged uncomfortably as he walked through the snow with her. It had been a long time since he’d chatted with anyone who was female and not part of his team. It was a nostalgic, slightly bittersweet experience.

“You picked a fight with a Gnoll warrior and won. Barehanded. That’s as good as any Bronze-rank adventurer, and your skeleton is dangerous.”

“Yeah, yeah. I guess you’re right.”

“Is it still…alive?”

Halrac had pierced the undead creature’s skull with an arrow, but he had seen it walking around after the battle was over.

“What, Toren? He’s fine. But you know, it’s weird. I think he had some kind of gemstone in his head—this red gem that I got after these undead attacked my inn. It made his eyes purple, but even after it broke, his eyes haven’t changed back! How weird is that?”

As far as Halrac was concerned, the skeleton was a walking mystery that he desperately wanted to solve by grinding its bones into dust, but he held his tongue. He didn’t understand the comment about the undead, but that did explain the skeleton’s gaze that seemed to emit fear.

“Who knows?”

“I don’t. Oh, here’s the inn!”

They’d come to it surprisingly quickly. Halrac watched Erin opened the door and usher him inside. There she seated him in a table near one corner of the room as he’d requested, but she was almost as bad as Peslas. She pestered him with questions, offering him a glass of warm milk, and then hovered around him as she gave him a menu with very few options, only two or three of which he actually recognized as food.

“Can I interest you in our newest dish?”

Halrac hesitated. His first response was a curt ‘no’, but it was a hard thing to say to the innkeeper’s friendly expression.

“…What is it?”

“Pizza!”

Halrac had never heard of pizza, but he listened to the girl’s description of what it was and decided he could always claim he was sick. But cheese layered over tomato sauce and bread? It didn’t sound that good.

It didn’t look that good to Halrac either when the innkeeper came out with it. He eyed the slices of pizza and touched it experimentally. Some kind of open-faced sandwich…?

Sensing the girl’s eyes on him, Halrac reluctantly took a bite. It wasn’t as bad as he expected, and the tomato sauce oozed into his mouth as he chewed on the melted cheese and dough. No, it wasn’t bad at all; had he been a soldier on a cold night huddled around a campfire, Halrac imagined he would have loved this food.

As it was, there were far worse things to eat for dinner, and Halrac hated wasting food. He took another bite and decided that the pizza was warm and filling. That was when the door opened and a girl stomped in.

“A [Barmaid]! ”

She screeched at Erin as she hurled a bundle of sticks to the ground. Halrac half-turned with his hand on his dagger, but this new girl’s anger was directed solely at Erin Solstice. He watched as she stormed up to the other young woman and realized this was the girl he’d helped save.

Perhaps it had been a mistake. Halrac winced as the blonde girl raised her voice another octave and shouted at Erin, who was wearing a fed-up expression.

“What is it now, Lyon?”

“ Lyonette! And I just leveled up as a…a…[Barmaid]!”

“That’s good, isn’t it? And hold on, why did you level up? I told you to get firewood!”

The girl named Lyon or possibly Lyonette hesitated, and Halrac rolled his eyes. He could see dampness on her thick winter clothes, and the girl even had snow caught between the folds of her clothing. She’d probably been taking a nap while she ran the errand—it was a miracle something hadn’t found and eaten her while she slept.

“I may have—that is not important! I am noble! I will not be sullied with a— commoner’s class!”

Erin’s brows snapped together and she began to argue with Lyon as Halrac grunted to himself and tried to turn off his ears. The girl was a noble? A runaway or an impoverished one, perhaps.

That explained a lot. Halrac had already heard people in Liscor grumbling about the Human thief, and she looked and acted like many of the jumped-up aristocrats he’d had the misfortune of encountering. He decided he didn’t like her and proceeded to ignore the girl’s argument with Erin as he reached for another slice of pizza.

Somehow, the platter was empty and Halrac was looking into an empty mug by the time Erin won the argument. The angry blonde girl sullenly gathered up her bundle of firewood and flounced into the kitchen. Erin came back over to smile apologetically at Halrac and refill his mug.

“Sorry. She’s—well, she’s new.”

He grunted and waved a hand. Now that his belly was full, Halrac was tempted to leave for his bed, but he doubted he’d be able to sleep just yet. Instead, he eyed his mug. Warm water was all very well, but—

“Alcohol? I mean, yeah, I’ve got some. I think.”

Erin blinked at Halrac a few times as if she was taken aback by his request. But she dutifully went behind her counter and exclaimed in surprise.

“Hey, look! A keg! I wonder what’s in it?”

As unwelcome as that statement was, it wouldn’t be the worst thing Halrac had heard when being served drinks. The girl came back with a mug full of too much foam, but with the promising amber liquid at the bottom.

“Thanks.”

He took a sip, and tried to hide a grimace. Erin glanced at Halrac as he took another gulp. This time his face didn’t change, but hers fell.

“You don’t like it.”

Halrac was starting to dislike this young woman’s ability to read his expression. He shrugged, and tried to pick his words carefully, which it had to be said, wasn’t his strong suit.

“It’s fine.”

He’d grown spoiled after becoming a successful adventurer. Halrac had drunk worse swill before, even if this keg tasted as if someone had watered the ale quite heavily.

“No, no. It’s not.”

Erin waved her hands about in distress while Halrac saw Lyon sneaking upstairs, probably to take another nap.

“I knew I shouldn’t have bought the cheapest kind!”

She rushed around, looking for another keg while Halrac debated whether it was worth drinking more just so he could get drunk, or cutting his losses and leaving now. But oddly, he was feeling relaxed, despite the oddness of this inn. Maybe it was just because he was around humans, or maybe it was just Erin. She asked constant questions without reserve, but she didn’t pry or judge like other people.

“Aha! I’ve got it!”

Halrac looked over and saw the girl standing by a windowsill. She was picking at something—a box set on a table illuminated by the sunlight. Halrac’s enhanced vision had no problems picking out the golden flowers Erin was gathering up and… squeezing into a mug?

The girl was crushing the flowers and gathering up the few drops of nectar into a mug. Then she added more ale—even more sloppily this time, so that there was just as much foam as liquid. She brought over the dubious concoction to Halrac and shoved it in his face.

“Here, try this! It’s a special drink.”

“What’s in those flowers?”

“Um. I don’t know.”

Halrac looked at Erin, and she hurried to explain.

“They’re magic flowers, and when you drink the nectar, you get sort-of drunk. And I mean it might go well with alcohol—spice it up, you know? I’ve got this skill – [Wondrous Fare], and it was telling me that this would work.”

Halrac had never heard of that skill, but Erin looked at him pleadingly, and it wasn’t as if he had anything better to do. Or drink.

He sniffed at the mug suspiciously. It seemed unlikely the innkeeper would try to poison or drug him, but he was always cautious. None of his Skills were warning him of anything though, so he took a cautious sip.

And—

The wind ruffled Halrac’s hair. He glanced around and wondered where the girl had gone. But in the next moment he forgot about her, because he realized where he was.

Home.

Not the burnt wreck that was all that remained in the real world, but home, the home Halrac had known all his life before it had been taken away. He was standing on a green hilltop in the midst of a fall day, the trees around him full of color, the air crisp and fresh. Below him, his small hamlet bustled with life and motion as [Farmers] went about their chores and children helped chase animals or played together in the street.

Halrac looked down and saw his arms. Young skin, unblemished by scars and not yet tanned or covered with hair shone in the sunlight. He was a lad of seventeen again, and he felt as if his body were like air, full of youthful strength and energy.

“Halrac? What are you doing?”

His heart skipped a beat. Halrac turned, and saw Ariael. She was wearing the soft white cotton robe of the Harvest Maiden – given to the most beautiful girl in the village. And she was standing on the hilltop with him, smiling. At him.

It hadn’t been like that. Halrac remembered this day, when she’d been standing with Telfar instead, laughing with him while Halrac looked on miserably. But this moment was different, and Halrac knew she was in love with him. And he? He’d been in love with her all his life, right up until the day she died with the others.

And now she was here, with him.

Halrac laughed, and flung his arms around Ariael, swinging her around in the air like he’d always dreamed of doing. She clung to him and kissed his face as they tumbled around on the green hilltop, free and light, together for one perfect day.

The young man turned and saw his small village below him bustling with life and people after the harvest. He could see his father laughing together with his mother as he lifted a huge bundle of grain on one shoulder and she carried a bucket of milk inside their house. He pointed, and Ariael turned and saw the first pies being brought out and set on the long table for all to eat. She tugged at his hand and he followed, stumbling, laughing as he—

—-

Erin had never considered herself a murderer, but it was clear she had a talent for killing people. This was an issue she felt she should think seriously about at some point, but right now all she could think of was that she’d made yet another huge mistake.

“Please wake up, please wake up!”

She shook Halrac desperately, rattling the older man back and forth as he sat in his chair, staring at nothing. She’d already prized the mug from his hands—he’d kept sipping at it even while he went into whatever trance he was in—but he was still out of it.

“Come on, it’s only a drink! Just a few flowers—more than a few! It’s not a drug if it’s magic, and you’re not overdosing or whatever! Come on , wake up!”

Erin wondered if she should slap Halrac. That never seemed to work. Water, then. She looked around, gave up, and threw the non-faerie-flower drink in his face.

Halrac blinked as the alcohol splashed over him. He coughed, spluttered, and looked around.

“Ariael? What—?”

“I am so sorry , Halrac! I didn’t know that would happen! I thought you’d just think you were suddenly big like in the stories—but the alcohol did something. It’s a drug. I’ll throw it out—”

Erin seized the mug, but Halrac’s hand moved and he was suddenly gripping her hand. The usually dour-faced adventurer stared at Erin with such intensity she as frightened.

“It’s not a drug. It’s memory. Give me another drink, please! I’ll pay anything—”

“No, it’s dangerous! You went all blank-stare on me. I shouldn’t give it to anyone, not until I’ve tested—”

The two fought over the mug. Halrac was stronger than Erin, but he was at a bad angle and trying not to spill the drink; at this point, Erin was trying to upend it on the floor. They engaged in a silent match until someone spoke right behind them.

“Erin? Is he bothering you?”

Both Halrac and Erin froze. Erin turned her neck and saw Ceria. The half-Elf had walked up behind the two and her skeletal hand was glowing with magic.

She wasn’t quite pointing her glowing finger at Halrac’s face, but her expression was grim. Halrac and Erin exchanged a glance, and both realized that Ceria had entirely the wrong idea of what was happening.

Slowly, Halrac let go of Erin and she stepped back.

“It’s nothing Ceria. I uh, gave him a drink with that nectar in it. You know, from the flowers?”

“Oh?”

Ceria hesitated, but her finger stopped glowing. Erin tried to explain, and the half-Elf sighed, in what sounded like relief.

“Of course that’s what would happen. Well I’m—well, good.”

She nodded to Halrac and he nodded back. The older man looked at Erin and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have given you that drink without testing it on Pisces first. My Skill just told me to do it and—sorry! Um, uh, would you like anything else, Halrac? Anything? Anything but a certain faerie drink which I’m not sure I’m ever going to serve again?”

He hesitated. The Gold-rank adventurer still looked shaken, and Erin saw him pass a hand over his face several times before he looked at her.

“Food. Yeah.”

“How about a hamburger?”

“A wh—fine. Fine. I’ll have that and as much ale as you’ve got.”

Nervously, Erin took the mug of with the faerie flower nectar in it back into the kitchen and started cooking while Ceria took a seat next to her in the kitchen.

“I had no idea that would happen. But he seemed so…gone!”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing. He said it was memory? Hm.”

Ceria rubbed at her chin as Erin flipped two patties, distractedly cooking while she talked. The half-Elf eyed the half-empty mug, but didn’t make a move for it.

“I’m no expert Erin, but it seems like those flowers are part of the Frost Faerie’s illusion. You can make them look like gold coins, and you said you felt like a giant when you sipped some. Perhaps they’re enchanted with illusions that make us see what we want to.”

“Oh, so Halrac was seeing what he wanted to? He said a name—I think it was a girl’s…”

Ceria shrugged.

“I don’t know, but it’s rare for him to lose his cool.”

“Wait a second. You know Halrac? You never said!”

“Know him? Hah! Only by reputation. He’s a veteran Gold-rank adventurer, Erin. He founded Griffon Hunt with Ulrien nearly a decade ago, and he’s famous for never panicking or breaking under stress. That drink of yours must be powerful stuff if it got him.”

Erin frowned at the drink as her hands mechanically slapped a burger together.

“I didn’t mean to do anything bad. I just listened to my Skill.”

“That’s not always the wisest move. In any case, I don’t think what you did was wrong. If anything, I think he’ll pay in gold if you give him more of that stuff.”

“Maybe.”

Erin didn’t know. But she took the hamburger out to Halrac, who accepted it and a non-magical drink with a grunt. Ceria and Erin had a meal of another hamburger—Erin was too rattled to make a pizza at the moment—on the other side of the inn.

After about an hour of talk—during which Halrac just ate his food and stared at his arms and hands as if he were still in that trance—the door to the inn opened and two more familiar guests walked in.

“Good evening, Erin.”

Pawn nodded to Erin as she turned and beamed at him, and a familiar Drake poked his head in as well.

“Oh, uh, hi Erin! Fancy meeting you here!”

Ceria snorted as Olesm edged his way in behind Pawn. Halrac had frozen in his seat, but Erin welcomed both Drake and Antinium in, seating them in the center of the room.

“Pawn! Olesm! I haven’t seen either of you two for ages! Why haven’t you stopped by?”

Pawn nodded his head while Olesm stared over Erin’s shoulder.

“I am sorry, but I was busy within our Hive, attempting to make more Individuals. And until recently, I was being interviewed by Klbkch, Ksmvr, and the Queen.”

“Whoa. That’s big stuff!”

“It is indeed. Olesm was with me until I suggested we eat here for the night.”

Erin looked at Olesm, and the Drake scratched at his head spines and looked the other way.

“I didn’t know you were in the Hive! That’s cool—are you teaching the Antinium? And why haven’t you come by earlier? You know I’m always up for a game of chess!”

Olesm waffled as he avoided looking straight at Erin.

“You know how it is, Erin.”

“No I don’t.”

He faltered, looking over at Ceria for support. The half-Elf just rolled her eyes as she bit into her second hamburger.

“Well, it’s just that I wanted to try playing other players and the Antinium are always willing to play—and even pay me for their time! And I know you’re busy and I wouldn’t want to take away from…”

His eyes flicked left, and Erin looked over and saw her magical chessboard, the pieces sitting ghostly and transparent on the wood. She’d left a game unfinished with her mystery opponent, as he’d had to stop for some reason. Erin frowned in confusion, and then glared at Olesm.

“Now wait just one minute, Olesm. Even if I play someone else, I’m happy to play you! Even if you’re not as good as he is yet, you’re still a great player!”

The Drake shook his head.

“I know how good I am Erin, and after that game with him—I wouldn’t want to hold you back, really.”

“Hey!”

Erin seized Olesm and glared at the surprised Drake.

“How good you are shouldn’t have anything to do with being allowed to play the game. Anyone can play chess, and you should play me as much as you want! That’s the only way you’re going to get better and—”

She glared at Pawn who shrank back in his seat.

“—And I don’t mind teaching new players either. I like chess. Anyone who likes chess is welcome to play me, anytime, anywhere! Well, not anywhere, but most of the time I’m up for a game!”

Olesm blinked at Erin, but as her glare transitioned into a smile, he managed one too.

“I’m sorry, Erin. You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking—of course I’d love to play.”

“Good. In that case I’ll play you and Pawn at the same time. I love to play a dual game. Just let me feed you two first. Hey, do you want to try some pizza?”

“What’s ‘pizza’?”

“It’s—”

“Olesm?”

The Drake’s head turned. His eyes widened, and Erin blinked in surprise.

“Zevara? What are you doing here?”

The Captain of the Watch and tall Drake with an attitude and flame for breath walked slowly into the inn. She nodded awkwardly at Erin.

“Human. Is your inn open at the moment?”

“What? Oh, yeah, yeah, it is! Um, do you want to eat here? Or drink something?”

Erin hesitated. She’d never seen Zevara in a non-shouting context, and she was totally off-guard. But the Drake Captain looked at Olesm and looked almost as unsure as Erin.

“I suppose I could have something. I uh, just came by because I’m off-duty and I saw you walking this way, Olesm. Do you mind if I join you?”

“Me? Uh—”

Olesm glanced at Ceria for some reason. The half-Elf shrugged, again for reasons Erin couldn’t understand, and Zevara looked at her.

“Springwalker.”

“Zevara. I’m sure Olesm wouldn’t mind if we shared a table, would he?”

“What, me? No, no…I just thought I’d play a game of chess…”

“We can do that later. You should talk, Olesm!”

Erin beamed and the Drake sagged as the two women sat next to him. Pawn politely offered his chair to Ceria and the half-Elf took a seat on Olesm’s left while Zevara took a seat on his right.

Now that she had multiple guests, Erin remembered Lyon and looked around for her. But the newly leveled [Barmaid] was nowhere to be seen.

“Every time I need someone to serve drinks and food…it’s not even that hard! I do all the cooking!”

“I’ll go find her, if you want.”

Olesm stood up, but Erin hurriedly waved him back down.

“She’s probably hiding or something. I’ll get Toren to look after her when he comes back. I’m not sure where he is. No, you sit. I’m sure Olesm would like the company.”

The Drake had the oddest expression on his face. Meanwhile, Ceria started talking quite friendly with Zevara, and the Captain seemed just as polite. Erin smiled; it was good to see both getting along so well, although Olesm was very quiet. Erin bustled around the kitchen, getting food ready while the others talked or sat in silence. There was quite a lot of that, despite the full table.

Olesm must have been hungry, because he looked incredibly relieved when Erin came back with two hot pizzas, one on each glove. Pawn nodded in appreciation, but paused as he glanced at Ceria and Zevara. The two hadn’t even looked at the pizza; they were smiling at each other and laughing, although Erin must have missed the joke.

“I believe I would like to play a game, Erin, if you’re free.”

“Totally! Just holler if you need anything, okay?”

Ceria and Zevara nodded without looking her way. Olesm hesitated, and then slowly pushed back his chair.

“I guess I’ll play—”

“ Sit. ”

He sat. Erin found a table closer to Halrac and sat at it with Pawn. The [Scout] hadn’t asked for much more than a refill and he nursed his drink quietly while she talked with the Antinium.

Erin arranged the chess board as Pawn sat in his chair, chewing quietly on a piece of pizza. She wasn’t sure if he liked it, but she hadn’t found any more bugs for the Antinium to eat, so she just prayed it was edible for them.

“Okay, would you like to be black or white, Pawn?”

“I shall choose white, if it is acceptable to you, Erin.”

She nodded happily, and Pawn studied the board for a minute before moving a pawn up to D4. Erin immediately moved a pawn up to D5, and Pawn moved a second pawn up to C5, initiating the Queen’s Gambit.

Erin immediately pushed a second pawn into Slav Defense, C6, and there the game paused for a moment. Pawn studied the board, and then, unusually, looked up at Erin.

Normally the Antinium was concentrated totally on the game, so this change made Erin stop pondering chess strategy for a moment and look at him.

“Something wrong, Pawn? Is the pizza no good?”

“The pizza is perfectly fine, Erin. But I have something I wish to talk to you about.”

Erin frowned.

“Oh? What’s that?”

Pawn placed a hand over a chess piece and hesitated. He looked directly at Erin again, and she started to sense that he hadn’t come to her inn to play chess after all.

“I came here to ask for your advice, Erin.”

Pawn lowered his voice as Olesm began trying to teach both Zevara and Ceria the game of chess. Erin stared at the Antinium, concerned.

“Why? What happened? I mean, is something wrong?”

“Nothing—well, I suppose that is not accurate. Today I was summoned before my Queen, as I said. I, along with four other Antinium, the four that became individual.”

“Oh.”

That sounded big, to Erin. She still didn’t quite understand why individuals were so important to the Antinium, but she’d gotten a vague idea of Pawn’s new significance. He nodded to her as he slowly moved a piece forwards.

“Yes. She called us and asked us questions about our nature. She…analyzed us for what we might be, what we might achieve.”

Erin stared at the board. Pawn had moved a pawn forwards again—only it was a terrible move. C4-C5? That was Bad Slav. She’d taught him to avoid that. Erin looked at Pawn in confusion and for the first time noticed that something was different about Pawn today.

He looked…smaller. The Antinium sat hunched over in his seat, and Erin realized he looked much like she’d first seen him. That was to say, like a normal Worker, meek, inconspicuous, unnoticed.

“Pawn?”

What had happened? What had his Queen said to him—done to him? Erin remembered Ksmvr, but Pawn didn’t look hurt. He just looked…

Helpless.

Erin looked at the board, and then abandoned her game. She looked at Pawn, seriously.

“What happened? What did she do to you?”

He shook his head slowly.

“Questions. That is all she asked of us. Questions.”

“What kind of questions?”

Questions could be bad and hurtful. But Pawn only raised one hand, palm up, helplessly.

“Questions we could not answer. Erin. She asked us what being individual meant. How it happened. We could not answer. And she asked more questions—what will we become? What classes can we take? How can we serve the hive?”

He shook his head.

“She asked if I would lead Soldiers to battle. Me. Because I have gained a class from playing chess and am highest-level besides Klbkch. But me?”

Erin looked at Pawn. She couldn’t imagine him fighting like Klbkch or Ksmvr. An image flashed in her mind. A memory. She saw a Worker, flailing at Goblins, fighting like a child as they stabbed him—

Pawn continued to speak, haltingly. His voice was strained with an emotion she’d never heard from an Antinium before.

“I told her that I loved this game. I enjoy playing chess. But I cannot lead armies. I have a [Tactician] class, but…I have stopped leveling.”

Erin blinked. Pawn nodded at her.

“It is problematic. Yet I have no desire to carry out another occupation. I cannot go back to being a Worker, but not even my Queen knows what we are now.”

He spread his hands, knocking over pieces on the board. Pawn jerked in surprise, and then clumsily reached for the pieces. But he abandoned them and looked at Erin.

“I am lost. If I am not a Worker, what am I?”

“I don’t know. Pawn—”

He shook his head.

“My Queen did not know. You do not know. No one knows. Not even us.”

He stared at Erin, and she felt helpless. Pawn’s expression didn’t change, but it couldn’t, not really. He had no nose or skin or even tear ducts. But his mandibles clicked together softly, and his hands clenched on the table.

“We are all lost. But I am the first, and so they look to me. And I—”

Pawn glanced up at Erin, and then away.

“I do not know.”

“Pawn. It’s not something you can figure out right away. Stuff like this is complex. It takes time.”

Erin reached out to touch Pawn’s hand, but he knocked hers away. He stared at Erin, trembling slightly.

“I asked them to go to you that night. I gathered the Workers and told them to fight. And die.”

Erin felt a hole open up in her stomach. Pawn stared into her eyes, his multi-faceted ones direct, full of hidden emotion.

“I asked them to go. They did it willingly, but I was the one who suggested it, who told them to do it. Not my Queen, not Ksmvr or Klbkch. I, and no other.”

She remembered. Erin’s eyes were stinging, but she made herself look at Pawn.

“They saved me, Pawn.”

He nodded.

“Yes, and it was necessary! It was good! But—but what happens next?”

“What?”

Erin didn’t understand. Pawn looked at her, as if willing her to.

“They died to save you. It was well. But what will become of those dead? When Bird, Garry, Belgrade and Anand and I die, who will remember the fallen? They lived. Magnus, Rook, Calabrian, Vladimir, Emmanuel…they lived. But only we remember. Only we care.”

Erin stared at Pawn. This was beyond her. So far beyond her. But Pawn had come to her for help. Only, what help could she give? What advice could she give someone on a road no one had walked before?

“I don’t know, Pawn. I’m sorry.”

The Antinium sat in his chair, shivering. No. Not shivering. Erin looked at him more closely.

He was…twitching. Shaking. It was just like when Erin had first asked him his name, only more violent now.

“What wIll we dO, EriN? wHAt wILL We bEcOme?”

His voice—Erin felt a cold chill run down her back, but she refused to move back. She looked at Pawn. He stared back.

“whAt ArE wE?”

A faint sound made Erin look away from Pawn. Olesm, Ceria, and Zevara hadn’t noticed his behavior, but Halrac had. He was holding something in his left hand. A dagger.

Erin looked at him and shook her head slightly. He stared at Pawn, his face grim, and his eyes flicked to her. She stared into his eyes. Just stared.

Slowly, Halrac sheathed his blade. Erin turned back to Pawn. He was still shaking. She put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey. Hey, listen to me. You’re not alone. There are others like you.”

“nONe aRe LIke Me.”

It was true. But not true. Something stirred in Erin’s memory. She looked at Pawn. The first of his kind, the leader of a people who no one trusted, who were unimportant. Who didn’t know…

Memory flickered in Erin’s mind. Not recent memory, but stories. Fragments of something she’d heard long ago, in a quiet place as a child.

Perhaps it was the last name Pawn had spoken. Emmanuel. But Erin remembered, and so she pushed aside the chess board and edged her chair closer next to Pawn. She put one hand on his cool chitin.

“You know, there was once a guy like you. He wanted to save his people, too.”

“ReaLLy?”

His voice was calming down. Erin smiled at Pawn, and sensed Halrac’s eyes on her back.

“Yeah. In fact, I know a story about this guy. He was famous, you know. His name is Moses, and a lot of Human kids know about him.”

“What did…what did he do? Who was he?”

“He was…a normal person. Well, not normal. But he didn’t think he’d do anything special, until the day he realized he was different than the people around him. And then he realized he had a people who were being mistreated, who were in need. And he led them.”

That was sort of true. Sort of. Depending on which story you listened to. Which movie you watched. Erin had never watched The Ten Commandments , but she had seen The Prince of Egypt more than once.

“His people were slaves. They were ruled by a harsh king – a Pharaoh. But Moses was called, and so he led his people to freedom.”

Pawn cocked his head at her. His voice returned to its normal pitch.

“Is this an instructional story or a historical narrative?”

Erin paused. She scratched her head and smiled.

“I dunno. It’s just a story. Would you like to hear it?”

He hesitated, and then nodded. So Erin told him a story from childhood.

“Once upon a time, in a place named Egypt, there were two peoples. Both were Humans, but they were…different. One people were called Egyptians, and they had slaves. And the slaves were called Hebrews. And the king of the Egyptians was called the Pharaoh. But he was afraid that the Hebrews would rise up one day, so he ordered every baby boy to be killed. And Moses’ mother didn’t want that to happen. So she found a river – the River Nile – and put Moses in a basket. Then waited until someone found Moses. It was the Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him into the Pharaoh’s house so Moses grew up as an Egyptian prince when he was really a Hebrew. But one day he discovered who he truly was. It was when he found a burning bush…”

—-

Erin told the story of Moses, abridged and slightly inaccurately, but from start to finish. Pawn listened quietly until she was done, but when he finished he just shook his head at her.

“It is a good story, but I fear it is not as easy for us. The Antinium are not slaves to our Queen—she is part of the Hive, as are we all. It is just that there is no place for us now, and our purpose…”

He broke off, shaking his head harder.

“Rebellion would only lead to death. Senseless death.”

Erin waved her hands hurriedly and nearly knocked over her chess board.

“Oh, no, no—I didn’t mean the Queen was like the Pharaoh. It’s just a story. A parable. I was just saying that Moses was like a leader, and you’re like a leader.”

He paused.

“It is a good story, but I am no chosen one. Moreover, you say this Moses was chosen by a god. You speak of gods, but I am told the gods are dead.”

Erin hesitated.

“Maybe. I mean, here it seems like that’s true. But I always grew up knowing there was a god. Then later I…well, where I’m from people believe there are gods. People believe they came to earth, like Jesus Christ.”

“Jesus? Is that another Human who led his people?”

It sounded odd to hear an Antinium speak of Jesus. Erin had to smile.

“Yeah, you could say that. He was someone who saved his people. Actually, he saved the Hebrew just like Moses, just after a long time had passed. And he was the son of God! Well, depending on who you ask.”

Pawn stared at Erin. Across the room Halrac’s head slowly lifted and he looked over at Erin. He raised his voice and both Antinium and innkeeper looked over.

“The gods are dead. Everyone knows that. But I’ve never heard of a descendant of gods.”

“I uh, well, everyone says it where I come from.”

Erin realized she was on the edge of what Ryoka had warned her about. But it was too late to go back.

“We have gods. Or one god. There are more, but the one I was told about when I was young—I mean, people just call him…God. Or it God. Her God. It’s hard to explain.”

Halrac eyed Erin dubiously, but he actually moved his chair closer.

“Explain that. I’ve always known the gods are dead. Always. And I’ve never heard of one just called…God.”

Explain Christianity? Erin wasn’t sure. But now Pawn was looking at her too, and he’d stopped shaking. So she took a breath and tried.

“Well, they say he—I mean, God—created the earth and everything in it in seven days and did all this stuff. You know, god stuff. He cast out Humans from paradise because we were sinful, and pretty much uh, let the world work for a long time. But his people, his chosen people I mean, he always watched over. That story of Moses—that was one example of how God chose his prophets and messengers to help save them.”

“After they became slaves.”

Halrac snorted decisively.

“Some God.”

Erin had nothing to say to that. But she felt like she owed the religion a tiny bit of defense.

“Well, he did save them eventually. I think it was sort of like a punishment for something. Maybe. Anyways, later he sent his only son to die for our sakes.”

“Our sakes? His son? I do not understand.”

Pawn looked at Erin while Halrac grunted again. And Erin—

Hesitated.

The story of Jesus was on her lips. It wasn’t what Pawn wanted – it wasn’t the story that could help him figure out who the Antinium were. But it was a good story.

Perhaps it was only a story. Maybe it wasn’t. Erin didn’t know.

She didn’t believe. Not anymore. But she’d heard the same stories over and over, and she could repeat them to her listeners.

“Just listen, okay? It gets complicated, but I guess one day, long after Moses had saved the Hebrews, they were suffering in another land. This time under the Romans. And God knew they were in trouble, but he was sort of looking at the entire world, you know? And everywhere he looked he saw sin. So he decided to do something about it. So he looked for good people—Mary of Nazareth and her husband, Joseph of Nazareth, and chose them to raise his son who he would send down from heaven…”

“Heaven?”

Pawn interrupted Erin. He looked at her intently.

“What is ‘heaven’? I know of hell, but I have never heard of heaven.”

Erin wavered.

“Wait a second. How can you know of hell and not heaven? What’s hell over here?”

Halrac was the one to answer. He fiddled with his mug.

“Hell is where the Demons come from. In Rhir—there is a place where no army has returned. That is what people call hell. Is that what you mean?”

Erin frowned.

“No…hell is more like—well, it’s a place you go when you die, not a location.”

Pawn and Halrac both looked at each other, and then away. Halrac scowled. Erin shook her head.

“Hell isn’t a place. I mean, not a place on earth. Not in this world. It’s the afterlife. The place where bad people go when they die. We go to hell because we sin. We suffer in life because we sin—that’s what the Bible says, anyways.”

“Bible?”

“The…history of all this, I guess. I mean, the history of the Hebrews and their God.”

“Ah. And heaven?”

How could you describe heaven to someone? Erin closed her eyes. She looked at the ceiling, and did her best.

“Heaven is a place where good people go. It’s a place where there’s no pain, no suffering…everyone’s there. You can see your family, your friends, and everything is happy. Forever. That’s what heaven is, I think.”

When she looked back down, Halrac and Pawn were staring at her.

“What? Don’t you believe in life after death?”

Halrac shook his head slowly.

“When I was a lad, I was taught that we’d come back to life after we died. It depended on our class and our level—the higher level we were, the better life we’d have. If we didn’t do much and died with low levels, we’d come back as animals, or worse, monsters. But that’s all.”

“And you, Pawn?”

He was silent for a few minutes.

“The Antinium know of nothing after death. But we do know of death. When an Antinium dies, their memory remains in the Hive. But of the Antinium themselves…nothing. Only a few are kept to return to the Hive in times of need. Klbkch is one such. But even they fade. And in time, all Antinium will die. And after that…”

He looked at Erin.

“They cease to be. That is what happens after the Antinium die.”

She stared at him.

“That’s…not what some Humans believe. They think everyone can go to heaven, if they believe.”

“Everyone? Even an Antinium?”

“I guess so. But let me finish my story. You see, God was sad because we were all sinning—doing bad things. So he sent his son to die for our sakes. Because if he did, all our sins would be forgiven.”

Halrac eyed Erin.

“Like some kind of blood ritual? Magic?”

“No. Redemption. No magic, no ritual. Just forgiveness. It would be a second chance for all of us.”

“A second chance. To do what?”

Erin paused.

“Anything.”

And Pawn looked at her, silently, with the same grave emotionless expression that all the Antinium shared. But there was a spark in his dark eyes, a glimmer of something.

Hope.

So Erin took a deep breath, and reached back. She reached back to childhood, to youth, to innocence and faith. And she told them stories. She told them of a son who died upon a cross to save the world, of a God who created everything and gave law to the lawless. She told the listening adventurer and Antinium parables, stories, and tales of miracles and deliverance.

At some point Olesm knocked his chair over across the room and ran out the door with Ceria and Zevara in hot pursuit. But no one paid any attention. Erin told stories to the listening man, full of skepticism and bitterness, and to the Antinium, lost, afraid, and alone.

And they listened. It was not an [Immortal Moment]. There was nothing immortal in the way Erin would backtrack, or make mistakes or get up and serve another round of drinks. Perhaps because she did not believe.

But there was something there. Something which captured the heart and made Pawn listen, and Halrac stay. And it continued into the night, whispering to the three.

Stories.

Faith.

Religion.

—-

The inn was quiet when Erin finally locked her door and her last guest vanished into the snowy night. Olesm had fled long ago and not come back, and neither had Ceria or Zevara. But Halrac and Pawn had stayed until past midnight, listening to Erin.

The adventurer had gone first, with generous tips for Erin multiplied several times over the normal rate. He’d ignored all her protests, and insisted on it.

Halrac had left after filling his water flask to the brim with Erin’s faerie-flower drink, but he’d walked back towards Liscor without touching it. Instead, he’d stared up at the sky as the Gold-rank adventurer slowly walked back through the snow.

Pawn looked up too as he made his way back towards the city. He saw only stars and the twin moons overhead. Nothing he hadn’t seen a hundred times before.

But…how many times had Pawn actually looked up at the sky? When he thought about it, it was more than likely he’d looked up less than a hundred times. And he had never paid attention to the shining stars. They had simply been objects, irrelevant parts of his world.

But now Pawn looked up and wondered what lay beyond the stars in the sky. He looked up and wondered if out there, somewhere, there was a place where he could go. A place for the lost like him. A place to be saved.

As he looked up, Pawn felt something in his chest. It was desire, a yearning that came so strongly that the Antinium shuddered. He had never felt such a want in his life, but how it came over him, a fierce desire for something he didn’t have.

Sin. Hell. Slavery. Betrayal.

Erin’s stories stuck in the Antinium’s mind, whispering to him, speaking into his heart.

Redemption, salvation, rebirth. Resurrection. The forgiveness of sins.

His only son.

And—

“Heaven.”

It was just for a second. It was only a hope, the small desire of one who had never known he wanted it. But for one moment, Pawn wished it were all true. And in that moment, he believed.

And as he looked up, the Antinium heard the whisper. It came out of his heart, and then Pawn heard the voice in his mind.

[Acolyte Class Obtained!]

[Acolyte Level 1!]

[Skill – Prayer Obtained!]

It struck the Antinium from above, and he fell to his knees, in the snow and the night. He stared up, and knew .

The night sky hung overhead, silent, distant, but no longer simply the sky. Now there was something behind it. Something made of dreams and hope and belief, but something nevertheless. Pawn believed, and he hoped, and that was enough. It was enough to dream of salvation.

And then there were Gods. Or at least, one.

2.32 H

Ceria woke up in her own bed. She also woke up alone, which was vaguely disappointing.

But not really. She still had mixed feelings about Olesm, and last night had been—

Disappointing. Mostly for herself.

“Am I still a pointy-eared kid fighting over a boy?”

Ceria conjured a bit of snow and then melted it in a bowl. She splashed some of the water on her face and sighed.

“Zevara.”

Ceria was over sixty years old. Not young for a half-Elf and certainly not old for an Elf as far as she knew; she was barely older than a teenager by her people’s standards, and she’d heard that Elves could live for over thousands of years which made her…what? A tadpole?

She’d be lucky if she ever lived past three hundred. Half-Elves grew about one year to every three a Human did. They also died from stupid things just like Humans, so the average half-Elf died before they hit a hundred years. And yes, that meant she was barely twenty by Human standards, but that was also a stupid comparison.

Ceria was over sixty . Some days she felt like the older females, Human, Drake and Gnoll who shook their heads at the youngsters running about. She’d lived and loved and seen countless things over the years, far more than anyone else she knew.

She was old. And not old. Other days Ceria still felt like marching for eight hours, camping in the cold and wet, and then getting up to duel a Mothbear in the morning. It was an odd feeling, being caught between both states.

But that was being a half-Elf for you. It had the advantages of both races, but the flaws as well. And that meant Ceria often had Human jealousy and Elven detachment.

She assumed it was her immortal (or close to immortal) heritage that made her eventually push away anyone she liked, but it was a consequence of aging. People, normal people, had no idea of how hard it was.

Some children grew up in days, like Goblins or children forced to fight or provide for themselves or their families. Half-Elves grew up quick too; despite their long lifespan, they didn’t stay as squalling infants any longer than Humans, and they grew to a proper size pretty quick too.

But with that said, some things were different. Ceria had matured to her adult body when she was in her twenties, but puberty had still hit her hard. She’d spent ten years dealing with the worst of hormonal imbalances, uncontrolled magical outbursts and the like.

It was her Human side. Elves didn’t go through puberty, but Humans did, and it messed up her biology. As a consequence, Ceria had quite a lot of experience with failed relationships. She just didn’t want Olesm to be one.

But maybe he should be. Ceria sighed as she combed at her hair with her fingers. She didn’t have money for a comb and she’d lost hers in the crypts.

“Captain of the Watch or Silver-rank adventurer, hm?”

To his credit, Olesm hadn’t seemed particularly interested in both last night. He’d tried to excuse himself while Ceria and Zevara had traded barbs, and then eventually, run for it. He’d locked himself in his house which meant there hadn’t been a happy ending for anyone but him.

Another sigh. Ceria stared at her face in the water’s reflection and felt her stomach rumble. She looked out the window, but it was still dark outside. The sun would crest the mountains soon.

He’d saved her life. And he was nice and considerate and not Human, all of which were important considerations. But he also liked Erin, he had at least one persistent stalker, and he would die long before she did. Assuming Ceria didn’t die at the hands of a monster.

She liked him. But…

The half-Elf shook her head. But she had her own life. She had something she needed to do, and she’d been putting it off staying at Erin’s inn and fighting over Olesm. She raised her skeletal hand and stared at it.

She still felt something. Ceria could flex the bone and sense the magic moving her hand, but her skin and arm…

“What a price to pay, huh, Gerial?”

For a second Ceria’s face crumpled. He was just another dead Hu—no. He’d been her companion, her friend. Now he was dead. So were Calruz and the others. She’d lost everything, again.

Could she stop? It was a tempting thought. Ceria looked around her room. It was a lovely place. Erin’s inn might not be fancy, but she ran it with care and attention. She’d offered Ceria a place to live as long as she wanted, and that was tempting.

She could become a barmaid. Maybe. At the very least, she could learn to cook or help Erin out in some way. She could abandon her dangerous lifestyle, try to build a life in the city with Olesm. She could do that.

But it would never be enough. Ceria sighed and shook her head. It still burned in her, after all. No matter how much she denied it, she had more Human in her than most of her fellow half-Elves. She stared at her dead hand and felt blood pumping through the rest of her body.

“One last time.”

Her hands—both of them—clenched. Ceria opened her window and tossed the bowl of water outside. She took a deep breath of the cold air, letting it freeze and wake her at the same time. She spoke to the lightening sky.

“One Horn of Hammerad still remains. Death before dishonor.”

She turned, and strode downstairs. To breakfast, and then to glory. That was how the Horns of Hammerad lived.

—-

Yvlon woke up. She stared dully at her face in the hand mirror she’d received from her mother, a long time ago.

It was one of the few possessions that had survived the crypts. Rather, it had been returned to her when the guardsmen had discovered it and the identification magic had pointed it back to her.

They probably would have kept it; it was an expensive thing, spelled for protection and backed with pure silver with further magics that would identify curses and hexes and so on—but the Byres family had put a lock on the mirror. It wouldn’t reflect anything if it was held in a non-Byres hand. If you wanted it, you’d have to dispel all of the magic on the mirror, which wasn’t worth the cost.

And now that it was back in Yvlon’s hand, it could reflect all of her faults. She gazed into the smooth surface and saw her imperfections.

Staring back up at her from the glass surface, Yvlon saw proud features, sharply defined, fair skin, blonde hair—

And the faintest trace of a horrible scar across her left face. She grimaced and touched the faintly discolored skin lightly.

The healing potion had done its work too well. When Yvlon had downed it to regain her strength and help Selys, it had replenished her damaged skin as well. She hadn’t wanted that.

Yvlon put the mirror on her dresser in the Adventurer’s Guild and began dressing for the day. She moved quietly, so as not to disturb her neighbors. Now that she was healed, she’d been moved out of that room and into the few rooms the Guild kept for adventurers down on their luck.

It was a small, cramped space barely large enough to sleep and store a few items in. But it was all Yvlon needed and more than she deserved, so she didn’t care. But the walls were thin and she knew her neighbors were sleeping, so she tried not to clank as she began putting her armor on.

There was another irony. Yvlon stared at the polished silver plate armor as she laboriously put on each piece. She had no coins left to her name. Not a one. But she was still rich, by any standard. Her armor, sword, and shield were the highest-quality steel, an alloy of steel and silver, in fact, a Byres specialty. It wasn’t much silver, but enough to ward off some monsters and aid in beneficial magics.

Plate armor. A longsword made by a Level 32 [Blacksmith], and a shield of the same quality. It was the armament of a [Knight], even though Yvlon was only a [Warrior]. She wasn’t deserving of the [Knight] class in any case; she was merely the daughter of a small aristocratic house with merchant roots. And she was a failure.

She’d left her people to die. She’d let them die because of her incompetence. And she’d only survived because she’d been guarding the rear. Countless Silver-rank adventurers, good men and women who she’d known personally – had died in the crypts.

And she could not lay even one bronze coin on their graves. All her fault.

If she had been weaker, Yvlon would have considered falling upon her sword. But that wasn’t the Byres way. Honor mattered to them, and it would be a dishonor to the memories of the fallen if she didn’t continue.

She needed coin. Not just enough to survive on; enough to make the smallest of amends to the families of all the deceased. That was why she had to keep going.

Yvlon buckled her sword to her belt and picked up her shield. She walked towards the door, barely feeling the weight of the armor she bore. That was not what was heaviest.

“I am weak.”

She whispered the words as she pushed the door open. There was no time for breakfast at the Guild; she didn’t have any money to pay for it anyways, and she didn’t want to indebt herself to Selys or the Guildmaster – Selys’ grandmother – any further.

It was time. She’d lain in bed, grieving and dwelling on her failure, for too long. She had to act. Yvlon only hoped she could rise where she had failed once before.

She strode out the Guild doors, through the streets, towards the southern gates. She had one more chance. The Silver Spears were dead, even their Captain. But perhaps she could start again, humbly, in a group that would accept her despite her sins.

She could only hope.

—-

Pisces woke up, looked around the small den he’d made for himself in what had been a bear’s cave and scowled. He had few concerns, but money was one of them.

He hated the smelly, cramped den. Even though he’d reinforced the entrance and warded it with a few spells, it was horribly exposed. And it was a miserable place to study magic. That was why he needed money, and hence the reason why he’d decided to become an adventurer.

Pisces scowled as he stood up, brushing at his dirty robes vaguely as he looked for something to eat. He vaguely recalled taking a few sandwiches Erin had made last night, but he must have forgotten where they were because he couldn’t find them. Another irritant.

If only that annoying Drake – Selys, that was her name, wasn’t it? – would recognize his talents! He had far more important things to do than clear out sewers or erase insignificant threats.

Pisces stumbled outside, glaring up at the sky. It was too early for this, but he’d promised Springwalker, and she got snippy if he was late.

Pisces stomped through the snow, wiping at his nose and sniffing, and grumbling under his breath. Part of him still hated everything, and resented everything. But another part of him was still the same young man who’d dreamed of greater things. Maybe that was why he’d agreed to her proposal.

Or maybe it was because he’d lost his way. Just a bit. Pisces had labored for years, sacrificing everything—and he’d created what he’d always dreamed of. Toren, the skeleton Erin had taken and named was a pinnacle of magical achievement. But he was…wrong.

Pisces couldn’t explain it. Only that he no longer felt the same burning passion in his breast when he looked at his skeleton. Toren was powerful, adaptable, and by the looks of it, he’d actually managed to assimilate some of the magic in the gemstone he’d been storing in his head. All of that was beyond the mage’s expectations, but…

It was just that he was lonely, sometimes. He’d forgotten, but for the last few days—well, ever since she’d arrived, really—he’d been sitting in Erin’s inn. The girl was unkind to him of course, and the food she served was often substandard – except for the hamburgers. But there was something there, something that drew Pisces back again and again.

He didn’t know why. But he sometimes wondered what would have happened if he’d pursued other fields of magic besides Necromancy. Maybe then the annoying Drake at the Guild wouldn’t turn her nose holes up at him. Maybe then—

Pisces sneezed, wiped his nose on his robes, and walked on through the snow. Enough, enough. He’d do his job. That was all. He was a [Necromancer] to the core. But he couldn’t help remembering the past as he walked through the snow. More spells than just ones revolving around death flowed into his mind. [Flame Rapier], and of course [Flashstep] for backup. Once he’d been different. If he’d taken a different path—

The mage tripped and fell in the snow, but his mind was burning with memories of the past. He was no adventurer, no great hero. He was despised, and his magics were unappreciated. He had no friends, not even in Springwalker, not really. Not anymore. But it hadn’t always been this way.

—-

Erin flipped pancakes and yelled at Toren and Lyon. She couldn’t tell which one bugged her most some days, but at least Toren was efficient. When he was around. The skeleton disappeared too much for her liking, and he kept wearing that stupid armor. It was cool-looking, sure, but what was the point when you were serving food?

She burned herself on a pan and yelped. Maybe that was the reason. She really, really wanted some maple syrup. At least she had butter.

Mm. Butter.

—-

Three adventurers walked into a bar. To be more specific, a [Necromancer], a [Mage] specializing in ice-magic, and a [Warrior] walked into an inn. Actually, the [Mage] had been there the entire time.

But they sat close to the bar, at one of the tables as a sulking Level 1 [Barmaid] brought them food. The adventurers eyed each other.

“Why are you covered in snow already, Pisces?”

The [Necromancer] sniffed. He stared hungrily at the stack of pancakes in front of Ceria and licked his lips.

“Never mind that, Springwalker. I assume you’re paying for breakfast? And since we are gathered here, I would venture that we are indeed set upon this course of action…?”

Ceria scowled at him and Yvlon raised one eyebrow.

“You never pay for anything anyways. Eat. I guess I can trespass on Erin’s generosity a while longer. That goes for you too, Yvlon.”

“You’re too kind.”

The adventurers looked up as Lyon flounced over. They weren’t alone in the inn, but somehow they’d been unlucky enough to have her visit their table. Two seats over, Halrac was sitting at a table, staring at Toren. The skeleton was holding up a menu – a few items on a piece of parchment – and pointing to it.

Lyon was more direct.

“What do you want?”

She stared—glared, really—at the three adventurers. Pisces sniffed, Yvlon politely met Lyonette’s eyes and nodded, and Ceria stared until the girl looked away.

“I will have this pizza dish, a hamburger, the pancakes, a glass of milk and any alcohol on tap—”

“Erin says you can have what she makes. The half-Elf has her food. What about you?”

“Pancakes for me as well, I suppose. Thank you.”

Yvlon watched Lyonette stomp back into the kitchen as Pisces sank back in his chair, sulking. Ceria sighed as she began to cut into her pancakes. Her stomach was already growling happily.

“That’s a charity case if I’ve ever seen one. I don’t know how Erin puts up with her.”

“She reminds me of children of the aristocracy.”

Ceria eyed Yvlon.

“Like you?”

Yvlon shrugged.

“If you want to put it that way, yes. My family isn’t as rich so I never grew up that way, but some of the richer houses…I wonder where she’s from.”

“I don’t particularly care, so long as she brings us food before I starve to death.”

Pisces grumbled as he saw Toren walk over to another table and point to the menu so the startled Drakes and Human could order. It was rare to see other people in Erin’s inn, but she’d been having more and more customers of late. Not many, true, but he supposed she was earning something.

Yvlon had noticed Halrac now. She stared at the [Scout], who looked over at her and then back at his drink, expressionless.

“Is that…?”

“Don’t stare. I think he’s got a Skill that can tell him when he’s being watched. Yeah, that’s Halrac of Griffin Hunt. Apparently he likes this place and Erin serves some kind of drink he loves.”

“Will wonders never cease?”

Yvlon shook her head in amazement as the innkeeper of The Wandering Inn came out herself, balancing a hot pizza on a platter.

“Pizza? Which one of you wants the pepperoni? How about the sliced fish…?”

Pisces raised his hand, but Erin ignored him and went over to her other table of customers. He scowled, but then Lyon was walking towards them, holding a plate full of pancakes awkwardly.

“It’s heavy . Here. Take it.”

She nearly spilled the plate on the table, but Pisces and Ceria both pointed, and the dish stabilized before it could spill its precious cargo. Lyon sniffed.

“There.”

She walked off. Pisces and Yvlon began to eat, and then there was silence for a few minutes. Ceria looked at the two, and after she’d eaten her second pancake she cleared her throat and spoke.

“I’m not sure if it’ll work. That’s all I’m saying.”

Pisces snorted into his meal. Yvlon eyed him with a frown.

“Why wouldn’t it work? You have two mages and a competent warrior. We should be able to deal with any number of monsters.”

“You say that, but you’ve never been an adventurer, Pisces. Yvlon and I have, and we both know that a good team needs more than three people.”

“Safety in numbers? Bah.”

“Silver-ranked adventurers are often called on to clear entire infestations or caves by themselves. You want to fight an entire pack of Carn Wolves with only three people?”

Pisces stopped chewing and eyed Ceria with momentary concern.

“That’s a Silver-rank threat?”

“Surprised?”

Ceria smiled at him, although privately she considered that it would be rare for a single Silver-rank team to try that alone. The Horns of Hammerad would have stocked up heavily and maybe even teamed up with another team or a few independent adventurers before trying that.

The Human mage swallowed and looked thoughtful.

“Ah, well, perhaps you have a point. But increasing the numbers is by no means a guarantee of success. Smaller parties do better, they have less loot to split, and they can perform the same task as a larger group if they have the prerequisite levels.”

“That’s a bold statement to make.”

Yvlon looked at Pisces skeptically, but he only sniffed.

“Not at all. I attended a class in Wistram which looked into adventuring trends among other things. Smaller groups of higher leveled warriors are better than a large group. Why do you think most Gold-rank teams are comprised of six adventurers or less?”

Yvlon opened her mouth, and fell silent. Ceria sighed.

“Assuming you have a point, I still say the optimal number of people is four. We need another party member. Someone who doesn’t rely on magic, preferably.”

Pisces shrugged.

“You may be right. But who—”

He broke off as Erin bustled over, this time carrying several mugs. She beamed at the table, or rather, at Ceria and Yvlon.

“Hey, it’s great to see you all! Here’s water, Pisces. Do you want something stronger, Ceria, Yvlon?”

“I’m fine, Erin.”

“I as well. Thank you, Miss Solstice.”

“Oh, call me Erin. Just call if you need anything, okay?”

Erin smiled at Yvlon. Then she looked towards the stairwell and her tone altered.

“Lyon, I told you that you can have one break. One. And not for an entire hour!”

She bustled off. Pisces glumly looked at his hot water but drank it anyways.

“As I was saying, very well, a fourth member – assuming they are able-bodied and sound of mind – may be useful. But unless I miss my guess, aren’t we in more dire need of arms and supplies?”

Both of the other women nodded reluctantly. Yvlon tapped the table with one finger.

“That’s a serious concern. We might have the levels, but I’ve never gone on a mission without healing potions, and I don’t have the coin to buy even a poultice. And Ceria, I know you broke your wand—”

“Not an issue any longer. Turns out I can still cast magic.”

Ceria held up her skeletal hand with a rueful grin. Pisces stared at it with interest.

“Any reduction in magical ability? You were using quite a cheap wand before, but it was attuned to ice-type spells.”

Ceria glared at him.

“Hardly. I can cast at the same level of efficiency—possibly even higher. There’s no latent boost to the mana I can draw on without a wand of course, but I can still cast with the same speed.”

“Fascinating. But of course it would also help with the backlash on direct-contact spells, wouldn’t it? I imagine you wouldn’t have to incorporate the shielding effect when using [Icy Grasp] for instance…”

“That does help with the mana, but I can still freeze my skin. It’s not something I’d recommend freezing your skin off for, but you’d never believe how useful it is to have five digits. You can actually simultaneously cast the [Icy Shard] spell among each finger and the mana cost—”

Yvlon cleared her throat politely as the two mages began to engage in magical discussion. They looked at her, and she politely nodded.

“I’m sure this is important, but if we can stay on focus?”

Ceria looked abashed and even Pisces nodded reluctantly.

“Sorry, Yvlon. You’re right. Well, like I was saying, I can still cast magic.”

“What about you? Ah, Pisces, was it?”

Custom dictated that Yvlon would use Pisces’ last name, but he didn’t seem to notice the invitation to introduce himself fully. He nodded.

“Do not worry yourself. My magic is fully unhindered by my lack of a wand.”

Yvlon looked at Ceria. The half-Elf explained.

“He has a skill. But I worry about equipment, too. I’ve got my robes and they’re enchanted with good magic, but Pisces has no items whatsoever.”

“I could use a robe like yours. Something with defensive enchantments might be nice.”

“And something that resists stains.”

Ceria stared pointedly at Pisces’ dirty robe, and the mage sniffed.

“Very well. Healing potions, mana potions of course, and magical items. How, pray tell, will we pay for that? I have a few silver coins to my name.”

“I’ve got some money from helping Erin with the inn.”

Ceria sighed as she pulled out a very flat money pouch from her belt. She upended it and came up with one gold coin and a few coppers.

“That’s one potion and supplies for a few days, maybe. Not nearly enough. Pisces?”

He stared at her. Ceria stared back.

“Your pouch. Come on.”

“I don’t see why I have to contribute my savings—”

“You’re the one who wanted to join up. We’ll reimburse you.”

“Naturally.”

But even with Pisces’ coins, they only came up to just less than two gold coins. The three adventurers stared at the money.

“Well, if we take a few safe jobs…”

“Risk is not something I enjoy, Springwalker.”

“A loan?”

“Do you want to have to repay one of those merchants?”

“How much do we realistically need?”

“I’d say…fifteen gold coins for a full supply? That would do for a fourth adventurer as well. We’d have potions, one or two magical items…at the bare minimum, probably six gold coins.”

“Wonderful. And we have no mounts, should I mention that detail.”

“That’s limiting, yeah. Jobs around here are scarce with all these new adventurers.”

“What if Springwalker sells her robes? That would more than cover the startup cost?”

“What if I hit you?”

“I see I’ve touched a nerve. Well, you two sort it out. I must occasion to the outhouse.”

Pisces stood up and pushed back his chair as Erin reemerged, holding an overly-frothy mug of beer that she gave to a dismayed Drake. The mage wandered over to the door, turned, paused, and looked back at Yvlon and Ceria.

“Ah, I should mention this fact. I’ve been informed that any raising of the dead using bones of Drakes or Gnolls will not be allowed while I reside in Liscor or the surrounding area. So unless you plan to slay the monster and have me reanimate its corpse, I fear many of my spells will be unavailable to me.”

Ceria didn’t look surprised, but Yvlon frowned. Pisces walked towards the door and left the inn as the two adventurers talked.

“Sorry about Pisces, Yvlon. I told you he was annoying, but words don’t really cover it, do they?”

The blonde-haired woman shrugged.

“I’ve worked with difficult adventurers before. But I’m concerned. You said his main class is [Necromancer]. If he can’t use most of his spells, can he really fight with us?”

“Unless he’s lost his touch, I think he’ll be fine, even without magical items.”

Ceria replied drily as she took a drink of water and grimaced. Hot, boiled water wasn’t exactly her idea of a good drink. Yvlon looked towards the door to make sure Pisces hadn’t returned and lowered her voice.

“Is he any good?”

“Pisces? He’s an excellent mage, as much as I hate to say it.”

“Really?”

Both adventurers jumped. Erin was standing behind them with another plate of pancakes.

“Oops, sorry, sorry! I just overheard…what’s this about Pisces being good at anything?”

Ceria smiled as Erin put down the plate and pinched the topmost pancake for herself. She shrugged.

“Look, I know you two have your doubts, but Pisces is a strong mage. He’s got more levels than I do.”

“Yeah, but he’s…Pisces, y’know?”

Erin looked skeptical as she hovered next to the table. Yvlon had the same expression on her face, although she was polite enough not to say anything. Ceria sighed as she tore the pancake into chunks and popped them into her mouth.

“Look at it this way. He might be an arrogant loner who scared people out of coin, but he survived by himself for this long, didn’t he? How many people do you know who could live by themselves in the wilderness of Liscor?”

Erin raised a hand, and Ceria smiled and Yvlon had to laugh.

“Yeah, but I mean alone. I don’t know when he got to Izril, but he must have made his way to this spot pretty much by himself. He got past bandits and monsters and I know he killed at least a hundred undead in the battle for Liscor. Olesm says he even downed a Crypt Lord by himself.”

“That’s impressive, but not exactly difficult for a [Necromancer].”

Ceria nodded. And then she made a face again.

“Look…he’s nothing special now, but he was once, alright?”

She looked towards the door, but Pisces still hadn’t returned. Ceria sighed, and looked back at Erin and Yvlon.

“Okay, no jokes or sarcasm. Pisces is a powerful mage, especially for his level. His focus is [Necromancy], but he knows a lot of other spells; far more than I do. And he can use them well. He was an excellent duelist back in Wistram. One-on-one battles are his specialty. He knows a Tier 4 spell – [Invisibility] and he can conjure a small army of minions. He’s a better Silver-rank adventurer than we are.”

Erin’s jaw dropped. Yvlon’s eyebrows rose, but she didn’t oppose Ceria’s statement.

“Well then, why hasn’t he become an adventurer before? And why didn’t you want him on our expedition? I recall—”

“I know. But he wouldn’t have joined, and he’s not a good adventurer to journey with. The only reason he’s with us now is that he’s desperate for money.”

Ceria scowled into her drink. Then she looked up.

“The problem with Pisces is that he doesn’t obey people he doesn’t like, and he won’t follow any orders he thinks are stupid.”

“Will he obey you?”

The half-Elf grimaced.

“He’d better. But Pisces makes his own decisions. That’s why he’d have never worked with Gerial and Calruz. But we might be able to get him to cooperate. Maybe.”

“Oh—”

Erin looked up. Pisces walked back in, washing his hands with some snow that he casually tossed back outside as he shut the door.

“Back to work! Where’s Toren…?”

The innkeeper left and Pisces took his place. He looked at the two.

“Talking about me?”

“Just wondering if you can pull your weight without a zombie to do it for you. Look, okay, maybe we get enough money somehow. Erin might spot us some coin.”

Yvlon hesitated.

“I’d hate to bother her—”

“What choice do we have? We can offer to repay her double, but we need potions. And items. Hey, Erin!”

Erin poked her head out of the kitchen and walked back over.

“What? Need anything, Ceria?”

“Maybe. You wouldn’t happen to have some deadly weapon in a bottle we can use, would you?”

The girl stared at the half-Elf as suspiciously as the others at the table.

“…Like what?”

“I don’t know. A deadly poison? Some kind of spell scroll?”

“Why would I have anything like that?”

Erin propped her hands on her hips, but Ceria was unmoved.

“At one point you were selling jars of acid to Goblins. And you built your house out of a tree that explodes when anything gets near it.”

“Oh. Right. Well, I don’t have any more acid, but you could get some of that boom bark.”

“Boom bark?”

“Krakk trees.”

“Ah.”

“Aside from the fact that I’d prefer not to carry around an unstable explosive like that…I checked. Looks like someone cleared out the entire forest.”

“Weird. Huh. But I don’t have anything else. I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.”

Ceria shook her head. Erin hesitated.

“I know you guys are going to adventure again. You know, if you need help that bad, I could lend you Toren…”

Ceria looked over at the skeleton. She thought for one second and then shook her head.

“No.”

“I also must refuse.”

Yvlon looked at Toren as the skeleton walked across the inn, shepherding Lyon by poking her repeatedly in the back. Pisces just shrugged.

“He is quite competent, but I will abide by the majority vote. Unless your objection is because you doubt my abilities as a [Necromancer], Springwalker?”

Ceria shook her head and sighed.

“Unless you’ve created one of your freakish leveling undead that you keep saying is possible, forget it. Even a regenerating skeleton won’t be that useful when we fight something like a Rock Crab.”

Pisces sniffed.

“No need to mock. Toren is a perfectly capable construct. Very well though. If not him, then who?”

Erin thought.

“Ryoka?”

“ Hah! ”

Ceria laughed out loud and even Yvlon smiled. Erin looked confused.

“Why? What’s wrong with her?”

“Frankly, Erin, even Pisces is a better choice than Ryoka.”

“Thank you for that.”

Yvlon nodded.

“Capable though she may be, she has no levels and her skills at fighting aren’t adequate for killing monsters. No.”

“Then how about me? ”

This time Erin was the one who jumped. She looked around at blinked.

“Olesm? When did you get here?”

“Just now. I uh, was dodging Zevara but I knew you were going to discuss this today. Ceria mentioned it.”

The Drake looked proud as he took a seat at the table. Erin went back into her kitchen for more pancakes and Ceria covered her face with a palm as Pisces and Yvlon glanced at her expressionlessly.

“I mentioned that? When?”

“Last night. I…want to join your group.”

Pisces raised an eyebrow as he took a drink. Yvlon was silent, but Ceria could read the mood. She sighed. This was hard.
“Olesm—”

The Drake looked around the table, and he raised his voice slightly.

“[Tacticians] are very useful! Didn’t I prove my worth down in the crypts?”

“You did. I’m not saying you’re not useful. You can save lives. It’s just—”

“The class of [Tactician] is quite useless in small groups. Your skills are best used to aid large formations, not individuals. Unless you have adequate combat skill, you are relatively useless.”

Pisces delivered the explanation flatly while looking away from Olesm. The Drake stared at the Human.

“I want to become stronger.”

“Then by all means, join an army or play games of chess. But I would vote against your inclusion into any adventuring team.”

Yvlon sighed. She didn’t look too kindly at Olesm, but she nodded.

“So would I. I’m sorry Olesm, but Pisces is right. Rude, but right.”

“Ceria?”

She couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I—you’ve got your job, Olesm. This is what I do for a living, but you—I’m sorry.”

Olesm looked hurt and angry. Ceria’s heart hurt. Without a word, he stood up.

“Hey Olesm! I’ve got pancakes! Well, some are more like crepes, but—”

Erin paused as the Drake turned and strode out of the inn without another word. The innkeeper looked at the table, confused.

“What happened?”

“It’s nothing. We just…Olesm can’t be an adventurer. He took it hard.”

“Oh.”

Erin paused, and then set the pancakes on the table. Pisces grabbed another one, and Ceria sighed. The silence lengthened.

And then the door opened again.

Ceria looked up hopefully, expecting to see Olesm coming back. She could apologize—

But it wasn’t Olesm. It was an Antinium who walked in, but one Ceria only vaguely remembered. It wasn’t the one called Pawn, or the one called Klbkch. Erin recognized him. She gasped.

“ Ksmvr? What happened?”

The Antinium was wounded. He stumbled into the inn, bleeding green. Ceria half-rose from her table, the spell for [Ice Spike] coming to her mind as Yvlon did likewise and Pisces shoveled down his pancake. Halrac had turned in his seat, and the party of Drakes and one Human had frozen.

Ksmvr didn’t appear to hear Erin at first. He stumbled a few more steps into the room, pausing as she rushed over to him. Toren was at her side, but the skeleton was clutching the sword hilt at his waist.

“You’re hurt!”

Ksmvr nodded. He had several deep cuts in his exoskeleton, but the worst of his injuries was his arms. One of them was missing. His lower right arm was a jagged stump of exoskeleton. It had been patched with some kind of grey goo, but traces of green still seeped around the bandage.

“I have been…relieved of my duties.”

He wavered, and nearly collapsed into the chair as Erin rushed him to a table near the three adventurers. Ceria and the others turned back to their meal, but everyone was listening as Erin and Ksmvr spoke.

“What happened? Did something attack you?”

Ksmvr half-nodded and shook his head as Erin snapped for water and cloth. A shrinking Lyonette brought the items to another table and Erin began making a messy tourniquet.

“I am no longer the Prognugator for my Hive. Or rather…I am, but I am no longer required to fulfill my duties.”

The Antinium said the words dully as Erin fussed over his injures. She looked at him with genuine concern in her eyes. Ceria had trouble doing the same; despite his wounds and the Antinium she had met, she still had a hard time forgetting what they had done. By the looks on Halrac’s and Yvlon’s faces, they felt much the same.

“What? So there’s no Prognugator? But I thought that was important.”

“Revalantor Klbkch will fulfill my duties in the interim. He…is far more qualified than I.”

“But what did you do? What happened?”

“I failed to hold the line.”

Ksmvr said nothing more as Erin bandaged him and offered him food – raw meat and fish, the things Antinium could digest. Ceria eyed his injuries. It looked like he’d been in combat from the wounds, but something was missing. What was it?

His weapons. Yes.

He was missing his two swords and daggers. Without them, Ksmvr looked naked and smaller.

“Looks like the Antinium have their own battles. Intriguing.”

Pisces didn’t even bother to lower his voice. Ceria glanced at him in irritation, but the mage was studying Ksmvr with interest. The Antinium was nodding as Erin hovered around him, asking if there was anything he needed.

“I am fine. I am…fine. I have no purpose. I came here to…to…”

Ksmvr looked at Halrac.

“My Queen will begin negotiations for the immediate excavation of the ruins. The entrance is known to the Antinium. There are many…many monsters guarding it.”

Halrac hesitated. He frowned at the Antinium, but eyed Erin and just nodded.

“We might talk.”

“Good. That is good.”

Ksmvr sat in his chair, head bowed. Ceria tried to talk more with Yvlon and Pisces, but her attention was totally on the conversation the two were having.

“So, uh, first missions? Where should we go first?”

Yvlon shrugged.

“If we can, I’d like to find a good job here, but the odds are slim. We’d have to go either north or south.”

“North.”

Pisces said it firmly.

“I have dealt with Drakes and Gnolls; they don’t trust humans. Given that we are almost all human, or have human heritage, we will find better employment north of here. In Esthelm, perhaps.”

“It’s a long trip, though, and it will take a while to get off the ground. We’d be earning only a few silver for the safer quests, and there’s not even a guarantee of getting a decent-paying one against tough monsters. Either way, it will be a struggle. What do you think, Ceria?”

“Hmm? Yeah…”

Ksmvr was talking to Erin. Ceria’s ears were better than a Human’s, and she could hear him as he spoke in a low voice with her.

“I came here to find you. You gave Pawn purpose and Klbkch thinks highly of you. I…don’t know what to do. I am a failure.”

“Don’t say that! You’re got tons of skills! Like…chopping things off. I mean, you can fight, right?”

“Revalantor Klbkch is by far my superior, despite his reduced levels. I am worthless. I cannot—”

“Springwalker? Are you even listening?”

Ceria looked around.

“What?”

Pisces gave her a pained look.

“Money. Where will we find it, pray?”

“I have no idea. The last mission the Horns of Hammerad did – well, before the ruins – was digging through the Ruins of Albez, near Celum.”

“Albez?”

Yvlon wrinkled her brow.

“That’s a risky endeavor. There’s not much to find there and a lot of strong monsters. Was it worth it?”

Ceria smiled.

“Pretty much. We got a few enchanted items – mundane stuff, like spelled cooking equipment, and an old recipe book and a few really expensive plates. It was enough to cover the healing costs and put us ahead in quite a bit of gold. But it’s risky.”

“Still, if we knew there was treasure…”

“We don’t. I’ve led several expeditions, and I’ve come up empty-handed often as not.”

Yvlon shook her head regretfully.

“If we’re going to risk taking a dangerous mission for rewards, I’d like better odds than that.”

“Yeah.”

Ceria looked back at Ksmvr and Erin. She was talking intently to him, but glancing over at their table every few seconds. What was she…?

Just as the half-Elf was frowning, Ksmvr stood up and followed Erin over to their table. Ceria looked up at him, unsure.

“Ksmvr?”

“Greetings.”

He nodded politely at Yvlon and Pisces. The mage just grunted and Yvlon inclined her head stiffly. The Antinium’s early unsteadiness was gone; he seemed stable on his feet again, despite the blood loss and missing arm.

“Erin?”

The young woman smiled nervously at the three.

“Um, well Ceria, I just had a thought. You’re looking for an adventurer, and Ksmvr sort of got kicked out of his Hive for a while, so I thought…y’know, why not? He’s a fighter, and he’s pretty good.”

All three adventurers sitting at the table exchanged a long look. Pisces coughed and shrugged. Ceria fiddled with a fork, and Yvlon frowned. It was the blonde-haired woman who spoke.

“No offense Erin, but your friend Ksmvr is injured. And we’re looking for a capable fourth member, not—”

“I am considered to be a Silver-rank adventurer’s equal within my Hive.”

Ksmvr looked at Yvlon. He indicated his missing arm.

“This will not slow me down. I am capable of using many weapons.”

“Like a bow?”

Ceria was still frowning, but she stared at Erin and then at Ksmvr, thinking hard. The Antinium nodded.

“Archery is among the skills I have acquired. I have no Skills, but I am competent with every common bow type.”

“But you got kicked out of your Hive because you weren’t good enough.”

Again, Pisces was as blunt as a mace. Ksmvr hesitated, and Erin jumped in.

“Yeah, but he says it was because he’s not as good as Klbkch. And that’s not exactly fair, right? I mean, Klbkch is Relc’s partner, and Relc—”

“The Drake is at least the equal of any Gold-rank adventurer.”

Pisces frowned and nodded.

“I saw him dueling one of those adventurers before. He managed to force him back without any magical equipment. If that is the standard—”

He eyed Ceria. She could tell what he was thinking, but she wasn’t entirely sold. Yvlon was still frowning too. She sighed. Just when they needed something, Erin came up with it, albeit in the oddest way possible. She usually had good ideas, but—

An Antinium? Really? Ceria had journeyed with Calruz, and that had been fine, but the memory of the Antinium Wars still sent shivers down her spine. She hadn’t been on the continent, but she’d heard the stories.

Freaks. Monsters. But wasn’t that what people said about half-Elves? Ceria was still frowning when she heard the shouting from outside.

“Tree rot, what is it now? ”

She stood up as a Drake burst into the room. He was panting, and wild-eyed. He wasn’t wearing armor; in fact, he wore what looked like farming clothes. He stared around the room.

“Please, is there any adventurer here? There’s a Goblin army attacking our village!”

Halrac was on his feet at once. Ceria blinked—she’d nearly forgotten he was here, but now the adventurer was a focused arrow. He strode towards the Drake.

“I’m a Gold-rank adventurer. Lead me to your village.”

The Drake nodded gasping with relief.

“Please, hurry! One of my friends is gathering the Watch, but there are hundreds of them!”

He ran out the door. Erin wavered, staring at it. Ceria grabbed her by the shoulder.

“Don’t even think about it. Close up your inn. Get upstairs and have your skeleton guard the door. Pisces, Yvlon—”

“You can’t be serious!”

Yvlon scowled and grabbed Pisces by one arm, lifting him up.

“This is our job. We defend people from monsters, even without a request. Come on!”

He grunted, but yanked free of her arm and moved towards the door with surprising haste. Ceria was going with them when Ksmvr spoke.

“Please, let me help. I am bound to defend Liscor in any case.”

She hesitated.

“You have no weapon—”

“Here! Here, take this!”

Erin burst out of her kitchen, juggling several bottles and a knife. She handed the knife to Ksmvr.

“It’s sharp. And these are the potions I have. Two healing potions—”

“You might need them.”

“Take one, at least!”

Ignoring Ceria’s objections, Erin thrust the bottle into the half-Elf’s hands. Ceria hesitated for only one more second and then nodded. They might need it.

“Thanks, Erin. Stay safe.”

She looked at the others. Yvlon was already at the door, her eyes following the Drake and Halrac as they sped across the snowy landscape. Pisces was waiting too. For all he groused, the mage wasn’t evil, and he was serious for once. And Ksmvr—

The Antinium held the knife, looking as poised as an arrow. So different from when he’d come in. What had Erin said to him? There was no time for thought. Someone was in trouble. Goblins. An army?

Ceria took a deep breath. She opened the door.

“Let’s go.”

—-

Everything an adventuring party was depended on their group composition. You had to move as a team; Ceria knew that. The Horns of Hammerad had been built for close-range engagements and rapid movement; Calruz had formed the group out of warriors and mages who could keep up. This new group was different.

Yvlon was quick and fast, and Ceria had known that she would be an excellent member of any party. It was one of the reasons why she had decided not to join the Halfseekers; she had the makings of a strong team already. Pisces was another powerful mage, possibly better than she was, but he was out of shape and gasping as he ran through the snow. But Ksmvr—

The Antinium plowed through the deep snow like a horse, relentless and tireless. Ceria eyed him warily as she ran. He was an unknown quantity, but they needed every hand they could get. Halrac was already far ahead of them, but if this was a Goblin army, all they’d be doing was getting their attention and running for their lives.

The village appeared in the distance as the four crested a hill. Ceria shaded her eyes and Pisces muttered a spell as both mages surveyed the scene.

“That’s no army.”

Yvlon couldn’t see the details, but she nodded.

“It’s just a raiding party. Two hundred, possibly three hundred Goblins.”

“Oh, wonderful. Nothing to worry about, then.”

Pisces snapped as he stared at the mass of Goblins fighting in a large village. From this distance, Ceria could see some defenders trying to hold them back, but they were woefully outnumbered, and the Goblins were trying to break into the houses.

“What are we supposed to do about that, pray?”

“Help as best we can. We’re not alone; look. There’s the Watch.”

Ceria pointed left, towards Liscor. The Watch had deployed fast and in serious numbers. She saw at least eighty guardsmen approaching the small army of Goblins, led by a familiar female Drake. Something—someone shot out of the group as the Goblins turned, and a huge Hob in the center raised his sword and pointed at the guardsmen.

A blur of green motion sped through the snow. Relc crashed into the warband and then leapt away, and two Goblins fell down with holes on their torsos. Ceria saw him dodge away as arrows flew.

“Damn. There’s even a Goblin [Shaman] down there. Look at the lightning!”

“Let’s get into it as well. Those people still need help!”

The Goblin raiding party had split up. The vast majority was charging the Watch, who’d taken up a stationary position while Relc dashed back towards them. Arrows and magic were already beginning to fly, but a large number of Goblins were still trying to kill everyone in the village.

“Come on!”

Ceria ran towards the village, aiming for one of the houses. Pisces, huffing and puffing, caught up to her and shouted in her ear.

“There’s too many! Are you insane , Springwalker!?”

“We have to do something! And Halrac’s nearby! Look!”

She pointed. Across the open expanse of land, nearly three hundred meters out, she could see the [Scout] and the Drake who’d led him here. The Human was kneeling, but he had a bow in his hands. Even as she looked at him, he raised it and fired .

Ahead of her, a Goblin breaking through a closed window spun around and fell down, an arrow in his chest. His fellows looked up and around, screeching, and saw Ceria and her group. But another arrow caught a Goblin in the eye, and they turned and saw the lone [Scout] in the distance.

Again, the Goblins divided. A group went charging towards Halrac, but started collapsing, arrows sprouting from their bodies like magic. Halrac had to have a Skill, because Goblins were falling left and right.

For a moment Ceria thought he could take care of all the Goblins himself. Halrac had taken a distant position and he was downing Goblins fast. But then something odd happened.

One of the Goblins shouted, and the warriors suddenly bunched together and raised shields. Ceria blinked. Shields?

But yes, these Goblins had shields, and even armor! It wasn’t high-quality; some was rusted and a lot of it was iron or bronze, but they were all armed. They looked like an actual army, not just a raiding party.

The Goblins started advancing on Halrac, using their shields to block his incoming arrows. He still found gaps in their armor, and Goblins stumbled back and fell as he caught them on the arms, legs, and pierced through weak spots, but they were still moving towards him.

And the rest were looking at Ceria. They weren’t all Goblins; she saw a Hob among them, a huge Goblin as strong as most Silver-rank adventurers. But Ceria also heard the Drakes screaming inside their homes. So she raised her skeletal hand.

“[Ice Spike]!”

The shard of ice caught a Goblin in the chest and he fell down, his last breath emerging as a scream . Yvlon stopped next to Ceria and raised both sword and shield. Ksmvr did likewise, as Pisces tried to raise himself, still panting.

“Here they come.”

Yvlon’s face was grim. Ceria counted. Nearly…sixty Goblins. Some were still fighting the villagers, but there were far too many to take on.

“We’ve got to slow them down. Buy time. Pisces stop gasping and help!”

“Oh…of…course…let me…”

The [Mage] gasped for air, and then stood up. He inhaled deeply as the Hob leading the remaining Goblins pointed at Ceria and shouted. Another group peeled off and marched towards them, leaving the defenders behind, pressed further and further back.

“[Ice Spike]! Pisces! ”

“Just a moment, Springwalker. I’m looking for the best place to—ah, there.”

Pisces pointed and Ceria saw a place where several Goblins had fallen from Halrac’s arrows. The tip of Pisces’ finger glowed purple, and his voice became deeper, resonant.

“ Oh fallen Goblins. Rise from your graves and seek my enemies! ”

Eight of the Goblin warriors that had fallen jerked and slowly rose upwards, eyes glowing blue, not red. They immediately fell upon their friends, who turned and screeched as they saw the undead.

Ceria felt a chill as she saw the undead getting up, and felt Yvlon shudder beside her. Pisces hadn’t used to do that so casually. When they’d parted, he’d still pretended to be a [Mage], but now he didn’t hide what he was, and she was fighting alongside him. Alongside undead. It still felt—

The undead slowed the Goblins coming at the group. That was enough time for Ceria to continue firing [Ice Spike], heedless of the mana it was burning up. She didn’t have many other long-range spells, and while [Ice Shard] might kill a few, it would only work at close range…

The undead were hacking at the Goblins, heedless of the vicious wounds they were taking as their former comrades hacked them apart. The armor they were wearing was suddenly a disadvantage for the Goblins fighting them.

But there were many Goblins and the undead were a crumbling wall. Ceria gritted her teeth and cast [Ice Spike] again, but this time the shard lodged in one of the Goblin’s shields. Now the Goblins came at the group, running in a staggered formation, shields up, weapons at the ready.

“Formations? What the hell…”

“Get back! Ceria, cover me!”

Ceria saw Yvlon charge, and then Ksmvr was right on her heels. The two warriors slashed at the front ranks and then fell back as Ceria hit the the front rank with ice spells. Pisces raised a hand and pointed.

“[Frozen Wind].”

The air froze around his hand, making the first few Goblins slow and shout in agony as Yvlon and Ksmvr dodged out of the way. Pisces grinned and threw a fireball, and the Goblins had to slow and raise their shields or be caught by the two mage’s crossfire.

“Aw hell. Another Hob!”

Yvlon slashed left and then right, and then fell back, dueling a Hob that had joined the Goblins. Pisces looked at her and raised a hand.

“Back.”

She tumbled away and the jet of flame seared the Hob, making him roar in agony. But he charged through the flames at Pisces.

“Now would be—”

Ksmvr launched into the Hob from the side, stabbing fast and quick with the knife Erin had given him. The Hob threw him to one side, and Pisces shook his head.

“Springwalker?”

“[Icy Floor].”

Ceria pointed at the ground and then the snow crystallized. The Hob’s foot slipped, and Pisces raised a hand again.

“[Shock Volt]!”

It was another Tier 2 spell. This one was a shock of electricity that burst from Pisces’ hands, arcing towards the Hob’s metal armor. The big warrior screamed as he fought to get up. He raised his mace, and a shard of ice burst out of one eye like a red flower.

Ceria lowered her hand and exhaled hard.

“Damn it, I hate Hobs.”

“Get back, they’re forming up!”

Yvlon pointed, and Ceria saw the Goblins were charging towards them, a group of thirty this time. The half-Elf immediately pointed at the ground.

“[Icy Floor]!”

It was hard to cover a wide stretch, even in the winter. But Ceria saw the area in front of them freeze up, and the Goblins immediately split their group to circle around the frozen patch of ice.

“I’m nearly out of mana. Pisces?”

The other mage nodded, wiping at his brow.

“I have enough for more spells or undead. Should I?”

“Do it!”

Yvlon took a position as the group moved back. Ceria unsheathed a dagger; she was acceptable with it, and her robes would help, but she didn’t want to fight if she could help it. Yvlon pointed towards the other edge of the ice patch.

“Ksmvr, I need you to take one side.”

“Affirmative.”

“Pisces, if you can slow them down—”

The mage was focusing, his eyes narrowed. He spoke slowly.

“I can do a bit better than that.”

He pointed.

“[Animate Dead].”

Across the distance, the Hob sat up. Ceria gasped , but the massive undead was suddenly on his feet, and turning towards the Goblins. They screamed as he charged towards them, mace raised.

After that, it was more watching than anything else. Ceria and Pisces stood behind Ksmvr and Yvlon, a last line of defense, mana exhausted. But it didn’t come to a melee; the Hob that Pisces had reanimated ended the battle by himself. Heedless of injury now, he smashed Goblins left and right until they brought him down by weight of sheer numbers. And in the meantime, Yvlon and Ksmvr harassed them from the flanks.

Yvlon killed two more Goblins, slashing off limbs and inflicting deep wounds without ever letting them get close. She had no activatable skills, but she more than made up for it with competent swordplay. No blade even touched her armor; she turned away every cut with her shield and used it to ram Goblins, knocking them off balance and keeping the rest at bay.

Ksmvr had abandoned Erin’s knife and seized two swords. He hacked Goblins while his third arm held a shield which he used to defend himself. He took wounds, but they were only light ones that didn’t penetrate his carapace.

And then it was really over. The last Goblins fled, and Ceria turned and saw a trail of dead Goblins leading up to a pile of them where Halrac had been. The [Scout] was advancing towards the village, bow raised, picking off fleeing Goblins with careful shots.

And the Watch—

A group of them came running into the village, led by Zevara. She halted when she saw the other Goblins had fallen, and eyed Ceria and the other adventurers oddly.

“You took care of them all?”

“Mostly. Halrac got the majority.”

Ceria pointed, and the [Scout] shrugged and grunted. It was true; over half of the dead Goblins in the village had been killed by arrow, and the leader of the Goblins was slumped in the snow, three arrows protruding from the eye slits in his helmet.

“Good work.”

Zevara said it oddly, as if she wasn’t used to having adventurers assist the Watch. From what Ceria knew of Drakes, that might actually be the case; the local militias often did more work than adventurers in the south.

“How did it go with the others?”

The Drake hesitated, and then grimaced.

“We lost a few good soldiers, but only a few. Those damn Goblins fought well, almost as if they’d been trained. They didn’t break until the last.”

“And the Hobs. There were a lot of them for a raiding party.”

“Yes. There were.”

Ceria and Zevara exchanged a look, and then the truce or whatever had passed between them ended. Ceria coughed.

“I’d like to claim partial salvage rights on the dead, unless you object?”

“Partial salvage…? You mean loot them?”

“It’s an adventuring thing. We helped, so we’d like to collect items and equipment.”

Zevara shook her head, but waved a claw.

“Go ahead. Do whatever you want. I’ll have my men strip and burn the rest later.”

Ceria nodded. She turned to Halrac. The [Scout] hadn’t even spoke to Zevara. He was going from body to body, collecting arrows he could reuse.

“Halrac? Thanks for covering for us out there. We’re requesting salvage rights. Do you want…?”

He shook his head and grunted.

“Go ahead. Nothing I need.”

Custom dictated that the adventurer who was highest in rank, or level, or who’d done the most work got first pick. But Ceria had doubted a Gold-rank adventurer would waste his time with that anyways; she was vaguely surprised he was even recovering arrows.

She walked back to the rest of her party—and it was a party now—exhausted. Pisces was sitting on the snow, and Yvlon was talking to a Drake—an older woman who had tears in her eyes.

“Don’t know how we can thank—”

“It’s nothing. Please, it’s our job. Are there any wounded?”

“The Watch has potions. But thank you! If it weren’t for you and that other Human—”

It was odd. Sometimes it was like this after a battle, but usually it wasn’t. Ceria couldn’t remember the last time the Horns of Hammerad had intervened to save a village, but then, they often got requests and seldom saw a monster attacking out of the blue.

Usually, adventurers took their pay and left, often having to wrangle it out of the suddenly not-so-grateful head chief or council of villagers. But the Drakes here were amazingly grateful, and Ceria found she and the others were the target of praise and adoration.

“It’s nothing, really. Pisces, we’ve got permission to check the dead. Do you have any mana…?”

“[Detect Magic]. There, there, and…the Hobs.”

He pointed. Ceria excused herself from the mob to walk over to the bodies Pisces had identified.

“Ah, this one was the Goblin [Shaman]. Looks like a wand of some kind and this feather amulet.”

“Careful. You never know what types of enchantments—”

“I’m not an amateur, Pisces.”

Ceria carefully picked both up with a piece of cloth and stowed them away. Then she investigated the other bodies.

“Magic rings? A necklace? And this sword is pretty good. Ksmvr!”

The Antinium walked over and Ceria handed him the sword. He studied it.

“This is a superior blade for a Goblin. Curious. My knowledge of Goblins indicates that this would usually be the equipment of a Chieftain, not a normal Hob.”

“Could this have been a tribe, do you think?”

Yvlon shook her head as she investigated another corpse, finding a gold ring.

“No children, no pregnant females. This is a raiding party, but it must be a huge tribe it came from.”

Ceria exchanged a look with Pisces. They were both thinking the same thing.

“Could it be that Goblin that Erin lets visit? Rags…?”

He looked troubled, but shook his head.

“I taught the Goblin a few spells. She is…intelligent. She would not be so foolish as to attack when the Watch is nearby, and these Goblins are different. Note the armor and the markings here and here.”

He pointed, and Ceria saw these Goblins had notched ears.

“That’s a different tribe.”

“Where did they come from?”

“South. That is what the villagers informed us.”

Everyone looked at Ksmvr. Ceria stared in that direction, worried. Yvlon nodded.

“They came from the south. From the Blood Fields. There must be a new tribe down there, a dangerous one. If this is a raiding party, what must their actual tribe look like?”

Something lurched in Ceria’s stomach. She breathed one word.

“Ryoka.”

2.33

Some days he could not bear to see her as she was. He remembered when she had been smaller, and the first time she had walked through the tunnels of the Hive. But now she was bloated, obscenely huge, grand and horrible and beautiful all at once.

That is what Klbkch thought as he gazed upon his Queen. She was not what she once was. She was greater now, yes, with a Hive full of thousands of Antinium who followed her every order. But sometimes he wondered if she was a captive, a helpless prisoner. He knew he was.

“—We will dispose of the bodies of the Goblins for the city. I believe they will be largely useful as food supplies unless they carry some kind of invisible affliction.”

“Very well.”

His Queen gazed down at Klbkch, as they had often done. He stood at perfect attention, in the darkness of his Hive underneath Liscor, speaking up to her. This was his duty; true, he had other tasks now, but he had done this for decades, and it was what was needed. His Queen was the ruler of the Hive, but Klbkch was her eyes and ears and sword, if need be.

Up until a few weeks ago. Now Klbkch was a Revalantor, and in theory he should have been reporting to his Queen less and working with Pawn and the new individuals, but the situation had changed. Klbkch shifted slightly, a movement his Queen picked up.

“Is something amiss, Klbkchhezeim?”

“Not as of such, my Queen. However, casualties from the latest incursion from the dungeons were quite severe.”

“Yes. It seems activity above has woken more of the wretched things.”

“I believe it would be wise to proceed with the uncovering of the dungeon as soon as possible.”

“So you have said. Repeatedly.”

Above him, the Queen stared down at Klbkch. He knew she was not pleased. She wanted the Hive to do this alone, but he had argued this point for years. He thought he’d convinced her after Skinner to take the opportunity, but was she having second thoughts?

Klbkch braced himself for another argument, but instead his Queen just shook her head.

“What then, of the adventurers? Will they locate the dungeon themselves or must we point them to it?”

“They have been unable to locate the exact entrance, but two Gold-rank teams have already approached me and asked if the Antinium would dig in search of it.”

“Ah.”

Was that a good sign or not? Even after so long, Klbkch wasn’t certain.

“…They have offered a sizeable sum of gold to locate the entrance to the dungeon. I believe they are offering us a higher price than the normal rate.”

“That would be useful.”

Gold was not really an issue for the Antinium, but every bit helped. Klbkch nodded.

“If we were to accept a lower price, we might surprise them and influence their feelings towards us in some positive manner. Griffon Hunt appears to be especially hostile towards us.”

“Is that an issue?”

“It may not be, but I would prefer to do so if you will permit it.”

Another sigh.

“Very well. I trust your judgment, Klbkch.”

She trusted his judgment, but didn’t understand it. It was an odd thing, but his Queen—all Queens, really—did not value goodwill or friendship as a resource. They only thought of other species as variables to be influenced, and hence that was why Klbkch occasionally had to argue like this.

Perhaps this was why the Prognugators had been created; to fill the voids of each Queen’s personality. Of course, each Prognugator and Queen was different; Klbkch knew other Hives had vastly different ways of approaching their work.

Regardless…

“We will construct a tunnel with multiple branching sections to the entrance of the main dungeon and unearth it in…three days. I believe that should be enough time.”

“No doubt. But it is these adventurers that concern me, Klbkch. Regardless of their designs on the treasure; will they be enough to be useful in the first place?”

“They are Gold-rank, my Queen. They should have the combined capability of at least a thousand of our Soldiers.”

“Mm. Indeed, if they could disarm the traps it would be best. But I more referred to their lack of numbers. I would prefer at least one Named Adventurer and twice as many Gold-rank ones.”

That surprised Klbkch enough to make him hesitate. From being so opposed to any interference, his Queen had changed her opinion quickly. Why? He wondered if she’d been speaking to another Queen.

“—I believe more will flock to the area as the dungeon is uncovered and its scale is noticed. The minor treasures and artifacts will doubtless encourage some. It is only a matter of time.”

“Well then.”

He nodded. There was nothing more to say.

“Then, finally, I will initiate the next part of the plan regarding Ksmvr, with your permission.”

His Queen sighed and shifted on her throne again. Sometimes Klbkch wondered if she were growing tired. She was certainly old. Perhaps it was time for her to go through the Rite of Anastases, but that would necessitate bringing her to another Queen, or Queens, and the effort involved would be immense.

“I dislike the need for it, but very well. You are sure he suspects nothing?”

“As far as I am aware.”

“Hm. Disappointing that he does not think or wonder. But then, he is young.”

And untested. And experimental. Klbkch added these words in his head, but did not say them out loud. Ksmvr was his Queen’s pet project, and he might be useful—

If he were stronger.

“I will return to my duties. I believe Pawn is speaking with the other Workers, both individual and not. The others will arrive within the week.”

“I see. Then go.”

His Queen waved her feeler again. There wasn’t much more to be said. After her initial excitement, she had gone back to managing her Hive. Antinium didn’t dwell on emotional matters, if they even felt anything.

Klbkch understood. It was a practical choice. But he had changed in the last few months, and recently, he’d begun feeling—

He turned, and walked out of his Queen’s presence before she could sense his emotions. So much was changing within the Hive right now. She needed him more than ever. He would abide for a while longer before he acted on his concerns.

And he had work to do. Klbkch’s legs carried him swiftly through the tunnels, occasionally passing by Workers and Soldiers who moved aside so as not to impede his progress. That was how it worked in the Hive. Soldiers would move as quickly as possible through the Hive, usually to rest, eat, or reinforce areas under attack. Workers would scuttle around, stopping or moving out of the way to accommodate Soldiers. And Klbkch?

He walked in a bubble of his own. He was Revalantor, a step above Prognugator. No one would get in his way. Within his Hive, he was alone.

As he had always been. Ever since he had arrived on this continent. But it had not always been this way.

Lost in thought, Klbkch only came back fully into reality when he was at his destination. He stopped at a tunnel less trodden than the main channels and walked into a small storeroom big enough to hold a single bedroom’s worth of goods.

It was one of the many storage rooms the Antinium of Liscor had built. True to their nature, each storage area had its own designated location and purpose depending on the value and need for each item contained within.

Because this storage room contained items not useful for Soldiers and Workers fighting in the Dungeon, it was located closer to the surface. But given the value of the items contained within, it was relatively close to the Queen’s room.

There were no guards at the doors, and there was no door for that matter. There was no need. Anyone who had penetrated this far into the Hive would have to have slaughtered almost every single living Antinium to get here, and if that was the case, what good would a door be? In any case, the need to open and close a door and station Soldiers there was a needless waste of resources.

And the Antinium did not waste resources.

Klbkch walked into the room and carefully walked over to a closed box. He opened it, and withdrew a folded piece of paper. He handled it with extreme care because the parchment was cracked and crumbling with age.

The Antinium walked out of the storage room and up through the maze of tunnels, closer to the surface. He entered a side tunnel, and then entered into the cellar of an ancient building that had been buried underground.

The walls of this building were crumbling; the stone looked as if it would fall apart at the touch. A beam slanted as it seemed to audibly groan under the pressures exerted on it from above. The door leading upwards was jammed open, and collapsed earth could be seen blocking the way upwards.

It was clearly some lost building that had once been part of Liscor, or at least, part of some ancient city. Klbkch advanced into the room and looked around. He had no fear of anything collapsing, despite the precarious appearance of the room. He was an Antinium and could dig through dirt with ease, and he’d spent nearly a week overseeing the construction of the room to begin with. The stone may look weak, but it was as structurally sound as any part of the Hive.

“Ah. There.”

Klbkch strode over to one wall, where he’d had some Workers drag in a wine rack and nearly fifty expensive vintages and smash the entire structure before adding a coating of dust to the mix. The Antinium knelt, lifted a broken board, and tucked the folded parchment underneath it. Then he raised his head.

Footsteps, a bit too quick and too soon. But it didn’t matter. Klbkch straightened, took a few steps into the center of the room, and turned just as Olesm entered.

“Ah!”

The Drake screamed and leapt back from Klbkch, fumbling for the dagger at his side. Perhaps it was seeing the motionless Antinium standing in the nearly pitch-black room that had scared him. Klbkch raised his voice.

“Olesm. Excuse me, I did not mean to alarm you.”

“What, me? No, I’m sorry Klbkch. I just didn’t expect anyone down here.”

Flustered, Olesm stepped into the room and hesitated. He looked warily at the walls and ceiling.

“Ah, is it safe to enter?”

“Some structural reinforcement is necessary, but the room is safe for now.”

Klbkch lied as Olesm cautiously stepped further inside, looking around surreptitiously as he held the small lantern in one hand. Klbkch had no need of the faint glow it emitted, but for the rare visitors to the Hive, it was essential.

“I see you are alone. Have you finished teaching chess to the Workers?”

It was another redundant question; they had been the ones to inform Klbkch of Olesm’s movements. But the Antinium listened attentively to Olesm anyways.

“Oh, yes. They’re making great progress, just great! Some of them have no interest of course, but the ones who do play constantly. When they’re not working, of course.”

“Of course.”

Klbkch liked chess, but his interest was a shallow drop in the bucket compared to the waterfall of passion some of the Workers displayed for the game. It was…odd. The Antinium had never brought games or anything like it into their Hive. It was pointless, again, a waste of resources.

But had that been the clue all along? When Klbkch had suggested it, his Queen had grown silent before dismissing them. Was the key really just that?

…No. There was more. It had to be other people, not just the Antinium. People like Erin, special people who could teach them. That was why Ksmvr had to leave, and why this was important.

“I see you have come here again. Are you looking for additional maps of the dungeons? Was the one recovered not enough?”

Olesm shrugged slightly. He seemed a bit upset, insofar as Klbkch could read Drake emotions. His tail was twitching more than usual, but he wasn’t shouting or throwing things as Relc often did.

“I’m sure it was fine. The Council was very grateful for the discovery. But ah, I’m just looking for anything else that might be of use.”

“I see. Well, we have not completed our search of the area. The Antinium have discovered more buildings, but few remain even partially intact. This one seems to be the most important.”

“Yeah, you’re right. There could be something else here, couldn’t there?”

Olesm peered around the room, aiming his lantern at corners as Klbkch watched.

“I mean, I don’t know who lived here, but if this was some kind of [Cartographer]’s basement…”

“Could more maps be trapped under the rubble?”

“Maybe. Would you ah, like to give me a hand?”

“Certainly.”

Klbkch moved forwards and he and Olesm began searching the room systematically. Klbkch focused on the side of the room opposite the destroyed wine rack, while Olesm searched the other side of the room.

Even so, it would take Olesm a while to find the hidden parchment, as the Drake was focused on one corner of the room and very slowly making his way over. Klbkch decided to make small talk, if only so he would not become bored.

“I had expected that you would be at Erin Solstice’s inn instead of down here.”

“What?”

Olesm looked over as Klbkch picked up a fragment of cloth and discarded it. The Drake hesitated.

“Well…I mean, you did offer to pay me to teach the Antinium. It’s good money, and I always love playing chess.”

“Ah. But Erin is the greatest chess player in Liscor.”

She might be the best in the world. Certainly, she was among the best from hers, or so Klbkch had gathered. That was something else he had not told to anyone, including his Queen. It was…his secret. Erin had told other people of course, but who among them came down here to talk to the Queen? If he did not speak, she would never know. At least, not until the moment was right.

“Erin? Yeah, I mean, she is the best. But ah, I don’t want to disturb her. Plus, there are other reasons…”

Olesm’s voice trailed off and Klbkch observed his tail thrashing even harder.

“You seem upset. Is something the matter?”

“Yes! No. I—I just had a bad morning, that’s all.”

“Ah.”

Klbkch went back to searching through the rubble. He didn’t say anything. In his experience, non-Antinium would say what was on their minds eventually. In this case, it took Olesm only ten minutes to blurt out what he was thinking about.

“It’s Ceria. And adventuring. And Erin, I guess. I just feel like I’m not in their league anymore. In terms of levels, I mean.”

“Oh? I fail to see the issue. You are the highest-level [Tactician] in Liscor, are you not?”

“Hah!”

Olesm laughed bitterly as he tossed a rock against one wall.

“That’s nothing compared to the [Strategists] in our army. I might be higher-level than some of the Humans in the northern cities, but so what? I’m still weak.”

“You are young.”

“But I could be improving, don’t you see?”

Olesm’s tail raised a cloud of dust as he turned to Klbkch in frustration.

“I wanted to join Ceria and become an adventurer. I thought if I did that, I could develop some skills, maybe even transition into a commander class…! It’s possible if you gain enough warrior levels, you know.”

“I am aware.”

Enough levels in [Warrior] and [Strategist] and the two classes would merge into a new class, usually [Commander]. It was an odd feature, especially since some people could level in [Commander] right away. As far as Klbkch could tell, it was simply a way to consolidate levels, but he had no idea why that would be useful. Two classes were better than one, weren’t they?

“But she said no. She said I wasn’t strong enough—”

Olesm grabbed a piece of wood up and clenched it hard in a scaly fist.

“Adventurers live quite dangerous lives. Silver-rank adventurers face threats that may be above your level at the moment.”

“I know! I know , but the way she said it—can’t I go with them? Why do I have to be here?”

This was an unexpected development. Klbkch paused, and decided to continue with the conversation.

“Is it not Liscor’s policy to keep at least one [Tactician] in the city to ward off potential attacks?”

“It is. But I could delegate the job or—I just want to be better, you know? I feel worthless every time I play Erin, now that I know she’s taking it easy on me. I mean, I knew she was already, but now…”

Klbkch nodded slowly.

“I can understand your position. After my death, I too lost quite a number of levels.”

“Really? I had no idea that was how it worked. Does it happen like that for all Antinium?”

Olesm looked at Klbkch in surprise, and the Antinium felt a small moment of kinship with the young Drake. He couldn’t close his eyes, but Klbkch looked down at the ground, remembering as he spoke.

“Revival is rare even among my kind. But yes, once individuals are revived, they lose ten levels among their classes.”

“ Ten!? ”

“It is a small price to pay for life, is it not? But without at least ten levels, individuals are unable to be revived.”

It was a secret Klbkch was telling Olesm, but not a big one. The Drakes and Gnolls had figured out the Antinium’s ability during the First Antinium War; only the exact nature of the resurrection and the amount of levels lost had been a secret. And it was one worth telling to Olesm, Klbkch believed.

“I was stronger. Once. But I am pleased to say that I have regained five of my lost levels already.”

“ Fiv— how? Please, tell me how you did that!”

Olesm looked at Klbkch pleadingly.

“I’ve leveled a lot since Erin came, but it’s not nearly fast enough. How did you do it so quick?”

Klbkch paused. Now here was a secret he couldn’t speak of.

“The Hive has suffered a…few monster attacks as of late. I have helped fend them off and recovered my lost levels as a result.”

It was true except in the details. Olesm nodded in understanding.

“Oh, like those giant tunneling worms or Shield Spiders? Those can be nasty.”

“Among other things. They are difficult to deal with.”

“Good thing we don’t get Crelers down here, right?”

“Not anymore.”

Klbkch hated Crelers. Olesm shuddered, and went back to working after a bit longer.

“I just wish I could level like that, you know?”

“Perhaps you will. It just takes time.”

“Yeah, but I—”

Olesm paused as he lifted a piece of wood, and then his voice rose in excitement.

“Klbkch! Look! I found something!”

Klbkch walked over and saw Olesm holding up the ancient parchment as he held the lantern up with trembling claws.

“Is it another map of the dungeon?”

“N-no. I don’t think so…? No, wait, I know what this is! It’s a map of another dungeon!”

“Indeed?”

Klbkch peered at the faded lines and nodded as if impressed.

“This is quite a find. Is there perhaps another dungeon beneath Liscor?”

“There can’t be. That would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it? No, this must be another place. Maybe nearby…?”

Olesm stared at the faded writing on the map. Klbkch had a hard time reading the old Drake language, but Olesm had studied it, another reason why he’d been invited into the Hive.

“Albez. Huh. I don’t know where that is.”

“Perhaps it is a location north of here? A Human or native to that region might know. Ceria Springwalker or her companion, Yvlon Byres, perhaps.”

“You think so?”

Olesm hesitated. He looked at the parchment and carefully folded it up.

“Can I…borrow this? I’ll return it later.”

Klbkch shook his head, but not in denial.

“The Antinium have no use for maps. Do with it as you will. I only hope you will mention our efforts to the Council when you report.”

“What? Oh, yes, I will. Thank you!”

Olesm was already headed towards the tunnels. Klbkch watched him go, and knew the Drake would be making a beeline for the surface…unless he got lost. Mentally, Klbkch ordered a few Workers to intercept the Drake at tunnel intersections.

Klbkch’s job was done. He sighed. It wasn’t as if this had been particularly tiring, but Olesm’s mention of levels had brought Klbkch back in time again. It was playing on his thoughts when he’d stood before his Queen.

The past. Klbkch hadn’t given it much thought, but after he’d met Erin and died again, it was starting to weigh on him.

Klbkch reviewed his classes. He was a Level 21 [Swordslayer], a Level 18 [Commander], a Level 6 [Diplomat], a Level 13 [Guardsman] and a Level 14 [Assassin]. He’d been stronger, once.

Yes. Klbkch remembered a time when he hadn’t had any levels in either [Commander] or [Diplomat]. He’d been a pure warrior, a Level 44 [Swordslayer], and a Level 26 [Assassin]. He hadn’t even been a Prognugator, then.

Was it just him, or was it harder to level now? Maybe it was his age as well. It had been so long since they’d left Rhir, and even longer since he had first been hatched. He could barely remember his first Hive, deep in the darkness. Maybe there were still—

Klbkchhezeim.

Klbkch snapped to attention, all memory passing from his mind in an instant. He knew what his Queen meant in a single touch of their minds.

It was another attack. More monsters were swarming out of the dungeon, and the Soldiers needed him. Klbkch ran out of the fake cellar, heading directly towards the scene of the battle.

Forget the past. The Centenium were dead. He was a Revalantor now. Klbkch grabbed at the two swords at his waist, feeling the blades slide out of their sheathes. If only he had his old swords. But then, he and his Queen hadn’t been allowed to take anything of value when they established this experimental Hive. Maybe after the others came and saw what they had done…

No time for thought. Klbkch ran faster as he heard the first shriek of rage in the air. His body was light, his mind was focused. He was the blade of his queen.

It was time to go back to work.

—-

“Wow. Wow. And you fought the Goblins off by yourself?”

“With the help of the Watch. And Halrac. And the villagers and quite a bit of luck.”

Ceria grinned at Erin as the half-Elf sat at a table in the inn, drinking beer and relaxing with the other three adventurers. Erin assumed they were adventurers. Of course, Pisces had just been a mage and Ksmvr was an Antinium Prognugator, but they were adventurers now, right?

She didn’t quite know what that word meant. Erin hadn’t met many adventurers outside of the Horns of Hammerad, Griffin Hunt and a few others. She got that they went into dungeons and killed monsters, but the idea of just wandering around helping people sounded more like being a hero to her.

It was a different world, especially in how one second Ceria could be sitting in the bar, and the next she’d be out fighting a Goblin army.

“Raiding party, Erin. I told you, it’s a raiding party.”

“What’s the dif—oh, right. Numbers. But two hundred Goblins is a lot. ”

“Not compared to an army, believe me. And in truth, this raiding party is small compared to how big they can get. When a Goblin King emerges, you can see raiding parties in the thousands.”

“Which isn’t so much a raiding party as another army. Bah, the terminology used is wholly insufficient.”

Pisces scowled around his drink. He seemed happy Erin had brought out the alcohol, but even happier that she’d made more food—lunch, this time. It felt like she’d just served breakfast, but here was another crowd, even larger thanks to some of the Guardsmen who’d decided to eat at the inn.

Speaking of which—

One of the Gnolls in armor waved a paw, and Erin turned.

“Can you get that, Lyonette?”

Across the room the girl hesitated, and then slowly walked over to the table with Gnolls and Drakes, displeasure evident on her face. The guardsmen didn’t look that happy to see her either, but in a few seconds she was walking into the kitchen to get more food.

Erin had made soup. It was a nice, easy dish to make and she could keep serving it instead of having to constantly make more for new guests. She’d added all kinds of spices and meats and vegetables in it—it almost felt like Erin’s skills were doing all of the cooking, rather than her.

“This is really good, Erin. Thank you.”

“Oh, no, thank you? Um, I’ve got more if you want it.”

“Please don’t trouble yourself. I’m quite full.”

Yvlon put down the spoon in her bowl and sighed contentedly as she reached for her drink. She’d requested milk, a stark contrast from the others.

Ksmvr nodded silently. He was drinking water, and he’d finished two bowls of soup in near-silence. Erin’s eyes were drawn to the stump of his third arm, but the Antinium didn’t even seem to notice his wound.

He was still probably depressed. Erin couldn’t believe he’d been kicked out his Hive, just like that. She wanted to talk to Klbkch about it, but she hadn’t seen the Antinium and Ceria had said he wasn’t with the Watch who fought the Goblins.

“It’s just so scary, thinking there could be more of them out there. And they’re not Rags’ Goblins, you said?”

“I’m almost positive about that.”

Ceria nodded and Pisces murmured his agreement. That made Erin’s heart ease a tiny bit. She’d hate to imagine Rags getting hacked to bits.

“Well, I’m glad you’re all okay. We got attacked by Goblins too, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as this.”

“ What? ”

Ceria looked up sharply, and Erin raised her hands.

“Don’t worry! They never even got inside the inn.”

“What did you do? Did my creation kill them?”

“Who, Toren? No. They never even got close. I sort of yelled at them and they ran away.”

All four adventurers exchanged looks. Yvlon coughed politely.

“You yelled at them?”

“Sort of. I mean, I didn’t use [Loud Voice]. But it was that…that other skill I learned. Remember when everyone was fighting at the inn?”

Pisces massaged his stomach and scowled.

“How could we forget?”

“Well, back then I shouted and I felt everything sort of get heavier, remember?”

“I remember.”

Ceria frowned.

“I thought that was just a spell one of the Gold-rank adventurers cast. But you did that?”

“I think so. And when I saw the Goblins coming, I sort of just shouted at them to get lost and they did. I don’t know what happened, but the inn felt… bigger for a little bit after that happened.”

“Bigger?”

Ceria looked skeptical and Ksmvr and Yvlon just looked confused, but Pisces shook his head.

“It’s an aura. I haven’t heard of an innkeeper using one, but it’s quite common among leader classes.”

“An aura? Oh—you mean, [Inn’s Aura]? That’s one of the skills I got!”

“It’s quite a useful skill. It allows you to control the area; in this case I suppose around your inn to aid allies or impede enemies.”

“Whoa. That’s so cool! ”

Erin smiled, and Ceria had to laugh.

“How do you not research your Skills when you get them, Erin?”

“I’ve got a lot to do, okay?”

Pisces cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. He tapped the table as he settled into his lecturer voice.

“The aura skill is a powerful tool to aid in combat, but not one I would rely on. Any powerful monster or individual will be able to resist most of the effects. However, I will admit that it seems particularly well versed in deflecting low-level enemies. I suspect you may also be able to use it as a basic fear effect, or at least as a form of intimidation as evidenced by your chasing off of the Goblin invaders.”

Erin blinked at Pisces a few times while Ceria rolled her eyes and Yvlon just looked confused. It had been a while since she’d heard Pisces go all scholarly on her.

“Well, it seems quite useful.”

“Quite.”

“Good that you got rid of the Goblins. I’d hate for you to be in danger.”

Everyone nodded, and Erin did too, but the truth of it was that she’d never been in danger. It had been nine Goblins who’d approached her inn, and they’d already been hesitating when they saw Toren come out wearing armor. Erin shouting had probably been the last straw.

Ksmvr drained his mug, and looked at Erin.

“I would not like to bother you, Erin Solstice. But—”

“Water? No problem!”

Erin took the mug and whirled into the kitchen. She filled the water with some from a kettle she’d boiled and glanced at how much was left. Not enough. She could boil snow of course, but it was easier just to get some from the stream. It hadn’t frozen over despite the weather.

“Lyon, we need more water. Can you fetch…two buckets?”

The girl scowled as Erin walked back into the common room. She folded her arms.

“Me? Go out there? ”

Erin frowned. She didn’t like that tone of voice. Never mind that it was Lyon’s semi-permanent tone; it meant trouble whenever she heard it.

“Yeah. You’ve done that a hundred times. What’s wrong?”

“Those horrible little monsters! They attacked the inn and they could be lurking outside!”

Lyon pointed to the door as if the Goblins were hiding behind it. Erin sighed.

“They’re all dead or run away. The Watch made sure of that.”

“How can you be sure?”

Erin paused.

“I can’t. But I’ll send Toren with you, how about that?”

It would defeat the purpose of sending Lyon in the first place, but at least then they’d be able to carry enough water back to last a good while. But the girl didn’t like that idea either.

“I won’t be followed by that horrible thing!”

“In that case, go by yourself. It’s not far.”

“ Alone!? Absolutely not! I refuse to work until you hire an adventurer to exterminate all of them!”

Erin’s good mood slowly evaporated. Ceria blinked up at Erin from her table and nudged the innkeeper with one foot. She whispered up at Erin.

“You haven’t told her about your… other guests?”

“They haven’t come back for a while now. Um.”

Erin glanced over at Lyon. The girl was giving Erin a triumphant look, as if she had the moral high ground. It was always like this, and Erin didn’t want to deal with it. She looked over.

“Toren?”

The skeleton paused as he industriously mopped a table with a rag. He slowly turned, and Lyon screeched as she backed away from him.

“No! I will not—!”

The skeleton’s purple eyes flashed and Lyon ran out of the inn, emitting a half-sob, half-shrieking sound.

Ceria watched as Toren followed the girl out of the inn, frowning slightly. She looked at Erin.

“You don’t think it’s kind of cruel, making Toren deal with her?”

“Is that cruel for Toren or her? I’ve told him he can’t hit her, push her, poke her, or do anything to her. And I can’t deal with her.”

It was a painful admission for Erin, but it was true. She’d tried—oh, how she’d tried!—but Lyon would simply refuse to work. No matter how nice or mean Erin got, the girl would just sneer at her. Toren had a way with Lyon, in that he never gave up and could scare her with his eyes, but Erin didn’t have that same ability.

“I suppose.”

Ceria looked troubled, but Pisces just shook his head.

“I analyzed my creation after Miss Solstice pointed it out to me. He has absorbed the magic from that gemstone into his spell matrix. It appears to be a lesser version of the original spell, but it seems quite useful in shepherding the annoying girl around.”

He raised his mug and drained it as Erin nodded in relief. She had been worried about Toren. In truth, she still was. She’d thought her heart would stop when Halrac had shot him in the head. She’d had no idea what the red gemstone was, until she’d realized that Toren had picked up one of Skinner’s ‘eyes’ after the battle. How he’d gotten a hold of it she had no idea.

It was starting to bother her, to be honest. Not the eyes—Toren didn’t try to scare her and Erin doubted the effect would work on her after Skinner in any case—but it was how much Toren had changed.

He wore armor, he disappeared at random times…if she wasn’t so busy, Erin would have tried to see what was going on with her skeleton. Was something wrong with him? Maybe Pisces should take another look at him. Toren seemed more intelligent than he had been when Erin had first got him, but still.

Still, Erin was always busy now. She was cooking, serving guests, and didn’t have time to do much else. She’d hoped that Lyonette would take some of the burden off, but in this case, the girl had added to Erin’s workload.

“I need another helper.”

“No, you need a better helper.”

Ceria corrected Erin as the girl took a seat at the table. No one was shouting for her, and Erin had been on her feet all day.

“Yeah, yeah. Maybe Pisces can raise another skeleton for me?”

The mage snorted.

“Hardly. You don’t have the mana to sustain it, and Toren was a work of art.”

“Oh? He looks quite mundane to me, Pisces.”

“Come now, Springwalker. Surely you’ve observed his ability to reanimate? I layered the reanimation spell across each individual bone and tied the entire spell together. It can’t be replicated.”

Ceria eyed Pisces suspiciously as Erin blinked. Was Toren that impressive?

“It seems odd you’d give that to Erin for free.”

Pisces hesitated and then shrugged.

“Well, I owed her a small debt for my meals, and I observed her sterling work with the Antinium. The individuals such as Pawn—it seemed to me she would appreciate a fine worker.”

“I guess I did.”

It was odd, but Toren had been invaluable. Erin thought about that as Ceria pushed aside her empty bowl and pulled something up from the table.

“Alright, I’m feeling a bit more alive right now. Time to take stock of what we got from the Goblins.”

“What?”

Erin stared as Ceria pulled out two rings, a short sword, and an odd necklace of rough leather with a large claw attached to the end of it. The half-Elf laid all four objects carefully on the table as all the adventurers leaned in.

“What’s that?”

“Magic. Or at least, they’re all magical. We pulled them off of the bodies of the dead Goblins.”

That was plain to see. One of the rings had blood all over it. Erin shuddered, but Pisces and Ceria ignored the blood as their fingers hovered over the rings. Erin expected them to pick one up, but neither did. In fact, she noticed that Ceria had lifted all four objects up with a handkerchief covering her hand, and as the half-Elf turned the necklace over, she used it again.

“Why aren’t you touching them? Are they dangerous?”

“They could be. It’s one of the rules all adventurers learn: don’t touch magical objects unless you know what it is. They might be trapped or warded against being stolen.”

Yvlon nodded. She was keeping her hands well away from the magical items.

“In the worst case scenario, they might kill the user, or explode. Even if they’re not deadly, I’ve seen objects start screaming or emit horrible gas or just melt.”

Erin blinked at the items on her table. Then she edged behind Ceria.

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve done this before. We won’t destroy anything.”

The half-Elf reassured Erin as she and Pisces studied the items. Pisces was muttering under his breath, but he wasn’t doing anything obviously magical. Ceria returned her attention to the sword, frowning.

“Besides, it’s not as if these have particularly strong enchantments.”

“You can tell?”

“Oh yes. Items have an…intensity about them. You remember how magic has tiers? It’s like that. I’d say these are Tier 1—maybe Tier 2 on one of the rings at best. Mind you, Tier 1 is still good; it’s not like any enchantment is worthless.”

“Ah, but this one is.”

Pisces tapped the sword’s hilt as he looked at Ceria.

“Very common. It’s just a minor reinforcement, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Glad to see you waited for me to confirm it.”

Ceria grumbled, but nodded. She lifted the sword.

“This is just a basic hardening enchantment. It improves the strength of the blade, but not the sharpness or anything else. A bit better than nothing I suppose; Yvlon, Ksmvr, you want it?”

Yvlon shook her head.

“I suspect my longsword is better quality in any case.”

“Really?”

Erin looked at the sword at Yvlon’s side in surprise. It was certainly…shinier, but was it better than magic?

“Of course.”

Pisces snorted as Ksmvr accepted the shortsword.

“Quality steel forged by an expert? Compared to that, this is an iron blade—of acceptable craft, but not nearly good enough to compare. Magic cannot replace the actual base material it affects.”

“Not unless that magic’s really good. Looks like this is just random trinkets the Goblins stole.”

Ceria eyed the necklace and grimaced.

“Hey, this looks exactly like the dining hall at Wistram, doesn’t it, Pisces?”

The other mage looked at the necklace and nodded.

“Indeed. Resistance or nullification of improperly prepared foodstuffs.”

Erin couldn’t believe her ears.

“You mean it stops food poisoning? ”

“It’s handy if you eat a lot of raw eggs. I’d take it, but I’m afraid the magic isn’t contained properly.”

Ceria shrugged as she lifted the necklace up and offered it around. Erin had no idea what she meant and said so.

“Well, mages have a hard time wearing magical gear unless it’s made really well. Take my robes for instance—they don’t leak any magic and their enchantments are…tightly woven is the best way I can describe it. But something like this—”

The half-Elf lightly flicked the dangling claw and shook her head.

“It just interferes with me if I’m trying to cast a spell. Think of it like this. If I was wearing a ring that resisted fire and tried to cast [Fireball], the magic in the ring would try to cancel mine out. Well, it’s more complicated than that—”

“—Far more complicated.”

“—Shut up, Pisces. But that’s the general idea. Wearing that necklace would interfere with a lot of my spells. I could cast around it, but it might take a bit more time and mana, and it’s not worth it to resist the occasional illness.”

“I see.”

Erin stared at the claw. She didn’t need it; if she was making bad food, she deserved her stomachache. But to her surprise, Ksmvr raised his hand again.

“I apologize for my unseemly behavior, but I believe it would benefit me the most.”

“Really?”

He nodded at Erin.

“Perhaps this trinket will allow me to consume products of gluten.”

“Hey, that’s a good point! And it’s not as if this is expensive stuff; here.”

Ceria tossed the necklace to Ksmvr who caught it and bowed his head.

“I am most grateful.”

“I’m fairly certain it won’t affect the enchantment on the shortsword either, right Pisces?”

He nodded. Erin scratched her head.

“So enchantments on different magical items…?”

“Affect each other. Only naturally. If they didn’t, every adventurer could wear a thousand magical spells on their person.”

Pisces nodded as Ceria began studying the two rings. He pointed at Yvlon.

“Why do you think experts in physical combat usually only use a sword and shield and a few enchanted items? Why not enchant every piece of armor?”

Erin had no idea what adventurers normally wore. Pisces continued.

“It is possible of course, but the skill and craftsmanship that would have to go into each piece of equipment would be extraordinary. Thus, only the most legendary of warriors would have multiple enchanted items and most adventurers carry a singularly enchanted blade and ring in most cases.”

“And us Silver-rank adventurers are generally too poor for any of that.”

Ceria sighed as she tossed one ring at Pisces. He studied it as she looked over at Erin.

“Getting magical items or finding one is the first step towards Gold-rank. My robes, for instance are half of the gear I’d probably need. If I had a good wand or stave and a higher-Tier spellbook, I could probably call myself a Gold-rank adventurer.”

“Another worthless ring. Minor enchantments against cold weather.”

“Yup. Let’s sell it for a gold piece or two—unless you’re feeling cold, Yvlon? Ksmvr?”

The other two shook their heads. Ksmvr was fastening the claw around his neck.

“I have imposed too much already.”

“I defer to the mages.”

Yvlon smiled at Ksmvr, awkwardly, but the first time Erin had seen her do so to the Antinium.

“I suppose you’re one of us now, Ksmvr. Don’t worry so much about formality or debt; when the time comes, we know you’ll help us out too.”

He paused, and then nodded.

“The notion of social debt has been imparted to me. I will remember this favor.”

“Close enough.”

Ceria sighed, but her eyes lit up as she studied the final ring, a wooden one traced with black lines in a crude pattern and then polished until it shone. She hesitated, poured a bit of her drink out to wash the blood away, and nudged Pisces.

“Hey, look at this. Maybe I’m reading this wrong, but if you compare it to [Protection from Arrows]…”

Pisces bent over to look, and Erin thought that the two mages looked like excited researchers bending over a text—or maybe archaeologists looking at a piece of broken pottery in a dig site. She supposed that to identify enchantments, you had to know the actual spells that went into them.

“Magic’s harder than it looks, huh?”

Lyon paused as she entered the doorway and scowled hard at Erin.

“Of course it is.”

Toren nudged her with the two buckets he was carrying and she stomped into the kitchen. Erin saw Pisces trace the pattern on the ring and then he looked up.

“A valuable find. A single-use regenerating enchantment of deflection…?”

“Close enough. Yeah, this one’s good.”

Ceria put the ring on the table and looked at the others.

“This ring deflects a single arrow that’s shot at you, and then the magic recharges until it can do it again. It’s worth good money—at least ten or twenty gold coins, possibly up to forty depending on how strong the deflection spell is and how fast it restores itself—but I could see one of us using it. What do you think?”

Yvlon stared at the ring and scratched her head.

“This is what helmets are for in my case. Ksmvr might be able to use it, but he’s got his outer…skin.”

Ksmvr nodded.

“My carapace will resist most arrows. And I have already claimed half of the items here. I believe this would be more suited in the hands of one of you two?”

“It’s not got much of a magical leak. And I could use some protection.”

“ My robes are unenchanted.”

Ceria and Pisces stared at each other for a long moment, and then she sighed. Pisces took the ring and Ceria sat back.

“I get first choice of any spellbooks, got it?”

“That is acceptable to me.”

Erin smiled broadly. It was just dividing the loot, but there was something…exciting about watching it happen. She felt like she was part of the adventure herself, and she had to ask.

“Okay, now you’ve got some magical items. What happens next?”

All four adventurers paused and looked at each other. Ceria shrugged.

“I guess we register our name, and then take on some easy requests until we get some money saved up. Sewer exterminations, guard duty…stuff like that.”

Erin’s face fell.

“Oh. Nothing like going on a quest or exploring a dungeon?”

“Look how well that turned out last time.”

Ceria slapped Pisces on the back of the head. He glared at her, and Yvlon smiled ruefully.

“Adventuring isn’t all big explorations, Erin. We need to save up money before we can handle bigger assignments, and then…well, it also depends on if we find anything good. The ruins were our one big shot, or so we all thought. That’s why all the teams decided to risk everything.”

“And now they’re gone and we’re poor again.”

Ceria sighed as she pulled her drink back closer to her. All the excitement of before was gone, and she stared into her mug.

“Killing rats. That’s how I started my career. I killed over a thousand of the damn things until I could find a better job, and I thought I’d never have to do it again. But here I am again. Killing rats.”

“Are they that big of a problem?”

“If they breed and spawn giant ones as long as a Minotaur, yeah. Mainly they’re just too big for most cats and they bring plague so we earn coppers for each tail we bring in.”

Pisces sniffed.

“I hate the sewers. My robes—”

“Just learn a cleansing spell!”

“Got a book?”

“I hate to admit it, but my armor is going to stink for months afterwards.”

Yvlon sighed and even Ksmvr nodded.

“I am uncomfortable with the smell, but I wish to aid this group I am a part of. Regardless of the location.”

Erin looked at him and smiled slightly. It looked like he was really trying what she’d suggested—being a part of a group like Klbkch and Pawn were. But her smile faded as she looked at the despondent adventurers.

“Um, well, maybe you can do a few other requests.”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe.”

“Not likely.”

Ceria sighed.

“With all the adventurers around, we might get one or two good jobs, but steady work will be stuff like standing guard at night or killing pests. Even if we go north to Esthelm—and that will take coin we don’t have yet—it’s better if we start small. We need good equipment before we take on missions like fighting Mothbears.”

“What’s a—?”

“It flies and it’s a bear. With antennae. And claws.”

“Oh.”

“Some of them are poisonous.”

“Ah.”

“But honestly, I’d take on a group of them if we had the coin. If—”

“A month of work? Then we could look into riskier missions.”

“Yeah. It’s just…I’m sorry you guys. I wish I had better news for you, but if you’re all committed…”

Ceria looked around helplessly. Yvlon nodded.

“I’m with you, Ceria. I told you that.”

Pisces shrugged.

“I suppose wading through muck with you would be preferable to working with lesser companions.”

Ksmvr bowed his head slightly.

“I will work hard to make the most of the opportunity you have given me.”

Ceria smiled. It was a faint smile, but it was there. She stood up, and put her hand on the table.

“I’m sorry. It’s been so long since I’ve done this, I’d almost forgotten. But when we gather to form a team, it is a special thing. I was a member of the Horns of Hammerad for years; I was part of the team when Gerial and Calruz and I first formed it, and we were the greatest of friends, the closest of companions then.”

She shook her head and a shadow flickered across her face.

“They’re dead now. That’s what happens to us in the end. But the Horns fought until the end, except for one, who ran because her friends sacrificed themselves to keep her alive. Well, the Horns of Hammerad are not gone so long as I live. And if you’d fight by my side, then the Horns of Hammerad will keep fighting.”

Yvlon instantly rose and put her hand on the table. Erin held her breath as Pisces stood.

“You will keep the name? I believe it came from the Minotaur, did it not?”

Ceria shrugged.

“Unless you have a better one?”

“I do not. And I will fight with you, Springwalker. For pay of course.”

“Of course.”

Pisces gently laid his hand on the table. He smiled, and for a second Erin thought it was one of the most genuine looks she’d ever seen from him. Ksmvr was the last. He hesitated.

“I came here in despair. I was recommended—is it truly alright for one such as I to join so quickly?”

Ceria and Yvlon laughed.

“That’s adventuring for you. We’re spontaneous. An enemy can be a friend and fortune can change in a moment. If you’re with us, just don’t betray us.”

He nodded.

“I will not. I swear it.”

A fourth hand joined the circle. Erin held her breath, and the Drake standing behind her did too. Ceria, Yvlon, Pisces, and Ksmvr held their hands together for a moment, and then stepped back.

“The Horns of Hammerad live again.”

Yvlon shook her head.

“They never died.”

Ceria smiled faintly.

“And now, as your glorious leader, I will lead you in the greatest hunt for rats the world has ever seen. We’ll be wading through dung for weeks!”

Pisces shook his head and Yvlon laughed lightly. And another voice spoke, quietly.

“What if you didn’t have to do all that?”

Erin turned. Olesm was behind her again. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised. He’d come in—she’d sensed someone behind her a while back, as the four were forming their team. But he didn’t have the same energetic look about him.

Ceria hesitated. Pisces rolled his eyes and Yvlon sighed.

“Olesm? What are—”

“I ah, heard you forming your team. Congratulations.”

The Drake bobbed his head as he stared at the Horns of Hammerad. Ceria hesitated, and glanced at Erin. The Human girl could see the pain in her eyes.

“Um. Well, Olesm, they just formed the group but I’m sure if you became an adventurer too and trained, you could be—”

The Drake shook his head.

“No. No, I can’t be an adventurer.”

“Olesm. Just because I said—”

“It’s not that. I just received word via mage spell. There’s a Goblin Lord in the south. He’s raised an army, and until he’s dead, Liscor will need everyone on the walls if he heads north.”

Ceria gasped and Yvlon shook her head. Erin was confused.

“Goblin Lord? Is that bad?”

“Not like a Goblin King, but close. Did they say what size his army is?”

Olesm shook his head.

“There’s no details. But he’s strong. Zel Shivertail himself clashed with the Goblin Lord and retreated. He had a smaller army, but—”

“Dead gods. Shivertail lost a fight?”

Erin realized her inn had gone quiet. She looked over and saw some of the guardsmen were on their feet. They looked pale. Olesm turned and nodded.

“His army was already reduced, but until armies are sent to destroy the Goblin Lord, the city will be on alert. Captain Zevara will tell you more.”

The guardsmen exchanged glances and some of the other patrons in Erin’s inn rose and began putting money on the table. She hesitated, but Toren was there to sweep away plates and coins. Olesm looked at Ceria.

“The Council would never accept my request to leave. Even without me, Liscor’s walls would never fall in the time it took for reinforcements to arrive, but I’m the strongest [Tactician] around so…”

He spread his hands helplessly.

“I’m here to stay.”

Erin’s heart ached. Ceria hesitated, and reached out for Olesm. He moved past her and put something on the table.

“I found this earlier today. You should use it.”

Confused, Erin watched as Olesm cleared the table and then spread the parchment out. It turned out to be a map, a faded parchment detailing some vast complex. It had branching pathways, what looked like secret rooms—

“What is it? I mean, it’s a map, right?”

“A map. Yes.”

Ceria and Yvlon studied the map as Pisces stared hard at the symbols covering the parchment. They were faded, and Erin couldn’t read them. It looked like the odd script the Drakes used. She’d seen proper English writing, but this was different. But Pisces could clearly read the language. His lips moved, and then he looked up and turned white.

“Albez. You have a map? ”

Ceria’s reaction was immediate. Her head raised and turned so fast Erin thought she’d get whiplash. She looked at Yvlon, and the two immediately raced to the windows. Erin stared at they began shutting them.

“Erin, can we lock this door?”

“What? S—”

Ceria barred the inn’s door and then helped Yvlon cover the last of the windows. The inn was suddenly very dark, but Pisces cast [Light] as the two adventurers went back to the map. Ceria’s face was pale, but her hands were shaking with excitement. Yvlon looked the same.

“Dead gods. Look at it! This is a map of Albez! ”

“Are you sure?”

Yvlon looked at Ceria. The half-Elf paused.

“There should be landmarks. You’ve been there too, Yvlon. Can you see…?”

“ There. ”

The armored finger pointed down at a round building on the map. Erin craned over to see.

“That’s exactly like the ruined building that Carn Wolves use as a base sometimes, isn’t it? The one with the broken dome.”

“You’re right!”

Ceria stared at the map hungrily. Her finger traced the page.

“Look, if you see here—that’s got to be a secret room. It leads directly to what looks like a storeroom. If we could go there and verify—Olesm, do you know how valuable this is?”

The Drake nodded slowly. He smiled at Ceria, sadly, Erin thought.

“I had some idea. Look. It’s a gift. You need this, don’t you?”

“Olesm, this could be our big break.”

Erin still didn’t know what was happening. She looked from Olesm to Ceria to Yvlon and back again. Ksmvr was doing the same thing.

“What does it mean? This is good, right?”

Yvlon nodded slowly. She spoke as she studied the map.

“The Ruins of Albez are up north. They’re famous for well, being full of treasure. But most of it was cleaned out decades ago; adventuring teams can find something extremely valuable now and then, but it’s usually a fruitless effort.”

Pisces’ eyes were alight with avarice as he studied the ancient parchment.

“But if we had a map of the entire place and we knew where to search, we might find treasures never found before! It’s just a matter of hiding the fact we know as we request permission to explore and dealing with the monsters and traps there. But the potential—”

“ No one has ever had a map of the ruins before, Erin. No one.”

Ceria stared at the parchment, and her hands gripped together tightly.

“This is big. Possibly bigger than the ruins here. Because most of the traps, all of the big monsters and guardians of this dungeon are already gone. Albez was unearthed during an earthquake. So if there is treasure, it might be unguarded. And the best stuff might be waiting for us.”

She looked up at Erin, and the girl felt a shiver of excitement as she saw the look in Ceria’s eyes. There was something blazing in the depths of the half-Elf’s eyes. A look reflected across the other three adventurers, even Ksmvr.

“This could change everything.”

—-

They left after four hours. Erin had been present for all of it, letting Lyon retreat to her room and Toren clean up and wander off as she listened to the adventurers argue and talk. Olesm had left early too, and Erin wished she’d had something to say to him. He’d been gloomy, and unfortunately, Ceria had been so excited she hadn’t said more than goodbye as he’d gone.

But the adventurers were consumed with a passion that Erin had only seen once before, the last day she’d seen the Horns of Hammerad together. No; this was even greater than that, in a way. Because the treasure was out there. They knew it, and they wanted to find it first.

They borrowed money from Erin. A lot of her gold, which they promised to repay when they got back. If it meant they would come back, Erin would have given them all of it.

She offered food and supplies and even Toren, but they only took the first bit. They were heading into the city to buy as much as they could, leaving Erin in her inn.

It made her feel lonely, just a bit. Her life wasn’t like that, full of passion and danger and possibilities. Part of Erin had wanted to say ‘take me too’, but she wasn’t a killer. Or an adventurer.

But a tiny part of her wanted to be. A small bit of Erin wanted to join them, and so she was sitting at a table, head propped up on her hands, thinking.

“Maybe I can be an adventurer. I’ve got Skills.”

She had some skills. And she had two levels in the [Warrior] class. Okay, that wasn’t great, but maybe she could train?

It was a beguiling thought. Erin had never considered herself a fighter, which is why she hadn’t leveled, according to Selys. But maybe if she wanted to…

Was there an [Adventurer] class? Probably not if Ceria and Yvlon didn’t have one, but could you make a class? Erin had never thought of that before. Perhaps—

Someone knocked on her door. Erin jumped, and then realized Ceria and Yvlon hadn’t even unshuttered the windows. They’d been terribly afraid someone would find out they had the map, especially one of the Gold-rank teams.

“Coming!”

Erin went over to the door and opened it. She expected another guest, perhaps coming for dinner. But instead, she blinked and her jaw dropped when she saw the butler.

He had to be a butler. Either that, or he was the coolest-looking manservant in the world. His hair was dark and combed, his coat and leggings were dark black with a white shirt perfectly tucked beneath, and he looked at Erin with an expression of courteous expectation. Silver lined the edges of his coat, and the buttons looked like they were made of gold.

Erin stared. She felt like she’d walked out of this world, and back into England or somewhere like that. The butler stood in the trampled snow outside, as more flakes began to fall around his head.

“Miss Erin Solstice? I am a [Butler] in Lady Magnolia Reinhart’s employ.”

Even his voice sounded formal and amazingly cool. Erin had no other words for it. Just… cool.

“What? Um, what? How do you know my name?”

“I am not at liberty to say, miss. Would you care to accompany me? I have an invitation for you to join Lady Magnolia Reinhart at her estate in Invrisil.”

He stepped back, another smooth motion, and raised his hand to indicate the carriage. Erin hadn’t even seen the carriage before that. It was a dark green edged with gold, and the wheels were painted black. And it had horses that looked like ghosts.

“Wh—”

Two spectral horses stood in the snow, pawing at the ground and snorting as if they were real. But they were both a bright, golden color and shimmered with magical energy. The [Butler] inclined his head slightly.

“Lady Reinhart hopes you will accept her invitation to join her. No harm will come to you.”

“W—b— why? What does she want with me?”

Ryoka had mentioned a Lady Magnolia, hadn’t she? Had she gotten her confused with Erin? But the [Butler] didn’t seem perturbed.

“To take you to the others, of course. Lady Magnolia wishes to reunite you with your people.”

“My people? I have people? Who are my people?”

The [Butler] raised one eyebrow.

“The other people from your world. Lady Magnolia has found eight others, not including Miss Ryoka Griffin and yourself. They are gathered with her, under her protection. Would you like to meet them?”

Erin stared. And then she looked at the carriage and the magical horses. And the [Butler]. And at the carriage and horses again.

Suddenly, she wasn’t sure if Ceria and the others were the ones she should be envious of.

2.34

I walk because it still hurts to run. I move because it’s just a bit better than staying still.

But yeah. I’m in pain.

Overhead, the sky is clear for a brief window of time, exposing clear skies. But clouds are coming in fast, and there will be a blizzard before nightfall. I’m no meteorologist, but I’ve got a bunch of flying faeries that tell me this is so. And I believe them.

I’m not crazy, I swear.

Some days I think I am, actually. In the past, I was sure I was sane despite what other people thought*. Now though, I’m beginning to wonder if this is all because I’ve snapped and I’m in the straightjacket at last.

*Lots of diagnoses from people with long degrees. What all the talk of social disorders really meant was that I was an uncooperative brat who hated authority figures. I locked a therapist in his office one time and walked out with the key. Good memories.

But as I take another step in the snow, I decide that fantasy doesn’t hurt nearly as much as this reality. My entire body is—

Frankly, it feels like I’ve been hit with a car and then beaten with sticks for a few hours. I feel like curling into a ball and crying every time I move, but that would hurt even more.

The potion Teriarch gave me has worn off by now, obviously. I sort of slowed down about twenty minutes after I drank it.

I say twenty minutes, but what I really mean is this endless blur of motion – all sped up in my head, but at the time it was all moving at normal speed for me. I ran out of that battlefield, and back towards Liscor. I think I covered over fifty miles in those twenty minutes—I could be way off, but I was literally running faster than a car so who knows.

Anyways, after the potion wore off I just fell down. The faeries laughed their little asses off when I started feeling the pain from my legs, but I somehow managed to drag myself into a cave they found for me.

That’s another thing. The faeries were with me while I was running, the entire time. They were actually faster than I was—no, I don’t even think they were having a hard time keeping up. How fast are they really?

Back to the important bit. You know how you can tear muscles if you run really hard? Imagine what running that fast does to your body.

I had several healing potions in my pack before I made it to the Necromancer. They were good quality potions too. They’re gone now, and my body still hurts.

For two days I think I sat in a cave, trying to heal my torn muscles and just—just remembering. After I stopped, for a while I couldn’t even process the world around me. My mind was still too busy catching up from where I’d left it.

Fast forward to now. I finally left the damn cave and started moving again because I was feeling better, and because the faeries were getting bored and dumping snow into the cave. If I’d left it another day, I probably would have been trapped inside.

So yeah. That’s what my life has been recently. I stumble through the snow, heading back the way I’ve come. It’s a long way to Liscor, but I’ve got plenty to think about.

Like Az’kerash. The Necromancer. The battle, Wall Lord Il—whoever he was, and…

Periss.

“Damn it.”

It all happened so fast. I was a runner, and then a prisoner, and then a noncombatant in a warzone, and then…

I led them to their deaths. That was my fault. True, they were chasing me and probably going to hit me a lot and take me prisoner, but—

My fault. There’s no way to escape that. Periss might have been a loyal hound for her master, but she was also brave. And she let me go to fight what she saw as the greatest threat to her people.

The Necromancer. Az’kerash. Perril Chandler. I remember what I saw him creating, and my stomach heaves.

“Oh right. The letter.”

I pause.

“Fuck that dragon.”

I hate him so damn much. One of the faeries hears me muttering and floats down to laugh at me.

“What’s wrong? Is it not what ye expected?”

I glare at the faerie. How is it that I’ve probably talked to these floating freaks more than anyone else in this world or—most of my life?

“When I get told to deliver—no, when a Dragon casts a spell on me to do a delivery and pays me nearly a thousand gold pieces to send something to a legendary Necromancer, I expect it to be important.”

“ Hah! ”

The faerie laughs in my face. She flips upwards and settles on my head. For some reason they really like sitting there. I’m not sure if she’s one I’ve talked to before; I think she is, but I’m not being racist when I say they really all do look alike. It’s hard to make out frozen features on minutiae, alright?

“If it was important, the Dragon would have used magic, fool! But he had no wish to break through the dead raiser’s wards and he wished to be polite. More fool you for thinking what ye carried was valuable.”

I grit my teeth, but she has a point. If Teriarch can alter memory and disguise himself as a Human – and if he can teleport me all the way back to Celum in a few seconds – he really doesn’t need even the best Couriers.

Polite damn Dragons. Who would have guessed?

“Fine. Whatever. Get off my head. You’re giving me a headache.”

“Ooh, and what will you do if I don’t?”

I raise my finger and point it at the faerie.

“[Flashlight].”

For a second the world around me lights up, and the faerie shouts in surprise. I grin as she takes off; swearing in what sounds like…Welsh? Their accents seem to vary between faeries, which is odd, but not so much if you assume they occupied different parts of Europe. I could swear I heard one of the faeries talking with a German accent, but they might have just been messing with my head.

But of course, any action against faeries prompts a greater or equal reaction. She dumps snow on my head. I swear and flash her again.

With my finger. It shines into the sky, so bright I can see the beam even in the light of the day. It turns out that I can adjust the intensity of the light very well, and so I blind the faerie again.

“Ye daft bugger!”

She flies around erratically, as I shine my light at her, and then she stops, flies back on my head, and grins at me.

“Ah, well. ‘Twas quite a good surprise!”

That’s faeries for you. Insult them a bit and they’ll hound you, but do something like that and they just regard it as a bit of fun. I’m starting to understand them more, but they always surprise me a bit. The faerie on my head doesn’t even seem to mind the light anymore. I frown at her as I walk on, trying to substitute the pain in my head by thinking about faeries.

“Did you just turn off your eyes or something?”

“What? Are ye stupid? Nae. I just saw past the light, ‘tis all.”

“…I see.”

Multiple layers of vision? Obviously a faerie might have access to all kinds of spectrums of light. But even that might be too simple; she could very well just ignore the light on my wavelength if she wanted to. Huh.

A tiny head lowers into my line of sight as the faerie grins at me.

“If you really wanted to surprise us, ye’d do better to make the loud sound and noise along with the light!”

“What? Oh—you mean the [Flashbang] spell.”

That was a good one. I had no idea I could do it, but while I was in the cave I started experimenting with the two spells I did know. [Noise] and [Light]. My reasoning was that if I could alter the [Light] spell with some work, why not the [Noise] spell? Hell, why not combine the two?

A day and a half later, and two aching eardrums prove I’m right. The burst of noise and sound isn’t exactly like being hit by a real life stun grenade—and there’s a whole lot less death and injury since this is just light and sound, not actual explosive force like the damn things people use, ‘non-lethal’ my ass—but it works.

Sound and light. Light and sound, just amplified. It’s the easiest thing to remember, especially if you’ve actually seen a flash bang go off*.

*Yeah. Police drug raids, wild party, and I wasn’t actually doing drugs. But try explaining that to a bunch of officers tearing up the place. The one time my father’s connections actually bailed me out of trouble I didn’t start.

It’s a great spell, and I can see how useful it would have been with all those soldiers. Hell, it might have slowed Periss enough—well, the [Flashlight] spell works well enough just to blind people. The [Flashbang] spell is a bit more intensive, and it hits me as well which is a major problem. Since I can’t move the [Noise] spell, it’s always set to friendly fire which sucks. And there’s one more problem.

“I feel sick after using that spell just once. I don’t have the mana to keep using it.”

“Weakling.”

I glare up at the faerie dangling her cold legs on my forehead.

“As far as I understand it, magic isn’t something I can actively train myself to have more of, unless I want to alter my body somehow. What I have is what I get and I’m grateful for that. Unless you know something about magic that I don’t?”

I’m sure they do. For all I hate these faeries at times, they’re a damn goldmine of information. If they choose to share it.

Which this faerie does not. She sniffs at me, arrogant as a queen despite the fact that she’s naked and tiny.

“Of course we know how magic works. But why should we tell you? And how would you understand? Would ye explain breathing to a rock?”

“I’d give it a shot. And I could try to understand your view of magic. Unless you don’t understand your powers enough to explain it in the first place, that is?”

The faerie pauses, and I think I’ve got her. But then she laughs, clear and bright as a bell. She takes off, and a few more of her friends fly down to laugh at me as well.

“Ooh, look. The plaything is trying to be clever. Take this!”

They flick their fingers at me and I flinch. But no snow appears. I frown, take a step—

And slip on the ice patch they’ve just created. I crash to the ground, swearing as they laugh and sit on my side as I struggle to get up.

Faeries. But I guess I deserved that? Wait a second, no I didn’t. I just asked a damn question about magic. Screw their opinions about what I should or should not be allowed to learn.

But each time I talk to them, I swear it’s worth it. Bruises and all.

Plaything. That was another word they kept using. Once the faeries have stopped laughing I ask them about it.

“What do you mean when you call me ‘plaything’? I’ve heard you call me that before. Whose plaything am I? Teriarch’s?”

Huh. That makes the faeries stop laughing. They exchange a look, and I watch them. Then one of the faeries shakes her head.

“As if the Dragon would bother with you. Nae, ye are a plaything of greater powers still. But you don’t even know what ye’ve given up, do you?”

“Given up? What do you mean?”

“Ach. How would we explain it? What good can a slave do with the chains on their neck? But you put it on willingly, didn’t ye?”

She looks at her companions and shakes her head again.

“Your…classes, fool! Your levels and foolish things. You are a plaything, and you know not what that means or who plays this game.”

And there it is. Part of the mystery, right there if only I was smart enough to put all the pieces together. I frown, but then I notice the faerie’s expression. She’s…glaring at me. So are the others.

Hm. They really, really don’t like this subject. And I can see they’re getting ready to either fly off or do something nasty to me, not just prank me.

So I look her in the eye and shake my head.

“ I’m no plaything.”

“Liar!”

“Lies, you are all playthings! Ignorant slaves!”

“You cannot hide the truth!”

Okay, now they’re pissed. The faeries fly around me, and more of them come down. They look angry.

Faeries. Quick to change emotions. And dangerous. I gulp, but hold my hands up.

“I’m telling the truth. I have no classes and no skills. I never leveled. I chose not to.”

They freeze. One of the faeries squints at me.

“Truly?”

“Can’t you tell?”

They hesitate, and then shake their heads reluctantly. Huh. Seems like that’s one of the things faeries can’t do. One of them, the first one, I think, floats closer and eyes me suspiciously.

“Do not try to trick us, mortal. Tell us plain: do you have levels? Did ye accept the power of this world?”

I look her straight in the eye. If ever this was a time to be honest…

“I swear it. I swear it on the water, by the grass and earth and sky and on my name. I swear it by honor and life itself.”

I’m not sure if those are the right words. I don’t know any faerie oaths and I’ve forgotten any famous ones in the moment. But it seems to work. The faeries exchange a glance and then look at me. one speaks.

“That is…good. And interesting. It changes much, Human.”

“And nothing.”

Another one mutters that. Some faeries nod and others shake their heads. For the first time I see them start to argue, but then they look at me. Almost all of them fly out of earshot and the first one—I think it’s still her—remains.

“Would you like to explain any of that?”

She lifts her small nose up at me.

“‘Tis for us to discuss. We will tell you if you need to hear it.”

“Thanks.”

I sigh. Faeries. Secrets. It’s not as if I’m not used to this already. I glance over my shoulder the way I’ve come. A long, open stretch of snow is behind me, and a small forest seems to be ahead.

“Damn it. Do you at least know where I am? Am I even headed back to Liscor?”

She hesitates, and then nods stiffly.

“You go the right way, Human. You and others march towards the city that floods.”

Wait, what? Two parts of that sentence bother me.

“Me and others? What do you mean?”

She squints behind me. I look over my shoulder, but I don’t see anything. But the faerie does.

“‘Tis a great column of the children of Dragons and the walking dogs following your trail. About a day’s journey behind.”

Oh no. My heart begins beating faster again. I remember Ilvriss and the other one. Zel-something.

“Do you know which army it is? Is it the one who captured me, or the other one?”

She shrugs. Well of course faeries don’t care about mortal affairs. She eyes me as I try to pick up the pace.

“Ye know we will not interfere in mortal affairs.”

“I know. But you seem to interfere a lot in my life.”

She shrugs as she floats by my head.

“Some rules may be broken. Some may not. But we speak to you now because your life is not in danger. We will not save ye if you were to fall off a cliff, say. We do not interfere with death.”

For a second her eyes are ancient again. I shiver.

“Because of the price? Or because it’s forbidden?”

“All things have a price. Ye would do well to remember that.”

Silence follows that statement. I mean, what the hell do I say to that? I clear my throat as I try and force my legs to move faster.

“Well. Ah, I will remember. But thank you for helping me before. With everything.”

I wonder if they broke the rules a bit to help me get to Az’kerash? True, I might not have been in danger of dying until I got in sight of the castle, but—

The faerie eyes me as if she can see inside my head. And if she can see on different planes, why not? But she nods.

“You are a curious mortal. Almost interesting, even though ye art a fool.”

“This mortal does have a name, you know. My name is Ryoka Griffin.”

“Good for it.”

I glare at the faerie. But part of me actually wants her to know my name. This is not like the phone call with the person who wanted to scry on us or Teriarch. This is a faerie. I want her to remember my name and—

“What’s your name?”

I look at the faerie, and realize I’ve never asked. I thought faeries didn’t even have names, but perhaps they do. She looks at me.

“Why should I tell you? Names are important and not to be thrown around lightly, Ryoka Griffin. ”

Damn. Was that a mistake? But they can find me and mess with me even without a name. I shrug.

“I’m just curious.”

“Curiosity has killed many cats. Few come back. Besides, ye would never pronounce it.”

“Try me.”

The faerie stares at me archly as I raise an eyebrow at her. Okay, it’s clichéd, but faeries don’t know modern tropes and taunting them often works. She opens her mouth, hesitates, and then vanishes.

“What?”

I blink. One second she’s there, the next…wind and silence. Why? Did I bother her that much? Did I offend her by asking for her name?

Faeries. Let’s see. Names…ah, they’re bad to give to faeries. But I told her my first and last name, and my first name is in kanji, so that would make it difficult for her to control me. I don’t even think they’re that evil, but I didn’t mention my middle name either.

Maybe it’s just because she didn’t want to answer? But even when they get snippy they still talk. So what—?

Hold on. Hold on. The faeries don’t disappear except in one case. When they can’t interf—

I look around. I’ve kept walking as I talked to the faeries. Hell, it’s practically my default state of motion. I’ve gone a small ways into the forest, and the trees were sparsely planted so I have plenty of room to walk between them. All is silent, and I don’t even see any animals.

…And neither do I hear any birds, which I would expect to hear in a place like this. Even in the winter there should be some around.

Immediately I lower my stance. My body’s sore, but it can move. I can cast [Flashbang] if need be, but I have no more potions or bags. I look around warily. Nothing but trees, and yet the faeries are gone.

“I know someone’s out there. Come out!”

Silence. Even the wind is still. I look around.

“Show yourself!”

For a few seconds I’m tense, waiting. I can’t see anything that makes me think there’s someone nearby, but now my skin is crawling and I’m sure there is something there.

And then someone steps out behind a tree that seems far too slim to hide them. A Gnoll walks out from behind the brown, snowy bark, holding a bow in her hands.

She was so invisible that my heart skips a few beats when she moves. I flinch, but if she’d wanted to kill me, she would have while I was standing around like an idiot. The Gnoll is wearing only a few garments despite the cold, and her breath clouds the air. She nods at me, gravely.

“Mrr. Ryoka Griffin. I am Hekra of the Stone Spears Tribe.”

Her bow is lowered, and I relax when I hear what tribe she’s from. I smile at her.

“Sorry. I was wary—are you out hunting?”

“Hunting, yes. But not for game. There are none to be found.”

Some Gnolls are taciturn, but Hekra seems more distracted than anything else. Her eyes flick around the forest, and then to me.

“Were you talking with the Winter Sprites?”

I frown. What’s this?

“Yes. I was. Were you expecting something else to be nearby?”

She shrugs.

“I am not sure. There is something in the wind.”

Hekra hesitates, and then points out of the forest, east and to the north.

“It is dangerous to be alone. Our tribe’s camp is that way. I will take you there. Follow.”

I nod, and the Gnoll begins to walk through the snow. Not fast; in fact, she’s silent as she moves through the trees, despite the landscape. I feel like an ox as I blunder after her in my heavy shoes. And her head is scanning left and right as she moves, and her ears are twitching.

She’s listening for something. And looking. For what? A monster? Enemies?

I don’t know, but I frown as I walk after her and try to keep silent. The faeries reappear slowly as I continue moving. Perhaps they didn’t know if Hekra had been a threat or not either. Good to know they’re not omniscient. But their sudden disappearance and the news of the army following me bug me. Almost as much as Hekra’s own wariness.

Is there something out here? Something else? I follow the Gnoll as she leads me towards her tribe’s camp. And now I’m listening as well.

Where have all the animals gone?

—-

“There is nothing out here.”

Ilvriss snapped at Zel as the two Drakes marched through the snow, at the center of a huge column of soldiers and prisoners. Zel Shivertail wondered if he could ignore the other Drake, but politeness dictated he reply. Plus, Ilvriss would remember any slight.

“I’m sure there isn’t. but this is the way the Human Runner went, and I want to follow for a bit.”

Wall Lord Ilvriss glared at Zel. He was a prisoner, as was the bulk of his army. They’d surrendered fast after Zel had charged their lines and they’d realized their leader had been captured. Now Zel was marching with a huge number of them captive among his lines.

He wasn’t worried about the prisoners trying to stage an escape or attacking in his army’s sleep. For one thing, his soldiers were on alert and for another, it would violate the laws of war and Ilvriss’ own sense of honor. Say what you would about the Lord of the Wall, but the Drake was honorable. He’d as soon break the rules of warfare as he would cut off his own tail.

That was also why Ilvriss was marching next to Zel in the snow. He’d even been allowed to keep his armor; it was cold, he needed his dignity, and without his sword Zel could trounce him with one claw tied behind his back.

None of that improved Ilvriss’ mood.

“This is pointless, Shivertail. We should be headed back to your damn alliance cities so I can be ransomed. You are wasting time following a Human who is long gone.”

“She can’t have gotten that far.”

“Oh, really?”

Ilvriss made a sound that in a lesser Drake would have been called a snort. Zel thought of it a snort anyways.

“Didn’t you see her escape? At that speed—”

“At that speed, I’d be surprised if she could sustain it for more than five minutes. And afterwards, she’d have to rest. Potion or not, there are limits to what bodies can handle.”

“The Human’s tracks might be there, but she is still a Runner. She is far faster than this slow army.”

“True, but I want to head this way anyways.”

“Why?”

“Curiosity. She helped me win the battle, if you don’t recall? And there is also the matter of Periss and the soldiers you sent after her.”

Ilvriss looked at Zel out of the corner of one eye. He and Zel hadn’t talked much aside from the ritual offer of surrender and a few short acerbic conversations while they were marching. He shrugged.

“She disappeared. She must have lost the battle.”

“You can’t believe that.”

Zel knew Lord Ilvriss, and he also knew Periss. The very idea that she would have lost a fight to the girl named Ryoka Griffin was ridiculous, and both generals knew it. But Ilvriss just shook his head.

“I will not speculate. I will investigate this matter when I am restored to my city with all the power and resources I have, however. The city we are marching away from as we speak.”

Well, that didn’t bode well for the Human. Zel sighed.

“We can go this way until we hit the main road. Then we’ll start moving south. A day or two of detouring won’t slow us, unless you have another army waiting in ambush?”

Ilvriss shook his head.

“Would I need one? My army would have defeated yours easily. If—”

“Yes, yes.”

Zel ignored the Wall Lord as he walked ahead. He’d deployed heavy scouts ahead of his main army. He didn’t know why, but his instincts were telling him to do so.

He was no [Tactician] or even a [Strategist]. Zel had ranks in the [Commander] class, but only that. In truth, he was a [General] who led from the front and he did his best fighting when he trusted his gut.

And his gut told him there was something else. Not just the Human; she was interesting and possibly important, but there was another presence in these empty forests and highlands.

Zel tightened his fist and silently assessed his condition. His army might be battered, but they were more than capable of managing the prisoners and Ilvriss. With him, they were more than a match for any army a city-state might field, with the exception of the Liscorian army and a few others. But Liscor had sent their mercenaries far to the south. So what was making him so uneasy?

He didn’t know. But Zel ordered the pace to be picked up. The supply lines could damn well catch up later. He had a mystery to solve.

He hated mysteries. This foreboding he felt reminded him of the Antinium and if it was them—

No Hives were allowed to be constructed outside of the six already present on the continent. Even then, they weren’t allowed to expand past certain borders. It wasn’t beyond belief though that the Antinium might hide something this far out here. How else would the girl have made Periss vanish like that?

It was an outside chance. But if it wasn’t the Antinium out here, he wanted to know what it was.

And if it was an unauthorized Hive…Zel’s claws clenched. If it was, it would mean another Antinium War.

He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. But he had to investigate. So Zel marched onwards, wondering. Listening.

What was it?

—-

Ryoka walked into the Stone Spears camp, smiling as she saw Urksh, the Chieftain of the tribe, standing at one of the huge bonfires the Gnolls liked to make. But that smile faded as she took in the camp.

It was not the same place she had left.

Before, the camp had been sprawling chaos, but organized for all of that. Children had run around freely, and Gnolls had been at work performing various tasks.

Now though, the camp looked like it was under lockdown. The children were nowhere to be seen, but Ryoka thought they were in the tents. Gnolls with bows and spears stood at the edges of the camp, and groups of them moved into the camp and out of it, talking with Urksh before heading out again.

Something was clearly wrong, and Ryoka jogged over.

“Urksh.”

He looked at her.

“Ryoka Griffin. I am pleased to see you well. But this is a bad time for greetings. Forgive me if I do not offer you all the hospitality.”

“No. That’s fine. But what’s wrong?”

Urksh nodded to Hekra and she trotted off to join a group of hunters heading out. Urksh watched them go and shook his head before he looked at Ryoka.

“Mrsha. She is missing.”

A hole opened up in Ryoka’s stomach. She stared at Urksh.

“How?”

He shrugged.

“We do not know. This morning she went out to help gather plants from beneath the snow. She wandered from the gatherer with her and we have not seen her.”

“She just left? Did anyone hear anything?”

“No. But that is not uncommon. Young cubs, they wander a mile or two away to help or play.”

That seemed like a risky way of looking after children, but Urksh explained.

“Even if they are a ways away, children may howl. And we take care that they do not enter places where any monsters may lurk. She was only gone for a few minutes, but when the caretaker searched, she was nowhere to be found.”

“Wouldn’t she have said where she was going?”

Urksh shook his head. Ryoka knew she was asking all the stupid questions, but she had to. Her stomach was beginning to churn. Mrsha? It seemed like just yesterday she’d seen the Gnoll rolling in the snow and following her about.

“Mrsha is different, no? She is healthy, yet she does not speak though her throat is undamaged.”

“Is she mute?”

The Gnoll looked at Ryoka, confused. Did they not have mute Gnolls? She shook her head.

“Can she make any sounds?”

Urksh nodded.

“Yelping, growls. Small sounds. She is young, but even children can howl. That we have not heard her is worrying.”

It was a terrible question, but Ryoka had to ask.

“…Could she have gotten hurt? Injured? If a monster—”

The Gnoll instantly shook his head, which made Ryoka feel better.

“If she was attacked, she would have made a sound, no? And if she were dead, we would smell blood. No. Something scared her as she was wandering. That, or else she went looking for something.”

There was an inflection in his tone that made Ryoka hesitate.

“Something? What kind of thing?”

The Gnoll Chieftain did not immediately respond. He looked towards the sky. It was just past midday, but the storm clouds the faeries had warned Ryoka about were closing in.

“A smell in the air. It is faint. And it may be nothing, but some of our hunters feel as though they are being watched.”

He looked at Ryoka.

“Normally we would have more searching. But the miners, they are not back, no? We have not the numbers to mount a search.”

He was worried. Ryoka could tell in the way he changed his manner of speech. Gnolls usually said ‘yes’ at the end of sentences, but they only used ‘no’ when they were upset or angry.

“You can’t get in contact with them?”

He hesitated.

“We may howl, but they are a few day’s journey away. If we do not find Mrsha before the storm comes…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. If there were tracks, or…a body, they would be covered by the deep snow. And even if the young Gnoll was alive, could she survive that cold a night?

“Forgive me Ryoka. I must go lead another search. We are combing the mountains where she was.”

Urksh bowed to Ryoka and began to walk off. She didn’t even think. Ryoka caught Urksh’s arm as he started to leave the camp with other hunters.

“Let me help. I can run, and I owe your tribe a debt.”

The Gnoll looked at her, and then nodded.

“You are limping. We have a poultice. Use it and then join us. We will need to move quickly before light fades.”

He loped off, and Ryoka stared around the campsite. High in the air, the Frost Faeries hovered, watching.

“Do you—?”

Ryoka bit her lip. They wouldn’t answer. Mortal affairs. She shook her head and moved towards one of the tents. Healing poultice, and then she would run. As fast and as far as she could. She owed the Gnolls a debt.

More than that, she wanted to see Mrsha’s face again. But a small part of Ryoka was whispering in fear, and she had to push the voice back.

Let it not be so. It was just an accident, a lost Gnoll. Nothing more.

Everything would be fine.

—-

Ryoka ran through a forest, Gnolls spreading out around her. They ran in a curious bounding motion across the snowy landscape, separating so that each Gnoll could cover a large patch of land.

Normally Ryoka wasn’t anywhere near as fast as a Gnoll, with her heavy winter clothing and boots. But she’d abandoned all of that to give herself some more speed and mobility. She’d wrapped her feet in fur and bound it to her legs instead of boots and she was down to her shirt and pants.

It was risky, and Ryoka could feel the chill in the air. But so long as she got back to the Gnoll’s camp she would be fine.

And she needed to move fast.

“ Mrsha! ”

Ryoka shouted as she ran through the forest. Frost Faeries flew around her, their translucent forms for once lacking the vibrant energy they normally possessed. They flew over Ryoka’s head, silent, watching. She ran, paused, and called out again.

“ Mrsha! Can you hear me? ”

Around her, Ryoka could hear faint howls in the distance. The Gnolls were calling out for Mrsha in their own way, pausing to listen. But they clearly heard nothing, because they howled again from different spots a few minutes later.

Where could she be? Urksh had said she was gathering a plant which grew high up on the slopes, and yet the Gnoll child could have ranged down the side of the mountain or in the forests. Normally the adult Gnoll would have smelled or found her instantly, but for some reason she’d disappeared.

She knew not to wander far off, and she would have made a sound if she was attacked. So then why had she gone so far away? Ryoka’s mind was racing as she ran and called out, and each suspicion she had was worse than the last.

“ Mrsha! ”

The small Gnoll had light brown fur and an inquisitive, curious face. She had always been poking around in Ryoka’s things or touching the Human girl while she was in camp. At first it had been annoying, and then it had been almost relaxing. The Gnoll child was unafraid of Ryoka, and she’d enjoyed bothering the girl.

Ryoka wished she could feel that small claw poking into her back.

“ Mrsha! If you can hear me, call out! ”

Was there magic she could use? Ryoka ran out of the forest and up a slope, looking for places where a young Gnoll might have tripped or fallen. Pitfalls, a subterranean cave entrance, a Shield Spider nest—Urksh said they’d cleared out all of the nests nearby and marked the ones that they hadn’t, but could Mrsha have fallen into one?

Surely the Gnolls would have checked. She would ask when she got back. Ryoka ran up the slope, ignoring the way her feet slipped and legs cramped up.

The mountain was silent. It loomed overhead, higher and higher, the snow gradually giving away and revealing rock the higher you looked. No sane person would climb that mountain. But would a young Gnoll do that if she was afraid?

Afraid of what?

Ryoka ran upwards, calling out. Frost Faeries flew around her as Ryoka shouted, waiting, hoping for a reply.

But no one answered.

—-

“Rest. You must rest, Ryoka Griffin. Eat this.”

Ryoka looked up. Urksh was offering her something. She reached up and found he had a bone with cooked meat on it. She took it and bit, ignoring the heat and bloodiness of the food.

She wanted to keep moving, but her body had grown too tired. And the Gnolls had come back to camp, most of them, anyways. Ryoka had gone back to see if anyone had found Mrsha, but they had not.

They hadn’t found anything.

Forest. River. The frozen lake. The higher passes. Even the few caves they knew of, both inhabited and not. The Gnoll [Hunters] and other adults had scoured each location, even travelling further than they thought Mrsha could move. But they hadn’t found any tracks or signs of her. And that was telling, because the girl would have left some fur or traces of her passing, wouldn’t she?

And now the mood in the camp had changed again. Instead of the subdued panic Ryoka had sensed earlier, now the Gnolls were silent. Completely so. The [Hunters] still conferred, but there were less of them going out to search. They had few spots left to cover.

They were giving up hope.

Urksh sat with Ryoka by one of the fires as she ate mechanically. She looked at him.

“I’ll head out again after this. Give me a few minutes.”

“You must rest. It would not do to lose you. It is beginning to snow.”

He was right. Dusk had set in, and with it, the storm had finally arrived. Thick flakes were beginning to fall from the sky, and they were only the beginning. Soon, wind and snowfall would make visibility impossible. And then—

Ryoka’s hand tightened on the bone and she nearly burned herself. She let go and wiped her hand on her pants.

“She’s not lost yet. There are places we haven’t looked. Higher in the mountains, perhaps.”

Urksh shook his head.

“She knows that there is death up there. She would not go unless she was desperate.”

“And if she was?”

His gaze was steady as he met Ryoka’s burning stare.

“If she was, she would know that there are many deep crevasses. If she fell into one, we would never hear her or catch her scent. If she survived the fall.”

Ryoka looked away and clenched her fist. Urksh looked at the sky.

“We do not think it is that. Only a monster would chase her so far, and most are too smart to go high up. The ones in the mountain are large enough to spot and smell…but another might have caught her.”

She looked at him. Urksh stared into the fire. He had searched longer than most, as long as Ryoka, and dark sweat still stained his fur.

“A Wyvern can grab even an adult up in seconds. If it swooped down, it would take only seconds.”

Ryoka stared at Urksh. But she saw the same expression on his face. Gnolls were practical. They would keep looking, but if they didn’t find her by tomorrow, then realistically Mrsha would probably be dead.

Humans might look for far longer than that, in hopes of finding a miracle or the remains. But Gnolls had to face facts or die in the wilderness.

“She’s not lost yet.”

“No. And we will search for her until we have lost all hope.”

He stood. Ryoka hesitated, and stood with him.

“Magic?”

If they had any, they would have used it. Urksh shook his head.

“Our [Shaman] knows no spells that will aid us. He can heal and fight but little more.”

“A beacon, then. If she’s just lost, maybe we can show her the way back. I have a spell that might—”

Again the Gnoll shook his head.

“She knows where we are camped. And we should not draw too much attention to ourselves. Not tonight.”

He looked at her.

“There is something in the mountains. We have sensed it.”

Ryoka nodded. She had too. She pointed, and the Gnoll looked up.

“The Frost Faeries seem to think there’s something out there too. They disappeared when I met Hekra—I think they were expecting something else. They won’t help if someone’s life is in danger, and there’s that army…”

She’d told Urksh about the army coming this way when she’d remembered. He’d simply shrugged. Gnoll Tribes had their own peace treaties, and the Stone Spears had no issues with any Drakes at the moment.

“If there is something we will fight or flee. We have watchers and there is nowhere to hide in this flat space. But we dare not send the entire tribe out to look any longer.”

Ryoka nodded.

“I’ll keep looking. Don’t worry about sending someone with me.”

Urksh looked at her directly.

“You will not find her by searching the same places again, Ryoka Griffin. Do not waste your strength.”

Ryoka bent down and tried to tie the wrappings around her feet even tighter. She’d begun to get frostbite by the time she’d returned, but she’d been able to run far faster like this. It was worth the pain, especially since she could use the healing poultice.

“I have to look.”

“If you had a location, I would go with you myself. But this is a vast wilderness. Who will tell you where she has gone?”

She tried to ignore the voice of reason. Gritting her teeth, Ryoka bent to touch her toes and tried to stretch.

“I don’t know. I just have to h—”

She paused. Who would help her search? Gnolls were experts in this terrain. The Stone Spears knew every spot in the area. Who would be better at tracking than they were? Who could see—?

Her eyes travelled upwards.

The Frost Faeries. They’d been so silent as Ryoka searched. They hadn’t disappeared, but they hadn’t said anything. Normally they’d be showering Ryoka with remarks and jokes, but now they were just watching.

Perhaps they were worried about Mrsha too. They liked children. But maybe there was more to it than that.

“We are forbidden to help in mortal affairs.”

Ryoka said the words very quietly. Urksh looked at her, and another Gnoll’s ears twitched across the camp.

“What do you mean by these words, Ryoka Griffin?”

The faeries weren’t looking at Ryoka. They were staring elsewhere, but she knew they knew she was watching them. And their eyes were good. They could sense an army on the move a day away, and they’d known when the hiding Gnoll was there. They could see through a Necromancer’s enchantments, and even a Dragon’s.

“They know.”

All the Gnolls looked up. The Frost Faeries stared down, faces expressionless as Ryoka pointed at them.

“I want to speak with you.”

One flew down. Urksh’s eyes narrowed and he squinted just to the left of the faerie, but Ryoka just stared grimly at the faerie as she flew in front of the Human girl and the Gnoll Chieftain.

“What do you want, mortal?”

“You know where Mrsha is, don’t you?”

The faerie looked at Ryoka silently. Her face wasn’t filled with mirth or mischief or any of her normal range of emotions. It was old again. Old and timeless and terribly dispassionate.

“What if we do?”

“Tell me where she is.”

The faerie shook her head.

“This is no concern of ours, mortal. And we are bound not to interfere with your lives.”

“Tell me.”

Urksh looked at Ryoka. She remembered that he couldn’t see her. She looked at him.

“They know.”

Instantly, the Gnoll grabbed for the faerie, but she just flew around his hands and froze his paws. He growled , but suddenly all the faeries were around the Gnoll. The other Gnolls in the camp had seized their weapons, but they hesitated as the central fire and then all the fires in the Gnoll camp suddenly went out.

There was a dangerous look on the faeries’ faces.

“We are not bound by your rules, but ours, mortal. And ours are ancient as time itself. We do not interfere with your concerns.”

“What if I offered you a trade? Something worth breaking the rules?”

Ryoka had no idea what that could be. But she was desperate. The Frost Faerie looked at her and shook her head.

“You have naught that would suffice. And the price is too much for you to bear.”

Urksh hissed as he cracked the ice on his fur. He looked at Ryoka.

“What do they say?”

“We don’t have anything they want. And Urksh—I think they’re not allowed to help us.”

He shook his head and stared at the faeries.

“We cannot force them?”

The faeries stared at Urksh dispassionately. Ryoka shook her head hard, noting the other Gnolls and the bows they were not quite raising.

“Don’t try. Please. They might do a lot of damage to you, and I’m not even sure you can hurt them.”

Urksh stared hard at the faeries, but eventually nodded. Bows were lowered, but the expression remained. Now everyone was staring at the faeries, and they were watching Ryoka. Silently.

“There has to be something I can offer. Something you want.”

“You have nothing you can give us, Human.”

And if a faerie said it, it was probably true. But Ryoka couldn’t leave it like this.

She turned away from the faeries. Not to leave; but to pace. Urksh watched her silently as Ryoka walked back and forth.

Think. Think of faeries. They made deals. They never gave anything without asking for that much or more in return. They…honored their word.

None of this could help. Not if they didn’t want to make a deal. Or couldn’t.

“Stories?”

But stories weren’t enough. Not for a life. Not if this was what Ryoka thought it was. Think. What could she do to faeries? Nothing. She was like dust in the wind compared to them. She had nothing to threaten them. Nothing to offer them. Then, what did they want?

Ryoka looked up. Faeries. She had nothing to give them, but they were still faeries.

“Do you want Mrsha to die? Is that why you’re not helping?”

Urksh stirred. He looked at the faeries. They stirred too. And now there was anger in their expressions. The temperature in the air lowered again, and Ryoka began to shiver uncontrollably as one floated closer to her, eyes narrowed.

“Do you think we are Sluagh, mortal? Do ye think we delight in the suffering and death of innocents? Nae. We are no Redcaps nor Finfolk to delight in death of children. We are not monsters . Speak carefully lest ye offend us.”

It was hard, so hard to meet the small gaze in front of her. But Ryoka did it. She spoke to the faerie defiantly.

“But you’d let a child die.”

“Because there are rules. ”

The faerie hissed at Ryoka, and the girl felt parts of her face go numb from the intense cold around her. The faerie was like an avatar of frost, a thing of primordial, endless cold.

“But you could help.”

“You have nothing to offer.”

“But you want to help, don’t you?”

And the faerie hesitated. Just for a second. Ryoka went on, speaking quickly.

“We have nothing to offer, but if there is a price, I’ll pay it.”

Urksh interrupted.

“We will. The Stone Spears will bear any price for our young.”

He couldn’t have known the other side of the conversation, but he put a paw on Ryoka’s shoulder and gripped her hard. She nodded at him.

The faerie was silent for a long time. She stared back at her fellows, and then looked at Ryoka. And there was something else in her expression. A bit of sadness?

“You do not know what you offer. The price is too great, mortals. Do not ask.”

“Please.”

Ryoka bowed her head, bowed in front of the faeries. Urksh did the same. Across the camp, she sensed Gnolls doing likewise. The faeries floated above her head, silent judges.

“The price is always the same. Life for life. Death for death. And even if there is not death, you ask much of the fates.”

Fate. The word sent a chill down Ryoka’s spine. Was this all fated? She was too afraid to ask.

“Please. Give her a chance. I’m asking you—as one who called the fae her friend. As someone who needs help. Please. For a child. For life.”

The wind began to pick up. Overhead, the snow began to fall harder. The faerie glowed in the darkness, but not with any light to chase away the horrors of the night. The glow she gave off was terrible and beautiful, but it was not kind.

“Very well. So it is agreed. We promise nothing, but we will offer you a chance.”

Ryoka looked up. Urksh stared at her as she stood.

“What do we need to do?”

“Only follow. And only you.”

She pointed at Ryoka. The girl hesitated, and turned to Urksh.

“I need to go alone. They’ll take me to her.”

He grabbed her. The old Gnoll’s eyes were full of fear, but also hope.

“Go. Please. And take this—”

He hurried inside a tent, barking orders. Gnolls scattered, and then one came towards Ryoka holding a torch. It was wood coated with resin, and the Gnoll muttered words to get it to light. He must have been the [Shaman].

Urksh came out of the tent holding bottles. Potions. He handed them to Ryoka.

“For healing. Take. And this.”

He gave her something else. Ryoka stared at it.

“What is this? A rope?”

He nodded as he helped store it in Ryoka’s pack. The rope was unlike the gear she had seen Gnolls use. It was long and thin and light, and it seemed to coil itself naturally as Ryoka put it into her equipment.

“It is magical. It will stretch a long ways. If you go where I fear, you will need it.”

Another Gnoll came over with a fur coat, and another, small enough for a child. It was hard to wrestle them into her pack, but Ryoka discarded her clothes and everything she didn’t need to make room.

“I’ll go. I don’t know what the faeries will ask or if I might fail. This is like—”

She hesitated. It reminded Ryoka a bit of an old Greek myth, like the tale of Orpheus. Quests involving life and death always ended badly. But she had to try.

“—It could be bad. If I don’t return, don’t send anyone after me.”

Urksh nodded. He grasped Ryoka by the shoulders.

“Go. With all our hopes. Save her, we beg of you.”

He lowered his head. Ryoka grabbed his arm and squeezed it once. Then she turned. The faeries were still floating overhead, watching.

“I’m ready.”

“Follow, then. And quickly. May ye not regret your choice.”

With that, the faerie flew off. North, towards the mountain. Ryoka didn’t hesitate. She ran after them, as fast as she could. She ran across the open plain, picking up speed, and then uphill as the land began to rise.

The air grew colder around her, and the snow began to fall harder. Soon it would be too cold for all but the most determined to survive. Yet even that could not match the cold in Ryoka’s heart. A pit of fear held itself in her stomach, but her body was burning. Exhaustion fled. She ran. She ran with more force in her step than she had put in anything before.

She saw a young Gnoll in her mind, and knew that she could not fail. Ryoka ran on, and overhead the faeries watched her slow progress with eyes that beheld immortality.

In the distance, Zel Shivertail’s army marched onwards, ignoring sense which told the [General] to make camp. His scouts had seen the bonfires in the distance, and even if they had gone out, he was sure he could find the Gnoll tribe. He marched on, listening to the wind and the sound of the foreboding in his heart.

And high above the rest, watching from a distant place, something twisted the Gnoll [Hunter]’s head around and lowered the dead Gnoll to the ground. The other Gnolls lay where they had fallen, arrows sprouting from their bodies, magic-torn wounds gaping open and steaming for only seconds in the cold air.

Dark shadows stood on the cliff, watching as the faint fires of the Stone Spears tribe were rekindled. They looked out, and more shapes moved. Hundreds of them. Thousands. The night was filled with shadows, and as the blizzard began to engulf the land in earnest, the dark shape stood. It bit into the Gnoll and ripped flesh away, chewing.

And then the Gnoll slowly sat up. Lifeless eyes stared at the one who had brought it back, and the Gnoll stood with its fellows.

Waiting. And the blizzard consumed everything and the girl ran on, hoping, praying.

She would not fail. She could not. But the word whispered in her ears again. The word of despair and madness. The word to shatter all hopes and dreams. The word of playthings. The word that meant she could do nothing.

It whispered to her, spoke to her. Haunted her steps.

Fate.

2.35

My heart is beating out of my chest. My legs are burning.

I am fit. I think. No—I know that I’m in good shape. Better than good shape. If you compared me with any athlete from my world, you would find—

My suspicions don’t matter right now. But I know this: I am at the peak of my ability in this world, despite all that has passed. It’s not that I have any Skills or classes, but it is due to the nature of this world. I am more than I was, and that bothers me.

But even if I am quicker, stronger, and healthier by some unknown margin, I am still not superhuman. I can’t move as fast as Gazi, I don’t have the ability to shatter the earth like Calruz. Hell, I only know a few spells that I can cast once or twice thanks to Ceria.

What I have is earned. Even the spells I know are things I had to learn, not things that were given to me. [Flashlight], [Flashbang], [Fl—]

Well, the last one is conceptual. But all of these spells stem from the few things I understand. You can make the [Light] spell brighter, alter its shape, and even toss the orb if you want to surprise someone. But it’s still not a strong spell. I can’t use it to kill something.

That’s the problem. That’s what I fear as I run through the night, flecks of snow stinging my uncovered face, as I stare up into the dark sky at the lights.

Frost Faeries. They glow with a shade of blue and depth to the color indescribable in the words we Humans use. And they fly through the wind and darkness as if neither exists, pausing briefly only to wait for me. They know where Mrsha is, and they’re taking me to her.

But in my heart I fear I might be too late. Or worse, that I might fail. All I get is a chance. A chance to save her life.

I have no idea where Mrsha is. She disappeared while she was gathering food. She could have gotten lost, but—no. No, if she had she would have returned. If she went that far enough away from the Gnoll she was with, it was because she was taken, or she had to flee.

A monster, then. Or something…else. I don’t know. But if that is the case, I might have to fight whatever took Mrsha. And I fear I am too weak to do that.

The faeries fly a bit higher in the sky and I see the ground shifting upwards. I have a torch, given to me by one of the Gnolls. Its flickering lights illuminate the ground in front of me. I could discard it and use [Light], but I need to conserve every bit of magic I have. Casting a single spell tires me, and I cannot slow now.

I am stronger than I was, but I am still weak. My heart is racing, and I am afraid. Not just because of monsters.

From the camp of the Stone Spears, the landscape slopes gradually upwards. They are camped at the foot of a mountain, one of the ones surrounding Liscor. If I look up I can see it, a massive wall of stone and ice reaching up into the sky.

It is vast. I am reminded of the Himalayas, but I wonder if these peaks are even higher. And I am afraid.

If I have to climb that place, will I get to Mrsha in time? How far could a child go?

Right now I’m wearing heavy clothing. Winter gear; boots, padded pants and coats that cut the worst of the chill around me. But this is no ultra-thin fabric from my world. The things I am wearing are heavy, cumbersome, and as I sweat and run through the snow and ice, they grow heavier.

Added to that, I have been running all day, searching for Mrsha. My body isn’t even fully healed from using that potion Teriarch gave me. And I am mortal. If I step into a bad spot and wedge my ankle, I could easily break my foot.

All of these things would make finding Mrsha impossible. And I must find her. I must. But I only get a chance.

Fate. That’s what the faeries mentioned. I look up at them as I run, gasping for air. My legs are burning already. I shouldn’t run so fast.

“Why do ye slow?”

One of the faeries flies down as she notices I’ve reduced my speed. I shake my head, but I need to answer, so I gasp a reply.

“Conserving energy.”

I have to. If I go full-throttle I’ll run out of gas far too quickly. And I know I’ll need a lot more in all likelihood.

The faerie shakes her head in disapproval.

“Strange. You mortals have strange ways. Why run slower to run faster later?”

I don’t know if I should talk to her. Wasting energy? But anything I can get out of the silent faeries is important.

“If you know how close I am, just tell me and I’ll run as fast as I can.”

The faerie looks at me, unsmiling.

“Do not ask for more than you were given, mortal. We are breaking a rule now, to give you a chance.”

“But is it fate? Do you know what will happen?”

That’s the question that lurks in my heart. Fate. Is this all some grand scheme? If it is—

The faerie stares at me with cold eyes and flies upwards. I watch her go, frustrated. She won’t tell me. But why would immortals tell playthings anything? If we are that simple, why bother at all with us?

I think I understand why they are so disdainful of us. The real question is why they even bother to talk at all.

Fragments of immortality. Eternal stories. Children. These are the things the fae love. So perhaps that’s why they’re helping.

But either way, the rest is up to me. So I increase my pace, just a bit.

There’s a rhythm to running. I’ve done marathons, and I know enough about running on uneven terrain to move quickly. But I am so slow compared to how I would be barefoot and without all these clothes.

The faeries fly on, overhead. They lead me around a forest, up a slope, and onwards. I recognize where we are, now. I’ve come this way earlier today.

We arrive at the place where Mrsha was last seen. A hill where edible plants hide underneath the snow. Countless feet have trampled the snow, but the faeries don’t even pause when they come to it. They fly north, up from the hill, towards the mountain.

Urksh was right. If there was a place Mrsha ran, it was up there. It’s a place where the Gnolls wouldn’t have searched that hard. Go too high up, and you’d be lost forever. No one can hear or smell you if you get buried underneath an avalanche.

I run upwards, up the slope. My legs—I run up the hill, and then higher still. I can’t stop.

Please, let me not be too late.

—-

She is cold. Mrsha sneezes and whimpers in the place she cannot escape from. She is very cold.

She has never been this cold before. The winter air is freezing her. Normally, she would be back in the camp her tribe makes, huddling with others for warmth in a tent or sitting near a fire, so near her fur would be in danger of catching on fire…

Just the thought makes Mrsha moan, but she’s too tired and frightened to make any larger sounds. At first, she had howled and cried out for aid, but no one came.

She knows she went too far up. She knows. All the elders told her again and again, never to come up this far. She knows they cannot find her here.

But she had no choice. Mrsha glances at the thing lying half-covered in the snow and shudders. She tries to move away from it, but there is no space. And she is hurt.

She sits and stares up towards the sky. It is cold. She is hungry, and desperate. She fears she will not be rescued, now. And she is growing tired. She raises her nose to the air and sniffs again.

There it is. The same scent. Not just from the thing beside her; it is in the air. Mrsha’s nose is keen, even for a Gnoll’s. She can smell the scent in the air, all over the mountain.

They are everywhere. And the thought of them makes Mrsha afraid. But she can do nothing. So she sits. And waits.

If she believed in gods, she would have prayed. But Mrsha knows the gods are dead. So she just hopes. She tries to believe.

But it is so cold.

—-

Higher. And higher still. I am following the faeries as they lead me to the base the mountain. I think they’re trying to guide me on the easiest route, but—

I climbed a mountain once. But that was nothing like this. There’s no road here, no easy path. The ground becomes vertical in places, and now I have to use both hands and legs, sometimes pulling myself up as my feet slip on the snow-covered rocks.

The faeries watch me, stopping to settle on a rock and I pull myself upwards, straining and grunting with effort. Their faces are expressionless, but their eyes are not. I think they’re pretending not to care, but they fly ahead, showing me the way with too much alacrity for me to believe otherwise.

They care. But they fear I’m not going to make it.

“How far?”

One turns back to stare at me as the others fly overhead. She says nothing. I gasp, and cough. I’m moving too fast, now. I can taste a bit of blood where I bit my tongue when I fell, and from my searing lungs.

I don’t care. Faster. I gulp air into my lungs.

“How…far? How much time?”

They don’t answer. But they fly higher. So I grit my teeth and move.

—-

Urksh waits, standing at the edge of the place where the Stone Spears have made camp. He waits, and listens.

But he hears nothing apart from the falling snow, the crackling fires beside him, and the words of his hunter, Hekra.

“More have gone missing. All to the north and west.”

He looks at her. Hekra’s face is still, but her ears and tail betray her agitation. She is worried, and so is he.

“That makes thirteen.”

Thirteen adults, hunters and warriors all who are missing. Three patrols sent out to look for Mrsha that never returned. There is something out there, and both Gnolls know it.

Yet what worries Urksh most is that there was no trace of those who disappeared. No howls to indicate enemies, nothing. Whatever happened to the Gnolls of his tribe happened swiftly and took them by surprise.

“Have every warrior ready, no? All of them. And pack what is needed.”

What is needed. In case they have to flee. He doesn’t have to say that part out loud. Hekra nods and trots off. Urksh looks back into the darkness.

Something is out there. Something. And he can catch faint whiffs of it on the air. It is a familiar smell, but odd. Twisted. He knows he smells his enemy, but there is something wrong with the scent. There is death in the air.

Urksh stares the way the Human named Ryoka Griffin had gone, following the strange, indistinct lights in the air that she claimed were living creatures. Winter Sprites. Frost Faeries.

He hopes she will be safe. But right now Urksh is more concerned about his tribe. To the east, Ryoka Griffin claimed an army was approaching. A force from the Drake cities. It has doubtless camped for the night, but Urksh’s instincts tell him to bring his tribe closer to the camp, regardless of the tension that might cause.

There is safety in numbers, and he is worried. But he dares not move his camp. If Ryoka returns with Mrsha, they will need to find them here.

So the Stone Spears wait, watching the darkness. And the darkness watches back. Silent shapes spread out across the highlands, slowly encircling the Stone Spears tribe’s camp in a vast net, waiting.

Waiting.

—-

How long has it been? I can’t tell. Hours? Just an hour? Perhaps. It feels like hours.

My hands are raw and cut and blistered. Despite the gloves I have on, they’re not enough. The jagged rock and rough handholds I can find cut into my skin, but I ignore the pain.

How high am I? High. I’ve been climbing for a while, and still the faeries lead me onwards. I can’t believe Mrsha got this high up, but the route we’re taking isn’t impossible for a kid, especially not a young Gnoll.

Especially not if she was being chased.

My feet slip, and my arms windmill as I nearly slip down the slope in the darkness. Careful. I push myself back up and look around.

“Okay. Where n—?”

The faeries are gone. One second they were ahead of me, leading the way, and now they’re not. I look around, heart beating fast. It’s dark. I had to toss away the torch the Gnolls gave me a while back to use both hands. Without the faeries, the side of the mountain is full of shadows.

“[Light].”

A ball of yellow light appears in my hand and flies upwards. I stare around, but see only rock and dirt where everything isn’t covered by snow.

But if the faeries aren’t here.

“ Mrsha! ”

I raise my voice and cup my hands to my mouth. My legs are exhausted, but I don’t dare sit. And neither do I dare take any more steps. The ground looks stable, but—

“ Mrsha! Can you hear me? ”

—-

She is going to die. Mrsha knows it. It makes her cry, but she only sheds a few tears because it hurts when they freeze on her fur.

She is going to die. She shouldn’t have strayed so far away. But she’d wanted to chase a snow hare, and then she’d smelled the thing and it had leapt out at her—

She shudders. It is so cold. Her eyes are flickering, but Mrsha knows she must stay awake. But what is the point if she’s not going to be rescued?

The Gnoll child sits with her back against a stone and breathes more slowy. She is so tired. But then her ears hear it. The faintest of sounds, and then—louder.

“ —sha! ”

The Gnoll looks up. There it is again.

“ Mrsha! Can you hear me? ”

It’s a voice! A familiar voice! It’s not the sound of any of the elders Mrsha knows, or any of her playmates. But she knows this voice even so. It’s from the Human, the one who tells stories.

How is she here? But Mrsha hears the Human shouting, and sits up. Someone came for her.

Hope.

She raises her voice and howls upwards, desperately. With all her strength.

She wants Ryoka to find her. She wants to be saved. She doesn’t want to die here alone.

Not like that thing.

—-

I’m shouting, but I hear nothing. The wind is blowing around me, and I can’t feel my face. There’s so much snow.

Am I too late? My heart is shuddering. Is that why the faeries left? Because they’ve given up hope?

“ Mrsha! ”

There’s no response. I’m too late.

But then I hear it. A sound, growing louder. A wild howling, high-pitched and frantic, like and unlike any animal’s call I’ve ever heard.

Mrsha.

I stumble in the direction of the call, and then stop.

“Stop damn you…think!”

Think. I can’t blunder ahead blindly. If I die now, she dies.

I raise my hand, and the orb of light floats to it. I can control the light. So I flick my hand and toss the orb ahead. I can’t control it after I’ve thrown it, but it illuminates the ground in front of me.

There! The orb of light sails over a small crest of snow and then reveals that the crest is in fact a precipice. The ball of light reveals a sudden drop as the ground slips, a natural, concealed crevasse in the mountainside. Cautiously, I cast [Light] again and walk forwards, staring at that spot, praying I don’t trip.

The howling is coming from below. I stare over the edge. The light cast by the orb is too weak to illuminate the depths of that place.

“Mrsha?”

—-

She hears the voice, and then sees the light. Mrsha howls up desperately, and hears an answering shout. The light is very faint. But then it changes , and a beam shines down. It sweeps the place Mrsha is in, bouncing off the slick rock walls, and then catches her. She waves her paw weakly.

“I see you! Hold on!”

—-

God. Gods. She’s at the bottom of a crevasse. No wonder no one heard her.

I stare down at the small, brown shape of Mrsha. She’s sitting at the bottom of a crevasse. Not too deep, but far too far down for her to climb back up.

I squint. There’s something—next to her? Some dark shape covered by the snow. But I can’t make it out. It doesn’t matter. I need to get down there.

But god. This is a nightmare. I’ve attended lessons on how to conduct emergency rescues of people trapped in situations like this, and I’ve climbed before, and this is about as bad a situation as you can get.

I need to get to Mrsha, but that means I need to climb down there. I don’t want to try tossing her the rope Urksh gave me and have her pull herself up. I need to go down there.

Down? The sensible part of my brain laughs at how stupid that is. I don’t have the equipment to do that. I don’t have a harness, any climbing gear—hell, I don’t even have a backup!

But I’m already tossing my pack down and fishing things out. The first thing I grab is the furs the Gnolls gave me. It was for Mrsha, but I toss it down on the edge of the crevasse. If I put the rope down, I don’t want it to fray and snap.

Maybe it won’t, if it’s magical. Wouldn’t that be amazing? But I don’t want to test it.

The rope Urksh gave me apparently stretches or lengthens. Good for it, but I need an anchor. I don’t have anything to help me with that, and there aren’t any trees around. I stare around the mountainside, aware of the need for speed, but also the desperate need to do this right.

Okay, okay. First things first. If I’m going down, I need an anchor.

I find one close to the precipice. A rock horn helps me as I loop it around another part of the rock. No way to equalize the anchor points, and all I can do is use more and more rope. I loop more rope into the rock and tie it off and stare at the horrible mess I’ve created.

A constriction anchor. Fuck me. At least this rope is magic, for what it’s worth. It had better be, because with all the rope I used to make the anchor secure, I’m not going to be able to get all the way down, much less do what I need.

Moment of truth. I can hear Mrsha making agitated sounds from below. She thinks I’ve left her. I shout something reassuring down at her, and take a deep breath.

Rappelling without a harness. Okay.

I slide the rope between my legs so I’m holding one end with my left arm and the other end that’s going through my legs with my right. I stretch the rope out, and approach the edge.

This is madness. But Mrsha is down there. So I lean on the rope and step out into the air.

Rappelling. I hold the rope hard with my right hand, and take a deep breath. Mrsha is going insane down below. She’s probably never seen someone climbing like this. Descend, rather.

I jump down the cliff and Mrsha screams . It’s more like a howl. But I arrest my fall and absorb the impact as I kick into the wall. I hold my position for a moment, look down for the next place I want to move down towards, and then jump several more feet down.

Abseiling. I’ve done it countless times, but always with a safety harness and a spotter. What I wouldn’t give for a carabiner…

I’m running out of rope. I see the end, and I pray Urksh wasn’t lying to me. Come on, rope. Do your magic thing. I pull , hoping it will do something—

And it stretches . Or rather, elongates. Rather than running out, I find more rope as I slowly rappel downwards.

Pause. Jump. One second of descent, and then I brace as I land on the wall, showering Mrsha with snow. Pause again. Jump. Each second I’m terrified my hand will slip, but the tension stops me as I jump down again, and again…

My feet touch the ground, and then something rams into my side. I shout, but its Mrsha. The small Gnoll jumps all over me as I have to sit at the bottom of the small crevasse.

“God.”

I cover my face with my hand for just one second. Then I nearly fall over as Mrsha swarms over me. The Gnoll is licking and hugging me desperately.

“It’s okay Mrsha. I’m here. I’m—”

She’s making small noises. Whimpering, the sounds an animal would make. Or a child. I hold her for a few seconds.

“I’ve got you. It’s going to be alright, okay?”

I’m shaking so hard, but no more than she is. I found her. I found her in time.

But the worst is far from over. And we can’t stay here. Mrsha is freezing , and I need to get her up. Somehow.

I have a plan. And I’m about to tell it to Mrsha when I look over and go rigid. Mrsha cranes her neck to see what’s happened to me, and then she growls softly.

It can’t be. But lying in the snow, half-buried is a small shape. It’s not a rock like I initially thought. No.

It’s a body.

Not just any body. I slowly let go of Mrsha, and she backs away as I hesitantly go over to the shape. It’s lying face-down, but I turn it over and already know what I’ll see.

A Goblin’s face stares blankly up at me, red eyes dimmed, face frozen. He—or she was wearing armor, some sort of scale mail, but it wasn’t enough to save them from the fall. Their neck is bent at a wrong angle.

It must have chased Mrsha. She was out gathering and it surprised her. She ran, and both fell down here. Mrsha got lucky, but the Goblin died.

Goblins. If there’s one, there’s more. And this one is armed. I stare down and see the axe at its belt. Armor and weapons. This Goblin is way more dangerous than the ones I’ve seen to the north.

Danger. But I can’t focus on that now. I stare upwards. I need to get Mrsha to safety first. And now that I’m down here, I can look up and realize how fucked I am.

The crevasse is only about twenty feet deep. Only. Hah. But it’s a horrible mess. The edge of the precipice actually juts outwards, so that the ice and rock wall is further inside. In short, it makes climbing up with your hands impossible unless you can go nearly horizontal at the top.

I have one thing that will help with the ascent. A rope. And that’s a good thing. But still.

A damn rope. No equipment, nothing else. Just a rope and my two exhausted arms to carry me up twenty feet.

I have no ascender. Nothing to help me climb. I don’t even have any damn knots in the rope that I can use.

I look at Mrsha. She’s staring upwards, hopefully. Maybe she thinks there are others nearby. I hate to disappoint her, but she’s got to know what I’m going to do.

“Mrsha.”

She looks at me, full of hope. I’m the adult here; she’s relying on me. It makes my stomach twist.

“I’m going to get you to safety, okay? But you need to listen to me.”

She nods. I tell her what I’m going to do.

“I’m going to tie a harness around you. Uh, that’s this rope. It will help me lift you up. And then I’m going to climb to the top and pull you up. I’m not going to leave you, okay?”

She stares at me. Does she even get it? But then she nods, a small motion. I take a breath.

“Okay. Lift your arm.”

At least I know how to make a rope harness. I stretch the rope further, looping it securely around Mrsha’s legs and around her groin, tying bowline knots. Now square knots here, fisherman’s knots…

She doesn’t wriggle much, but she stares at the rope harness in confusion. Again, not something Gnolls are used to I guess.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be able to pull you up. Now—”

I stare upwards. Now comes the hard part.

To make all this work, I need to climb to the top of the crevasse. By myself. Without any handholds except the rope.

I can’t do this. My arms are already tired and so is the rest of my body. But I have to.

I hesitate for a minute as Mrsha stares at me, but her eyes are what make me move. Making sure she’s out of the way, I jump up—

And grab the rope.

Immediately, my legs tangle around the bottom of the rope. I fumble blindly with my feet, until I’m wedging the rope between my boots. One boot goes up, and the other steps on the rope, trapping it, giving me a way to stand and support myself. But that’s only if I can climb. So I take a deep breath, lift my hand, and begin.

One hand goes up and I pull myself up. And then another. At first I get up the rope fast, and Mrsha makes sounds of encouragement, running around below until I shout at her to stop. I can’t handle the sway.

It’s been a long time since I climbed a rope. Too long. I haven’t been working out my upper body as much since I came to this world, and hell, I don’t remember the last time I went climbing. And I’m so tired.

Pull. Acquire the rope with my legs. Stand. Pull. Already I can feel the shaking weakness in my arms.

Why didn’t the faeries say to bring anyone else? Why me? Because I asked? How can I do this?

My arms burn as I pull myself up. I nearly let go as my muscles start to give and quickly stand on the rope again.

I can’t do this. My arms are going to give out. But I have to. I have to—!

Somehow I pull myself up again. Impossible. I’m not this strong. But I can do it. This world—what’s happening to me?

Again. And again. Screaming inside my head. Up. I can’t pause or it’s over.

It’s so far up. Just twenty feet? Feels like forever.

I’m wearing too much gear. My winter clothes—should have taken them off. Should have rested. Told Mrsha that. But too late now. I pull myself up again, and see the top.

So damn close. Pull. Grip. Pull. Grip. Pull—

One hand lets go of the rope and reaches around the precipice. I grab desperately, and then pull —

“ Up, damn you—!”

Slowly, slowly, my body lifts over the ridge. I hear Mrsha making sounds below me, but I can only focus on pulling myself up. Every fiber of strength I have left goes into getting myself up and over—!

And then it’s over. I collapse onto the ground and crawl forwards, gasping with exhaustion. I don’t know how long I lay there, but eventually Mrsha’s anxious barking rouses me. I poke my head over the side and see her staring up at me, eyes full of fear and worry.

“It’s okay.”

It’s okay. I seize the rope and call down to her. Once Mrsha realizes what I’m going to do, she untangles the rope and sits down. Slowly, I stand and begin to pull.

If the climbing was hard, this is easy. I can lean back, pull her up a bit at a time. I’m heavier than Mrsha, and I can use that to help me pull her up as she sits in her harness, making faint sounds of worry. But she’s safe so long as I don’t let go and she doesn’t panic. And I won’t let go. I would never let go.

It feels like an age, but I brace myself, pulling hard, and then I hear a noise. I pause, and realize Mrsha’s at the edge. I pull, very slowly, and then I see paws scrabbling at the ledge. And then a head.

Mrsha comes over and instantly the Gnoll is bounding to her feet. She tangles in the rope, but then frees herself and leaps at me. I grab her, and hug her.

And she hugs me back. For a second we just embrace, as I feel her shaking slow and my own fears ease. She’s alright. She’s going to be alright.

And then comes untangling the rope harness and getting Mrsha into those furs. She wriggles into them and sneezes as I sit on the ground. I need a minute.

But now Mrsha is safe. I look over the mountainside, across the empty landscape. Huh. We’re pretty far up. Amazing she managed to get this far. But fear will do that to you, I guess.

What now? Well, we’ll get back to the camp. Urksh is probably worrying, and we’re still sitting ducks if a monster appears. It might be hard to find the way back, but the faeries—

The faeries. I look around. They’re still not here. No—they might be, but they’re still hiding. Invisible.

Why? I got Mrsha. She’s safe. It’s over.

Unless it’s not.

My heart begins to pound. Mrsha looks at me as I slowly stand up and stare around. What else could be wrong? But we are in danger. If they aren’t here—

And then I see the sparks in the distance. From our position on the mountain, at first they just look like sparks. But then I realize what they really are.

Torches.

First one, and then a group. And then the lights spread. Not just one or two or even a hundred. But thousands. Fire flares and spreads as the darkness below becomes lit by countless pinpricks of light.

Mrsha goes stiff beside me as she crouches and stares at the sight. I stare too.

“That’s not the Stone Spears tribe.”

It can’t be. There aren’t enough Gnolls by far for that. The army of Drakes? But this feels different. A chill runs down my back.

What is happening? But Mrsha looks at me, her face full of fear, and the pieces come together.

Smells on the wind. Strange shapes watching. The dead Goblin.

Mrsha whimpers, the smallest of sounds, and touches my leg. And I feel the eyes on me and realize we are not alone.

Watching.

“No.”

It can’t be. But they are silent, and watching, like snow-covered statues. It cannot be.

But there they stand. Goblins. They look down upon the two of us, red eyes shining. How many? Twenty? Thirty?

A scout party, perhaps. They might have heard Mrsha and me, or maybe they were following from the start.

What do they want? But I know the answer. They’re all armed, and they’re wearing armor. These aren’t wild Goblins in some tribe.

This is an army.

And they are going to kill us. I see it in their eyes. Goblin eyes might be different than Human or Gnoll eyes, but there is an expression I recognize there.

Pitilessness. Cold wrath. Death.

They look like monsters, but they are all the more terrifying because they look like people. One of them raises a hand and points down at me.

“—”

I can’t understand what he’s saying. It’s in the Goblin’s tongue, chattering and incomprehensible. Slowly, the Goblins descend from the rocks, encircling us. They draw their weapons.

I feel Mrsha at my side. The Gnoll is hugging me so tightly I can feel her claws piercing my leggings. I know she’s terrified. So am I.

“We are not your enemies.”

The Goblin who pointed at me, a warrior wearing chainmail and holding a mace, stares into my eyes. There’s nothing there. No empathy. No sympathy.

They’re going to kill us. Already they’ve encircled the two of us. I glance towards the south. The path down is that way, but there are Goblins waiting there. I have no weapons. I’m exhausted, and Mrsha can’t fight.

Slowly, I raise my hands to my head and above them. A universal sign of surrender. Some of the Goblins laugh, but their leader just watches me.

My heart is pounding out of my chest. I watch as he steps forwards, and then put my hands on my head. No time to think. Just—

You don’t need to use your hands to cast magic. My thumbs find my ears and I shout.

“ [Flashba—] ”

The world goes silent and dark as I close my eyes. The flash passes, and I look around. All I hear is ringing, but there’s Mrsha, lying on the ground as Goblins around me flail and open and close their mouths like silent mimes.

I grab Mrsha. She jerks and claws at me, but I pull her up and throw her over my shoulder in the fireman’s carry. And then I’m running, knocking Goblins aside and charging down the slope, sliding around rocks, praying I won’t fall.

Mrsha is on my back. I think she knows I’m carrying her, but she’s still struggling. She must be in pain from the spell. She screams, loud and anguished. I only know because I can feel the vibrations she makes as I grab her and run . I didn’t have time to tell her to cover her ears or eyes and she’s deaf and blind as I run with her down the slope.

I am, too. I can barely see with all the shimmering shapes burnt into my retinas, but I run anyways. I can hear the Goblins shouting and blundering after me above the ringing in my ears.

And then—a scream. I look back and see two shapes tumbling into the crevasse. Good.

Down the slope. Dodge around rocks. This terrain isn’t right for running, but I slide down and take the impact on my legs and lower body as I crash down the side of the mountain. Run. Run.

Run.

—-

They’re following. I know it. I charge down a hill, slipping in the snow, and Mrsha growls anxiously in my ear. I try not to fall, but I’m trying to run at the same time, to go faster.

The Goblins are right behind us.

I can hear them shouting, screaming in that high-pitched battle cry of theirs. They’re following us, and occasionally one tries to loose an arrow or whirl stones at my back.

But if there’s one thing I’ve got on them, it’s speed. Despite Mrsha on my back I can run faster than they can with their short legs. But I’m still running through the snow and that slows both me and them.

And I’m lost. I run straight now, as the hill transitions to an open plain, but I don’t know where to go. The tribe. I have to get to them. But where—?

Claws dig into my arm and I gasp. But Mrsha is patting my head, growling anxiously and I realize she’s trying to tell me where to go.

Mute. She’s mute. I look around, and see a paw pointing just to my right. I don’t hesitate and immediately take off running that way.

Arms burning. Legs aching. I’m at the end of my tether. But I have to keep going. I can’t slow down, not now.

How many Goblins are around us? The blizzard is still pouring snow, but I swear the sky is orange now, and there are glowing lights on the horizon.

Goblins.

Mrsha screams in my ear and I see shapes ahead of me. More? They’re coming at me, but they’ve doused their torches to try and hide. I run around them and sense something fly past my back. The little Gnoll on my back is screaming.

She’s a target. If they aim at my head, they’ll hit her. But I can’t do anything. I can only run faster.

Mrsha is howling, loud and anxious. I want to tell her to shut up, but she’s trying to call for help, and the Goblins know we’re here already.

She taps my arm and points. That way. I change directions, trying to get traction. But the loose snow is making me slow. And I’m carrying Mrsha. I could put her down and let her run—

No. Keep moving.

A forest ahead. I hesitate. They could be hiding there. But go around? It’s too far. I take a deep breath and charge in.

Something steps out of the trees. Mrsha screams again, but I kick the Goblin in the chest and run the other way. Deeper into the forest. They’re jumping out around me, but I bull rush another and break out of the trees with a horde of them on my tail.

Open plains. We’re getting closer now. Mrsha’s tapping my head again, and she points me further to the left. I run on.

“Got to—”

We’re going to make it. I have to believe that. But then I see more torches moving rapidly to my left. So I turn right. But there are more torches that way.

And ahead—

The two groups of Goblins race ahead of us, encircling our position. I slow, and then there are Goblins all around us.

Mrsha is silent. Slowly, I stop, in a circle of armed warriors. They’re closing in.

“Ah.”

I guess this is how it ends. I put down Mrsha in the snow. Gently. My heart is thundering in my ears.

“I guess it’s because you’re not a killer.”

Erin’s words echo in my ears for some reason. I stare at the Goblins and slowly pull away my coat. No time to take off any more layers. They watch, silently, as I discard what clothing I can.

Get lighter. Stay out of reach. They’re not shooting up, which is a mercy. But I can see it in their human expressions. They want to cut us apart. Make it slow.

Ah, Erin. For some reason I remember that Goblin she introduced me to. Rags. Would she be part of this? Is this her tribe? I doubt it.

I raise my fists, slowly, as the Goblin warriors advance. Mrsha is at my side, but I nudge her away.

“Stay back. Run if you see an opening.”

Hollow words. Where will she run to? But maybe she has a chance if she can get ahead of them. She outran one.

Erin. If I were at her inn, I could bar the doors and stay safe. Why am I thinking of the inn?

One of the Goblins steps forward. It’s the leader, the one I blinded. He bares his teeth at me.

The inn. My heart is racing. My hands are clenched into fists. It will be hard to kick in the snow.

I really just want to sit in front of the fire again and lose a few games of chess to her. I want to sit in her inn and listen to people talk and laugh. I want—

I want to live.

Their blades are sharp.

“If.”

And then he runs at me, and I raise my leg—

—-

This is what Mrsha saw. In the dark storm, as snow fell all around her, the small Gnoll huddled close to the ground, watching as shapes and shadows fought in the flickering light.

The Human, Ryoka Griffin, stood alone in a circle of Goblins. They came at her, laughing, one and two at a time, to play with the unarmed Human.

The first Goblin raised his mace as he charged the young woman. But Ryoka raised her leg and kicked out, catching him in the chest, too fast for him to block. He stumbled back, and she pointed at him.

“[Flashlight]!”

A beam of light burst from her finger, catching the Goblins by surprise. The light was so bright the young Gnoll had to look away. The Human leapt forwards as the Goblins shielded their eyes and struck the Goblin with the mace twice in the face.

He fell down. Ryoka punched him as he lay on the ground and he did not get up. She stepped back, and raised her hand. The Goblins watched her, surprised and now wary.

The Human pointed straight up, into the sky. She took a deep breath, and said a word Mrsha didn’t understand.

Ryoka fired a flare into the night sky. An incandescent red light shot from her hand and flew upwards as the Goblins cried out and retreated. But it wasn’t an attack.

The red light hung in the air, defying gravity as Mrsha stared upwards. Ryoka looked into the sky, her face grim. She fired the flare again, making the snow and landscape grow red. Then the light touched the ground, and the world became dark again.

Mrsha didn’t understand. Nothing had happened. The Goblins looked at the Human, but when it was clear she had no more spells, they regained their confidence. They came for her.

Punches. Kicks. Mrsha had seen the warriors and hunters of her tribe practicing and even fighting with spears and the occasional sword or axe. They had their own ways of fighting, rough, but efficient. But the Human—

She flowed from punch to kick, pivoting, trying to keep her back secure. She fought in ways the young Gnoll had never seen before, holding the Goblins back and hurting them, even without a weapon of her own.

But she was one and they were many. Ryoka pointed and light blinded them again, but they pushed her back, slashing at her wildly. And she was tired.

Every time she raised her finger and light blinded the Goblins, Mrsha saw the Human girl’s face twist as if she was in pain. And then she would be a little bit slower, a little bit weaker.

And the Goblins were many. They ran at her, half-blind but too many for her to stop. Ryoka fell back and Mrsha saw a Goblin slash at her leg. Ryoka dodged the sword, and punched the Goblin. But then he seized her hand and his mouth opened—

Mrsha saw the teeth close on Ryoka’s hand as she tried to pull away. She heard a crunch and a scream, a shout of agony. Ryoka pulled her hand away and Mrsha smelled the blood before she saw the stumps of her pinkie and ring finger.

Ryoka raised her bloody hand and looked at Mrsha. The blood dripped to the snow as the Goblin laughed and swallowed the digits. And the Human’s eyes were full of regret as she stared at Mrsha.

—-

“Ah.”

I stumble back from the Goblin who bit me. He laughs, and I look around and see Mrsha, crouched in the snow. And then there’s my hand.

He bit me. He took…my fingers. I stare at my right hand in shock.

Two stumps glisten wetly as blood begins to run into the snow. Automatically, I cover the wound. If I lose too much blood in this weather it would be bad. And it will sap my body heat.

Not good. I—

Another Goblin charges at me with a knife. I turn and kick , and he falls. But then I stumble.

“My hand.”

They’re laughing now. The Goblins watch as I clutch my wounded hand, and advance more slowly. I walk backwards, until Mrsha is touching my leg.

Can’t run. Can’t die.

I try to clench my hand, but it’s not right without those two fingers. There’s a gap and I can see straight into my palm. It looks wrong.

A Goblin advances towards me. The one who bit me. He raises his sword and grins around bloody teeth. I step towards him—

And hear a roar.

The Goblin turns, surprise becoming fear, and then his head disappears. I blink. Something flashes in front of me, and then there’s a Gnoll.

Not Mrsha. This one is taller, stronger, male. Urksh. He hacks another Goblin with an axe and the smaller warrior falls, head torn open.

And more Gnolls. They attack from the left, archers and warriors. I see…Hekra, standing with three other archers. She raises her bow and her hand blurs. Two Goblins fall, with arrows in their chests.

Nice skill.

I stumble, and a Goblin slashes at me. I step back, but he advances, and now there’s a lot of blood in the snow. Mine.

I punch him in the chest, but he’s got armor on and just stumbles. He raises his sword—

And Mrsha lunges into him from the side. She bites and tears with her small claws and he shrieks. He raises the shortsword and I grab his arm. I twist with my good arm and I hear his arm break.

He screams. I let go and pull Mrsha back. And then the Gnolls are around us, fighting, killing—

“—Griffin. Ryoka Griffin.”

Someone is grabbing me, holding my wrist. I look around. Urksh has me. He’s wrapping something around my hand, putting rough cloth on—

“Aah.”

It’s starting to hurt now. But more than anything, it just feels wrong to have something on the two stumps of my fingers. Urksh holds the cloth over my hand and nods to a Gnoll.

“Watch. They are coming.”

The Gnoll disappears. I blink at Urksh.

“I found her.”

He smiles at me, briefly.

“You did. Now we will handle the rest. Do not move. We will carry you.”

“I can—”

Too slow. He lifts me, and with another Gnoll, they run with Mrsha and me. The wind is cool on my skin as I blink around.

“I’m okay. I can run.”

“Rest. You did a great thing. I am honored to have met you, Ryoka Griffin.”

Something about his tone makes me look around. We’re not headed back towards the camp.

“Where—?”

“They are coming. We must flee.”

And then I see it, and I realize what despair tastes like. We were closer to the tribe’s camp than we thought, Mrsha and I.

Close, but too far. Too late.

This how it ends. This is how we die.

Hundreds of Goblins—thousands—stream across the plains. They are lit by mage light and torches as they run, firing, fighting with the few Gnolls who stand to hold them off.

The rest are fleeing. I can see over a hundred Gnolls, adults and children, running as fast as they can towards the west. But they’re being harried. Goblins are coming from every direction. It’s as if the world is being consumed by them.

And in the distance I can see the main host. A black tide of shapes, like some horrible flat beast, writhing towards us. There are larger Goblins among the main horde. Hobs. They’re firing arrows too.

Urksh runs with me in his arms, tireless as he rejoins the tribe. I look back and see more Gnolls breaking away, charging the Goblins coming at us without fear.

“What are—?”

“They buy time. Here. Run.”

He puts me down, face grim, and I understand. A few Gnolls are going to fight. They run at the Goblins, taking arrows, stumbling, many not even reaching the armed warriors. Those that do fall in an instant, cut from every side.

It’s all happening so fast. I can’t process it all. War? It’s so sudden, but then I see a blue glow.

Frost faeries. They’re hovering high in the sky, watching it all. And I wonder why they’re here. But then I realize, it’s because they’re no longer watching me.

Because this is not my story. Not in the grand scheme of things.

It’s his.

The Goblins are pursuing us, an endless horde of them. They’re striking our backs and flanks, trying to bring the adults protecting the children down, trying to block us off. They’re so focused on us, they never see the Drake charging towards them.

His armor is battered, and he has no magical items. Not like the other Drake who’s hot on his heels, holding a shining sword filled with magic. But the Drake in front is different. He has no weapons, yet his claws can cut steel. He runs at the head of an army, and as the Goblins turn, their faces change.

Maybe they can sense it in the moment before they die. Maybe they realize it. How could I not?

But he is a legend. A hero among Drakes. He must be.

Zel Shivertail charges past me and our gazes meet for one eternal second. Then his army and the remnants of Wall Lord Ilvriss’ army crash into the Goblins, cutting them apart, throwing bodies into the air as they rampage through their unguarded ranks.

The entire Goblin mass ripples in shock, but Zel doesn’t even stop. He runs forward, and his hands blur and Goblins fall down, torn, bleeding, dying.

Ilvriss is there as well, swinging his sword left and right, teeth bared. Are they on the same side now? They must be. The two generals cut through the first rank of Goblins and the next, and then they’re charging at the vanguard of Goblins.

That’s when I see the Goblin Lord for the first time.

He’s standing in the center of a mass of Goblins wearing magical armor. It’s not that he’s bigger than the others; he’s actually just a bit taller than your average Human, definitely smaller than the biggest Hobs.

But his eyes are a thing of horror. I have seen them once before. His pupils are white, and the rest of his eyes are black. They glow, and even miles away, I somehow see them. He looks at Zel, and as his gaze passes mine, I feel terror in my soul.

He raises a hand, and suddenly the battle shifts again. Goblins cry out, and their ranks form up. Zel’s charge pauses as he finds himself running into a wall of shields.

A proper army, one with formations and tactics. And then I stop running as Urksh spins me around. His teeth are bared, and I look forwards and see more despair in the face of hope.

“No. No.”

Hobs. Another army falls on us from the side, encircling the Stone Spears before they can move away. I see Gnolls running back, but the battle is already joined behind us.

And this ambush party is attacking the Gnolls from the flank. Too many Hobs. I see warriors falling, unable to stop their advance. And neither Zel nor his army notice. They’re too busy cutting towards the Goblin Lord.

“Help us!”

I shout it at the Drakes and Gnolls, but they’re too busy fighting. No—the soldiers think we’re part of the army, or they just want us to hold the Goblins off while they attack. I see Hobs, so many of them! Over a hundred of them stride forwards in heavy armor, cutting Drakes and Gnolls apart.

How is this possible? I stare up. The faeries. They’re still watching the battlefield.

A Goblin comes at me. I kick him, and look wildly around.

“Mrsha!”

She’s hiding in the snow again. She never made it within the protective line of adults, and Goblins and Gnolls are struggling around her, nearly trampling the small girl.

I push towards her. Goblins in my way, Gnolls too. Someone stabs me in the side and I feel the pain and punch. They move away, and I stumble towards Mrsha.

“Here.”

I grab her, and she clings to me. I turn to run, to find safety, but there’s none to be found. Everyone is fighting. And the Stone Spears are dying.

A Goblin [Shaman] blasts the Gnoll Shaman of the Stone Spears tribe apart with some magic. And then I see his body rise, and I realize what’s happening.

The dead. Not all the Goblins are dead, and some of the Gnolls are beginning to fight against their kind. This Goblin army is raising the dead. The Goblin Lord is another [Necromancer].

And now Zel’s army is being forced back. He is still fighting his way towards the Goblin Lord, but his charge is faltering, and fewer people are at his back. If he doesn’t retreat, he’ll be cut off. But if he kills the Goblin Lord—

Either way, we die. I look up again as Mrsha holds me and sobs into my clothes.

“Help us.”

The faeries stare down. One speaks, and it’s a whisper in my ears despite the screaming and clash of weapons around me.

“We have. Would ye ask us a second time? Do you know what the fates will ask?”

“Please!”

“There are rules.”

“We will die.”

I look at them, and see the faeries nod.

“Yes.”

“Help us. I beg you.”

“There are rules.”

Goblins around me. I spread my arms. One last try.

“Are the fey slaves, or are you free? Help me! I am Ryoka Dawning Griffin, and I offer everything! Change fate. Save us. ”

Someone puts a hand on my shoulder. I look around, and see Urksh. He clutches his stomach, and Mrsha stares in horror as he holds his guts in place. The Gnoll looks up towards the faeries, hovering high overhead.

“We offer everything.”

The world goes silent. I see the faeries overhead. I see Urksh, feel his paw on my shoulder tighten once, and then fall as a Goblin stabs him from behind. I see Mrsha screaming, and a Hob raise his club. I move to block him, and the world freezes.

—-

Zel ran, cutting Goblins apart, trying to force his way through their ranks towards the Goblin Lord. There were only a few ranks left until he ran into the Goblin Lord’s personal guard. He saw the strange Goblin staring at him, eyes pale and unearthly. He was surrounded by Hobs, but Zel knew he could kill the Goblin if only—

He cut left with a claw, and a Goblin fell back, throat opened to the air. Zel threw another Goblin aside, and saw only one thin row of Goblins ahead of him. They were pale. And dead.

“Undead Goblins?”

They didn’t seem strong. Zel hesitated. His [Dangersense] was going off nonstop, but he could see the Goblin Lord waiting for him. He clenched his fist, and felt a presence at his side.

“Shivertail.”

Ilvriss was injured. Even his magical armor and the weapon Zel had restored to him hadn’t saved him. Zel was hurt too, cut in many places despite his defensive Skills and armor. The two Drakes stared at the Goblin Lord as the leader of the Goblins watched them silently.

“We have to end this now, Ilvriss.”

“Agreed. The world needs no more Goblin Kings”.

They prepared to charge, but then Zel heard a sound and felt the chill. He turned.

Part of the battlefield had turned to ice. No—not just the battlefield. Goblins stood frozen in place in a huge circle around a group of Gnolls. The tribe he’d seen fleeing. They were cut down, only a few adults standing. And while the Goblins around them had died, more were closing in.

And there were children among them. Zel saw another adult go down as she tried to shield two cubs. The Goblins were trying to hack them apart, and his army was too busy fighting the other Goblins to see.

“Shivertail!”

Ilvriss was gripping his sword, and Zel could see the Goblins around him forming up. He would only get this once chance. But the children—

“Ilvriss. That Gnoll tribe is defenseless. Retreat.”

The Lord of the Wall gaped at him.

“Are you mad? We’ll never get another chance!”

“Retreat! They’ll all be wiped out if we don’t push them back!”

Zel turned, and yanked Ilvriss back. The other Drake fought him, snarling, and destiny changed.

One of the undead Goblins had been advancing on the two Drakes. If they had been closer—

The dead Goblin exploded . Zel and Ilvriss were caught on the edge of the blast, and they were thrown backwards, through the air. Only his armor and skills kept Zel intact as he crashed into the ground. He heard ringing in his ears, and sat up.

A huge crater was all that remained of where the undead Goblin had been. But Zel saw another one walking slowly through the empty zone, towards his soldiers. Living Goblins scrambled out of its way, and Zel found the breath to bellow.

“ Retreat! ”

His soldiers heard his voice. Zel surged upwards and grabbed Ilvriss, who was crawling around, looking for his sword. He forced the Drake up, and they ran backwards.

Towards the Gnoll tribe. They were all dying. Children, adults—Zel howled as he saw a Gnoll cub being cut down, but he slew the Hob and covered the rest of the children as his army ran to guard them. But they were all retreating now, in face of the overwhelming Goblin numbers. The Hobs had formed up, and a hundred of them were leading a charge. Even experienced soldiers fell before their blades.

Zel seized a child, and saw his soldiers saving the rest. The adults were dead. They lay where they had fallen, teeth bared, bodies filled with arrows, hacked apart. A few stood, undead, now slaves in death to another master.

Something grabbed Zel’s foot as he turned to go. He looked down, ready to kill, and saw an old Gnoll, gripping his leg. The Gnoll mouthed something, and Zel bent to listen. But there was too much noise, and the Gnoll died, half-smiling.

Zel straightened, and looked around. His army and Ilvriss’s forces were running now, the rearguard putting up a defensive line. He would join them. His skills would allow his army to retreat, but the Goblin Lord’s army was unstoppable. He stared at the Goblin Lord and felt those terrible eyes on his.

And then Zel saw a blur of movement. Someone was running, running past the Goblins. A Human girl ran, surrounded by blue lights. She was holding something in her arms. A small, struggling shape. A Gnoll.

She ran and the few Goblins who tried to pursue her froze in place. Zel watched the Human go and saluted her once with one claw.

For luck. He looked back at the Goblin army closing on them and saw only death. Death, those who commanded death, and an army large enough to threaten the continent.

They had to be stopped. But Zel could not do it here. So he retreated, tasting defeat in his mouth as the Goblin Lord stared at the [General]’s retreating back.

And smiled.

—-

Ryoka ran. She ran through the ranks of Goblins, in a world of her own. Cold air blew around her, and the faeries flew in front of her, leading her to safety.

They had done something. Each step Ryoka took felt like ten. She flew across the battlefield, like wind, snow rushing past her face. She was filled with magic.

But her heart was empty and broken.

A Gnoll struggled in Ryoka’s arms. A small shape, a small child cried out as Ryoka left her tribe behind. Two innocent eyes watched as adults and children fell, dying. She cried out, but Ryoka didn’t listen. The Human ran on, until the last lights of the Goblin army were far behind them.

At last, the faeries stopped, and Ryoka slowed, coming to a stop in knee-deep snow. She wavered, her head and body completely empty.

A faerie flew down in front of Ryoka, face expressionless. But there was sadness in her eyes, and Ryoka knew without asking what the cost had been.

“Can you…really see fate?”

Was it all pointless? Was it all preordained? The faerie just looked at Ryoka. Just looked.

“If there is destiny, I defy it. I will not bow to fate.”

They were meaningless words. If there was fate, there was no way she could fight against it. But she had to believe. Tears fell from Ryoka’s eyes. Tears that mixed with the blood on her body. Ryoka lifted her right hand and stared at the two stumps.

A small price to pay. Not enough, though.

Urksh. Ryoka bent down and put Mrsha in the snow. The Gnoll child looked up at Ryoka, and the Human blinked.

“Oh. Your fur.”

At some point in that endless run, something had happened. Mrsha’s brown fur had changed. From the colorful forest brown, it had become pure white, as white as snow. Blood and grime darkened the child’s face, but it was not hers.

“I’m so sorry.”

The Gnoll child said not a word. Her eyes were filled with tears. Ryoka stared at Mrsha’s fur, and then looked at the faeries. She gazed at the faerie in front of her, and saw immortal eyes. Tired eyes. A reflection.

“Next time I will save them all. Or die trying.”

Ryoka thought she said the words. She blinked, and then collapsed, falling face-first into the snow.

Mrsha looked at the fallen Human and slowly reached out to shake her. Ryoka didn’t move.

Overhead, the faeries exchanged a look. They nodded, and began to spin around in a wide circle overhead. Mrsha stared upwards as the snow falling from overhead stopped. And then the air began to warm.

All around Ryoka and the Gnoll, the snow began to melt. The child stared around, wild-eyed as grass and flowers began to grow upwards, creating a soft bed of new life around the two. The air was warm, and for a second, the frozen crystal of the Frost Faeries’ skin changed, and grew brighter. The colors of spring ran through their bodies, bright and green, the color of grass and sunlight and clear blue skies.

But then the moment was past, and the faeries were ice and winter again. They hovered in the sky, above the small sanctuary they had formed. Ryoka slept on, unheeding. A voice spoke in her mind, a toneless, emotionless announcement delivering a message into her mind.

[Barefoot Runner Class Obtained!]

[Barefoot Runner Level 8!]

[Skill – Flawless Stride obtained!]

[Skill – Enhanced Movement obtained!]

[Skill – Dangersense obtained!]

[Skill – Final Run Learne—

“Nae, she will not be learning anything. Not from you at least. Leave the fool alone, ye thing of dead gods. She is different.”

[Level Ups Cancelled]

Mrsha raised her head. She heard nothing of the faeries’ words, knew nothing of what had passed. She touched the motionless Human, and raised her head towards the moon. It shone down around the clear patch of grass and flowers blooming in the center of the snowy wasteland.

She howled up at it, her voice loud and wild, filled with grief.

But no one answered her call. And so Mrsha howled and howled into the night, alone. Knowing that she was alone.

A sudden noise split the silence of the night. Mrsha leapt back from Ryoka, hair standing on end, as something in the girl’s pack began to ring, emitting a strange sound she had never heard before.

The iPhone rang for five whole minutes as Mrsha looked around and the faeries watched silently from overhead. Then it too fell silent.

Far to the south, the Goblin Lord pursued Zel Shivertail’s army, forcing them to run until the Goblins finally gave up on the chase. They gathered once more, to grow and become even stronger, until the northern tribes could be subjugated. They would sweep north, soon.

Across the world, a group of mages stopped casting, and changed their target. Another phone began to ring, on another continent.

None of it mattered. Where Ryoka lay, dreaming of fire and darkness, sleeping next to a small Gnoll who curled up next to the Human, there were no sounds. The faeries hovered overhead, guarding the two into the night.

There was no noise here, no words that could be spoken.

Only the slow, heavy sound of silence.

And the memory.

Of death.

2.36 G

She was not prepared for this. For any of it.

That was the first thing Rags realized the day after she became leader of not only the Red Fang Tribe, but all of the allied and subservient tribes under Garen’s control. She was not ready to lead such a host. She knew it, and he said it to her.

Repeatedly.

It was the first thing Rags thought when she woke up in one of the cleared out Shield Spider nests and pushed aside her dirty blankets and realized what had happened. She climbed out of her pit and stared around.

The small valley where she had made her last stand was still filled with the dead, mostly of her tribe, but also of the Red Fang Tribe’s warriors and mounts. Rags looked around and saw her Goblins awkwardly binding wounds, or making food…of the dead, but most were still slumbering.

They had been pushed to the brink by the Red Fang’s harrying. And only now did Rags see the cost of it.

Death.

Garen Red Fang, leader of his tribe and several hundred miles of territory north of Liscor, had been sleeping. But he woke up quick when Rags jumped onto his stomach from the top of the pit. He roared in anger, reached for his sword, and stopped when he saw Rags.

“Chieftain.”

He spoke, with words not in the Goblin language. Rags was still struggling with that. But Garen nodded to her and stood upwards effortlessly, stretching as if he hadn’t been in a fight to the death yesterday and had part of his face melted off.

“Food?”

She scowled at him, but jerked her head towards the top of the pit. Garen’s war cry had woken her entire tribe; Goblins don’t ignore subtle clues like someone screaming and few of them were about to go to sleep after a scare like that.

The snowy world descended into organized chaos as the green-skinned Goblins began scurrying around. Rags watched as those Goblins with levels in [Cook]…or more accurately, its sub-classes, [Butcher], [Scavenger], [Stewer], and so on, began making food. Garen blinked around at his tribe and waved at them. Then he looked at Rags.

“Much to speak of, Chieftain.”

She stared at him, and then nodded. Yes, there was much to speak of. She and Garen wandered off as her tribe got to work, watching the Goblins mill about.

There was organization in it, despite how it might look to a non-Goblin. Each individual had their task and role in the tribe, but they would take over each other’s jobs in the blink of an eye, usually communicating with a grunt or a poke or punch. Sometimes they got into fights and screeched at each other, but that was quickly broken up by the sub-leaders of each tribe: the Hobs.

They were big, generally mean, and generally committed to the idea that if someone else was doing the job, they didn’t have to. They enforced Rags’ orders and helped make decisions. Such as: were the Carn Wolves edible or poisonous? Did the Goblins skin them and keep the pelts, or try to eat them fur and all?

Garen watched his wolves being cut apart with no real emotion, although his eyes did tighten for a few seconds before he looked away. He glanced over where his mount was lying by the fire. Rags looked too.

Of the fifty-odd Goblins Garen had taken with him to harass Rags’ tribe, a little over twenty were left, and all of them were injured. On the other hand, only a handful of wolves had survived; Rags had ordered her tribe to kill the mounts first.

The Red Fang warriors seemed to be getting along fine with her Goblins, Rags noted. In that way they were like any Goblins; they might not be slapping backs with the Goblins who’d been trying to cut them apart, but they understood the changing nature of dominance within the tribes.

The wolves on the other hand were confused by this ceasefire, and still understandably upset, more so after they saw their pack being devoured by hungry Goblins. Several snapped at the Goblins walking around them, and only let their riders tend to them. They calmed down when they were fed dead Goblins, but they still stared hard at Rags’ tribe.

Garen noticed Rags’ stare.

“They will obey. They take time, see you are leader.”

Rags nodded absently. She stared at Garen, and then recalled a bit of what had been said the night before.

Why?

It was a question she hadn’t really gotten an answer to. Garen shrugged.

“Must be done.”

Rags didn’t understand that. Her brows furrowed, and she glared at Garen.

You kill many of tribe.

He shrugged and sniffed the air.

“A test.”

You are stronger. Why me?

He grinned.

“Stronger. Yes. But cannot lead. Not like you.”

She didn’t understand. But after they had eaten—roasted wolf that filled the stomach which even Garen devoured readily—she began to realize what he meant when they decided what to do next.

Normally, Rags would be in charge of everything. But Garen was no ordinary Chieftain, and neither was she, for that matter. He told her the rest of his tribe was on the way, with the allied tribes.

“My tribe is quickest. Others are slow.”

Garen flicked a bone into the spider pit as the Goblins dragged the remaining bodies into each one. They could be buried; perhaps the Spiders would eat them, or some other creature would, but Rags had decided it was better than leaving them out and making Liscor’s Watch suspicious.

How many in Tribe? How many here?

Garen shrugged. He looked at a warrior from his tribe, and the Goblin scratched his head with his one good arm. The other was bandaged. They argued, and Garen eventually came up with two hundred as a rough estimate. Two hundred Goblin warriors here. And the rest of his tribe…he had no idea. Lots.

Rags frowned. Most Chieftains knew almost exactly how many Goblins they had in their tribe, but Garen seemed very casual. But she was busy overseeing ways to move the injured, and plotting their next destination. She wanted to take the tribes away from Liscor, back to the cave perhaps, or somewhere else they could rest and regroup.

She wanted to meet the other tribes, but Rags scowled when she heard one of her Goblin scouts reporting that they were dragging their heels, walking towards her tribe at a snail’s pace as word of her victory over the Red Fang tribe was done.

Garen was all for letting the tribes disperse as Rags deliberated what to do. She glared at him: she’d been thinking and he was interrupting her. No one bothered her when she was thinking, not even other Hobs. But Garen clearly thought he was more important than anyone else.

He was right, of course, but it was still annoying.

“Let tribes go. They will come if you tell. But you are not Goblin Lord.”

Not yet, and perhaps never. That was what Rags heard. She nodded reluctantly. With the Red Fang tribe, she would replenish most of the Goblins she’s lost, and as her tribe neared a thousand individuals, she would have trouble keeping track of them all. Managing the thousands of Goblins in all the allied tribes was beyond her, so it was wisest to keep the Chieftains apart rather than cram them together and risk a fight.

Tell them to go, then. But not far.

Garen nodded in agreement, and he sent two of his least injured riders to spread the message. Rags began moving her tribe north as the last Goblin corpses were buried, and then she and Garen found themselves moving at the center of her tribe, in a small space of their own.

Rags was used to it, but the fact that Garen was still following her was annoying. She glanced at him a few times before deciding to bite the poisonous toad, so to speak.

What do you want?

He grinned at her, unabashed by the tone in Rags’ voice. Garen patted his mount, the gigantic wolf he rode who was limping at his side, and replied to Rags casually.

“Am walking. Not good?”

Rags’ brows snapped together. She glared at him, ignoring his growling mount.

I am Chieftain.

“Yes. But I am better Goblin. Older. Wiser. Stronger. Must teach you before you are better Chieftain than I.”

She pondered this. Rags had never heard of a Chieftain being taught – they normally learned what they needed to from observation, or made up everything as they went along. It was a non-Goblin concept, something Erin might come up with. Rags didn’t entirely dislike it, but she had to make one point clear.

I am Chieftain. You are not.

She could have no fighting over her position, especially since Rags knew she would lose if he challenged her. Garen nodded.

“Will not fight, Chieftain. Do not want to lead.”

That was another odd statement, but Rags saw the truth of that once she saw the rest of the Red Fang Tribe. Her Goblins had been moving at a reasonably quick job for little over two hours when she heard a warning cry, and saw the Red Fang tribe approaching.

Her first reaction was of disappointment. Not because there were less Goblins than advertised; there were actually around three hundred by her quick count, and nearly forty wolves not including pups. It was a vast tribe, made even stronger by the fact that they had six Hobs with them, the highest number she’d seen outside of her own tribe.

And indeed, the Red Fang tribe was clearly a giant among the tribes of the area. They had quality armor on most of their warriors, and weapons to match. But Rags was disappointed because when she looked at the Goblins who were not warriors, she saw her own tribe, back when she had not been Chieftain.

All of the non-warriors were thin and scrawny. The children were ragged or naked, and the Red Fang tribe didn’t look like it was carrying much food at all. They were clearly a tribe of warriors, but most tribes Rags had encountered had a simple scale of welfare. If one Goblin was fed, they all were. True, the Chieftain would be fed most, but tribes with a strong fighting force seldom had food issues.

Yet this tribe did. Rags called a halt as she approached the tribe. Immediately, the Goblins bowed their heads and didn’t meet her eyes. She was in control.

Garen sauntered over as Rags did a quick circuit of her tribe. He poked her, and she debated knifing him.

“Should teach how to fight now. Be stronger.”

She shook her head. This was far more important. She had just acquired three hundred new bodies; it was time to reorganize and rethink her tribe’s structure.

Garen frowned, not understanding.

“What? Why wait?”

Rags sighed, but she grunted at him as she looked around at the tribe. They were all watching her intently, the Hobs especially for some reason. She hoped they wouldn’t be trouble. All of these Hobs looked even stronger than the ones in her tribe, and she would need each one.

Food. Clothing. Weapons. Sleeping place. Must have things.

“Food?”

Garen’s brows rose dismissively. He shook his head, and then pointed at a Goblin, seemingly at random.

“Chieftain wants food. Get food.”

The Goblin stared at Garen and then at Rags uncertainly, but no harder than Rags was doing. She watched as he poked a few Goblins and they began to shuffle off. They had no direction, no weapons outside of the ones the Goblins were carrying, no way of retrieving their food—

What are you doing?

Garen looked blankly at Rags.

“They get food. Kill something. Find something. Bring back.”

What if they didn’t have enough food? What about logistics, and the need to find a food source if the tribe would stay in the area? Garen just stared at Rags, and then pointed again.

“Hobs will take care of it.”

Rags looked over. Indeed, one of the Hobs had intercepted the food gathering group and was trying to give them orders. He gave Rags a look of long suffering and then she understood.

Garen might be a warrior beyond warriors, and unbeatable among Goblins, a devious attacker and even a former adventurer who knew more about Humans and other races than even other Chieftains…but he was no leader.

He had no levels in the [Chieftain] class, or even the [Leader] class. His idea of leadership was leading the small group of warriors he had handpicked and trained himself into combat, and letting the Hobs and other Goblins sort the rest out.

In fact, Rags learned to her mounting indignation, Garen hadn’t even really grown his tribe himself. Goblins had simply wandered towards his camp like moths drawn to a flame and he’d let them stay. The only reason he even had a tribe was because he felt the general urge to, but he was incapable of leading any more than his few hundred directly, despite his overwhelming strength.

It wasn’t a huge flaw in a person, but it was in a Chieftain. As the leader of the Flooded Waters Tribe, Rags felt for the Red Fang Tribe, so she sprang into action, much to Garen’s annoyance.

The first thing Rags did was cancel Garen’s idiotic food gathering order and send out scouts from her location. Not to find food; she wanted a place to make camp at the moment, and her scouts would report any good food sources around.

Next, Rags began identifying useful Goblins in the tribe while she ordered her tribe’s food stashes to be emptied to feed the hungry Red Fang goblins. She always brought as much food as her tribe could carry, and so Rags watched as it was devoured by the newcomers.

The Hobs of Garen’s tribe looked on with relief as Rags began separating the Goblins, identifying classes, making the children and mothers and elderly stay together—she took the six Hobs who she’d decided were fairly competent and gave them the task of overseeing the different groups in her tribe.

Rags had dedicated scavengers, hunters, warriors, and many other groups dedicated to doing one thing in her tribe. She’d set up her internal system so that at any given time one group of Goblins could be out doing something, another could be relaxing, and her warriors could be ready to assist or protect the camp at any time.

Garen had none of that. He wandered around as Rags struggled to find a way to manage his Carn Wolves. They were distrustful of her, but they seemed to realize that she was the new boss.

At last, Rags’ scouts came back with a number of locations they’d spotted, and she picked out a large forest sitting at the base of one of the mountains as a good place to stay for a while. They’d also told her that there was a herd of Corusdeer nearby, and as far as she was concerned, that was an excellent source of meat.

Normally Goblins helped mitigate the huge number of mouths to feed in their tribes by eating their dead. But Rags considered that having dead Goblins at all was a sign of failure, so she was extremely careful to find new food sources. By the looks of the Red Fang tribe, they’d been forced to eat their dead numerous times already.

Perhaps it was time to grow food out of the ground like she’d seen Drakes and Gnolls doing. Rags knew it was possible; she didn’t know if it was possible in the snow, but it would be nice to have a reliable source of food. For the moment though, she wanted the herd of deer slaughtered. They could salt the meat; another thing Garen’s tribe didn’t do.

Still, Corusdeer were dangerous. Normally Rags would hesitate to attack a herd, even with her Hobs. So she sent Garen instead. He frowned at her when she gave him the order, along with a large number of warriors armed with pikes and bows, slings, and crossbows to keep the deer at bay and strike them from afar.

“Why? I am not hunter.”

But he was strong. And more importantly, Rags had said so. She glared at him until he went, with strict orders to keep as many Goblins alive as possible.

He came back after Rags had firmly established her camp, with designated places to eat, sleep, and excrete. Garen eyed the orderly camp Rags had made, and the way the young Goblin was organizing several groups each led by a Hob to go out and enter caves and other dens for more food.

The former Goblin Chieftain dismissively tossed a Corusdeer’s carcass down at Rags’ feet. He’d beheaded the alpha stag in the group, and Rags was pleased to note that the group she’d sent with him was only down a few Goblins.

Garen wasn’t even wounded. His skin was like armor, but the deer hadn’t even gotten close enough to gore him. According to the Hobs that had gone with him, Garen had ignored their hunting formation – closed ranks of pikes and stakes to hold the deer back and archers striking deer on the edges of the herd – and had walked into the herd, swinging his sword and cutting down Corusdeer even as they turned the snow into fog.

No other Goblin could do that. Not even a Hob, or a Chieftain. Rags could see the admiration in the eyes of the other Goblins who had gone with them. She understood. She’d felt it herself; it wasn’t just seeing him fight like that which was amazing. She’d seen adventurers striding around in magnificent armor, slaying huge monsters. But this was different. Garen was a Goblin. He was one of them, a being who could fight like a hero.

He was what Rags had dreamed of being, before those dreams had been crushed. But seeing him made her want to be strong again. She was strong as a Chieftain, but as an individual Goblin?

“We talk now?”

Garen was irritated, but he grew less so when he realized there was more hot food available and a comfortable place that had been cleared of snow to sit in. The forest was an ideal campsite for Goblins, so long as Rags made it clear to keep fire away from the trees.

It was time to talk. Rags sat with Garen and they ate again, as she finally asked all the questions on her mind. Some she had worked out, but Garen confirmed the rest.

Garen Red Fang. It wasn’t just his tribe’s name, it was his own. He had been named by the Shaman of the Old Fire Tribe, but he had wandered away from his tribe as soon as he had grown older, dissatisfied with working for his Chieftain and wandering to become stronger.

And he had. Oh, he had. Garen had learned to fight by himself, and he’d leveled up as a [Warrior] quickly. Not only that; he’d become a Hob as well, and ended up terrorizing quite a stretch of land far to the north by himself, clashing with other Goblin Tribes and local monsters until he came to the attention of a Silver-rank team of adventurers.

They’d hunted him down, and nearly killed him, but something strange had happened then. Intrigued by a Goblin who was intelligent enough to fend for himself and clearly independent, the leader of the adventurers had spared his life, instead just chasing him away.

Garen had fled, but not far. The encounter with the adventurers had changed him as well; he grew curious of the Humans and other species who he’d only regarded as enemies and prey. Consumed by his desire to understand more, Garen actually disguised himself as a traveler, hiding his green skin and face behind robes and a crude mask and gone into villages and towns, listening to Humans talk.

His first few tries had been hugely unsuccessful, but Garen soon learned to speak passably in the Human language, and no one would suspect a Goblin of being so tall, or peaceful. Garen managed to even enter cities, usually in secret and while the guards at the gates weren’t watching. But he was strong and clever enough that the few times he was caught, he could fight his way out.

And so Garen had gone searching for the adventurers who’d spared him once before. He tracked them down, and after finding them, he’d challenged them a second time.

He lost again, but this time he’d volunteered to join their group. After much debate, he’d been accepted, and so Garen Red Fang had become the first Goblin to ever journey with adventurers. With his team, they’d take on normal monster-hunting requests and even explored dungeons, eventually progressing to Gold-rank status.

That was how Garen had gotten his sword, and become such a devastating warrior. He’d formed close bonds with the adventurers too, Rags gathered…until the day when he betrayed them.

That was the only thing Garen wouldn’t talk about. The tall Hobgoblin had clammed up about it, sucking the marrow out of a bone and staring moodily into the fire. Rags had let it drop, because the next part of his story was more important still.

After his betrayal, Garen couldn’t stay in the world of non-Goblins anymore. He’d retreated to the area north of Liscor, a land where Goblins were generally ignored aside from the monster-slaying requests posted with regularity in each village. He’d wandered around the High Passes, and even tamed a Carn Wolf when he began to desire a tribe.

In the truest Goblin fashion, Garen had found the biggest tribe around and challenged the Chieftain to a battle. He’d even allowed the Chieftain to fight with as many warriors as he wanted, but apparently the Hobgoblin in charge had taken one look at Garen and fled, quite sensibly too. Thus, Garen had his tribe.

Normally, the story would then become about Garen growing his tribe, thanks to his incredible abilities as a warrior. But as Rags had observed, Garen was a terrible Chieftain and he quickly realized that as well. So instead of expanding, the Red Fang tribe had established a local superiority, rivaled only by the Broken Spear Tribe and Ghostly Hand Tribes to the south.

Until the day the Goblin Lord had emerged.

This is where Garen paused, and Rags sat up. She understood why he’d done what he had, vaguely. He’d gathered his tribe, and the nearby ones, to form an alliance that would be able to defeat the Goblin Lord. The problem was that they were fractured, having no great Chieftain to lead them. Garen was strongest, but he couldn’t manage them effectively. But when he’d heard of an upstart Chieftain who’d absorbed several tribes and was using actual tactics and formations—

Well, he’d tested her, with blood and death, and she’d passed. But Rags wanted to know why he’d decided this Goblin Lord was so wrong.

She knew what all Goblins knew. Obey the Chieftain. But there was a sense—yes, a sense in her head that told her to obey a Goblin Lord. And a Goblin King? It was like the memory of the sun for someone who’d lived all their life in shadows. She wanted a King, so she couldn’t understand what was wrong with a Goblin Lord.

“He is wrong.”

That was what Garen said. He stared into the fire, tossing the fragments of the bone into it.

Who? Broken Spear Tribe Chieftain? Ghostly Hand Tribe Chieftain?

Rags was sure she would have heard if either was expanding; she would have expected them to go after her weak tribe first. But Garen shook his head.

“Neither. Different. Broken Spear Tribe Chieftain surrendered. Ghostly Hand Chieftain is dead.”

That rocked Rags back in her seat. The Chieftain of the Ghostly Hand Tribe was dead? But she was a [Shaman] capable of powerful magic! And yet, apparently the Goblin who’d replaced her as Chieftain and started expanding her tribe was more powerful still.

“I met him. Once.”

Garen had gone south, evading adventurers and cities to meet this new Chieftain when he’d first heard of his power. But the Red Fang’s leader had left as soon as he’d seen the Goblin.

“He is…bad. Bad Goblin.”

It was a word Rags had never heard spoken of another Goblin, but she understood his meaning. Bad Goblin. One who could not be trusted, could not be part of a Tribe. Who must be fought against, even if it meant war between Tribes.

So. I am Chieftain to fight.

Garen looked up and shrugged fractionally.

“Not yet. Goblin Lord is slow. Growing Tribes. Much time. Good. Need time to make you stronger.”

Stronger? Garen nodded.

“You are weak. Must be far stronger. I help.”

That was how Rags found herself sparring with Garen in the middle of her campsite after they’d eaten. She blinked at him as he picked up a tree branch and faced her. She had a shortsword and her buckler, but he only had a piece of wood.

Goblins and Hobs gathered to watch as Rags stood in front of Garen. It was a ludicrous matchup. Despite his lack of arms, he was twice her height and all muscle. She had muscle, but nothing like him.

“Attack me, Chieftain.”

She blinked at him. Rags gestured to her sword.

I will cut you.

Garen grinned at Rags lazily. He poked at her with the branch.

“Cannot. I will show you the difference between us. Your weakness.”

She hesitated. Garen raised a hand and beckoned.

“Come. You will not h—”

Rags lifted a finger and cast [Firefly]. The insect-bird made of fire flew at Garen’s face. He lost his smile and twisted out of the way, but the bird tried to descend on his torso.

Garen dodged backwards, incredibly fast, and swatted at the spell with his branch. His swing cut the air, but all that happened was that he set his weapon on fire.

Which was a good thing if he wanted to hurt Rags, but the firefly spell was still coming at Garen. He backpedaled, striking at the fiery thing again and again. Rags wondered if he didn’t know what to do when Garen hit the firefly again and it burst and vanished into wisps of flame.

Casually, Garen tossed the flaming branch into one of the fire pits and looked at Rags. He grinned.

“Spells can be broken.”

She stared at him. She had no idea you could do that. But now Garen was advancing, barehanded, and she raised her buckler.

She’d fought him once, seriously. Even if he’d been taking it easy on her, she had a chance. Before Garen could strike, Rags darted forwards, shortsword stabbing at his stomach. She saw him draw his right foot back—

When Rags came to, Garen was emptying a potion on her. She nearly screamed as the pain hit her.

Garen hadn’t bothered with dodging. He’d just kicked her shield arm hard enough to send her flying, rolling, and crashing across the campsite. It was enough to merit a potion, and as Garen pulled her up he only grinned.

“See? Weak.”

Rags glared at him, but she could find no words to argue against that.

—-

It was an odd thing, to be taught to fight. It was almost counterintuitive; all Goblins knew how to fight. But the difference between Garen and normal Goblins was that he knew how to fight well.

It wasn’t tactics or strategy. Rags understood that. It was positioning, the way you transitioned from blow to blow, even the way you stood and held your weapons. Garen gave her a crash-course on that before he moved to sparring.

He was big on sparring. It was one of the few things he did well as Chieftain, and Rags immediately saw the benefit of it. His warriors were the cream of the crop despite their low numbers, and they could hold their own even against larger opponents by virtue of their combat prowess.

She’d made it mandatory for all her warriors to spend time sparring, although she’d insisted on blunt weapons. For her and Garen, though, there was no need for restrictions.

“If you can hurt me, you are ready.”

So said Garen as he let Rags attack him, effortlessly dodging and parrying her blows with his sword. Occasionally he would attack, and when he did, Rags nearly always suffered for it.

Garen did not hold his blows back—much. Rags would go flying, find herself waking up in pain, or just occasionally, block and live to regret it. She complained to Garen, but he was relentless.

“Must hurt. Training only works when hurt. Level up cannot be without pain.”

That intrigued her. Rags stared at Garen after one training session.

Can level without fighting others?

He nodded.

“Slowly. Takes much time, but can.”

It was a revelation, but only to her. Apparently that was common knowledge among non-Goblins; just another way in which they were woefully behind. Indeed, when Rags went back into her memories of past Goblin’s lives she realized that older Chieftains had indeed leveled up by training themselves and their warriors.

Garen was intrigued by the Chieftain’s memories. As a poor one, he could barely look back more than one or two generations, but even he had a sense of his heritage.

“Goblin King. Was famous. I asked many questions, but much is history. In books.”

He couldn’t read books, and even his adventurer companions were wary of telling him much about the Goblin King. But what Garen did know was fascinating to Rags as well.

“Was not always warlike. Was peaceful.”

Peaceful? Yes, apparently so. Rags found that some of the Chieftains she’d conquered – the Gold Stone Chieftain in particular – knew more about Goblin history than she did. It was custom for Chieftains to meet and trade on occasion, another thing that neither Rags nor Garen knew.

Neither of them was a conventional Chieftain. But Rags led by virtue of her superior mind which the other tribes respected, and Garen was strong, which was enough.

And yet, apparently the old Goblin King had been beloved by Goblins. That was what the Gold Stone Chieftain claimed.

Was strong. Was smart. Traded with Humans.

Rags and Garen exchanged looks.

“Traded?”

The Gold Stone Chieftain nodded importantly as he relayed this information while they ate. The Goblin King had had a tribe larger than any other, and he had been largely peaceful. He had been a Goblin Chieftain at first, and then a Goblin Lord, and then had come the day when others called him Goblin King.

It had been glorious, apparently. What few scraps the Gold Stone Chieftain could recall was of his ancestors being happy, fed, and safe. But then something…bad had happened, and there had been war.

Terrible war.

Rags had no idea what to make of that, but one thing was clear: a Goblin Lord was close enough to being a King that all the other species grew very nervous when one emerged. That was enough for them to send armies against the Goblin Lord. They might win or they might fail; either way, it gave her time to make her tribe stronger.

“You do not need to make tribe stronger. You need to be stronger.”

So Garen insisted, and Rags agreed. In part. She willingly practiced with him, but she wanted a strong tribe to rely on as well. Garen disagreed.

“I am [Dragoon]! Strongest [Warrior] and [Rider] combined!”

He thumped his chest and announced proudly to the awestruck Goblins. Rags had never heard of a Goblin receiving a unique class, but Garen had high levels in both classes. And he was a [Beast Tamer].

“I tamed wolves. Hit them. Made obey. Fed with. Hunted with. Slept with.”

His Carn Wolf was a massive alpha wolf among his pack. On his back, Garen was twice as dangerous, and he claimed he was more than a match for any single Gold-rank adventurer, even with magical items. Garen had a few of his own as well; a ring that helped protect him from arrows, another that resisted poisons, and his sword.

Rags stared at the crimson blade suspiciously. It was sharp, and Garen apparently never needed to polish it, but there was nothing overtly magical about it.

Garen grinned as he held it aloft. He muttered a word, and the blade began to glow white hot. He used it to cut a branch apart and watched in satisfaction as the wood caught on fire. Rags grumbled as she stamped out the flames, but she was impressed.

“Is good not to show. Magical blade helps against strong monster. Good surprise.”

Garen put his blade in the ground and eyed Rags’ bronze weaponry pointedly.

“Need magic weapons. Very important.”

He also wanted her to stop leveling up in other classes. Garen had many things he wanted, but he was insistent on this point.

“Must choose what to do. Cannot be everything. Strong warriors are one thing. Archer. Fighter. Mage. Choose. ”

Rags disliked that part of him the most. She disliked being pushed to do anything, especially since he was under her authority. But Garen seemed to regard himself as her teacher and thus he treated her orders as suggestions to be ignored or interpreted. It wasn’t ideal, but Rags was willing to admit that she wasn’t able to risk a confrontation with him just yet. As he said, she was too weak.

—-

A few days after they had settled in the forest, Garen came to Rags holding one of the stone crossbows she’d invented. He tossed it dismissively on the ground before her, as he often did when he found something lacking.

“Too weak.”

She blinked at him. Rags was trying to use one of the holes the Goblins had dug, but Garen didn’t even seem to care. She glared at him, but the former Chieftain clearly wanted a reply now.

Not weak. Good weapon. Easy to use.

He shook his head.

“Too weak. Cannot hurt enough. Arrows better.”

He demonstrated, firing the crossbow at his own palm at point-blank range. The clay pellet shattered harmlessly on his skin. Garen shook his head again.

“For hunters. Not for fighting.”

Rags partly disagreed. The stone crossbows were excellent weapons, and not just for hunting. Their ease of use and cheap ammunition meant they were perfect weapons to give to Goblins who weren’t active warriors. Anyone could use one, which meant she could arm all the children and noncombatants with a crossbow.

But again, Garen was convinced he was right, and as soon as Rags was finished doing her business, she explained why she didn’t have more ‘proper’ crossbows.

No parts. Need metal. Wood. Turning things.

Garen blinked at Rags, uncomprehending. She showed him the screws and explained how hard it was to get them. He just shook his head and laughed.

“Hard? Not hard! Very easy. Come!”

That was how Rags found herself sitting on a hill, staring down at one of the roads leading out of a city. The Goblins could hide fairly well in the snow, and so Garen brought her and a group of warriors out so they could watch the traffic going between Human cities. He’d posted scouts on other hills and observation points, waiting for the right item.

“There.”

Garen pointed, and Rags saw a covered wagon rumbling out of the city, pulled by a pair of horses and guarded by several armed warriors. She squinted.

Turning things?

Garen had no idea, but it was an ideal target nevertheless, according to him. He explained.

“Not Runner. Slow. No strong guards. Full of not-valuable things. Food, or other things.”

Runners were too hard to catch for most Goblins. Besides, they tended to post large bounties if they were attacked, and Garen had a policy to avoid conflicts with adventurers. If they killed Goblins, that was bad. But if the Goblins killed the adventurers, more would come, and higher-level ones, too.

But wagons? Wagons were fine. Garen had learned to target a few from each city to avoid raising suspicions. He’d even identified some Runners who were good targets.

“See? Thin girl.”

He pointed one slower City Runner out to Rags as she left the city with a few others. According to Garen, she ran with a few City runners at all times and she was a coward. It was easy to send a few Goblins after her and make her drop her packs.

On the other hand, there was a slow runner the Goblins avoided. He pointed her out as well. She was big, ran slowly, but apparently she was made of tougher stuff.

“Strong. She punches hard. And she had nothing good.”

He scowled at her. Rags was of the personal opinion that a crossbow bolt between the eyes would solve any problem, but Garen had insisted that not killing Runners was the smart thing to do, and she reluctantly deferred to his judgment.

They shadowed the caravan with the wagon for several miles as it pulled out of sight of the main city. It was still along the main road, but Garen’s tribe was experienced at these kinds of raids.

He pulled his warriors out of cover and mounted them up behind a hill. Then, Garen had Rags wait in some bushes with archers while his mounted Goblins drew closer to the caravan. Rags held her black crossbow, sighting down the shaft as she waited.

The caravan was rumbling along, warriors reasonably alert, when the travelers on the road heard the howl of a Carn Wolf. It was quickly joined by others, and the Humans realized a pack was hunting.

Most of the Humans began to run immediately. The slower-moving wagons and carts were abandoned, and the warriors on the road drew close to their caravan, closing ranks and looking around wildly.

It was a good tactic. They could probably scare away the Carn Wolves, especially since they had a mage in their group. But they weren’t prepared for mounted Goblins. The Humans gaped in shock and terror as Garen burst out of his cover with his warriors, shouting and charging the Humans.

Rags saw the [Mage] stand up on the wagon and aim at Garen. Her finger pulled on the trigger of her crossbow, and she felt the crossbow snap forwards and the mage fell down. The Humans looked around wildly as her archers stood up, and Garen crashed into them, sword slicing apart their armor with ease.

It was over in minutes. Garen had his Goblins loot the cart, and then he burnt the entire thing and scattered the pieces, as if a spell had obliterated both cart and Humans. His warriors let their mounts savage the dead Humans, and then they were away with their spoils.

As it happened, the cart had been carrying a bunch of weapons, no doubt for sale in another city. Garen gleefully showed the wonderful blades and shields to Rags, and she had to admit that the raid had been a huge success.

Even so, a part of Rags hurt as the Goblins raced away with their prize. She stopped and stood next to one of the bodies, staring down at it.

A female Human stared blankly up at Rags, red hair made redder by blood. Rags bent down and closed her eyes.

Garen walked over, his wolf sniffing at the dead Human. He looked dismissively at the body.

“Annoying mage. Good shot.”

Rags had killed the woman with a bolt in her back. The smaller Goblin shook her head. She wasn’t feeling guilty—no, not really. But she stared at the woman’s face and thought of Erin.

Garen had no such feelings. He kicked the woman dismissively.

“Dead Human. Do not worry. No one will come.”

Rags shook her head.

Not all Humans bad. Some…good.

Garen laughed at her. He shook his head.

“All bad. They hate us. Fear us. We are trash to them.”

That was true and not true. Rags remembered being hunted, remembered the fear and terror and hatred she had of Humans. But then she had met Erin, and her life had changed.

Not all. One is not.

Garen looked at Rags curiously. How could she explain in their limited language about Erin, a Human who defied explanations? Garen listened, but dismissively.

“I have met many Humans. All are the same.”

His cavalier dismissal of Rags’ opinions angered her. She glared at him.

What about party? Adventurers. All same?

Garen hesitated.

“That is different.”

How?

He didn’t want to say. Garen shook his head.

“Is not important.”

Tell.

He stared at her. Rags folded her arms. She was Chieftain. If he wouldn’t obey, then he was not part of her Tribe. Garen hesitated, ground his teeth, and shook his head.

“Different. Not Humans.”

Drakes? Gnolls? But Garen shook his head. He muttered, trying to find the words to describe it.

“Not Human. Half. Part. Were different. Like me.”

He broke off their conversation, turned his mount, and insisted it was time to go. Rags frowned, but she let him hoist her up and ride back to camp. But Garen’s past was a riddle to her, and she wanted answers.

Why kill them? Why betray?

For several days Garen refused to answer even as Rags pressed him. But at last he gave in. He took her aside and showed her something. Something small.

A key.

Just a key. It was a black key, made of a shining material that looked like onyx. It was clearly valuable, but it was just a key, not some magical weapon or powerful artifact. Rags stared at it in complete disappointment, but Garen tucked it away in his belt, more careful with it than he was with his sword. He tapped his belt.

“Is most valuable thing. The key is important.”

Worth betraying his entire party over? Garen nodded.

“Is the key the last Goblin King wanted.”

Rags stared. But that was all Garen would say. He had killed his fellow adventurers over the key when they had found it at the bottom of a dungeon. They had recognized the artifact on sight, and Garen had demanded it for himself. When they had refused, he had fought and been forced to kill many of them before fleeing with the key.

But what did it unlock? Garen knew, but he wouldn’t tell Rags. It was another mystery, but he was adamant that neither he nor she could reach the thing the key unlocked.

“Too dangerous. Not even old Goblin King could reach. Is death beyond death where treasure hidden. Maybe someday tell. Not today.”

And that was it. Garen refused to talk more about it, and Rags found herself pondering the key, but not often. She had so much to do!

Manage her tribe. Find new food sources. Meet new Chieftains. Create new weapons. Devise tactics and formations. Train with Garen. Learn to ride?

Yes, of all the things Rags found herself doing, riding was one of the most surprising things. After she’d met with one of the smaller Goblin tribes to show the new Chieftains who was boss, Garen had taken her aside and shown her his wolves.

He was a [Beast Tamer] and the animals responded to him. But his tribe had adopted the Carn Wolves and so many Goblins knew how to ride and care for the animals even if they didn’t have the class. But Garen was of the opinion that Rags should know how to ride, and so he wanted to find her a mount.

It was a tricky problem. All of his Goblin riders were normal-sized Goblins, not Hobs, since the Carn Wolves could only support so much weight. But Garen had chosen the biggest normal Goblins to ride. Rags was still young, and she was so small that it would be hard to control even a small Carn Wolf.

But Garen had a solution. He brought her to a den the Carn Wolves had created, and showed her a litter of pups that had just been born. Rags eyed the half-blind, furry creatures with a bit of disgust, but Garen bent and picked one up, ignoring the objections of the nursing mother.

“Here. Good wolf.”

He showed her an albino wolf, a runt of the pack. The wolf had glorious white fur, and it blinked at Rags. The Goblin blinked back. She looked at Garen and he explained.

“Wolf will grow. Will become good mount for you. Raise. Teach. Ride.”

He offered the cub to her, but Rags shook her head. She thought about the cub, and looked at Garen.

Not good.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Why? Too small? Will grow.”

She shook her head.

White wolf. Is target. Normal one better.

Garen stared at her for a few seconds, and then laughed. He put the small albino wolf back with the others, and the small thing bumped over to his mother’s teat and latched on.

“I will find another. Teach you to ride a normal one.”

And so their days continued, but with a small problem. Rags knew she was growing, learning, and her tribe was certainly benefiting from the time to rearm and grow. But she herself was…impatient. She found herself looking south more and more often, until only a week after her victory over the Red Fang tribe, Garen found her staring south on a hilltop.

“What, Chieftain?”

He still used her title so casually. Rags made a face, but she didn’t answer right away. She was thinking.

She’d left so much behind in Liscor. Not just the inn and the games of chess, but the dungeon. Now of course she was bigger, more important, with a huge tribe at her disposal. But—

But she couldn’t help wanting to go back. She was missing something, Rags felt. Garen was teaching her how to be stronger in his own way, but he was not enough.

What would Erin do? She was weaker than Garen, but she had her own strength. And she had things he had never dreamed of. She had defeated Skinner, and even made friends with the terrifying bugs. Her skeleton lived even though he was dead, and the dungeon—

Rags’ fist clenched. Garen looked at her curiously. He was the strongest Goblin she had met, but was he stronger than Relc? He was a single Goblin, and he thought that was fine, but it wasn’t.

She’d wanted to be strong. She’d wanted to be able to fight for herself, but now she was a Chieftain. Would she become one Goblin, mighty by herself but held back by weaklings?

No, no. There had to be something else. Goblins couldn’t just be like Garen’s tribe, a group of powerful Goblins still inferior to a group of similarly trained and armed Humans. They had to become stronger some other way.

He didn’t know how. But Erin might. She might. And suddenly Rags knew what she wanted.

She looked at Garen. The tall Goblin was staring at her expectantly. Well, he’d snuck into a city once, hadn’t he? She met his curious gaze and explained what she wanted to do. Garen stared at her, and then laughed and laughed until he was nearly sick.

—-

Two Goblins walked through the snow towards Liscor. They were Goblins, but no one looking at them would have made the connection. Externally, they were hooded travelers, a father and daughter perhaps, unwisely travelling in such harsh conditions by themselves down the main road.

The few travelers who passed by didn’t even give the two a second glance, other than to shout greetings. Both travelers waved back, and in no time they came to the city gates. But here they took a detour and walked south around the walls, towards a small inn on a hill twenty minutes’ walk away from the city.

It was a simple inn, but well-crafted, with glass windows of all things. The tall traveler stopped as the smaller one led the way. They would stop for something to eat perhaps, or a bit of conversation. Rather, to listen to conversations. Really, it didn’t matter what happened so long as they were there. The inn was a place of safety, and at least one of the two Goblins was very curious as to what he would find inside.

But something curious happened as the two approached. A black carriage suddenly ran through the snow, making both Goblins stop and watch in amazement as ghostly horses pulled the vehicle to a complete stop. Someone got out. It was a young Human girl that one of the Goblins recognized. She waved to the driver inside, and then walked to her inn.

That was the first interesting thing that happened. The next was that shortly after visiting, a Drake, an Antinium, another Drake [Receptionist], a Human [Scout], and finally, an annoyed [Princess] and a skeleton entered the inn shortly after the girl did. The Goblins hesitated, but entered the inn as well.

And then there was a fight. But that was hardly unusual.

This is the tale of the Wandering Inn, a day before Ryoka returned to Liscor. A day before that, Erin had left her inn behind. She had gone to the City of Adventurers, Invrisil. And there she had met Lady Magnolia for the first time.

2.37

Erin sat on an expensive cushion in an expensive coach, staring at a [Butler] driving the vehicle pulled by magical (and probably expensive) ghost horses and tried not to get anything dirty. Her ears were still ringing.

“I demand to be taken along!”

Lyon had screamed and thrown things and even tried to hit the impassive [Butler] for the better part of an hour. The poor man had stood immobile and unyielding in the face of it all. In fact, Reynold the [Butler] had repeated only one thing:

“The invitation is extended to Miss Solstice alone. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

In the end, Erin had to forcibly restrain Lyon via use of Toren. She’d told him to close the inn until she was gone, to look after Lyon, and then she’d run into Liscor and told Selys what was happening.

One confused conversation and a sign on the inn’s door later, Erin was in the coach, wondering if she’d made a horrible mistake. The landscape blurred past her, ground and trees and even people disappearing in a blink of an eye.

It was very much like being in a car, except that even cars rumbled and moved left and right and were generally unpleasant to be in for longer than forty minutes.

But this carriage was smooth. Erin didn’t even feel like she was really moving. It felt unreal, and she was used to taking airplanes and cars around.

But the [Butler] seemed to be completely at home as he steered the carriage…somehow. There was a wall with an open window that Erin could speak to him through, but most of her view was blocked.

Erin guessed that normally this carriage would have been full of rich people, probably sipping fine wine and talking about important things. She felt out of place inside of it, but at least there was wine and food available.

Quite a lot of it, in fact. A bottle of wine sat in a bucket of ice while small crackers, cheeses, and even some fruits Erin hadn’t seen in the markets were carefully arranged for her consumption. Erin was still too afraid to touch anything, even though she was getting tempted by the spread.

“I do apologize for the sparse accommodations.”

Reynold looked back apologetically at one point and delivered that shocking statement as if he really was sorry. Erin just blinked back at him in astonishment.

“What? No! It’s great! I mean, this is so much—and your carriage is so fast. ”

“Your words are too kind. Please partake of the refreshments. If there is anything I can do, do not hesitate to ask.”

Erin nodded, and Reynold returned his focus back to the road. He was a very silent guy, or maybe it was just the fact that he was a [Butler]. It had taken her a few tries to even get him to tell her his name.

She nibbled nervously at a cracker smeared with cheese and ate nothing more. It was a long, long drive. Reynold had told her the trip would take at least four hours, and after fifteen minutes she was already antsy and bored. So Erin did what she did best:

Talk.

“So uh, you’re a [Butler]. What do you do?”

“I serve the Reinhart house, Miss.”

“Oh, right, right. Like uh, cleaning things and welcoming guests?”

“…That is largely correct, Miss.”

“But sort of incorrect? Do you always travel around like this? How do the ghost horses work? What if you get attacked? Do you want some of this cheese? There’s lots.”

Two hours in she got him talking.

“In truth, Miss—”

“Erin.”

“…Erin. Well, in truth I’d say that most folk wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a normal vintage and a well-aged reserve. You see, it really comes down to the situations in which a bottle is enjoyed in.”

“Oh, really? I mean, I can’t really tell the difference—not that I’ve had much. But how can you tell? Do you have a really good sense of taste or something?”

Reynold chuckled softly.

“I? Hardly. While it is true the [Butler] class has several qualities and Skills that overlap with [Gourmet] and other such critical classes, the true test of experience lies in how much wine you drink and the pace at which you drink.”

“Ooh. I think I get it.”

“Quite. A proper tasting should involve first sampling the wine’s bouquet—that is to say, aroma—before slowly imbibing the drink. Simply tossing it down will ruin the subtle flavors of each sip, and they are quite exquisite.”

“So you’ve had a lot of expensive wines? Because you serve a lot of them, right?”

“Indeed. It is one of my functions to ensure that I do not serve an inferior glass. Also, it is a custom dating back to the time when poison was used liberally in drinks. Not that I fear being poisoned. And should I just mention it—pairing the right food to go with a glass of wine is often an art form in itself. Do try some of the Perisgraé Cheese with the wine, will you?”

Erin did.

“This is really good! You should have some!”

“It would hardly be—”

“I’m putting some through the window! Here!”

“Ah. Thank you.”

“Mm. This cheese doesn’t taste like anything I’ve had before. What’s it from?”

“A goat subspecies that eats rocks, I believe.”

“ Bufh. Really?”

Erin coughed and eyed the cheese. It didn’t taste like rocks.

“Indeed. A number of excellent foods come from rare magical species. Alas, such products are inevitably in short supply, but Lady Reinhart has the means to secure even the rarest of delicacies. Some of her most prized wines were made from plants and fruits no longer present in this world.”

“Wow.”

Erin enjoyed talking with Reynold, and she got the impression that he was surprised that he was enjoying talking to her. They chattered on about small things for an hour or two; he told her that Lady Magnolia was quite rich and had many servants with lots of levels in strange classes, but he was apparently not allowed to say more.

Still, it was good to make a friend, and Erin enjoyed his tips on how to best savor the snacks in front of her. She thought she might buy a few cheap bottles of wine when she got back to the inn. Or maybe she could make some herself? She had a Skill for that, didn’t she?

But once their conversation had lapsed into silence, Erin found herself worrying. There were butterflies in her stomach. Massive, flesh-eating ones that were probably a real thing in some part of this world.

Everything had happened so suddenly. One minute she’d been in her inn, the next she was going farther and faster than she’d ever gone in this world. Reynold assured her everything would be alright, but Erin was still worried.

Lady Magnolia. Ryoka had told Erin briefly about her, but from what she’d said, Lady Magnolia was just some rich woman who liked expensive things. She’d apparently gotten interested in Ryoka and started hiring people to follow her, but that didn’t exactly explain the magical carriage and butler appearing out of nowhere. How had she found out Erin was from another world? Had Ryoka told her? That didn’t seem likely. And she’d found other people from Erin’s world?

How? Where had they been? Erin stopped eating as she wondered. What would they be like? Who were they? Did they know anything about why all this had happened?

When the coach finally began to slow and then stopped and Reynold opened the door, he found Erin in a state of near-panic. The sight of his distinguished mustache helped calm her down. Maybe it was just his suit. It was so cool.

“We’ve arrived, Miss Solstice. Allow me to escort you out.”

Caught up in her thoughts, Erin had completely neglected to look out the windows in the last half of her trip. If she had, she would have witnessed the famed city of adventurers, Invrisil, and probably be shocked and amazed. But as soon as Erin’s foot touched the paved pathway and she looked around and found herself on Lady Magnolia Reinhart’s estate—

“Oh.”

That was all Erin said. She stared around, slowly taking in the fact that she was standing in a courtyard…leading up to a huge wall with holes in it…which turned out to be a house…a big house…with architecture…

She had expected a mansion. She hadn’t expected… this.

Ryoka had visited Lady Magnolia’s home in Celum, but to compare that modest space to the true home of Lady Magnolia Reinhart was to compare a one-room apartment to Versailles.

Erin had seen pictures of mansions owned by celebrities and millionaires, so she wasn’t exactly blown away by the size of the Lady Magnolia’s home. It was big, yes, but still believable. What left her speechless was the Architecture.

It had to be Architecture, because it was the kind of thing that couldn’t go uncapitalized. The best way Erin could think of it was that there were no flat spaces. Houses in her world tended to have flat surfaces as walls, and indeed, most skyscrapers were just giant rectangles with the occasional artistic design.

But this was a building made back in the time when people took years or even decades to build structures. It had art in every inch of the building. Erin stared up at the sculptures carved into the walls, and the decorative reliefs made of metal and stone. Words like crenellation, fenestration, and porte cochère leapt into her head, although that last word was just because Erin had taken French class at one point. And failed.

But still, even that would have been comparable to some of the better antiquities in Erin’s world. What set Magnolia’s home apart was the magic. There was a lot of it.

It was in the air. Literally in the air. Erin stared up at a cloud, a cloud moving just twenty feet off of the ground in what looked like the massive garden. It was a dark storm cloud, and it was raining into the lush vegetation. Another cloud enshrouded a section of Lady Magnolia’s mansion, engulfing the topmost windows. Erin longed to reach out and touch it, but—

A fish swam across the front of the mansion. Erin blinked, but she hadn’t gone insane. Not yet. A silvery fish swam across one glass window as if it were underwater and then leapt into the next window, so lifelike that Erin had to convince herself that part of the estate wasn’t underwater.

“Ah. The intruder defenses are activated.”

Reynold murmured that quietly as he stood beside Erin, perfectly at attention. She blinked and looked at him, but he stared ahead as if he’d said nothing.

“What does that mean? The fishes?”

They weren’t alone. A wolf prowled across the front of the building, and a bird flew across the roof.

“Quite. But do note the guard Golems to your left.”

Erin turned her head and gasped. Both Rags and Toren would have immediately recognized the towering behemoths clad in steel armor, although these Golems were made of silvery metal rather than black. They were also, disconcertingly, gilded with pink metal. It did not make them cute or less threatening. And both Goblin and Skeleton probably would have run away immediately given that instead of one enchanted suit of armor, there were four.

They walked with mechanical precision, patrolling the large courtyard and grounds in front of Lady Magnolia’s gated estate. Erin’s eyes bugged out as she saw the Golems; when she looked up, they nearly popped out of her head.

“Oh my god! It’s a Pegasus! A Pegasus! ”

Reynold tried to pry Erin off of his arm as she grabbed him.

“Please calm yourself, Miss Solstice. It is a spell. A summoned guardian. It is not real.”

“Can I fly it!?”

The [Butler] coughed and Erin caught a hold of herself.

“Right, probably not. Sorry. How is all this possible? I mean, Ryoka said—but—how? Is Magnolia really that rich?”

Reynold lifted one eyebrow.

“Lady Magnolia? She is the heir to the Reinhart family and one of the richest individuals on the continent.”

Erin stared at him. For the first time, she began to wonder just exactly what Ryoka had done and said to get Lady Magnolia’s attention.

“Miss Solstice?”

Erin turned as Reynold snapped back to even more perfect attention. She saw a tall woman dressed in a somber black dress, as official-looking and impressive as Reynold’s own attire. She was flanked by two other women, dressed like English maids or…Japanese cosplayers.

There were frills. And even bows. And a certain white and black color coordination that struck the eye. But the two maids were clearly following their leader, who turned out to be a maid herself.

“Miss Solstice? My name is Ressa. I am the [Head Maid] in service to Lady Magnolia. I will take you to her, if you would follow me?”

Erin gaped. Then she rallied and gaped harder.

“Um. Wow. Okay. Uh.”

She looked around. Reynold was standing straight and staring ahead. Erin hesitated, and then nodded.

“Thanks for taking me out here.”

“Think nothing of it, Miss Solstice. I trust that you will enjoy your stay.”

He answered her politely and without meeting her eyes. Erin felt a pang, but then Ressa was by her side.

“If you will follow me? Lady Magnolia Reinhart awaits your company.”

There was nothing to do but follow. In fact, not one person hesitated as Ressa led the way into the mansions. The double doors swung out as if they were automatic when they were in fact, magical. She strode along so quickly that Erin had to move fast to keep up.

But again, who would argue with Ressa? Erin might not have known it, but just one look at Ressa was a glimpse into her personality and function in the Reinhart household.

Ressa looked almost inhumanly good. It was a feature of her class, although Erin couldn’t have known that. All Erin did know was that Ressa looked how she wanted to look when she was full of bad self-esteem and dreamed of being taller and a supermodel. She was beautiful, but also stern and imposing. Exactly like the head matron or schoolmistress out of some old children’s book.

Or a queen.

And there was certainly something queen-like about the way Ressa strode through the halls and the servants bobbed their heads to her—or maybe Erin—and began to work twice as hard.

Erin noticed that with part of her mind, but the rest of her was trying to take in the mansion that Ressa seemed determined not to show her. Paintings, statues, and what looked like magical artifacts blended together with long corridors and rooms filled with wonderful furniture and objects that disappeared as Erin moved past.

It was all too much to take in. Erin could barely focus on one thing at a time; her eyes would catch on something and then transition to something else, so the only thing she remembered was wealth and beauty and grandeur.

And that was sort of annoying. Erin frowned. She looked at Ressa’s back as she passed what looked like a gallery of magical items in glass cases. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and then spoke up.

“Excuse me. Could we slow down for a second?”

The air froze. The servants trailing Erin and Ressa flinched. The tall woman looked over at Erin.

“What was that?”

“Oh, sorry. I just wanted to look at some of this stuff. It’s really incredible. Unless Lady Magnolia is waiting for me?”

Erin blinked innocently up at Ressa. The [Head Maid] hesitated.

“Lady Magnolia is extremely busy at the moment. You may wait for her in a dressing room.”

She was disarmed by the smile the younger woman gave her.

“Oh. If she’s busy I wouldn’t want to disturb her. Can I just look at these displays instead of waiting in a room? It’s really amazing.”

Reynold seemed to be trying to swallow his tongue, and the maids were staring between Erin and Ressa and slowly trying to edge away. Ressa blinked, but then her brows snapped together.

Erin felt the slightest tingling in her gut, and a vague sense of unease passed through her—for just an instant. She blinked, and it was gone like a moment of indigestion. She looked at Ressa and wondered if she was going to let Erin look. She was staring at Erin’s face pretty hard. Thinking? Erin wouldn’t want to get anyone in trouble.

After a few seconds, Erin realized that this was intimidation, not pondering thought. Erin stared back, not smiling anymore. Was the other woman trying to scare her? She was tall, but that wasn’t scary.

Again, the briefest moment of unease passed through Erin as Ressa’s glare seemed to intensify. But Erin just stared back. She’d looked at Skinner; this wasn’t very scary.

And now Ressa seemed confused. Erin looked around as she scratched her back awkwardly. Reynold and the other two maids looked pale. Was something happening? Was Ressa using a Skill? Why wasn’t it working on Erin?

Maybe it was some kind of intimidation skill. Erin frowned. Should she get upset? But maybe Ressa just wanted to do her job well. It couldn’t be easy, leading people around all the time.

“Um. Is that too much of a bother?”

Ressa blinked. The tingling in Erin’s stomach faded, and she heard people start breathing again. The head of Lady Magnolia’s staff stared at Erin and slowly nodded her head.

“The drawing room may wait a while longer. What do you want to know?”

Erin shrugged.

“I don’t know. It just looks interesting. Is everything magical?”

She pointed.

“What does that thing do?”

—-

“…This sword was used by the young Lady Magnolia during her first battle at the pass in Liscor during the First Antinium War. She successfully defended herself and injured four Soldiers when they broke through the ring of guards to attack her. You will note the enchantments for sharpness and frost etched onto the blade.”

As it happened, Ressa lectured like a teacher as well, with excellent oratory skills and clearly a lot of passion when it came to her mistress. Erin nodded approvingly as she studied the shortsword in one of the many cases on display down a long hallway with windows looking out on the courtyard.

“Yeah. It’s shiny.”

Ressa glanced at Erin as the girl held her hands just over the lid of the glass case. It wasn’t locked, but Erin had the definite impression this was a ‘no touch’ sort of deal. She could actually feel the air growing colder around the pedestal.

“And what’s that? Is that a powerful ring?”

Erin moved over to the next object on display. Ressa nodded stiffly as maids and servants stared at the two and furtively scurried around behind their backs.

“…A ring of teleportation. Or should I say, [Lesser Teleport]. It is fixed to an anchor, but no mages have been able to discern where the ring leads to. Putting it on might be deadly, hence the reason it is kept here.”

“But it’s not guarded or anything. Isn’t it dangerous if someone teleports to this ring?”

Ressa shook her head. It had taken a few minutes for her to start talking, but Erin had finally gotten her to explain what each object was and did outside of a one sentence reply. Either she was nicer than she looked, or she’d just given up trying to scare Erin.

“Each object here is protected by the enchantments of the mansion. Only a truly powerful mage would be able to penetrate the wards here.”

“But what if they did break through? And what if they, I dunno, brought an army?”

“That would be amusing to see.”

There was a glint in Ressa’s eyes. Erin blinked, and then nodded slowly.

“Right. So all of these things here are really valuable, right?”

“To a…certain extent. They are hardly the most prized artifacts in the Reinhart’s possessions, but they are important curios.”

“Like this other ring? What does it do?”

“It conjures a Hellhound to protect and defend the wearer for four hours. It can only be used once a month unless recharged with magic sooner, and the summoning time takes one minute.”

“Whoa.”

Erin eyed the ring. It looked like someone had melted and then twisted together metal and some kind of red stone to form the band that sat on a dark purple pillow.

“That sounds really useful. But why not give this to a servant? It could be useful when they’re out doing things. I mean, I was sort of worried we’d be attacked on the way here.”

Ressa sniffed dismissively.

“The [Butler] assigned to escort you has a number of magical items at his disposal and adequate Skills to ward off most attacks.”

“The [Butler]—you mean Reynold?”

Ressa paused. She looked at Erin oddly.

“…Yes. I do apologize if he acted with undue familiarity towards you.”

“What? Oh no, no!”

Erin waved her hands frantically at Ressa and nearly knocked over another pedestal that held a key in a display case. Ressa silently moved Erin away from the displays.

“I had a great ride. He was really nice! I just talked to him and he told me about wine and stuff.”

“Wine? Ah. One of Reynold’s duties is overseeing the wine collection.”

“Yeah. He talked about that. I made him, really. So if he’s in trouble—”

“Please, pay no mind to my comment. I am…glad you found his company so refreshing.”

Ressa glanced out the window as she spoke, and then looked at Erin. She nodded slightly.

“I believe Lady Magnolia will be finished with her business shortly. If you would accompany me?”

“Oh. Sure.”

Erin awkwardly trailed after Ressa. This time the [Head Maid] didn’t walk nearly so fast, so Erin could stare around the mansion.

“This place really is the greatest. I haven’t seen anything like it.”

“Truly?”

Ressa seemed surprised, but Erin nodded.

“Yeah! There’s magic and maids and butlers and all kinds of amazing things. Like that painting of the mountain. I’ve never been in any place as fancy as this.”

“I would have assumed you had seen similar sights. You come from a world far more…advanced than ours, do you not?”

Erin paused in surprise. But that was right, if Lady Magnolia knew Erin was from another world and had people here, they would have talked to Ressa and the others.

“…Yeah, but I mean, it’s nothing special.”

“You fly through the air like the greatest of [Archmages] I am told. And you build buildings into the sky.”

“What, skyscrapers? They’re nothing special. Not like this.”

Erin was no world traveler, but she had visited other countries, often to play in chess tournaments. And she had visited fancy hotels (and not so fancy ones), but they were products of steel and glass. As magnificent as they got, they were still creations of a company that was probably less than a hundred years old.

And no hotel Erin had ever stayed at had a Van Gogh behind the receptionist’s desk or a statue carved by Rodin in their lobby. Lady Magnolia’s home had more works of art than Erin could count; it was like she’d turned a museum into her home.

And the magic. The magic was far beyond anything Erin had ever seen. There was something real to the statues of armor and the summoned guard Pegasus that no CGI or animation could replicate.

“I think your world is a lot more fantastic than mine. We have some things that are more advanced, but that’s only technology. We don’t have magic.”

Erin said it truthfully, but Ressa stopped walking for a second and looked at her in surprise.

“Thank you.”

For what? Erin opened her mouth, but the maid began walking again.

“We are entering the guest suite of the mansion. If you will inform me of your preferences, I will have food and drink prepared for you immediately. I do not expect Lady Reinhart will be occupied for more than—”

“It’s her!”

The loud voice was a shout of surprise and jubilation, totally at odds with the quiet dignity of the mansion. Erin jumped and Ressa turned as a door flung itself open.

A young man stood in the doorway. Erin was treated to a…normal face. When you got down to it, it was a normal face. The young man was not a Drake, nor a brooding veteran like Halrac. He didn’t have a face full of hair like Krshia, and his eyes were brown, as was his hair. He didn’t have exposed bone or glowing eyes and he wasn’t armed.

He was a normal Human. It was a relief. And he looked just like someone from Erin’s world. That’s what made her stare and gape.

He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. Completely normal, again. But that was so abnormal for this world that it was a shock. His t-shirt was black and had the green Android robot staring creepily at Erin. He had a watch—no, a Fitbit on his wrist, and a smile on his face.

Ressa did not. She blocked the young man’s path as he flung the door open and walked towards Erin.

“Mister Joseph, I must ask you to remain in your room. Lady Magnolia wishes to speak with Miss Solstice bef—”

“You’re actually here! Come on in!”

The young man—Joseph—ignored Ressa and tugged on Erin’s arm and suddenly she was in another room. She blinked, and looked around, confused, and then she was surrounded by people.

A young woman sitting with knees drawn to her chest stared at Erin from her chair. She had black skin—which again, was normal where Erin was from, but was the first person Erin had met who looked like that in this world. Now that Erin had grown used to brown fur and scales of different colors, it was another shock.

But another young woman was in front of Erin—more of a teenager, actually. She had a casual shirt, loose pants, and a cotton jacket on, and two rings. And she had painted nails, dark purple flaking slightly at the tips.

Erin stared at her. The other girl had a pair of sunglasses perched on her forehead. She was just like any normal girl from Erin’s world. Any normal girl.

It was almost too much for Erin to handle. She stared at the other girl and exclaimed.

“Oh my god!”

“Oh my god!”

A second’s hesitation, and then they threw their arms around each other. More people crowded around, ignoring Ressa as she spoke loudly behind them, and suddenly Erin was back home.

For a few seconds, Erin could stare around and only see people from her world. For a few seconds. And then the opulence of the room they were in hit her, and she realized she was standing in a sitting room that even the Queen of England might have envied. Maybe. Erin had never been in the Buckingham Palace, so she had no way of comparing the two. But this room was up there in terms of poshness.

Gold-backed chairs. Rich sofas and rugs that were probably real fur rather than machined fibers. A table made of crystal , and another one of those platters heaped with exotic foods and drinks.

Oh, and a huge glass window that looked out onto a massive garden where the storm cloud was still making its rounds. Erin stared around, but then the young people were around her, talking, demanding her attention.

And they were young. Erin was 20 years old, but they all seemed younger than her. Maybe it was just her perspective, but none of them could have been older than sixteen. But apparently they were close to her age or a few years younger.

The young man who’d dragged her into the room was the first to make himself coherent over the outpouring of voices. He shouted everyone else down, and Erin finally managed to count how many people were in the room.

Seven—no, eight. The girl in the chair hadn’t gotten up, but she was still staring in Erin’s direction. Ressa had left.

The young man smiled at Erin again, revealing straight teeth, probably the result of braces, another oddity. He introduced himself at last, along with the others.

“I’m Joseph, this is Rose. And this is Galina, Troy…”

Erin looked around, forgetting names, shaking hands, waving, and nodding at the people he introduced. They were nearly equally split between genders, and with Erin there were exactly five boys and five girls in the room.

“I’m Erin. Erin Solstice. How did you all get here?”

Erin stared around the room, still slightly in shock. The hubbub started again, but this time the young woman who’d hugged Erin—Rose—explained.

“I was travelling to visit France, and these guys were a group of international students visiting the United States. We were all in the Chicago airport when we were taken.”

“You mean, abducted.”

Another boy said that. He had Asian features—although Erin wouldn’t have been able to guess where he was from. She blinked at him, and Rose looked irritated.

“It wasn’t an abduction! It was a spell, a spell!”

“How do you know?”

“That’s what happened to the Americans, remember? I told you, they said there was a spell. That has to be it!”

“But why didn’t we all end up in the same place? Was it just a mistake?”

“It has to be a spell. What else could it be?”

Erin blinked as Rose began arguing with the other guy. Joseph jumped back in, cutting the two off.

“We arrived in the world just last week! It was crazy—one second we were waiting for our flight, and the next, we were here! We—the seven of us—appeared in this city in the middle of nowhere. Everyone was screaming, and Rose ended up in a forest!”

“What? One week?”

Erin stared at him. Joseph was wearing a huge grin, and he seemed to be practically vibrating with excitement.

“Yeah. All these soldiers ran up the instant we appeared and arrested us. We had no idea what was about to happen and they brought in a mage to look at us when Lady Magnolia arrived! She got us out of prison and took us here. Can you believe this place?”

“Wait, hold on. How did she find—no, wait, what’s happening back home? Does anyone know we’re missing? I’m missing?”

Erin grabbed Joseph. He looked startled and shook his head.

“No—we haven’t heard anything about missing people. Why. When did you get here?”

She didn’t even know. Erin let go of Joseph and shook her head. Ever since she’d landed in this world, each day had felt like a week. Or a year.

“I—don’t know. Three months? Four? It feels like two years.”

“ Three months!? ”

Everyone looked startled, again, except for the girl sitting in her chair. She was rocking back and forth and staring at Erin without participating in any of the noise. Her eyes were sunken and she didn’t seem to blink.

“Three months, are you serious?”

Joseph stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. Rose stared at Erin.

“Do you have an iPhone? Were you part of the call?”

“The call? Wh—oh!”

Erin remembered the call Ryoka had told her about, the one with people from all over the world. She shook her head.

“I don’t have anything from my—our world. But I know a girl who does. She was part of the call?”

“What?”

Again, the exclamation and uproar nearly deafened Erin. The guys were talking excitedly, and the girls were asking Erin where the other girl was, what her name was, when she was getting here, and so on.

Erin raised her hands.

“I don’t know! She’s out on a delivery. She’s a Runner and I haven’t seen her for a week.”

“A Runner? What’s that?”

Erin blinked at Joseph. It seemed so obvious, but he really hadn’t been here. She tried to explain.

“It’s like a post office worker here. She delivers messages, packages—usually she runs from city to city, avoiding monsters and bandits.”

“What? That’s so weird. Why would anyone want to do that?”

“Well…”

Erin stared at Joseph. She shook her head slightly.

“It’s what she had to do to survive. I mean, I became an [Innkeeper]—”

“You’re an [Innkeeper]? Why?”

“…Because that’s the only way I could survive. I didn’t know there were other people and Lady Magnolia wasn’t there, and I found this inn and got the class, so—”

Erin could only shrug. She looked at Joseph and the others helplessly.

“You’ve only been here for a week?”

They nodded.

“Maybe longer. But not much more than that.”

Rose interrupted. She pointed at the girl sitting in the chair.

“Not Imani. She was with another group of people in the airport. She ended up somewhere else.”

Erin looked at the girl again, and this time the young woman seemed to retreat further into herself as everyone stared at her. She clutched her knees to her chest with two arms.

“Um. Is she okay?”

For a second Joseph’s face lost its good cheer. He lowered his voice, although he was clearly audible in the room.

“Imani ran into monsters when she and the others appeared. She was the only one who got away, and she was in this small village until Lady Magnolia found her.”

“Monsters? What kind of monsters?”

Imani shuddered. She looked up at Erin.

“Crelers.”

She whispered the word as she rocked back and forth on her chair. The room went silent. It was the awkward silence of people not knowing what to say. Erin moved over, until she was close to Imani. She hesitated, and then pulled up a chair next to the girl and sat next to her.

“I’m sorry. I ran into a Dragon the first night I was here.”

“A Dragon? Reall—”

Rose, or perhaps it was someone else, kicked Joseph. But Imani looked at Erin. She seemed to understand.

“How’d you get away?”

“I ran. And then I ran into a group of Goblins.”

Erin had to smile bitterly at the memory. She could still taste the fear and feel the burning on her arm and leg as she ran, screaming and crying through the night. Imani looked at Erin and then uncovered her legs a bit.

“I hid. On the rocks. They can’t climb rocks.”

Erin put a hand on Imani’s shoulder. The other girl gripped her so tightly Erin could see Imani’s hand go white.

“I’m sorry.”

“They all died.”

It was a whisper meant only for Erin. And then Imani began to cry. Erin held her, as the other young men and women—the other boys and girls, really—stood around in awkward silence, not knowing what to do or say. But Erin did. She hugged Imani to her chest, and the other girl broke down in her arms.

It was something only they could share. Something only Erin and Imani could understand. So Erin held the girl and talked quietly, until she was sleeping and the others were sitting together.

They were no less talkative, but they were more subdued. Still, Erin saw the energy blazing in the eyes of all of the boys and most of the girls. And she began to understand a tiny bit of what was happening the more they talked.

“They might not be dead.”

“What?”

One of the guys looked at the sleeping Imani and lowered his voice even further.

“They might not be dead. I mean, Imani says she saw them die, but what if they just…woke up? If this is a game, then…”

Erin couldn’t believe her ears. She stared at him, but it was Rose who spoke up, sharply.

“This world isn’t a game.”

“How do you know? If this is some virtual reality—”

Joseph looked at Erin.

“It’s insane, this world, you know? Levels? Classes? I saw one of the maids use a Skill, and it blew my mind! She was cleaning up a spill, and then she just moved the mop and—it was all gone! In one go!”

Erin nodded slowly. She’d explained about her inn and Ryoka in briefest terms, but it was hard to communicate all that had happened to her to these people. They had no frame of reference to understand it.

“Drakes? You mean Dragons?”

“No—I mean they’re like walking lizards, only they don’t like being called that. And there are Gnolls—”

“Ah! I know Gnolls. Do you have to fight them off? Do you have any combat skills or spells?”

“No. I mean, I learned how to defend myself, but I’m no warrior.”

“What about magical items?”

“Magical items?”

“Like a sword or a ring. Something enchanted!”

“I have a chessboard.”

“A chessboard? ”

“Yeah, it’s—well, it’s magical. Nevermind. It’s a long story. But what are you all going to do now that you’re here?”

Erin wanted to know what Lady Magnolia intended to do with everyone. But not one of the people in the room knew.

“We’ve been stuck in Lady Magnolia’s mansion for the last few days. Ever since she found us. We can go out in the garden or wander around, but she doesn’t want us leaving this place. She says it’s too dangerous.”

Erin nodded, although she noticed the dissatisfied look on Joseph’s face.

“It is dangerous. I’m glad Lady Magnolia found you all.”

“Yeah, but look out there!”

Joseph pointed to the window in frustration. He waved his hand and nearly spilled the goblet of wine he’d filled to the brim. Erin eyed it.

All of the international students and Rose were eating some of the food that had been laid out. It was all rich stuff, and delicious, but they were also drinking. A lot. Some of the students from other countries – like the guy from China and the one from Poland – were drinking at a slower pace, but the rest were enjoying alcohol liberally, especially the ones from America. Joseph kept offering Erin a cup, but she was sticking to a mild fruit juice.

Now Joseph took a gulp of wine and pointed out the window. In the distance, Erin could see countless buildings, spreading out across the horizon.

“Look at that! Even the sky is bigger here. And there are monsters and magical artifacts! I want to get out there and start leveling.”

“Leveling? In what class?”

Joseph shrugged as he grabbed a sausage off a plate. Rose gave him a disgusted look; she was using the silverware, which was actual silver.

“I don’t know. I’m thinking of learning to use a sword and becoming an adventurer. Or spells.”

“An adventurer? But that’s such a dangerous job!”

Joseph gave Erin an odd look. He shrugged.

“Yeah, maybe at first. But if I get to a high enough level and have potions, it won’t matter, right? I was thinking that we could form an adventuring team! I mean, there are eight of us—nine, including you Erin—but we don’t all have to go out. Some of us could take levels in supporting classes.”

“But why would you want to do that? Lady Magnolia wants to keep you here, doesn’t she?”

Another guy shrugged. He was from…Spain? No, that was Joseph.

“She says that she’s considering it. We’re hoping she’ll give us some magical weapons and armor—you know, to give us a head start. And maybe teach us some magic. I mean, what else should we do? Nothing?”

Erin shook her head.

“That’s really not a good idea. It’s dangerous out there. I mean, you could get killed.”

She wanted to add that they would get killed, but she couldn’t say it. Everyone—except for the sleeping Imani and Rose—didn’t seem to get the danger. Two of the guys seemed almost ecstatic as they began arguing over the best class to take.

“So what about this Ryoka? Why isn’t she here? I know Lady Magnolia was looking for someone else besides you. Is she that far away?”

Erin’s heart sank as Rose asked her the question she’d been dreading. Erin had been wondering that very thing herself.

“I don’t know. She was going south, to meet some kind of important person and do a big delivery. She was going to earn eight hundred gold coins for it, but I haven’t seen her.”

“Eight hundred—!”

This time Joseph did spill some wine on the carpet. He looked guilty as Erin scrambled for water, but waved her away.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve spilled stuff before and the maids clean it up. But eight hundred gold pieces? How’d she get that?”

Erin hesitated and sat down.

“I don’t really know. She uh, mentioned a client, but she ran off before I could get all the details. She was being chased. By Frost Faeries.”

“Faeries? No way!”

Nothing would do then, except that Erin tell the entire story of her meeting the faeries as they brought winter. Joseph shook his head, grinning again, when Erin had finished.

“Faeries. Wow. Bring a bottle and a net for extra lives, huh?”

“No—it’s cold iron. They’re dangerous, right?”

Erin nodded.

“I’m just worried Ryoka is okay. I tried asking the faeries to forgive her, but they all left a while back and I haven’t seen one.”

“I’m sure she’s fine. Don’t worry about it. If she’s got levels in this uh, [Runner] class and potions, she should be able to outrun anything and heal up, right?”

Erin shook her head.

“Ryoka doesn’t have levels. Or classes.”

“ Why? ”

Erin could only shrug. She couldn’t really explain it, not to these people. She went on, growing more silent as the others began talking and arguing more and more.

It sounded like they had gone over these topics many times before, because Erin sensed each group had their own opinion. Rose wanted to make contact with other people from their world, along with two of the other girls, but Joseph and the guys wanted to try fighting monsters. With magical items, of course. The other girls just wanted to explore the city and the world as if they were tourists.

Rose glared at Joseph as he argued with her. Both of their movements were growing exaggerated, and they were getting louder the more they drunk. Joseph grabbed something from one of the tables, and Erin saw with a shock that he had a tablet in his hands. Apparently, this group had been holding their carry-on luggage, so they had quite a number of objects from their world with them.

“You’ve got a phone, and I’ve got a tablet right here. All we need to do is level up in the [Mage] class—or earn enough gold to hire someone to cast the right spell! Lady Magnolia could help with that, and once we get strong enough, we can probably travel there ourselves.”

Another guy—Leon from Poland—nodded. He pointed to the expensive furnishings of this room for emphasis as he spoke.

“It’s all about getting the right start. It’s almost like a cheat to have Lady Magnolia helping us—if we get magical artifacts right off, we can fight tougher monsters without being worried about getting hurt. We gain gold, level up, and do that until we’re high level!”

“And then what?”

Leon looked at Erin as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“We’re going to find a way to go back home. Through a magical portal or something. Or a spell. There has to be one.”

Joseph nodded.

“If we got here, there has to be a way back.”

Everyone nodded. There had to be. Erin stared down at her hands and thought of Pisces and Ceria. She was sixty years old and she hadn’t hit Level 30.

Oblivious to Erin’s thoughts, Joseph grinned.

“There’s so much I want to see. Like Goblins. I hear they’re pretty nasty. I wonder how dangerous they are? Erin, could we take on a tribe with some swords and potions?”

Erin looked at Joseph and tried to imagine him facing down fifty screaming Goblins as they charged and screamed. She shook her head.

“Goblins aren’t all evil. Some of them are friendly. Or can be.”

“Oh, you mean they’re not all dangerous? Do some have peaceful villages or something?”

Erin hesitated.

“No—they’re just—”

She gave up. How could Erin explain Rags to the people here? She hadn’t even talked about how the Goblins had killed Klbkch, or the day when she’d woken up and seen Relc holding the severed Goblin heads. She hadn’t talked about fighting the Goblin Chieftain or Skinner, or anything else.

She just listened, growing more silent as she sipped at her drink as the talk wore on. They were going to explore, leave the mansion soon. Erin was supposed to be the last member of their group since Ryoka couldn’t be found. Lady Magnolia had promised them weapons, gold, even lessons on magic. They were going to find a place to stay in the city, enroll in the adventurer’s guild—at least the guys were—and they’d all find good classes. One girl asked if they could stay at Erin’s inn for a while. Erin imagined them meeting Toren or dealing with a Rock Crab and couldn’t reply.

It was as if someone had let a fly or a mosquito loose inside of Erin’s head. She thought she heard buzzing, faint, but inescapable. It grew louder as the conversation progressed, until it was trying to burst out of her head. The voices around her became fragments, and more slurred the more the others drank. They were so excited from Erin’s arrival that they ate and drank quickly, talking in bursts over each other.

“We need to find a place to stay. An inn, like Erin’s, or we could stay here. But what we really need is potions—”

“I want to learn magic. Did you see that Pegasus outside, and those suits of armor? We could be [Summoners]—!”

“I played Dark Souls. Not the same thing obviously, but if we keep an escape route open we should be—”

“—Tactics. Someone has to be a tank. We can get defensive equipment—”

“—Tame a monster—”

“—Wonder when we’ll go back home—”

“—Learn to cast magic—”

“—Hang out here. It’s like a hotel, isn’t it? Way better than back home—”

“—As soon as we can get Ressa to leave us alone, I want to see if they’ve got any artifacts in the armory we can use.”

“Ressa?”

Erin’s head snapped up. She looked at Joseph.

“What about Ressa? She seems nice.”

He made an expression of displeasure, one that was mirrored across the other’s faces.

“She’s a pain in the ass. Lady Magnolia gave us the freedom to go wherever we want, but Ressa keeps insisting we stay together in this part of the mansion.”

“Really? She didn’t seem that way to me.”

But Rose was nodding.

“She and Magnolia—well, they’re not bad —”

“Ressa is.”

“Right, but Magnolia’s generous. It’s just that she’s awkward, you know?”

“No?”

Erin had no idea, and Rose struggled to explain.

“Really awkward. It’s like she’s a countess out of Downton Abbey or something, you know?”

“Oh come on, she’s not that bad. She’s pretty outgoing!”

“Yeah, but watching everyone bow to her is kind of cringy, isn’t it? And she keeps laughing when we explain elections and democracy to her—”

“At least we’ve got proper toilets and they wash their hands here. I was really afraid they’d all be eating with crap on their hands or filthy and depressing like Game of Thrones.”

“I know, right? And the servants don’t seem to have any kind of education. You know they don’t have schools here? It’s as if—”

The girl that had been speaking broke off quickly. Erin turned in her seat, and saw the door at one end of the room was open. Ressa was standing there, quietly emanating…dissatisfaction.

Perhaps it was the look of the room. Food was scattered across the sofas, on plates or on the carpets. More drinks had been spilled, and half of the people within were lounging around or fiddling with the electronics they’d brought. Erin had been shocked to learn all of them were still able to use their devices thanks to near-daily [Repair] spells.

The [Head Maid] looked at Erin in the silence.

“Miss Solstice? Lady Magnolia will receive you at your convenience.”

Erin stood up.

“Looks like I’m going to meet her. Um, nice meeting you guys.”

She walked towards the door. Joseph stood up awkwardly as if to follow Erin.

“I’d—we’d like to go with Erin. To talk to Magnolia.”

The expression on Ressa’s face froze as she held the door open for Erin. She did not look quite at Joseph.

“ Lady Magnolia will speak to you at a later date. For now she wishes to speak to Erin alone.”

“Yeah, but she’s one of us. Why does she have to be alone?”

“That is what Lady Magnolia wishes.”

Erin stepped past Ressa. She heard Joseph raised his voice.

“Could I—?”

“No.”

Ressa closed the door. And then she took a key from her pocket and locked the door from the outside. Erin wondered if that was overkill, but two seconds later she heard the door handle rattle slightly.

The maid turned and nodded to Erin again.

“My apologies. If you will follow me?”

Erin walked with the tall maid in the corridors in silence for a few minutes. It was hard to reestablish the conversation after all that. Erin cleared her throat silently, and then spoke up.

“Um, we were in there a long time. Was Lady Magnolia busy?”

Ressa shook her head as she walked Erin back through the corridors, and then up a long flight of stairs.

“Lady Magnolia felt it best that you mingle with the others for a while, given you had already met. She is now free from any business at the present time.”

“Oh. Good.”

More silence. Ressa was walking faster than normal again. Erin thought, and spoke to the maid’s back.

“I’m uh, sorry about the mess they made. I’m an [Innkeeper], so I know how it gets. I’ve got [Advanced Cleaning]. Maybe I could help…?”

“The [Maids] have the prerequisite skills. Do not worry.”

Ressa hesitated, and then looked at Erin.

“Thank you for offering, however. It is not often that we entertain such visitors.”

“Really? I thought she would have tons of guests.”

“She does, but they rarely stay for more than a few hours at a time.”

Joseph and the others had mentioned the servants weren’t too helpful with directing them or finding mages to cast [Repair]. Erin wondered how much of that was intentional.

“Do you uh, not like them? The people from my world, I mean? They don’t think you do.”

Silence from Ressa. She slowed as she passed by an open doorway. Erin caught a glimpse of a massive library filled with tomes being slowly dusted before she passed the entrance.

“We serve Lady Magnolia. We clean and cook, but we do far more than simply maintain her estate. We are there to help her. ”

Not anyone else. Erin swallowed what she’d been about to say next.

“Here we are.”

Ressa stopped by a pair of double doors. She rested one hand on the golden knob and looked at Erin.

“I trust you will extend the same courtesies to Lady Reinhart as you have shown me. She is close to royalty as this land has to offer.”

Erin nodded seriously. She hesitated as Ressa pressed down on the handle.

“Um. Is there anything I should say? No one really told me why she wanted me here. What should I do?”

It was the mystery that not even the people from her world knew the answer to. Ressa paused, and looked at Erin.

“Be honest. Be truthful. Lady Reinhart has only your best interests in mind, and she has devoted quite a lot of money and time to gathering your companions here.”

Erin nodded.

“Thank you for the help.”

“You are welcome.”

Ressa smiled, just for a moment, and then the door opened. Slowly, Erin walked into the vast room and stopped.

It was pink. That was to say, someone had decided the theme for the room was elegant luxury, and the predominant color should be light pink. It wasn’t displeasing to the eye, but Erin felt that there was just too much of that color and not enough of anything else.

It was also a smaller room than Erin had expected; she’s almost believed she was entering an audience hall, but Ressa had led her to an intimate sitting room, the kind of place where you could chat and converse and gossip, but elegantly.

A large couch sat in the center of the room, across from its twin. A small table sat in the center, holding a tea pot, cups, and some light snacks.

And a woman was sitting at the couch. She wasn’t normal. Oh, she was no radiant beauty like Ressa, but neither was she ugly. She was quite attractive, but she wasn’t a young woman either. She was in her forties, a larger woman than Ressa, if shorter, and she was dressed in a shimmering gown of green that looked either magical or magically made. Her lips were lifted in a slight smile as she studied Erin, and Ressa stepped quietly behind her as another maid slowly closed the door behind the girl.

She was not normal. It wasn’t that she looked different, but that she held herself differently. From tip to toe, she was graceful, refined, and serene. When she moved or spoke or even laughed, it was still with a base of what could only be called class.

And she was looking at Erin. Her eyes were the only parts of her that weren’t veiled in politeness. They were like searchlights, sweeping Erin from top to toe, looking through her, at what she was, what she had done, what she would do. They were unsettling and mysterious and that, more than anything, made Erin stop where she stood.

Lady Magnolia was sitting, but Erin’s heartbeat grew faster as she stared down at this woman who owned so much. Erin thought of the Queen of the Antinium, sitting on her throne in the dark caverns. She swallowed once, and took a deep breath.

This was her. Ryoka’s pursuer, the one who’d pieced together the truth of Erin’s nature. A woman with wealth and power, a [Lady], and a living legend in her own right. The head of the Reinhart family, the heroine of the First Antinium War, and the woman who loved ice cream and blue fruit juice.

Lady Magnolia.

She smiled at Erin, and raised a cup of tea as she gestured to the couch in front of her.

“Good evening, Miss Solstice. Do take a seat. We have much to talk about.”

2.38

Erin remembered staring down the barrel of a Dragon’s nose. It wasn’t the most glamorous or exciting way of putting it, but that was what had happened.

She’d stepped around the corner, into what she’d thought had been her bathroom, and then there had been a Dragon, larger than life, larger than a house.

Breathing fire.

Erin could only vaguely recall the screaming and panicked rush filled with fire and a roar that sounded almost like a voice before she was out of the cave, running for her life. But she could still remember the moment she’d stared into the Dragon’s swirling blue and violet eyes.

Her heart had stopped. The world had gone silent, and Erin had felt the same sensation that always overtook her when she used the [Immortal Moment] skill now. She had been overwhelmed by his presence.

She felt the same thing now. Lady Magnolia Reinhart was just sitting there. And she was just a woman, not particularly tall or big. But she had a presence .

And then the woman spoke, and the moment passed. But Erin still remembered it.

“Do come sit, Miss Solstice. Or—may I call you Erin? Formal titles are so tiresome, and I gather your people speak somewhat more casually than mine, is that right?”

Your people. Erin blinked as she awkwardly took a seat opposite Lady Magnolia on the couch. She practically sank into it, it was so soft. And comfortable. And cool!

The air was filled with the faint scent of lavender, and the room was cool and pleasant, the perfect temperature to be in. Erin had a terrible desire to just lie down on the sofa and relax, but she couldn’t do that. She scrambled to answer Lady Magnolia’s question instead.

“Um, yes. I mean, we do. Sorry! I can try—”

“Think nothing of it. I find it delightfully quaint. But where are my manners? Do forgive me. I am Magnolia Reinhart. Delighted to make your acquaintance.”

“I’m Erin. Erin Solstice.”

Magnolia held out a hand and Erin took it. She had the oddest impulse to kiss it as if she were a knight, but perhaps that was because of how elegantly the other woman moved. She had no wasted movements, no hesitation. She was the picture of grace, and good cheer for that matter. Lady Magnolia had a slight smile on her lips and a face naturally given over to laughter and energy.

“I have been terribly anxious to meet you, I must say.”

To Erin’s surprise, Lady Magnolia had a firm handshake. The older woman withdrew her hand and picked up her tea cup and saucer.

“I have tea, if you will share it. Unless you prefer something stronger? A fruit drink, perhaps? I’m afraid I have no coffee and nor do I know of any substance like it as of yet, but do let me know if you desire anything else.”

“What? No. I’m fine. Tea is fine, I mean. Thank you.”

Erin watched as Ressa deftly lifted the steaming pot and filled both cups with a gold-green liquid. It smelled like citrus and tasted like—

Limes?

Lady Magnolia chuckled at the look on Erin’s face.

“Do excuse me. This is a favorite tea of mine. I find it does wonders for the inattentive mind. But where was I? Ah yes, allow me to welcome you into my household. I apologize for the delay; I was meeting with some rather important people and then of course you had met the young men and women from your world. I would have been remiss to draw you away from that gathering, but now that you are here, would you like to play a game of chess?”

The question came at the crest of a tidal wave of words and hit Erin in the face. She stared at Magnolia for a few seconds.

“Um—yes?”

“Wonderful. Ressa?”

Lady Magnolia clapped her hands in delight. Erin watched as Ressa took something off a shelf—a chess board and pieces, already set up as if it had been prepared ahead of time.

Everything was moving a bit too fast. Erin hesitated as she held the tea cup between her fingers.

“Um.”

“Yes?”

Lady Magnolia twinkled at Erin. Almost literally. In the course of a few seconds she’d gone from being a mysterious, almost scary person in Erin’s head to the down-to-earth genteel noble in front of her.

“Well—I just wanted to say thank you for bringing me here. And sending the coach and uh, helping the other people.”

“From your world.”

“Um. Yes?”

Lady Magnolia chuckled again at the expression on Erin’s face.

“ Don’t look so alarmed, my dear. Please, relax. I assure you, I only wanted to speak with you, hence the rather rude and abrupt way I brought you here. Do accept my apologies. ”

“What? Oh, no, it wasn’t rude—”

Erin tried to wave one hand and hold the tea cup and saucer while Ressa put the chess board on the table between the two. Lady Magnolia smiled again.

“I’m told you play chess quite well, and I must confess, I had hoped you would indulge me in a game.”

“How did you know—?”

“Oh, a [Lady] has ways. Do pay it no mind. I would simply love to play a game with you while we chatted. I believe you’ve met a very striking Runner named Ryoka Griffin? I would so love for you to talk to me about her as we play. ”

And so they did. Erin blinked at first, but when Magnolia asked her whether she wanted to be white or black and they began playing the game, her chess instincts kicked in and she began to play, chatting as she did.

“So you knew Ryoka a long time before I did?”

“Oh, I had seen her delivering a number of curios to my house.”

Lady Magnolia replied casually as she moved her pieces out. She had learned to play somewhere, because her opening was a good match against Erin’s.

Ressa stood to one side of the table, silently listening to the conversation, hands folded in front of her. She was like a statue, and Erin thought it was sort of odd to have the head maid here on serving duty, but maybe that was just how it worked?

She was feeling a lot more relaxed than she had been, even more than when she had been with the other people from her world. Lady Magnolia’s open face and natural charm just…invited Erin to talk.

And so she did, about Ryoka, about her job as an innkeeper, and the people she had met and the monsters she’d had to kill. Lady Magnolia was an excellent audience, and they were halfway through the game when the conversation changed.

“The undead and Goblin tribes? My, you are adventurous. I had the impression you were quite self-sufficient, but I had no idea you were quite so extraordinary.”

Erin blushed at the compliment. Lady Magnolia smiled, and she picked up something on the table. A monocle, but a very strange one. This one had a rim made of black rock—obsidian? And it looked like tiny runes had been carved into the sides that made the glass move with odd colors.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, this?”

Lady Magnolia blinked at Erin through the monocle for a few seconds, and then put it down lightly with a shrug.

“A simple keepsake. It helps with bad eyesight. I confess, my vision is not what it used to be. Age, you know? Pray, ignore it. ”

“Oh. Okay.”

The game continued. Erin frowned. Lady Magnolia was quite good. Erin had taken several of her pieces, but the other woman was doing just as well.

“You’re a great player. I’ve only met a few people as good as you.”

“You are too kind.”

Lady Magnolia beamed as she delicately moved a pawn to block one of Erin’s bishops. She looked at Ressa.

“Young Erin really does have a way with words, doesn’t she Ressa? I fear I am going to blush.”

Ressa bowed her head slightly. Magnolia turned back to Erin, smiling again.

“In truth, I fear I don’t play nearly as much as I should. But I did learn the game when I was sixteen, and I’ve played regularly with at least one good opponent since then. Still, I am glad that I can keep up with someone of your caliber.”

Erin nodded distractedly. Whatever Lady Magnolia said, she was some kind of expert. She was pressing Erin hard, and the game required her concentration, which made her happy.

But she did notice something happen. Perhaps it was because she’d gotten to know Ressa earlier, but when Lady Magnolia spoke about playing chess, the other woman had…shifted slightly. It was just a slight movement of her feet, and in anyone else Erin would have dismissed it as being tired or sore. But Ressa had been like a statue throughout the game and the conversation, and somehow it struck Erin as odd.

It was because she was playing chess that Erin noticed it. It was the odd sense she sometimes got, of being aware of the board and the room as a whole at the same time. In two seconds Erin had nearly forgotten what she’d noticed.

Lady Magnolia cleared her throat.

“Ah, but this is hardly the time to talk about my past, is it? I am glad you are here, Erin. I was afraid you might turn down my invitation if you were anything like Ryoka.”

“Yeah, she is like that, isn’t she?”

Erin smiled, and Lady Magnolia laughed again.

“Well, we were all like that, weren’t we?”

“I don’t think I was.”

“Ah, but you are so open it’s quite refreshing. I trust the carriage ride was pleasant? I only ask because I was afraid you might have lacked for company. A single [Butler] for a driver is rather sparse company, isn’t it?”

Erin blinked. She looked up from her game at Lady Magnolia.

“The butler? You mean Reynold? No, he was great. I really liked him.”

And again, there it was. This time it wasn’t Ressa who shifted, but Lady Magnolia’s hand paused for just one fraction of a moment as she lifted the tea cup to her lips.

“Ah yes, Reynold. It is good that you know his name. You know, your friends never bothered to ask any of the names of the servants that attend them. Or is friends too strong a word?”

Lady Magnolia’s eyes flicked up to Erin’s face searchingly. Erin wasn’t sure how to respond. She wasn’t friends with Joseph and Rose—they weren’t people she disliked, but friends? No.

But what was the polite way to say that? Erin didn’t know, and fortunately Magnolia didn’t seem to require an answer. The woman laughed as she delicately advanced a pawn two spaces to threaten one of Erin’s knights.

“Do excuse me; I am rude today, aren’t I? Of course not everyone from one world would know each other, let alone be friends. On the other hand, I would be delighted to say that I am now your friend.”

Friend? That sounded right. Erin’s stomach stirred slightly, but not in hunger. She frowned. Something was nagging at her. Oh yeah. That was important.

“Um. Lady Magnolia—”

“Magnolia, please, Erin. We’re all friends here, aren’t we? ”

“Oh, right, sorry—um, well, you know that I’m from another world, don’t you?”

“I do indeed.”

Erin stared at Lady Magnolia as her hand hovered over a chess piece. She felt that was far too calm a response. Lady Magnolia noticed Erin’s expression and waved a hand.

“Please. I know how extraordinary this is, but I have had quite a while to process this fact. And what kind of [Lady] would I be if I were not collected and calm at all times? I know you are from another world. I know the other charming young men and women downstairs are from another world. That is why I have gathered you all here.”

She moved a piece forwards and took one of Erin’s knights. Erin frowned. She’d played a great counter to Lady Magnolia’s move, but suddenly she’d just lost two pieces in a cunning fork that had completely blindsided her. That was normal—but Erin couldn’t believe Lady Magnolia had seen through her so quickly.

Amazing. She tried to focus on the conversation as she continued playing, focusing harder on her pieces.

“Uh—well—then why are we all here?”

Lady Magnolia studied Erin for a second, and then deftly moved a bishop out of harm’s way. Not immediate harm’s way, but out of a trap that would have come two moves later.

“Well, I hope you will stay here. Now that you have seen my small estate, I hoped I would be able to convince you and perhaps even Ryoka to accept my hospitality for as long as you stay in this world. You will say yes, won’t you? ”

Something was seriously wrong. Not about the conversation, but on the chess board. Erin could sense it. Lady Magnolia was no great player. She was good, but nowhere near as good as someone who’d memorized opening and strategies like Erin. Her opening game had shown that, and even now she made small mistakes no seasoned player would make simply by virtue of experience.

And yet, she kept hitting Erin in exactly the worst places, or started pulling her pieces out of the way when Erin tried to attack or set traps. It was almost as if she could read Erin’s mind.

Maybe she could. Erin glanced up. Lady Magnolia was smiling at her.

“Um, sorry. What did you say?”

The other woman blinked. So did Ressa. Erin grinned sheepishly.

“I’m so sorry. It’s just that when I get into chess, I sort of—sorry!”

“Not at all, not at all. Do excuse me. I should be focusing on the game as well.”

Lady Magnolia moved a piece forwards, blocking Erin’s advance that would have threatened her Rook. Erin frowned. Maybe—

She moved a pawn forwards. It was a ranging attempt, meant to pressure Magnolia’s pieces back so Erin could get a shot at her King.

Lady Magnolia castled. Erin saw the move, and felt the pieces fall into place. She looked up, and saw Lady Magnolia’s smiling again. She had such a nice smile.

“I was just wondering if you would stay here. If you would, I would greatly appreciate— ”

“—Excuse me. You’re reading my mind, aren’t you? I mean, you’re doing something to me, right?”

The room froze. Lady Magnolia paused, mouth open mid-word, and Erin felt Ressa’s eyes boring into her. But she stared at the [Lady] opposite her calmly.

Nobles and maids. Neither one had obvious expressions, but now Erin had learned what to look for. Magnolia’s eyes flickered to Erin’s face, and then she sighed.

“Am I really that transparent?”

She half-turned in her seat and frowned at her maid.

“Ressa, why didn’t you tell me I was being that obvious?”

“You appeared to be quite subtle, milady.”

“I thought so too. Ah, well.”

It was as if someone had flipped a switch. Lady Magnolia sighed and put down her tea cup. Erin blinked at her.

“And here I thought I would get away with everything quite easily. Oh well. I suppose you’ve found me out. What will you do now?”

She looked at Erin expectantly. Erin blinked at her, hesitated.

“Um. Uh. I guess I’ll ask you not to do it when we’re playing chess?”

Lady Magnolia paused as she stretched her hands out. She eyed Erin. Ressa was doing the same.

“When we’re playing chess?”

“Yeah. Well actually, I don’t mind it so much, but it would have been good to know. I was actually just curious if you were doing it.”

Ressa and Magnolia exchanged a look. Lady Magnolia sat back in her couch.

“Ah. I see.”

She paused. Erin stared at her. The silence grew uncomfortable, and then Lady Magnolia smiled.

“I most sincerely apologize. I wished to see you playing your best, and so I broke the rules most shamefully. Allow me to concede and tender you my deepest regrets. If you wish, we could restart and play another game fairly…”

Erin shook her head.

“No. Actually, I’d like to play another game just like we are right now.”

A second blink. This time Lady Magnolia’s eyes met Erin’s, and the girl felt a slight jolt.

“Intriguing. Why, pray?”

The young woman shrugged awkwardly.

“I think it would be sort of fun. But you are reading my mind?”

“…Yes. It’s nothing as advanced as knowing what you’re thinking; I possess a skill called [Sense Intention] and I am quite adept at using it. I can sense which pieces you are focusing on, which allowed me to play as well as I did.”

“Cool.”

“Cool?”

“That’s so cool. ”

Erin grinned. She looked at the board and began moving pieces back to their starting positions.

“Can you do it again? While we’re playing, I mean. I want to see if I can beat someone who can tell what I’m trying to do.”

For two seconds, Lady Magnolia stared at Erin with genuine surprise written all over her face. And then she gave Erin a real smile. It made all of her other smiles seem fake and plastic by comparison, because it was truly, wonderfully filled with delight and mirth.

“I should be delighted. You are quite the unusual young lady, you know.”

“Really? I guess. Hmm. I guess I’ll start as white again.”

The game restarted. Erin put her pieces back in place, and wondered how to beat someone who could sense what she wanted to do. She noticed Ressa staring hard at her, and Lady Magnolia was looking at her completely differently now. With less confidence, and a lot more intently, as if she was trying to read Erin.

But Erin had learned to play chess with a poker face. She adopted her best one now, trying not to give away anything more than what Magnolia would sense. Erin began to play, in silence this time, and remembered the past.

Once upon a time, she’d loved chess. Then, later, she’d grown to hate it. She’d hated the memorization, the constant games, the agonizing over win/loss ratios, and the way chess had consumed her entire life, leaving time for little else.

She had grown distant from the game, and eventually stopped playing altogether, despite many people urging her not to waste her talents and quit. But Erin had grown sick of that small board, and she had been happier being normal.

And yet, and yet…Erin had passed through the years, and slowly she’d realized that chess had changed her. Even a casual game was different for her, because she was not an amateur, but she was still not a professional. No one in her school or even her district could challenge her, and yet the top of that strange world was still far away from her.

Too, Erin had slowly realized how much chess meant to her. Without it, she had nothing that set her apart from other people, and that was good and bad. She was tired of chess, yes, but she was meaningless without it.

And so, slowly, Erin had grown to love the game again. She’d played for fun, and then rediscovered the feeling she’d had when she first learned to play. She had begun to reenter the world of chess, and then she’d travelled into another world.

And then—

If there was a god of Chess, or perhaps, a goddess, they were a cruel, calculating god that bestowed their gifts like curses upon the people who lived to play. If there was a god.

A metaphorical god, that was. Not the actual gods and goddesses that claimed the game, but the living spirit of chess itself. Erin thought of it in that way. The God of Chess was silent and often cruel, living through cold stone and static rules that broke people across the unchanging boards. But she had touched god in her games, and when she had come to this world, he, she, it—had blessed her.

Immortal games. Opponents to teach and learn from and who loved the game as much as she did. Erin was no longer the same player she was. She might be clumsy, and stupid, and whatever else, but there was one thing Erin was good at. One thing in which she stood at the very peak of in either world. And that was—

“Checkmate.”

Erin moved her knight forwards and completed the trap. Magnolia’s king stared up at her, forlornly cornered by several pieces just waiting for him to make a move so they could dash his brains out.

“Remarkable.”

Lady Magnolia breathed the words as she gently tipped her king over. She looked up at Erin, and her eyes were full of light.

“I have seldom lost a game of chess when using [Sense Intentions], Erin Solstice. And even without it, I consider myself an adept player. But Skills matter very little against someone of your level of skill, or so it would seem.”

“It was a good game.”

That was all Erin could really say. She smiled and cracked her fingers before she realized that would be rude and blushed. Lady Magnolia chuckled.

“It was. Surprising as well; I had no idea it would be that obvious that I was reading you.”

“Well, I just have a sense with these things, I guess.”

“Indeed. I wonder, can you sense anything else? ”

Anything else? After scratching her head a bit, Erin shook it.

“Not really. I’m really only good at chess because I play it so much.”

“That is readily apparent. Indeed…”

Lady Magnolia tapped her lips with one fingernail and sighed.

“I have a friend who I would dearly love to introduce you to. I suspect you might triumph if the two of you were to play a game of chess, and I would love to see the expression on his face if you do. You are certainly one of the best players in this world, I can see that for myself.”

Again, Erin felt herself turn red. Best player? In the world? That would be a complete and horrible lie in her world, but here? She wasn’t sure if she should feel happy or sad that was the case.

“A child who grew up studying a game which is…new to this world. How intriguing. But I would imagine there are least…five people who would be able to best you. Don’t you think the number is five, Ressa?”

“I would not know, milady.”

“Liar.”

Magnolia smiled fondly at her maid. Erin was happy to see that; it seemed like she was friends with her servants. But what she’d said caught Erin’s attention. The chess maniac in her raised its head.

“Really? You know other people who like chess? Can you tell me their names?”

Maybe one of them was the person who’d sent her the chess board. It could happen. Magnolia studied Erin, and then smiled again. She seemed to like the secretive smile.

“They aren’t necessarily chess players, but they have the ah, skills and temperaments to be the best in any such game. But as to their names—I would hate to ruin the surprise. Let us just say they include an old fool, the world’s smallest strategist, a reclusive mage, a miserable king and a dashing and quite charming lord. One genius on each continent—except for Chandrar, that is. I don’t imagine the young [Emperor] or the King of Destruction’s Left Hand would be quite good enough to defeat you.”

That made no sense to Erin, except the King of Destruction, and she had no idea who his left hand might be. Assuming it wasn’t literal and he had a giant left hand that played chess. She’d heard of crazier things.

“Well, I just like chess. It’s not a big deal, but I’d love to meet them.”

“Nonsense. Anyone who can claim to be one of the greatest experts in any field is worthy of note and admiration.”

Lady Magnolia leaned forwards and refilled Erin’s tea cup herself, against Ressa’s mild protests.

“That is simply another reason why I must insist you stay at my home. I would be delighted if you would act as a chess teacher, or if you simply consented to play games against some of my guests.”

“Me?”

“That is why I requested you visit me. Why else did you think you were here? For the pleasure of your company of course, but I believe it would only be right to offer you the same hospitality I have given to the others.”

Erin’s mouth fell open.

“Really? Here? ”

“Is it so surprising? I believe you would quite enjoy your stay. We could put you up in a guest room, perhaps, until more permanent accommodations could be found. What do you say? Won’t you accept? ”

For some reason, the offer sounded extremely generous to Erin. Of course it was, but she couldn’t take it, right?

Why not?

Because—

Erin shook her head slightly.

“No, but I—I have an inn.”

Lady Magnolia’s smile didn’t waver. She lifted the tea cup to her lips and drank a bit.

“Ah, but isn’t it terribly dangerous? Wouldn’t it be easier to relax in comfort rather than risk your life working such a difficult job?”

“I like it. I mean, it’s hard, yeah, but—”

Erin wanted to accept Magnolia’s generous offer. Part of her did. But another part was thinking of everyone she would have to leave behind. Ceria, Selys, Krshia who was in trouble, Toren, Pisces, Rags, even Lyonette. What would that girl do without her? And then there was Ryoka—

But Magnolia was speaking more quickly now, and Erin found herself hanging on every word.

“Far better if you stay here with the others. They will become excellent adventurers, and you will all be safe here. Don’t you agree? ”

Erin wavered. But only for a second. Why was she even arguing about this? Lady Magnolia had been so generous to her and everyone from her world. Why wouldn’t she accept? She would be comfortable here, happy—

But it would make her friends upset. Erin knew that, and it hurt, but her desire to say ‘yes’ was far, far stronger.

So she wavered. Only for a second. But that second was an eternity upon which Erin stood, gazing out at two forks in the road of her life. She held her own destiny in her hands, and weighed each choice, remembering the past.

A second became a moment. A moment became a day, then a year. The year became eternal. And in that immortal moment, Erin realized something was wrong.

She was not in control. Because as her mind weighed the choice, every part of her pointed towards her inn. Yet… something was telling her to say yes.

Something was wrong. Erin felt it. It was a sense in the back of her head, the same thing she’d felt all throughout the conversation. Only, Erin hadn’t known it was even there, so insidious and quiet had it been. Yet now it was out in the open, exposed by her own Skill and relentless time.

One second passed. Lady Magnolia was staring at Erin intently, and so was Ressa.

“Well?”

The air smelled of lavender. Erin shook. Her mouth opened to say yes. She bit her tongue.

“Mmngh!”

Blood filled Erin’s mouth, and pain shot through her mind, breaking her out of whatever was holding her. Lady Magnolia blinked, and Erin kicked the table over, sending both drinks and chess pieces flying.

Lady Magnolia stared at the flying objects in shock. A tea pot full of hot liquid flew towards her head. She did not raise her arms to block or try to move out of the way. She simply stared at the flying pot with a look of mild surprise on her face.

A hand shot out and grabbed the pot. A body interposed itself, and the hot liquid splashed against her back. Ressa flung the pot away and reached for Erin. The girl saw the hand reaching for her throat, as quick as lightning—

“Stop.”

Ressa stopped. She stepped back, and the chess board cracked against one wall, the delicate wood breaking with the force of the impact. Chess pieces rained across the carpet and Lady Magnolia sighed.

“Teriarch did say this would happen sooner or later. But did it have to happen when I put my favorite tea pot out?”

Erin stared at Ressa. Her [Dangersense] was clanging loudly in her head. The [Head Maid] was staring at Erin, but there was nothing maid-like about the look in her eyes. She looked like she was ready to kill.

“Ressa. Your lovely rear end is in my face. Move aside please, and have someone clean up this mess.”

Ressa paused. She turned and Lady Magnolia patted her.

“It’s quite alright. Erin isn’t going to try and kill me, or so I believe. Is that right?”

“Um. Yeah?”

“Well then.”

Ressa hesitated, and then moved swiftly to one side. She withdrew a bell from her pocket and rang it. In four seconds, the door opened and maids rushed in. They stopped when they saw the mess, but Ressa began snapping orders and they sprang into action.

“Do follow me. I think we had better let them get to work, and I would hate to get in their way.”

Lady Magnolia nodded to the doors. Erin stood up and followed the older woman as Ressa stood uncomfortably close behind her.

“Ressa! Stop that!”

Two minutes later, they were in another sitting room, a larger one that lacked the intimacy—and the pink—of the first. Lady Magnolia sighed as she sat. She looked at Ressa.

“I hope you weren’t burned too badly by the tea.”

“It was lukewarm.”

“And your dress? Feel free to change it.”

Ressa glanced at Erin before replying.

“I am quite comfortable, milady.”

“Stubborn.”

Lady Magnolia sighed, but she turned to Erin. This time she did not smile, but just looked at Erin. Just looked.

And then everything came full circle. Because her gaze was like a spotlight, and it fixed Erin in place. It was the same look she’d given Erin when the girl had first come in; a searching stare that tried to strip everything that Erin was away and see her inner self.

Erin stared back. She wasn’t good at staring, but she’d gotten a lot better. And now that she knew what was happening, anger was fueling her stare just as much as anything else. Her stomach tried to roil, but even this was still better than the pure terror Skinner had brought.

It was like staring into a jet engine, or the sun. Erin felt like she was literally about to be blown away—her body was shaking just trying to keep still. But she kept staring.

And then it was over. Lady Magnolia blinked, and Erin could look away. She looked around and saw Ressa was standing far away from the two of them, looking at a wall. The maid looked back at the two of them, and Lady Magnolia sighed.

“I cannot underestimate anyone these days, it seems. First Ryoka, and now you. I thought she was rather unique, but perhaps it was she who was merely uncommon.”

Erin didn’t understand that. She stared at Lady Magnolia and wondered what to say.

“What do you want?”

“Uninspired.”

Lady Magnolia frowned at Erin.

“Excuse me?”

Erin frowned back. Lady Magnolia shook her head.

“After all that insightfulness, force of will, and commendable chess playing ability, that is hardly a question worthy of you, Erin Solstice.”

A small pit of anger had been bubbling in Erin’s stomach since she’d realized what had been happening to her. It grew a bit larger.

“I’m sorry that I’m not smart enough to ask the right questions.”

“Oh hush .”

Lady Magnolia reached out and tapped Erin’s nose. The girl blinked in outrage and the woman continued.

“I am complimenting you, Miss Solstice. You have quite magnificently foiled two schemes of mine, which so rarely happens that I am in shock. And yet you appear quite naïve in other matters, which is why I will be extraordinarily blunt.”

“Thanks. What was all—?”

“I was attempting to persuade you to join the group of rather sorry individuals I have managed to save from being torn apart or beaten to death so that I might protect you. I confess I was also testing your ability in chess in the hopes you could be useful, but my main goal was to simply sequester you away from the world where you would no longer be able to cause any harm.”

Lady Magnolia delivered the statement in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone of voice that lacked any smiles or charm. She stared at Erin. Erin stared back.

“Why?”

“Because I believed you were not like Ryoka Griffin. Now, I believe it might be Ryoka Griffin who I must measure against you.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Good. I would hate for you to be as perspicacious in all things as you are at evading my Skills.”

Erin didn’t know what perspicacious meant either, but she bit her tongue and listened. Lady Magnolia paused.

“Tea please, Ressa. Raspberry, I think. Cooled.”

Ressa nodded, and Lady Magnolia turned back to Erin.

“When I first met Ryoka Griffin, I believed one thing. I believed I had either met the most capable and amazing young woman I had ever encountered, or that I had met someone who possessed knowledge she could not possibly acquire in this world. Possibly both.”

Lady Magnolia flicked her fingers, and Erin saw she was holding the monocle again. She peered at Erin through it again, frowning as she continued.

“I believed she was unique, but I soon learned that she was not. I soon realized she was one of many, and that led me to find the others like her and question them.”

“With torture? Did you find the others so you could—”

“No, and no. I found them because they were in danger. Two groups were dead, slain by monsters before I was even aware of the need for action. I found poor Imani nearly too late, but we saved her at least. The others, including young Rose, were far easier to locate and retrieve. And I asked them about their world, using [Charm] to persuade them to reveal more than they otherwise would, yes, but it was hardly difficult. Drink and a lovely woman or lovely young man listening attentively does wonders.”

Erin could believe that. She was trying to follow what was happening, and that was hard because she was still reeling from what had happened.

First, Lady Magnolia was nice. Then it turned out she was using a Skill on Erin, hence the table flip. But she didn’t want Ressa to smash Erin’s brains out, which the [Head Maid] could possibly maybe do. So Erin was safe. For now. And now it turned out Lady Magnolia wanted to find everyone from Erin’s world because she’d met Ryoka. Because…?

“Why? Why are you doing this?”

Lady Magnolia rolled her eyes, but Erin cut her off.

“I’m just a girl. From another world, right, but why are you so interested in us? Is it because we know things you don’t?”

“You come from another world. Of course you know many things we do not. I wished to ascertain what exactly that was, and when I realized what a vast difference in technology we possess, I immediately decided that you, Ryoka, and anyone else from your world must not be allowed to talk freely.”

“Why?”

“I wish you would stop asking me that question. You are quite intelligent enough to know why.”

Erin thought.

“Guns?”

“Among other things, yes. But merely the existence of another world would drive many Kings and fools into a frenzy and might begin a war that I am sure, absolutely sure that my world would lose. The nations of your world possess weapons far too deadly for all but the greatest magics to overcome, and the cost regardless would be far too great.”

Lady Magnolia looked up as Ressa let a maid approach with a pot of tea. She accepted a cup and Erin refused hers.

“If I intended to poison or drug—well, perhaps raspberry is not for everyone. I delight in sweet things. I digress however; even putting aside the knowledge that your world exists, any one weapon from your world would be deadly if knowledge of how to make them spread. Fortunately, not one of the children I found knew the exact details of how to make these weapons, and so my beliefs changed again.”

A hand tightened on the stem of the teacup, and Erin realized Lady Magnolia’s voice was trembling slightly.

“The technologies they so thoughtlessly spoke of would bring this world to ruin, but fortunately none of them know how to make any of what they claim is possible.”

Ressa nodded at this, one of the few movements Erin had ever seen her make. Magnolia continued.

“The few experts I know of and one…worldly confidant of mine assure me that even if this knowledge has spread, which I am sure it has, it will take years and quite a lot of groundwork to reproduce on a larger scale. And I shall search this world for traces of such preparation and quash it wherever it may be found.”

That sounded good. And it was good, wasn’t it? Erin wasn’t sure what to think.

“And so, now I find myself back where I started. I believe Ryoka Griffin is an extraordinary young woman, if only because she knows when to keep her mouth shut. ”

Lady Magnolia stared at Erin as she sipped from her cup again. Erin folded her arms.

“What are you going to do?”

“Throw this tea cup at you if you continue asking such questions.”

“Fine. What are you going to do about Joseph and Rose and Imani and the others?”

“I intend to indulge their requests. You know they have petitioned me—repeatedly—about becoming adventurers? All of the young men seem quite excited by the prospect, as young men often are. The young ladies would like to travel into the cities with pockets full of gold and shop, or so I gather.”

Erin frowned.

“They did tell me that. Joseph says you were going to help them. Give them magical weapons and armor.”

“Yes, and they are quite excited about the prospect. I have a mind to send them out with a few guides and let them enlist as Bronze-rank adventurers, with perhaps a gift of coins and a few choice items. What do you think of that?”

She didn’t even have to think. Erin replied instantly.

“They’d all die in a heartbeat.”

Ressa nodded. Magnolia smiled briefly.

“It would be amusing, or perhaps, sad, to see. I don’t believe any of them have actually killed anything in their life, or even helped butcher an animal. That might have informed their opinions. Only young Imani seems sensible and she is distraught with grief.”

Erin glared at Lady Magnolia. So. That was the plan.

“Are you going to kill me too?”

“Kill you? Haven’t you been listening to what I have been saying?”

“But you said— ”

“I said I would send them out to become adventurers. But I will not let them die. I believe a few non-life-threatening injuries and a healthy dose of terror would be good for them.”

“That’s mean.”

“On the contrary, it’s quite generous considering that I do not owe them anything and I will be saving their lives in the long run.”

Erin frowned.

“You’re treating them like pawns or—or people to be manipulated. That’s wrong.”

Lady Magnolia sighed in irritation.

“I will stop treating them as pawns when they stop treating my world as a game to be enjoyed. As it is, that drunk group of young travelers below us are thoughtless, careless individuals who insult my servants, cause messes, throw up in the upholstery, and do not realize the gravity of the situation. I believe half of them are convinced this is a fictional reality, a dream perhaps, or some kind of living game.”

Erin bit her lip. She couldn’t deny that. Lady Magnolia paused, and went on.

“Not all are so foolish. Rose for example seems to understand the need to meet with others from your world, which is why I watch her in case she is called again on that…phone. And Imani is quite sensibly afraid of going out; I believe I will give her a bedroom away from the others now that you have opened her up.”

All of that still sounded suspicious to Erin. She stared at Lady Magnolia and raised a hand as if she were in school. Magnolia eyed it.

“Can I ask a question? Why I am I here?”

“You are here because I assumed you were like the others. I intended to confine you, perhaps after teaching you a few lessons about this world and the dangers therein.”

“And now?”

“I suppose you will have to go back to your inn. That is, unless you wish to accept my offer of hospitality. It still stands, and I would allow you to travel if you so wished.”

“Why?”

Lady Magnolia paused. She looked behind Erin.

“Ressa.”

A hand smacked Erin lightly on the back of the head. Erin yelped and turned, but Ressa stared blankly ahead, face expressionless. Lady Magnolia tapped her tea cup with one nail to get Erin’s attention.

“Consider my position, Erin Solstice. I have found visitors, or perhaps, refugees from another world. They know of terrible weapons, but have not the knowledge to create them. And yet, even the knowledge that such things can be created is enough to cause destruction in the long run. And these children—yes, children—are by and large helpless. They are walking magnets for chaos, and I dislike chaos.”

Erin sat in her seat and thought about that.

“Yeah. Guns would be bad.”

A hand smacked her on the back of the head again. Erin turned around, and Lady Magnolia smiled.

“I believe the young woman will hit you if you do that again, Ressa. And she has both [Bar Fighting] and [Minotaur Punch] as skills. I would be careful.”

“How do you know that?”

Lady Magnolia lifted the monocle in her lap.

“A little device made for me by a friend. It allows me to read [Skills] and [Levels] unless they are concealed. I would love to know what [Immortal Moment] and [Wondrous Fare] do, by the way. But to your point—yes, many of the technologies the others have described sound incredibly dangerous. I do not wish for any of them to become public knowledge.”

Erin rubbed her head as she nodded.

“That’s what Ryoka’s afraid of. She doesn’t want anyone to find out what we know.”

“And that is why I wish to speak with her. But, quite ironically, she is the one person who rightfully distrusts anyone like me.”

“Isn’t that smart?”

“Oh, of course.”

Lady Magnolia waved a hand. She drained her cup and placed it on a table.

“It is an excellent assumption to make. But in this case, I believe Miss Ryoka and I—and even you, Erin—are all on the same side.”

“And what side is—”

Erin looked at Ressa. The other woman’s hands hadn’t moved, but her lips twitched. Erin scowled.

“What side is that? It’s a smart question!”

Ressa shrugged impassively. Lady Magnolia rubbed at her eyes.

“I suppose it is? Erin, we are all on the side that wishes for peace, prosperity, and a lack of monsters or wars. I think that is a fair statement for me to make.”

“Right. I’m on that side.”

Erin nodded reluctantly. Lady Magnolia nodded as well.

“Most people are, but the problems emerge when selfish individuals place their own desires above that cause. Hence the infighting and petty bickering which grips both Drakes and Humans on this continent, and to a lesser extent, the Gnolls.”

She sighed.

“We waste time and resources killing each other while the true enemy grows stronger. Ah, if only the [Lords] and [Ladies] of this continent could see what I see. But of course, some do and others only pretend to. Vision is not hereditary, I’m afraid. And it is opinion which matters more.”

“So you’re afraid these nobles will cause trouble if they know what we—I—people from my world know?”

“ Anyone would cause trouble with such knowledge, Erin. Anyone. But some would be more dangerous than others, I admit.”

Erin frowned. She needed a notepad, or something to write on to figure everything out. But she did her best.

“Let me get this straight. You found Ryoka, and realized she was from another world.”

“ Possibly from another world. I had other suspicions at first.”

“Okay, but you found her and found other people. And when you realized that we all know bad things—”

Lady Magnolia winced at Erin’s choice of words. Erin glared.

“—You decided to keep us all here so we don’t cause any trouble. But you’re letting me go?”

“Because you are not as thoughtless as the others, and moreover, because I believe you will do more good where you are than under lock and key.”

“And Ryoka?”

“The same, although if she would consent to helping me, it would make my life so much easier.”

“So you can make guns?”

“No.”

Lady Magnolia said that flatly. She stared Erin straight in the eye.

“I will never create these weapons. Not unless someone else has already spread them to the point where they have become commonplace.”

“Why?”

“A thousand reasons, not least of which is that it would destroy this world. Ryoka knows this, which is why she has sensibly avoided me for fear I would use such weapons.”

Erin nodded. That was what Ryoka had said, more or less, so she supposed she could believe Lady Magnolia.

“And where is Ryoka?”

The other woman paused. She looked at Erin, and then shook her head.

“If she has not told you, I will honor her discretion as a Runner. I do worry that she is well of course; but we must make gambles, and I rather like the idea of rolling the dice, especially if my die is Ryoka Griffin.”

“You’re gambling with her life?”

Lady Magnolia looked insulted that Erin looked upset.

“Of course. Every person of note and power on the continent is a gambler who plays for the highest of stakes, Erin Solstice. Except for the Antinium Grand Queen. I’m afraid she only takes safe bets with acceptable risks. But until I am sure I play against her and her alone, I must resign myself to uncertainty. And to minimize that risk, I find it is important to get to know people.”

“Like me.”

“If you like. Now, let me offer you a few reassurances. I will not harm the others from your world…unduly. Nor will I share their dangerous secrets, unless of course there is something actually valuable from your world that might be used in this one. I would quite like to taste a pizza and hamburger, you know. Perhaps you could leave the recipe with my [Chef] before you go?”

“Um—”

“Also, I am not interested in harming or impeding you or Ryoka in any way. I simply desire your cooperation and perhaps your help. Actually, I desire Ryoka for all these things, but I shall include you as well.”

“To do what exactly? Making the world a better place?”

“If you could do that, I would be most grateful. No—in helping to defeat the one enemy that truly threatens this continent. The Antinium.”

Erin’s brain halted when she heard that. She cleared her throat, wishing she’d taken another cup of tea, and then spoke.

“The Antinium…aren’t your enemies.”

Lady Magnolia raised a finger.

“A few Antinium you are acquainted with may not be my enemy. But the rest are. Indeed, if their Queen ordered it, I would not place high odds that they would not cut you apart.”

Erin swallowed.

“Pawn and Klbkch wouldn’t do that.”

Lady Magnolia raised an incredulous eyebrow.

“Wouldn’t they? How much do you know of the Antinium? How much do you know of Klbkch the Slayer’s past?”

Klbkch the Slayer? Erin had never heard of that title. She opened her mouth, but the other woman waved her to silence.

“I am Lady Magnolia Reinhart. I have no enemies upon this continent, or so it is said. And yet I consider the Antinium Queens my greatest nemeses. Consider that for one moment, and please, think before you reply.”

Erin opened her mouth, hesitated, glared at Ressa, and then thought. Magnolia watched her, not without a bit of sympathy.

“The Antinium do battle much in the way your world fights, or so I gather.”

Erin blinked. Lady Magnolia smiled and clarified her statement.

“What I mean is, they fight under the assumption all soldiers are equal. They raise their warriors to be excellent, but no individual is better than another in their doctrine. That is because the Antinium do not level. But other armies fight differently.”

Lady Magnolia lifted her cup, accepted a refill from Ressa and drank a bit before continuing. Erin saw Ressa glance at her mistress, and something flickered across the maid’s face. It almost looked like…worry?

“In this world, an individual can change the course of a battle. A single hero can win a war. And that is because we level. Armies protect their highest-level warriors, or risk them in order to deal damage to opposing forces. But a hundred Level 15 [Soldiers] would not be worth the life of a single Level 30 [Vanguard]. So we sacrifice the many for the good of the few, that they might grow stronger. That is the difference between our worlds.”

Erin tried to imagine it. It wasn’t actually that hard. It was like…superheroes. They could fight entire armies by themselves, and that was sort of like a high-level warrior, right? Lady Magnolia nodded.

“Now consider this. What would happen if your world’s technology fell into Antinium hands? Or rather, feelers?”

Erin tried to imagine that. Her heart sank.

“Weapons of war. Tanks, these flying planes of yours, and of course, ‘bombs’. Terrible weapons that require no levels to use. And worse still, a gun. A weapon with exceptional range that can fire faster than a repeating crossbow if made correctly. Such weapons would allow even children to kill the greatest of warriors. All races would take that technology and kill with it, but the Antinium would benefit most greatly. That is why this technology must not be realized in this world.”

Again, Erin raised her hand. She lowered it when she saw Magnolia staring at it.

“Um, but why wouldn’t you just use a gun or something and not share the way the weapons are made?”

“Aside from the obvious point that any weapon can be used against its owner, I have found that nothing stays secret for long. The instant a weapon is used, it is copied a thousand times over. Have you not witnessed this yourself?”

Erin thought of her hamburgers and had nothing to say. Lady Magnolia sighed again.

“If these ‘guns’ were to become widespread, two groups would benefit most from their usage. In less than a decade, the House of Minos would fall to its ancient enemy and the Antinium would sweep across the continent.”

Another pause.

“Were things otherwise, and were I more foolish, I might even consider manufacturing these devices myself, regardless of the risk, to deal with the Antinium. With them, I could create an army capable of killing Dragons; a force that would humble even Flos on the field of battle. But I am a bit wiser than that. By the time I defeated the Antinium—and that is still not wholly predictable—the entire world would be armed thusly, and we would burn nations to the ground and slaughter entire species before the bloodletting was done. No.”

Erin was quiet for a while after that. She didn’t know what to think of Lady Magnolia. The woman herself sipped her tea quietly as she watched Erin. At last, Erin looked up.

“I still don’t think they’re your enemies. The Antinium, I mean.”

“You do not know their history. You have not seen what they do.”

“Kill people? But Humans do that.”

“And we are a wretched species. But the Antinium are sadly better at killing than we are, and their Queens attempted to wipe this continent free of every living species once before. Consider this, Erin. Even in war, [Lords] and [Generals] often spare civilians. It is a point of honor, and practicality. Not even [Soldiers] relish that level of violence, and so the few who slaughter are condemned by every nation.”

She raised a finger.

“But the Antinium have fought thusly from the beginning. They leave no survivors. And what is worse, they make no permanent peace. I believe they have simply been waiting since the last Antinium War, building their strength for the final war in which they will win and slaughter us all.”

Erin couldn’t believe it. Klbkch, do that? But—she’d seen him killing Goblins that one time. And yet Pawn—

“It is not the individuals I speak of, but their Queens. They are heartless and care nothing for other species. If you will not believe it of the Antinium you know, believe that.”

Erin could. She remembered the Queen, and the cold way she had spoken about Klbkch, her subject.

“So that’s it? You’re fighting a war and you want help from us?”

“…If you want to put it that way, yes. Rather, I simply hope you will not make things worse. I don’t expect much help from you.”

“Hey, that’s—!”

“Accurate.”

Erin opened her mouth. Lady Magnolia stared at her. Erin closed her mouth.

“Erin Solstice. A young woman who treats Goblins like people and teaches the Antinium how to become individuals. That alone makes you extraordinary, but it will not win a war.”

Lady Magnolia drummed her fingers on her leg.

“I should like nothing more than for the Antinium to all become individual. That would mean they are people, and people can be manipulated, flattered, bribed, intimidated, or threatened. A swarm simply devours everything in its way. But it will not happen, because while the Queen in Liscor is a visionary, the other Queens and the Grand Queen lacks her ideals. No, it will not change what is to come.”

“And that is?”

“War. And not just any war. A world war, as your people have spoken of.”

Lady Magnolia said it calmly. She looked out one of the windows, at the setting sun.

“Perhaps it will not begin on this continent, but it will come soon. Already the idea of it hangs in the air, whispering in every ear.”

Erin felt a chill.

“How do you know?”

“From whispers. The Isles of Minos have closed. Perhaps due to the actions of a traveler from another world? Their ports are barred to any ships but their own, and every spy I have planted in their kingdom has gone quiet. A Goblin Lord has emerged in the south, and if a King should rampage again, we may all fall to the youngest species before the Antinium.”

Lady Magnolia started ticking off points on her fingers.

“Az’Kerash builds an army of the dead, and I only pray we may stop him. I would send heroes to slay him before he unleashes his madness, but they are in short supply. Between him and the Antinium, we face two major enemies, although one is far more dangerous than the other. An individual versus a swarm, you see? And then there are simply dangerous fools among the Drakes and Humans who would start bonfires over matchsticks anyways. Flos goes to conquer, and perhaps he is the least dangerous of all. He at least desires to create a kingdom rather than break everything apart. And all of this happens because of your people, Erin Solstice.”

The room felt darker, and not just because the sun was setting. Erin tried to swallow around a dry mouth.

“My people?”

“We were at peace before you arrived, Erin Solstice. A factitious, torn peace full of petty battles and squabbles, yes, but peace nevertheless. The world was slowly healing, but all too soon the truce forged of paper will burst open like scabs and war will once more ravage the people and land.”

Lady Magnolia paused. The shroud around her lifted, and she looked over.

“Mm. That was quite good, wasn’t it, Ressa? I shall have to remember that to Teriarch next time we speak. Write that down, would you?”

“Yes, milady.”

Magnolia turned back to Erin.

“I don’t mean to sound completely hopeless. There are threats, true, but I hope that my preparations will guard against some of them. This continent is strong, and I have done my best to ensure the north is stronger than it was. But that is the truth of it. War is coming. And you few travelers are caught in it.”

Erin tried to breathe and had trouble doing so. It seemed so huge when Magnolia said it like that.

“What should we do, then? I mean, is there anything—?”

“Nothing. You can help those you meet in your inn, and perhaps that will change things. But unless you know of a technology that saves lives…? There are a number of curious things the other young men and women talk about, but they are frustratingly vague on details. I will pursue that line of questioning, however.”

Erin shook her head.

“I still don’t think it’s right, keeping them here.”

“And what would you do? Let them loose?”

Magnolia frowned at Erin. Erin shrugged.

“Maybe not, but they’re not as stupid as you’re treating them.”

“Fools seldom are. But they are thoughtless, which is worse. What could they do that would not cause more harm?”

“I don’t know. But give them a chance.”

Magnolia paused as she sipped at her cup.

“A chance? As what, adventurers?”

“Maybe. But just give them a chance to do something rather than lock them up and let them be useless.”

Erin tried to explain.

“I have this annoying—this girl in my inn. She’s really, really troublesome, but if I left her alone she would die.”

“Ah. Lyonette de Marquin. Dreadful girl. I’m not sure she is the example you should use.”

“You know who she is? I mean, she said she knows you—”

“I’m sure she does.”

Lady Magnolia made a face as if the tea had suddenly gone bad. Erin looked around and saw Ressa making a similar look of disgust, which disappeared as soon as she noticed Erin looking.

“She says she’s really important and that you’d take her in. But the [Butler]—sorry, Reynold—wouldn’t let her come with me.”

Magnolia sighed as she swirled her tea around with a silver spoon.

“She certainly is…important, but I fear she overstates her value. She wrote me several strident letters demanding that I offer her the hospitality of my house. I do not wish to do so.”

“But she nearly died by herself! She was getting exiled and she would have frozen to death if I hadn’t found her!”

“A pity.”

Erin’s heart grew silent in her chest for a moment. She looked at Lady Magnolia.

“Just because someone is really… really annoying or useless doesn’t mean they deserve to die.”

“Neither does it mean that I should waste time and resources saving them.”

“But that means you’re killing them if you don’t help. That’s wrong. ”

A sigh. Erin gritted her teeth as Magnolia looked at her.

“What if they are a danger? What if killing them would save thousands of lives? Would that not be the most morally correct choice?”

Now Erin was getting angrier. Magnolia was—well, she wasn’t a bad person. Maybe. But she was getting on Erin’s nerves.

“You don’t get to decide that. God—gods know everything, so I guess if they existed, they’d be able to say if that was right or wrong. But the gods are dead. Everyone tells me that. So no one gets to decide if things are moral. You can kill however many people you want, but you can’t say it was the right thing to do.”

“Fine then. I chose to let Lyonette die. I do not regret it, any more than I regret confining the others from your world. I cannot release them into the wild because they would die, and neither will I risk them spreading dangerous information as they so casually do. But they are quite a drain on resources.”

“So? You offered to take them in.”

“To save their lives. But I may soon lock them in a house and toss bags of grain inside rather than keep them here. They are not worthy of this house, or the people who must put up with them. They eat, argue, talk about games and laugh at monsters as if they were harmless, and talk to my servants about freedom as if they were slaves. ”

“They do? I mean, really?”

Lady Magnolia scowled.

“One of them does, at any rate. She doesn’t seem to understand the difference between employing a family of their free will and forcing them to work.”

“I’m sorry if they’ve offended you. But—”

“I will give them a chance, which may be more than they deserve. Enough. It is growing late, and I wish to impress one thing upon you, Erin Solstice.”

“What?”

“Numbers. Or perhaps—worth.”

Lady Magnolia put down her cup and looked at Erin directly.

“The smallest of the Antinium Hives – the one based in Liscor – holds at least three thousand Antinium at any given time. More, as of late. At least two thousand Workers and a thousand Soldiers are ready to go to war at any moment; my estimate puts their numbers at a thousand more in their Hive. And that is the least of the six Hives, if there are only six. The others are larger by an immeasurable factor.”

The numbers staggered Erin. Three—no, four thousand Antinium? Why didn’t they help when Skinner attacked? But Lady Magnolia wasn’t done. She pointed at Erin.

“You are worth two Antinium Soldiers in a battle. Ryoka—with items, perhaps she could defeat a dozen. Two dozen. But I very much doubt it.”

She shook her head.

“As dangerous as you are, as unique as you are, you are only one Human. But I require an army. I seek heroes. I have children, bright and full of weapons that would shake the earth—none of which I can use now or without having them used against me in time. You and Ryoka Griffin are extraordinary in your own ways, but you are still young. And small.”

Magnolia looked towards the window.

“I will hope that you rise to the challenges you will face. If there is a way I may aid you that will encourage growth or help myself, I will do so. But I am playing a game against titans, and I am only a small Human.”

Erin didn’t know what to say to that. Magnolia looked large and small at the same time—a giant in her own right, full of more force than anyone else Erin had met—but still so small compared to the things she talked about.

“If you are able to, I hope you will persuade Miss Ryoka to visit me. I am in need of whatever aid she can give; whatever she can remember. These new defensive potions and alchemist creations she has made cheaper will save countless lives in the long run. But convincing enough farmers to grow spicy peppers will be difficult. Bottles are equally expensive, but if it can be manufactured into a spray as young Rose claims…”

Magnolia sighed, and looked at Erin.

“Which brings me to you. You, Erin Solstice, the girl of many odd talents. You have skills, and a brain hidden behind all that fluff, but you maintain a small inn and do little with what you have. Is that all you will ever do? What is it you wish to do in this world, Miss Erin Solstice? Do you want to go home to your world? Or perhaps, do you want to stay here? This world is full of wonders, but I am sure yours is filled with just as many.”

Her eyes bored into Erin’s, unblinking, and Lady Magnolia’s voice seemed like the only thing in the world. Erin couldn’t look away as the questions hit her again and again.

“Will you protect this world? Save it? Do you simply want to live in peace? Or perhaps you would like to destroy it? Do you even care?”

Erin opened her mouth, but Lady Magnolia silenced her.

“I don’t believe you have an answer that would not prompt me to throw something at you.”

“I do.”

“Really? This tea pot is quite heavy and quite expensive. I would hate to waste it.”

“I want to protect the people around me. That’s all. I have friends. I don’t want them to die. I want to help them, and some day find a way home. And live in peace. That’s all.”

Lady Magnolia stared at Erin for a while.

“Hmph. Well, at least you don’t have small dreams. Well then, Erin Solstice, delightful and infuriating as this conversation has been, I believe only one thing remains for me to do with you.”

Erin tensed. Ressa had moved behind Magnolia, but she was fast.

“And what’s that?”

Lady Magnolia smiled.

“Send you home.”

—-

It was a small group that gathered outside the coach. Reynold held the door open as Erin climbed in, and the girl realized that Joseph and Rose and the others were watching her from a window. And trying to shout to her, by the looks of it.

She’d wanted to say something to them, but Lady Magnolia had vetoed that suggestion. She claimed she had no desire to listen to another hundred complaints and besides, Erin had nothing to say to the others that they would not learn soon enough.

Erin had silently agreed with that, but she still glared at Lady Magnolia as she got into the carriage. She was fairly sure she didn’t like the [Lady], but at least in public Lady Magnolia was all smiles and rainbows.

“I trust Reynold will see you safely to your inn. I also took the liberty of sending a meal with you, as I shamefully neglected to play the good host. Do take care.”

“…Thanks.”

The door began to close, but a slim hand interposed itself before it could shut. Erin wondered what would happen if she slammed the door, but then Magnolia opened it. She lowered her voice so that only Erin could hear.

“Oh, and by the way, Erin. Though I laud your desire to protect those around you, I believe you will soon find that answer means changing the entire world. So the question remains: what will you do? Will you try to save this world we live in, or wait for others to do it for you?”

Erin stared at Magnolia. The other woman was smiling.

“If I punch you, would Ressa kill me?”

Magnolia’s smile widened.

“Quite likely. Do agonize about your future on the ride home. Goodbye.”

The door closed. Reynold waited until Magnolia was clear, and then snapped the reins. The carriage began to move swiftly away, and Erin sat back in her seat.

“I think I really hate her.”

Lady Magnolia. She was like a hurricane trapped inside of a bottle inside of a tornado inside of a washing machine. She was all go, and even thinking about what she’d just learned made Erin want to vomit up thoughts.

And she was so confident she was right. She’d seen right through Erin. Or maybe—

Erin turned and glared out the window as Lady Magnolia’s mansion disappeared in the distance. She had a small thought in her head.

Maybe…she was actually a good person. A rich [Lady] trying to save the world by herself.

Probably not. She was still a jerk. But the things she’d said—

Outside, the world began to blur as Erin sped away from Lady Magnolia’s house, and back home. Thoughts whirled around in Erin’s head, not least of which was that Magnolia had put enough food in the carriage to feed both her and Reynold for a week . But that wasn’t as important as what she’d learned.

So many things. War? The Antinium? Were they really the biggest threat? Could Magnolia be trusted?

Erin wanted so desperately to talk to Ryoka about it all. But without anyone to talk to—besides Reynold, and he really couldn’t help with this—Erin found herself drifting off. Her mind began looping, and only a few thoughts repeated themselves.

What had Magnolia said? Choose. Erin thought she had an answer, but war? She couldn’t even imagine—

What should she do?

Live alone.

Save the world.

Run away.

Ask for help.

Live in peace.

Fight for freedom.

Bring democracy.

Protect secrets.

Go back home.

Save the world.

Protect her friends.

Save the world.

Give up.

Save the world.

Save the world.

Save.

The.

World.

Interlude

Lady Magnolia and Ressa retired to a personal sitting room after Erin had gone. It was a mark of Lady Magnolia’s abilities as a [Lady] that she did not seem to notice the shouting young men and women who were trying to attract her attention. Her servants and a glare from Ressa allowed Magnolia to make her way up the stairs unimpeded.

The truth of the matter was that no matter how upset Joseph and Rose and the others were, they didn’t quite dare shout in Magnolia’s presence. And neither were they able to force themselves to push past the polite maids and manservants to accost her physically. They were held back by Lady Magnolia’s sheer presence.

It was a skill as well as a Skill, and Lady Magnolia had mastered both. She let Ressa close the door and muffle the last indignant protests echoing through her home and sighed.

Even that was graceful. Lady Magnolia was known throughout the continent—well, by Humans at least. Any Drakes and Gnolls who paid attention to Humans knew of her, but Humans were by and large identical to the majority of Drakes and Gnolls. Still, those who knew anything of Lady Magnolia knew that she was a [Lady]. At all times she was graceful and polite.

And in her own room, away from the eyes of the world, Magnolia was no less composed. Her diction did not slip even in private. She was elegant, thoughtful, deliberate, never offered an unkind word—

“Ah. I am exhausted , Ressa. Do you think we were quite so impudent and annoying when we were children?”

—Is what people expected. The truth was rather different. Lady Magnolia very nearly flopped back into her couch. She picked up the tea cup, drained it, filled it, and drained it again in quick succession.

Ressa eyed her mistress and childhood friend disapprovingly. Like a good maid, she had said nothing in Erin’s presence, but she had made her feelings about the tea Magnolia drank quite explicit numerous times before.

Raspberry tea. It was a delicious and even healthy beverage as enjoyed by most people, but in this case, it had been sweetened with so much sugar to make the drink practically poisonous in and of itself. Magnolia drank it like water, as much for the caffeine as the sugar high.

“She was quite spirited.”

“Spirited? Hah! I’ve met Minotaurs with less gall. Still, I think it turned out for the best, don’t you?”

Ressa shrugged. She deftly whisked the pot full of sugary tea away from Lady Magnolia. The other woman scowled, but made no attempt to retrieve it.

“I believe Erin Solstice will return to her inn safely.”

“Oh, I think so as well. There were no reports of bandits on the road, no monster sightings, Reynold is there, and if worse comes to worst, she is quite a resourceful young lady. I did mention the combat skills she had to you, didn’t I? She had [Unerring Throw] as well. Quite a powerful skill, if used right.”

“Indeed, milady.”

“Stop that.”

Lady Magnolia mock-glared at Ressa as the maid began inspecting the room for any signs of dirt, dust, or failure on the part of the maids who had cleaned it. Magnolia sat back in her couch and stared up at the ceiling.

“Only the gods may decide what is right and wrong, eh? Such strong conviction. It reminds me of our youth, doesn’t it?”

Ressa shrugged slightly. When she was out of the presence of others she acted far less formally with her employer, but she was still quite diligent in her duties. She lifted up a pot and regarded the spotless underside.

“As I recall, you were even wilder than Erin Solstice as a young lady, Magnolia.”

“And so were you. Do I need to recall the incident with the granary to you?”

Ressa made no reply. Magnolia sighed, louder. It was hard to poke fun at Ressa. Either the woman took it, or she hit you. Either way, you lost.

“Do you think I was too harsh on the girl? I placed a tremendous burden on her shoulders.”

“I believe she will be equal to the task.”

Ressa said that thoughtfully as she paused in opening a drawer. She looked at Lady Magnolia.

“Do you know, I found myself talking to her quite naturally after only a few minutes. And she was able to befriend Reynold over the course of their trip.”

“I noticed. That is a valuable talent, and no doubt one of the reasons she survived by herself.”

Magnolia nodded and stretched out on her sofa like a cat. She put her feet up, which made Ressa stare pointedly at them. They did not come off the couch.

“It simply proves what I said earlier. Wild cards are far more useful to play with when the deck is stacked against oneself. I anticipate her causing quite a lot of trouble for the Queen in Liscor, and the Antinium delegation who are so stealthily making their way towards the city.”

“Indeed.”

Ressa casually pushed Magnolia’s feet off the couch. The [Lady] of the manor stared at her maid.

“I do own this couch, you know.”

“It’s unenchanted and you have a tendency to kick things. Use the other couch if you want to lie down. I won’t have you causing hundreds of gold worth of damages.”

Lady Magnolia grumbled, but she sat up.

“What happened to the other one that’s normally here?”

“You spilled food all over it. It’s being cleaned.”

“Ah. I suppose we should have hired the enchanter to prevent stains as well.”

“It is enchanted against stains. The maids are trying to wipe all the food off.”

“Oh.”

After a moment’s silence, the convivial, chatty atmosphere passed. Lady Magnolia sighed and sat up, and Ressa knew she was back to work. She never took long breaks.

“Now that our guest is gone, tell me about that Goblin Lord. No one has gotten close enough to give me a description, but those reports of dead Goblins being part of his army are disturbing. He must certainly be strong if he managed to defeat Zel Shivertail.”

Ressa nodded. She closed her eyes, and then spoke from memory.

“The [Scouts] put his army at something close to the equivalent of a Walled City’s standing army. He has over a hundred Hobgoblins and at least ten [Mages] or [Shamans] in his army.”

“He is that powerful already?”

Lady Magnolia made a disgruntled face. Ressa nodded.

“Other details are still coming in and we will know more after Shivertail returns to one of the cities and makes his report.”

“But none of the mages have found out anything else? The [Scouts]?”

“They cannot get close and the mages do not have a good fix on his location. The few that can [Scry] do not know his name.”

“What about Teriarch? He could find anyone he wanted if he weren’t so lazy.”

“He has…ignored our messages to him.”

“He’s probably sulking. I gave him quite an earful after he gave Ryoka that ridiculous delivery.”

Lady Magnolia scowled and sighed.

“Very well. The Drake cities will take this seriously once they hear Ilvriss’ testimony along with Shivertail’s. But what about the northern Goblin tribes? They have a leader, but do the other families know of it?”

Ressa hesitated.

“Many of the aristocracy are aware of trouble with the Goblins in the south, but no more than that. Only Lord Tyrion’s spies have realized the northern tribes are moving, and they have only said that they suppose the Goblins may be organizing.”

Magnolia’s face spoke volumes.

“They ‘suppose’ the Goblins may be organizing? Ressa, the next time you meet Lord Tyrion, do endeavor to smack him on the head a few times, would you? His scouts are nearly worthless if that is all they can report.”

“I shall do so if possible.”

It would be Ressa’s pleasure, although the odds of her actually laying hands on Lord Tyrion were low. Magnolia sighed as she put her fingers together.

“No one pays any attention to Goblins until it is too late.”

“Except for you.”

Lady Magnolia laughed.

“Yes, well, Teriarch did convince me rather thoroughly of that point. It is hard to ignore them when you know the truth, is it not?”

“It is.”

“Well, we shall let things play out. The Goblin Lord is not an immediate threat unless all the northern tribes join him at once, and I very much doubt that Garen Red Fang will bow so easily. But this does present us with an opportunity.”

Magnolia stood up and walked over to a window. Ressa joined her, noticing a smudge on the glass and frowning hard at it. Lady Magnolia spoke to the window as Ressa produced a cloth and began to clean.

“Zel Shivertail is too important to ignore, but his defeat – even though it came after an incredible victory over Wall Lord Ilvriss – will no doubt lead to a period of disgrace as fools seek to belittle him. A shame some of those Drakes are so close minded, but it is exactly what we have been waiting for.”

“It would appear so.”

Slowly, Magnolia nodded. She stared out the window at the setting sun.

“Now that he is in disgrace—or rather, will be—it is the opportune time to persuade him to come north. I only wish it were as simple as offering him riches or power.”

“Shall I send a message by [Courier]?”

“No—I believe I may send a [Message] spell instead. This is too important to be subtle about. We need a general of Zel Shivertail’s caliber.”

Ressa nodded in agreement. Magnolia sighed.

“And what of Ryoka? Is she still alive, or should I have told young Erin not to wait?”

“She is alive.”

“Good. And she will return in…?”

“Two days. Theofore has located her.”

“Really? I would have thought the other [Assassins] and [Scouts] would have had more luck. Then again, perhaps he understands Miss Griffin better than they do.”

“Or it could just be chance.”

Lady Magnolia glanced over. Ressa’s face was completely straight.

“Pragmatic kill-joy.”

“As you say, milady.”

“Make sure she arrives at the inn safely. Until I have a chance to speak with her, she must not die, is that clear?”

Ressa hesitated. She looked at Magnolia for a moment, wondering if she should add this detail.

“She is injured.”

“What?”

Magnolia had been thinking of something else, but now she focused on Ressa.

“How badly?”

“Theofore reported that two of Ryoka’s fingers are missing, and she appears to be moving far slower than normal. She is not alone, either.”

The calm expression on Magnolia’s face disappeared. Her brows shot together.

“Who else is with her? A survivor of the Goblin Lord’s attack? The Winter Sprites? Teriarch did say they were attracted to her, but I thought it was just because they enjoyed tormenting the girl.”

“A young Gnoll cub. Theofore believes Ryoka may have rescued her.”

Lady Magnolia closed her eyes, and pressed her fingers to her temples tiredly.

“Of course she did. And lost her fingers and got hurt in the doing, no doubt. She is ill-suited to be a Runner in temperament. She is far too sympathetic.”

For a second the two women stood and stared out the window in silence. Magnolia put a finger to her lips.

“But a cub…? There must have been a Gnoll tribe caught in the mountains.”

Ressa nodded.

“The Stone Spears tribe was wintering in that region. It is likely that Ryoka Griffin’s paths would have crossed with theirs.”

“Are there any survivors?”

“Possibly. Half the tribe was camped out while the warriors and miners travelled higher, searching for ores and gems. The [Scouts] and [Assassins] reported a higher number of Gnolls travelling with Zel’s army—they may have been saved.”

Again, Lady Magnolia closed her eyes.

“And the mining group?”

Ressa would have liked to pretend she didn’t know, but no one could lie to Magnolia Reinhart. She spoke quietly.

“One of the highest-level [Assassins] sent with the scouting group slipped past the Goblin Lord’s army and located the mining site. She found no survivors. It appears the Gnolls were ambushed and slew over a hundred Goblins before being overwhelmed.”

“I see.”

More silence. Ressa spoke into it.

“The Gnoll cub seems to be unusual.”

“How so? Is the child injured? If so, have Theofore—”

“No. She has white fur.”

Now Magnolia looked at Ressa. Her eyes were serious.

“A Gnoll with white fur. That is no coincidence, Ressa. But what does it mean?”

“It is a portent of some kind?”

“I would have to ask a Gnoll [Shaman] or Teriarch. My memory is fuzzy. But yes, it is.”

Lady Magnolia thought for a few more moments and then sighed. She let her hands drop to her side.

“We must hurry. Things are happening too quickly now. If we had another year—but of course we do not. Very well. The Goblins will keep for a while longer. Now, onto armies. I know Lord Tyrion’s army just smashed two other armies in that little spat of his. Do you have numbers on how many of his soldiers perished?”

“Very few, or so the rumors state. Eyewitnesses saw only a few bodies in his livery after the battle, so it is safe to assume he completely routed his enemies.”

“Only naturally. His soldiers are splendidly well equipped and trained. They are peerless among the armies of the north. A bright and shining jewel that needs only the correct setting to become perfection. It is a shame the same cannot be said of their lord and leader.”

Magnolia sighed. But then she smiled.

“And what of our little project, Ressa? Where do we stand at the moment?”

Ressa nodded.

“Discounting the city-states and their private armies as well as the personal retainers and forces available to other lords and ladies—”

“Of course.”

“—Then, at the moment we will be able to call upon two thousand individuals with combat-classes above Level 20. Over six hundred of that number possess levels above 30. Six Named Adventurers and eight Gold-rank teams are available, and we have at our disposal at least three hundred and fifty irregular units.”

Lady Magnolia smiled wider. She looked at Ressa, but the woman was done. Gently, Magnolia prompted the maid.

“And…?”

Ressa sighed.

“…And one unicorn.”

“Most excellent. Now then, I believe we should send another letter to a certain [Strategist]. If we do manage to obtain Zel Shivertail’s services, then we will have a peerless army with a general to match. But to make them public and start training them in earnest, I would need a second hand for Zel of equal ability.”

Ressa sighed. She knew who Lady Magnolia was hinting at, but here at least she believed her mistress was wasting her time.

“Thus far all missives to him have been ignored.”

Lady Magnolia waved that fact away like an annoying fly.

“He can’t keep ignoring me forever. Send fifteen more letters off this instant. If we keep bothering him eventually he will have to talk with me.”

“Keep telling yourself that, milady.”

Ressa muttered the words, but Magnolia wasn’t listening. She was quite good at that—she had been since they were children. The [Lady] began asking more questions, and Ressa continued to answer.

Back to work. Erin Solstice’s visit, however notable, was only a small part of the many things Magnolia Reinhart had to deal with each day. Ressa was just as busy. She had to organize the maids, clean up whatever mess the people from Erin’s world had left, speak to spies and [Assassins] and find someone to blame for that smudge on the window. She had plotting to do with the most powerful woman on the continent, people to organize, tea pots to refill, dinner to serve—

And of course, letters to send.

—-

It was a hot and muggy day, but the [Strategist] standing on his war room table staring down at the map of tomorrow’s battlefield felt none of the heat. His tent was cool thanks to the magic woven into the fabric—a source of much relief to the other people gathered in the tent.

They were all [Strategists]. Well, a few were still [Tacticians] by virtue of lower levels, but they were all focused in the same area.

And that was odd, because the tent contained all the high-ranking officers in the army. Normally the room would be filled with [Officers] and [Lieutenants] and [Leaders] rather than just [Strategists]. But this odd quirk was probably due to the army’s leader. The man leading this army was a [Strategist] without one level as a [General] or any other class. He was infamous for this, in fact, and he led his army without any other skills. He was known as the Titan, which was clearly an ironic name to anyone who actually knew what he looked like.

And at the moment he was planning a battle. The [Strategist] was speaking to a tall man dressed in armor save for his head. There was something off about this armored man’s neck. But as he nodded and his head wobbled, the [Strategist] held up a hand and everyone in his tent paused. Two seconds later someone knocked on the tent flap.

“Enter.”

A [Soldier] poked his head through, one of the ones on guard duty.

“A Courier is here to see you, sir.”

Niers Astoragon, the Titan and [Strategist] leading this army, sighed as he looked up from the map and waved the Courier into his tent. He already knew—or suspected—who the letter was from.

The Courier immediately strode into the tent as one of his lieutenants held the flap open. The stiflingly hot, moist heat tried to rush in, but the cooling enchantment on the tent quickly stabilized the temperature.

The young female Courier who handed Niers three letters wasn’t even sweating. It had to be a Skill, or a magical item of some sort. Niers eyed her belt idly as he accepted the first letter and pulled the envelope open. He was quite tempted to buy an artifact like that for himself on days like this, but it would be needlessly expensive to order, given how many other enchanted items he carried. If only the magics didn’t clash so—

Niers grunted as he kicked the sealed envelope’s lid off and noticed the delicate, gold-edged card. Of course. It had to be from her. What a waste of time.

Any message sent by a Courier was almost always opened within seconds of receiving it. That was because no one would send pointless letters at such expense. That damned Magnolia Reinhart knew that, and so she sent Niers letters constantly, forcing him to open them on the off chance he was receiving vital information.

How he hated and admired that woman’s twisted mind. But Niers knew what he would see the instant he pulled the delicately scented card out of the envelope, and he tossed it on the table after only a few second’s cursory study.

“Pick that up and dispose of it, would you, Umina? And if the others smell of lavender, rosemary, raspberries, or any other floral scent, discard them too.”

The lizard girl standing closest to the entrance nodded and began sorting through the letters. Niers sighed as he turned back to the map, conscious of the eyes on him. He stepped to one side casually, allowing Umina to pick up the letter he’d opened. She moved very carefully, as if afraid one mistake from her would crush him.

He hated being treated like that. But Umina was new to his group of students and so she wasn’t quite used to his stature. Either she would learn or she would not. Niers concentrated on the battle and put petty distractions aside.

Yes, that was the irony of the nickname his enemies had given him. Niers had embraced the name, but it did cause confusion, which was why he sensed the Courier’s eyes on his back as he turned back to the map.

To hear talk of the second-in-command of one of the Four Great Companies of Baleros, Niers was a giant in every sense. He led his armies to victory after victory, using his mind as a weapon where most [Generals] led with their swords. He could outmaneuver any foe, defeat any force, even those three times as large as his. With his Skills he could turn his soldiers into horrific monsters, yet if he needed to retreat his army would become ghosts on the battlefield.

He was a monster, the highest-level [Strategist] on the continent—perhaps the world. Quite sensibly, Niers kept his exact level hidden, but his prowess was unmatched. So they called him the Titan, and only some got the joke. And that was that Niers was tiny. He was only six inches tall.

Aside from that one detail, Niers looked like any middle-aged man. His hair was dark black, slightly grey, and he had a powerful, if minuscule, build. He wore armor as expensive as any [Lord]’s—more expensive in truth, given that [Blacksmiths] had a terrible time forging anything so small. And he looked Human again, apart from the issue of his height.

Niers was actually quite tall for an individual of his race, but of course that meant very little when the average height of his people was about as tall as a Human’s hand. The Fraerlings, or the Small Folk as they were more commonly known, were a reclusive people on Baleros, who seldom took part in continental or worldly events, preferring to stay within their small communities and only travel to villages, towns, and cities on the occasional trip to sell goods or request aid from adventurers.

Except that of course, there were exceptions. And it could easily be claimed that Niers was the most famous Fraerling in the world. It wasn’t a position he particularly relished; he would have liked to be known for his strategic prowess rather than his origins, but fame was fame, and he knew he was a hero to the children of his kind.

Umina hesitated as she held the bunch of letters the Courier had brought. Niers knew she was capable of magic, but burning a set of missives that came from a Courier must have gone against all her instincts.

“I should just—?”

“A flame. Here.”

One of Niers’ older students intervened before Umina could interrupt their teacher. He took the letters from Umina in gauntleted hands and let her conjure a small flame between her hands. The letters curled and burnt away as he held them to the last, calmly, without fear of fire.

Cameral dusted his hands, letting the ashes fall to the earthen ground of the tent. Niers nodded and grunted irritably.

“The message was not to your liking, lord?”

“It was pointless. They were more letters from Lady Magnolia.”

“Ah.”

The mood in the tent changed. Niers had countless students, although only twelve or so were present in this large tent. Each of them he had accepted on the basis of their incredible minds and ability in battle. But any [Strategist] of worth would know the political realm as well as the battlefield, and Lady Magnolia was on a short list of names one memorized no matter where you were in the world.

One could argue that Niers’ burning of her letters was an affront; a dangerous one given the influence and power of the Reinharts. But he was powerful enough in his own right that he could do such things. The nature of his correspondence with Magnolia Reinhart was a mystery to his students, but Niers already knew they would be discussing the issue or sending their own spies and informants out after this meeting. It was commendable of them, if predictable.

Still, Niers had to admit he was growing equally parts curious and annoyed from Magnolia’s incessant attempts to contact him. She sent letters via Courier in waves, to the extent that Niers found himself hounded by her.

They were always the same letters, too. A gentle invitation to speak with her via mage spell, or even in person should he have the opportunity. Thus far Niers had done neither such thing, nor had he replied to her via letter. Again, it was an act of rudeness, but one he thought she would expect and the only sensible course of action he felt he should take.

He had no desire to be ensnared in the woman’s schemes, much less to talk with her at the moment. Niers had met her only twice in his life, but he had learned to be exceptionally wary of her.

Moreover, he feared that if he ever did talk to her, she would offer him a prize he couldn’t refuse. And he was loyal to his Company and his commander to a fault; far better not to be tempted in the first place.

“Try not to agonize over the woman too much, would you? Magnolia Reinhart’s mind would put most [Strategists] and [Generals] to shame and we have a battle to win.”

Cameral nodded gravely and the others shifted, as if they were children being caught in a mischief. It always seemed to amaze them that Niers knew what they were thinking, but of course that was just their imaginations. He simply knew what they would do because he had been like them, once.

The armored man’s head wobbled as he nodded and Cameral put one hand up to steady it.

“Take it off if it’s loose. I’ve told you, I don’t need you to look like a Human all day long and I have no desire to be squashed by your head.”

That remark went to Cameral. He was a Dullahan, hence his loose connection between head and body. When he apologetically took his head off the suit of armor, dark orange light could be seen flickering within the armor’s opening.

It wasn’t empty armor, Niers knew. There was some kind of flesh and blood in there, hence the Dullahan’s need to cover it with protection. Cameral’s armor was quite good steel—Niers had seen other Dullahans with wood armor or inferior scrap metal, but his subordinates wore high-quality gear.

Gently, Cameral cradled his head in his hands, turning it so he could see the table and Niers better. It was how Dullahans like to see things—either that, or have their heads float by their side, but this was apparently rude and so the man thought he needed to put his head on his shoulders every time he was in Niers’ presence. It was a sign of respect, but it grated on Niers’ nerves.

All distractions aside, Niers could finally focus on the battle. He stared down at the open, grassy plains his opponent had chosen for the battlefield. It was gently sloping, giving a height advantage to the defending army that was camped at the crest of the incline. A solid choice of location in other words, but Niers had already encircled the army with his own.

Their opponent for the day was a [General] with defensive skills named Grimvol. Niers had forgotten what spat had caused their Company to be called in, but he had led an army out to defeat this foe with as few losses as possible. After that would come pay, relaxation, and rest—until the next contract.

They were a mercenary group, one of the finest. Niers had been fighting for over fifty years in Baleros’s endless plains and deep jungles and yet he knew each battle could be his last.

Probably not this one, though.

The small pieces on the table were quite obvious to anyone familiar with this type of planning. Niers and Grimvol had nearly equally large armies, perhaps with a few more numbers on Grimvol’s side, and their warriors were nearly of the same level. The banners floating over each piece’s head denoted their relative level and Niers had other pieces to mark warriors in his and Grimvol’s army with high levels or unique classes.

This battle looked straightforward. Niers’ army would surround and consume Grimvol’s force, denying any attempts the man made to push his way out. Niers had left a heavy presence of his soldiers to the north and south while he was personally leading his heaviest vanguard to the west.

It made sense. Niers was the commander of his army and he needed the protection of his soldiers, not to mention his abilities would be most useful with more soldiers. The east of Grimvol’s army had the weakest part of Niers’ army, because that was where a forest met the plains. It would be hard to fight in that terrain, and if Grimvol tried to retreat into the dense jungle of Baleros he would risk becoming lost or surrounded in that hostile environment.

“I will let you spearhead the assault, Cameral. Take it slow and make it seem like we’re ready for a pitched battle so he has plenty of time to launch his surprise attack.”

The Dullahan nodded as the others looked to the eastern section of the map. Yes, Grimvol had predicted Niers would do exactly this, and he had capitalized on the [Strategist]’s plans. This entire battle was a deadly trap designed to kill Niers Astoragon and rout his army.

Niers sighed. It was almost sad, really. Grimvol wasn’t nearly confident enough to take him on by himself. That was obvious, so anyone with half a brain would check for a trap or some secret to the location the other [General] had chosen. And Niers had found the trap Grimvol had set with depressing ease.

He was expecting to receive reinforcements from a much larger army hidden in the jungle to the east. Unfortunately for him, Niers had already destroyed that army and replaced that force with his own yesterday, and it would be two of his subordinates that appeared with his army instead.

“Wil and Yerranola are already in position. They will arrive within minutes. Conserve your soldiers until then, and move in.”

The others nodded. Niers had sent two of his more senior students to take command of his second force and they were already waiting for the battle to begin. Grimvol didn’t know it, but he was facing fifteen [Strategists] and [Tacticians] not including Niers himself. It was overkill, but there were no other battles Niers’ Company was engaged with at the moment and everyone could use the practice.

Ordinarily, in the face of such overwhelming odds most [Generals] and [Lords] would take the day off to celebrate and relax, confident in their complete victory.

However, Niers was still planning out the next days’ battle with excruciating care. He disliked overconfidence as a rule, and, moreover, it was in his nature to be detailed to the extreme. A few minutes of work could save hundreds of lives, and as long as that was the case he would not rest.

Niers pointed to the map and looked at Umina, the young woman he’d entrusted with his division of cavalry for the battle. She was a lizard girl, which was to say, a member of the Lizardfolk, who were not the same as Drakes. There was a lot of bad blood between the species, and despite their superficial similarities, they were quite separate races.

“Sweep in from the left and hit his cavalry before they can start moving. Once he’s pinned from all sides he should surrender fairly quickly.”

She nodded with a trace of uncertainty. This would be the first time Niers had put Umina in a command position, and with his swift-moving cavalry elites, no less. He believed she would rise to the challenge, but it seemed the girl herself didn’t believe that.

Perhaps he should advise Marian to talk with her? No, that was best left for her to do herself. As touchy as the Centaur could be, he knew that she and Umina were friends.

It might have been easier for Marian, the largest of his students in the tent, to lead Niers’ cavalry. She was a centaur and more naturally suited to the rapid attacks and deployment that her species used in battle. That was why Niers had her coordinating the stationary mage unit that would be intercepting spells and bombarding the enemy army.

No one in his group of students would be fighting in their strongest field, which was how he’d intended it. Overspecialization in any one area just meant you had a bigger weak spot to hit, and so Niers took care to push his subordinates to improve themselves.

Without risking his army, of course.

“I would like for there to be less than forty casualties tomorrow. Try to achieve that, although a bloodless victory on our side would be even more welcome if it were possible.”

That meant no heroic charges. Niers was speaking to all of his students, but his eyes lingered upon one of his newest recruits, a tall Minotaur who stood with his arms crossed, frowning intensely down at the map. He nodded silently. Venaz was in charge of his left flank, and he was no doubt keen to impress him. He had been sent from the Isles of Minos after much competition to become his student, he gathered, and the Minotaur was always attempting to outshine his other students.

When had he stopped becoming a leader of soldiers and started becoming a teacher? Niers scratched at his head and frowned. It was tiresome, he had to admit. But the world needed more [Strategists] and his students had a way of being persistent.

“Very well, I believe we are finished. Oh, one last thing. Have…yes, Venaz, have your drummer beat a signal when the battle is about to begin.”

The Minotaur looked at Niers curiously.

“What should I have him transmit?”

“Anything. Just make it complex, would you?”

“Is there a purpose to this?”

That showed how new he was. Venaz blushed a bit as his more senior students chuckled and pawed at the ground but made no comment. Touchy. Niers sighed.

“Stop that. The exercise of the drum signals, Venaz, is to confuse the enemy. The complex signals mean nothing to my soldiers. It will be meaningless to everyone but Grimvol. He will wonder about what the signal means and whether or not his trap has been discovered. It will slow his reactions and make him more hesitant than he already is.”

And his nerves would already be shot because he was going up against the legendary Astoragon, who saw through traps and deception in an instant. But Niers did not say that out loud, because while true, it was pointless ego-stroking. His students understood what he meant, and if they did not, there was no place for them here.

“You have your positions. Try not to get hit by a spell or arrow, would you? You have the rest of the night to yourselves. If you will excuse me, I have a game to return to.”

Almost as one, his student’s gazes flicked to the side of the tent. Niers was so small that he actually slept in his command tent, on top of one of the tables in a smaller cot. That was just for convenience’s sake; Niers had no desire to be stepped on by a sleepy soldier in the night or find himself under attack by the local wildlife. Or bugs.

But pride of place sitting next to his personal lodgings was a chess board. That was hardly unique in this camp; as the inventor of the game of Chess, Niers’ students played his game almost religiously, as did much of Baleros for that matter.

Yet this board was different. For one thing, it was magical. The ghostly chess pieces shimmered in the cool air, as light as a feather but as firm as steel. The pieces stood here, but also somewhere else in the world, mirroring each move exactly.

Another item that cost a fortune. But this one was indisputably worth it. With it, Niers could play a game with anyone else in the world. Or rather, one person.

It sat next to Nier’s tent, a message anyone could understand. Here was an opponent Niers considered worthy of his time, a worthy match for the Titan himself. No wonder his students looked at it curiously each time they came in.

“Sir. May I ask what the score is this week?”

Niers nodded at one of his students, a Human.

“This is the seventh game. As it stands, I have won two games and lost four.”

Silence.

He understood, he really did. How many people on this continent—no, in the world could beat Niers Astoragon in a game of chess?

It wasn’t just a small thing like losing a game. Niers had invented chess, mastered it. Between his levels as a [Strategist] and his own long hours of study and passion for it, it was fairly safe to say that Niers could win most games while he was still asleep.

When the game had first begun to spread, Niers had travelled around, playing people. He had enjoyed many games, but he had only lost twice. And later, after people had come to challenge him by the thousands, he had only lost a handful of times after that.

And never consistently. Until a few weeks ago, Niers had not a single rival on the continent. His best students could win one game out of ten at best. Other [Generals] and [Strategists] could win two games in ten, or three in ten, but that was all.

And none of them pushed Niers. He had been alone, a lonely king sitting high above the world and watching other people trying to climb the tower he had built. None could approach him. It had been terrible.

And then—it had just been a whim. A few hundred gold pieces spent to entertain himself. Niers had sent a challenge across the world, a test that would separate the good chess players from the mediocre. He hadn’t expected many responses, but one had come back to him almost instantly.

Niers smiled as he remembered. A clumsy drawing of a chess board and a curious system of notation that was superior to the one he had come up with. And then—!

He’d spent hours, days on the puzzle. In between battles he’d struggled to come up with the answer, delighting in the challenge. It had come to him almost too soon, but he’d been obsessed. He’d ordered a chess board made, sparing no expense and paying almost triple for the speed of its construction and delivery.

The wait had been almost as sweet as the knowledge that there was someone out there with skills rivaling his own in the game. Niers had wondered and speculated who the mysterious puzzle-maker was, worrying that their skill might only be in the creation of puzzles, not the game.

He’d almost, almost missed the little trick the other player had played. After that first game, he’d been so angry, so frustrated! How could his opponent be so weak at playing the game when they had created such a masterful puzzle? But then the pieces had moved, and he had seen it.

High above on his tower, the lonely king had looked up and seen the vast fish swimming through the sky. He stood up and saw it swim past him, a beast unimaginably beautiful and mysterious, a thing that defied words. A terrible, wonderful, lonely creature waiting for someone to join it.

And so the king had leapt from the tower built of his conceit and tried to learn to fly. And he had felt, for the first time in decades, the sense of inferiority, of challenge, that he had lacked.

It was wonderful. And as Niers had played he had known it in his bones.

He was not good enough to match this mysterious player. Not good enough. But he was close enough that neither was alone any longer.

A wonderful thing.

The small man leapt from his map table over to the other table with the chess board, ignoring his students. He stood over the chess board, eying the pieces that still stood in the middle of a game.

Two wins. And four losses. That was unimaginable to Niers’ students, but it was a source of delight to Niers himself. He couldn’t explain it to them—how could he? They were young and still grappling for any measure of success, fame, or fortune. But to lose a game and experience defeat after defeat—

It nearly brought tears to his eyes just thinking of it. Niers shook his head. It would really not do to weep in front of his students.

“Have you discovered the identity of your opponent, sir?”

Niers looked over with a frown. That was Venaz for you, or rather, Minotaurs. They disliked secrets and they preferred to do everything out in the open. It was a flaw he’d resolved in his strategic thinking, but it still bled into the way he handled everything else.

“I prefer to savor the mystery. I have my suspicions of course—”

He knew where the Courier had gone. It had taken him quite a lot of gold but he’d backtracked the location of the letter to Izril. And he knew that after leaving the boat, the letter had travelled to Liscor. Liscor. Who knew a city that had produced a genius like General Sserys would have another hidden gem in it? Unless that was just where the Courier had tracked down the mysterious chess player.

“—But I have not looked into the matter any further. In truth, I am not sure I would like to.”

That made Venaz frown, but Cameral and Umina nodded. Their species understood privacy a bit more, even if that wasn’t the entire reason why Niers was so hesitant.

The [Strategist] smiled. He stroked his beard.

“Well, if you are so interested, why not present me with your theories? I trust you have some suspicions as to who my opponent might be?”

His students shifted. Some of them obviously feared to speak up, but Niers didn’t have a lot of time for hesitation on the battlefield. So it was only seconds before Marian raised one hand.

“Sir, I believe your opponent may be a Dragon.”

“Indeed? What leads you to that conclusion?”

Marian shifted. Niers knew she had to be uncomfortable in this tent; Centaurs didn’t like being in small places any more than horses did, and there were too many people for her to move about freely.

“It is simply an observation based on your opponent’s unusual skill. Only someone with a truly brilliant mind could defeat you repeatedly in a game of chess.”

“Hmm. So you believe a Dragon is my opponent? I would disagree for one main reason.”

Marian looked crestfallen, but Niers waved a hand.

“It’s nothing you could have known. But I observed that after my first victory, my opponent immediately changed tactics. They switched into a highly risky style of play, abandoning their previous style.”

It was almost like his opponent had been trying to provoke Niers. They had completely switched their playing style around, and Niers could almost hear a voice coming from the board. ‘ There now. What do you think of that? What will you do next?’

Some of Niers’ students looked confused. He smiled and explained.

“Curiosity. The other player took a risk that they might lose another game to test me. Dragons are not like that. They are, by and large, very touchy beings. They dislike losing intensely and I believe a Dragon would have attempted to crush me several times in a row so I understood my place.”

Niers also doubted whether chess would have spread to the point where the reclusive Dragons would have learned of this game. He shook his head, but kindly, at Marian.

“A good guess. Does anyone else have one?”

“One of the Archmages?”

“A [Lord] or [Lady], perhaps? A high level one?”

“Surely not. For someone of this level it has to be a [King]. Perhaps the King of Destruction—”

Niers had to laugh at that.

“I don’t believe Flos is very interested in such things at the moment, Venaz. And I have played him once before and he was not at this level.”

The room went silent. Niers realized he had spoken more than he probably should and made a face.

“Don’t look like that. Yes, when he was still slumbering I travelled to his kingdom to meet him. This was before I had revealed the game of chess in its entirety, but I convinced him to play me a single game.”

“And?”

How their eyes sparkled. Niers smiled and stroked his tiny beard.

“I won.”

They sighed, but hardly looked surprised. Niers shrugged.

“His spirit wasn’t in the game. In truth, I believe that he would now be a far better player, but even then I would win more games than I lost. His steward on the other hand—Orthenon, I believe his name was?—he was a far more difficult opponent.”

“But if it is not the King of Destruction, then who—?”

“A question to ponder over some drinks, perhaps. But I will find out in my own way.”

Niers cut the rest of the speculation short. His students bowed their heads to him and filed out of his tent. The strategy meeting had ended.

It was a sign of how confident they all were that this was the type of conversation they had on the eve of battle. Niers sighed. It was making some of them overconfident. After tomorrow he would start splitting them up, giving them harder assignments.

He wandered over to the chess board and looked at the pieces. It had been two days since they had last moved. That was fine; he was often busy and he respected that his opponent had their own life to lead. But still, it was the moments when he played that he lived for.

A genius at chess. Someone who could defeat a Level 64 [Strategist]. Not even a [Strategist], in truth, a [Grandmaster Strategist], an odd subclass he had obtained shortly after learning to play chess.

His exact level and his class change were secrets, of course. Niers studied the chess board again, plotting ahead his next moves, but his mind was racing.

“Who are you?”

It was a question that had plagued him, despite what he told his students. He was so curious it hurt. Someone was out there who played chess better than he did.

It could just be a higher-level [Strategist] or someone with a similar class and Skills. Niers knew a few people whom he suspected of having levels close to or higher than his. But…

No. His gut told him that couldn’t be the case. He had invented chess; how could anyone reach that level so quickly?

That was the secret, though, wasn’t it? Already an entire continent had hailed the game Niers had created as a masterpiece, not only a wonderful pastime and source of entertainment for people, but an aid and means to become stronger for [Tacticians] and [Strategists].

But he hadn’t invented it. That was the grand lie, the little trap he’d set out in hopes of catching a far larger truth. And Niers had felt the first pull on the string with this opponent.

“A Dragon might remember…”

Or was it some other kind of immortal? Niers had no idea, but for some reason he couldn’t imagine an immortal playing the fresh and vibrant games he’d enjoyed. Yet who else could have known the game of chess before he’d claimed to have invented it? And why had they not disputed his claim as he’d hoped?

To not reveal themselves? Possibly. But this was almost as blatant. Perhaps they were trying to tell him something?

Niers buzzed with curiosity. It was this he lived for. These last few wars his Company had participated in were dull to him by comparison. He was already rich and he had trained his armies to be one of the strongest on the continent. He had no ambitions but chess and finding the truth. The truth of the past that he had discovered along with the game long ago…

“Who are you?”

He could always find out, of course. It might take a week, but assuming no idiot started a war after this…he could be in Liscor even sooner if he made some arrangements. A [Teleportation] spell might cost him dearly, but he was more than able to buy however many he wanted. In that case, he could leave and be back in a day—

No. Niers shook his head. He didn’t want to spoil the surprise. And there was one more reason, after all. He had barely leveled up this last long decade. He’d leveled up once, and that was it. He had stagnated in his class, but after only eight games—

He’d leveled. And Niers had the suspicion that he would continue to level so long as he was pushed to his very limits by his opponent. If he could hit Level 70, what miracles might occur?

Wait. Be patient. Niers sat in front of the chess board and grimaced. His students’ departure had let quite a lot of muggy heat into the room.

It was so hot outside. Niers hated the heat, even though Baleros was almost always like this. The only thing he hated more was deserts. Sandstorms were even more unpleasant when the individual particles were capable of ripping out chunks of your skin.

What he wouldn’t give for a sword made of ice, or a cool drink right now. He could always request one, but what kind of example would he set?

Niers Astoragon sighed as he sat in his tent, waiting for the night to end so he could win another battle. The world was moving, yet for so long he’d found himself stagnating. Perhaps it was time to quit the Company. Read one of Magnolia’s damn letters. Could he abandon his Commander, his long-time friend and the leader of his Company so easily?

But he ached to know. And…Niers felt it. It was in his bones, a sense, a premonition of battle. It came from his class, but it was far larger than anything Niers had felt before. It seemed to engulf the world, a strange tugging that came from the sky. Larger battles would await him soon, battles Niers had never dreamed of. That was what his instincts told him.

All he had to do was wait. Niers studied the chess board.

“Come back soon, will you? It grows terribly lonely without you.”

He stretched. Time for sleep. He couldn’t be caught yawning in front of his troops, could he? And at least his tent was starting to cool again. Still, a cool drink right now would be very welcome. Perhaps after the battle. As celebration.

He wondered when the damn Winter Sprites would get here, or whether they’d forgotten to bring winter.

Again.

—-

[Loran Grimnar] – Anyways, it’s hot as hell over here. How is it winter where you are?

[ Humble Actor ] – Search me. I think it’s because the Winter Sprites haven’t arrived on your continent yet. Apparently they bring the winter.

[Loran Grimnar] – Seriously?

[ Humble Actor ] – Yeah. And it’s weird. I saw them a few times. Got hit in the face with snow as well, but I swear they’re actual faeries. No one else seems to see them, but I can.

[strider_479] – I can confirm that. I’ve seen the Winter Sprites too. They’re horrible. If you bother them they start avalanches. Stay away.

[ Humble Actor ] – Words to the wise.

[BlackMage] – I still can’t raise [batman]. I guess we’ve got to do this by ourselves, guys.

[ Humble Actor ] – Oh? Is that the last person you wanted to call?

[BlackMage] – Yeah. But they’re not picking up.

[Loran Grimnar] – Why do we want BATMAN of all people in the chat?

[strider_479] – It was pretty clear looking back that [batman] was a lot smarter than we thought. They figured out there was a spy in the group and warned us in secret.

[Loran Grimnar] – what? Gtfo.

[BlackMage] – No, really, it’s true. But I’ve called them five times and they’re not answering.

[strider_479] – What about [America Group]? Why not invite them?

[BlackMage] – Too dangerous. There are a lot of them, right? I want to keep this to as few people as possible to avoid possible leaks.

[Loran Grimnar] – Okay, let’s get this started! We’re going to share more info, right?

[strider_479] – Hopefully without anyone spying on our conversation and less noisy voices.

[BlackMage] – Exactly. Let me also introduce [Humble Actor]. She somehow managed to get in contact with me at Wistram and I showed her the previous conversation.

[ Humble Actor ] – Hey everyone.

[strider_479] – Pleased to meet you.

[Loran Grimnar] – Why is strider here?

[strider_479] – What?

[Loran Grimnar] – I just remembered. You gave away your name! You could be tracked or an imposter!

[strider_479] – First off, I’m not. Second, I was adopted. My birth name’s a mystery even to me.

[Loran Grimnar] – oh

[ Humble Actor ] – Lucky break.

[BlackMage] – Exactly. I can confirm this – mages tried to scry strider and couldn’t, so she’s safe.

[strider_479] – And the others?

[BlackMage] – We’ve lost contact. We can’t see anything.

[ Humble Actor ] – Fuck.

[Loran Grimnar] – omg

[BlackMage] – This is why it has to be secret. I wanted [batman]’s opinion, but we can always show him/her the log.

[strider_479] – Fine. Where should we start?

[BlackMage] – Let’s do this properly. The [Mages] with me are nearly sure we won’t be hacked so tell us your class, general location, and situation.

[strider_479] – Sounds dicey.

[BlackMage] – We want to help. I’m at Wistram. They can come get you guys.

[strider_479] – Still risky. How about just classes and continents until we can be sure everything is on the up and up?

[ Humble Actor ] – I’m for that.

[BlackMage] – I guess…sorry, I know this is risky.

[strider_479] – No worries. I’ll start. [Ranger], like I said. I’m in Terandria.

[Loran Grimnar] – [Warrior]. Baleros.

[BlackMage] – I’m a [Mage] on Wistram.

[strider_479] – Humble?

[ Humble Actor ] – [Pop Star]. Terandria.

[Loran Grimnar] – WHAT

[ Humble Actor ] – Shut up. I’m also an [Actor].

[BlackMage] – Can you explain how you got that class?

[strider_479] – And what it does?

[ Humble Actor ] – It’s a variation of [Singer]. It’s complicated how I got it, alright?

[BlackMage] – Let’s just start from the beginning.

[Loran Grimnar] – This is so weird. How is that a class?

[ Humble Actor ] – Go to hell.

[BlackMage] – Please calm down.

[strider_479] – Why are we doing this, by the way [BlackMage]? What’s the end goal for us?

[Loran Grimnar] – Aren’t we just sharing information?

[ Humble Actor ] – No, Strider’s right. [BlackMage], you told me you had a plan.

[BlackMage] – I did.

[BlackMage] – Our first goal is to exchange information. Anything unusual we can tell each other, any hints or unique classes like [Humble Actor]’s [Pop Star] class could be vital. But after that we need to work together. And that means we meet up or find some way to help each other. Big things are happening. The King of Destruction is moving, and there’s a few wars going on in Terandria right now.

[strider_479] – You’re telling me.

[Loran Grimnar] – Seriously?

[ Humble Actor ] – I’ve noticed. Pain in the ass.

[BlackMage] – Right, and it’s getting more dangerous. We need to work together. If we can meet up and collect other people…

[strider_479] – We’ve got an army.

[Loran Grimnar] – Is there a war? I mean, other than the one in Terandria? Are we going to fight the King of Destruction cause…not me.

[ Humble Actor ] – Si vis pacem, para bellum.

[Loran Grimnar] – What?

[BlackMage] – I don’t know if we’re going to war. But the mages in Wistram say they’re not going to sit on the sidelines. We just need to work together. Strength in numbers.

[strider_479] – Better than being alone. We can find that Kyle imposter or at least protect ourselves from him.

[ Humble Actor ] – Count me in. Where do we start?

[BlackMage] – Details on your arrival would be great. What it was like when you arrived, if you noticed anything odd, where you ended up…it might help us identify if you were the subject of a spell.

[Loran Grimnar] – So it WAS a spell?

[BlackMage] – Not for everyone. They’re not sure. But they’re working on it. We’ve got people here who want to help.

[strider_479] – Can they send us back?

[BlackMage] – Maybe. But reversing the spell is harder than bringing people over, apparently.

[ Humble Actor ] – Wonderful.

[BlackMage] – Don’t give up, guys. We know we’re not alone.

[Loran Grimnar] – Right, and we can link up! Strider and Humble are on the same continent. If we work together we can win!

[ Humble Actor ] – What is this, a support group? We’re not in a game.

[BlackMage] – No, but we are unique. We were chosen for a reason, I think.

[Loran Grimnar] – We can do things the people in this world can’t. We could be heroes.

[ Humble Actor ] – Maybe.

[strider_479] – Let’s start. Do you think [batman] will be on board with us?

[ Humble Actor ] – Who knows?

[BlackMage] – We’re all on the same side here.

[Loran Grimnar] – Yeah. We can save the world.

[ Humble Actor ] – Good joke.

Side Story – The Antinium Wars (Pt.1)

(This book was found by Ryoka Griffon on sale in Celum shortly after she arrived in this world. She purchased it for two gold pieces and six silver and read through this entry before she encountered a cart at high velocity.)

Introduction –

Although many accounts of the famed Antinium Wars (or the Incursion Wars as they are sometimes referred to) have been written, and countless [Tacticians], [Strategists], and even [Commander] classes have detailed countless analyses of the ensuing battles, no one singular narrative has as of yet been compiled. It is this lowly [Writer]’s hope that this historical patchwork will serve as a first step for future accounts to be compiled.

Many reports of the First Antinium War are based on hearsay and the often inaccurate recollections of [Soldiers] and [Adventurers] who fought on the front lines. While insightful, these testimonials will be omitted so as to provide a retelling based only on written accounts.

With that said, these brief accounts are by no means to serve as a guide to the lifestyle or nature of the Antinium, or even as a guide from which future strategies and tactics may be derived. It is simply history, which must be remembered.

Issrysil has survived two wars with the Antinium and the tenuous peace we have forged has lasted for nearly a decade as of my writing this. But we must never lose our vigilance. For if the Antinium should feel bold enough to begin a third war, I fear that this continent and those within will be swept away by their ceaseless numbers.

—Krsysl Wordsmith

The First Antinium Wars –

It must first be noted that despite the outcome of the First Antinium Wars, the Antinium’s defeat was not so much due to their lackluster performance or any particular strength of opposition. It could be argued that the Antinium made only one real fault during the war, and otherwise fought to the best of their abilities, displaying a level of organization and cunning that eluded the Drake, Gnoll, and Human nations that almost failed to overcome them.

Yes, if the Antinium made only one true mistake, it was before the war had even begun. It was a mistake that cost them the continent, and perhaps, the world. It was this:

The Antinium underestimated the sea.

—-

The year is 5 B.F., and the world is still reeling from the news thundering out of Rhir. The Blighted King’s armies have been shattered in defeat after defeat, and each of his Walls have been stormed save the final one protecting his capital. Yet, the Demon King has also been pushed to the very brink of his territory, and this new species, dubbed the ‘Antinium’ has suddenly vanished from the continent altogether.

Neither the [Mages] of Wistram nor any other nation can locate the species by spell, and so every country with even a sliver of land exposed to the sea has locked its borders and watches the horizon warily, lest the Black Tide roll across their unguarded lands.

But no attack comes. The oceans are silent, and after several months of waiting, tensions ease. Wherever the Antinium may be, they are not here. And so peace resumes, as news comes that the Blighted King is rebuilding, and his armies already retake his lost kingdom.

That is when the Antinium arrive. Not with a vast army to cover the world, but with only four ships out of the two hundred vessels that launched from Rhir’s shores. Four small vessels that ground themselves on the southwestern most edge of Issrysil in the last month of winter. That is how the Antinium arrive, and they remain hidden for many months. Resting. Regaining strength.

This is how the Antinium lost the war before it began. This is their only folly.

—-

From the few eyewitnesses who spotted the Antinium leaving, or, as it is now believed, retreating from Rhir, we know that over two hundred greatships were spotted, each teeming with Antinium and their precious Queens. This number is not in error; multiple accounts indicate these numbers are genuine.

And yet, only a few ships ever reached Issrysil’s shores. Given that no fleets reported encounters with the Antinium and the lack of any noted sea monsters, it can only be assumed that the Antinium lost nearly all their ships at sea due to storms and becalmed waters.

Fierce warriors though they may be, the Antinium are poor sailors for obvious reasons. Moreover, it can be assumed that they did not fully understand either the length of time it would take to cross such a body of water as the ocean, or the difficulties navigating, staying provisioned, etc. That led to their near complete annihilation, and it is perhaps more accurate to say it was a miracle any ships landed on Issrysil after all.

We may never know if the Queens intended to journey to this continent or not; nor do we know what they did in those few months, although we can speculate that creating a Hive and replenishing their lost Workers and Soldiers was their main focus. The next documented encounter was with the port city of Nasserous, in which the Watch Captain* details several unusual occurrences nearly eight months after the Antinium left Rhir.

*Watch Captains hold a higher position of authority than in Human cities. Among Drakes, the Watch Captain generally shares the same rank as members of a ruling Council and is usually given complete authority in local military matters.

From the journal of Watch Captain I’sl

“…do not know where they have gone. A second patrol found no bodies, but did mention four shipwrecks along one of the beaches. They thought the vessels looked empty, but I will send more men to scout later. If there are Krakens or some other monster capable of downing ships in the area, we must know immediately.”

Several days later, Captain I’sl recorded another entry.

“…all missing. Now I am certain something is out there, but I fear to send any more guardsmen to check. My last patrol had five [Guardsmen] above Level 20 in it; a lone [Scout] found no traces of them or even any violence done. I am posting a double-watch on the gates and putting a bounty up for Silver-rank adventurers or higher to investigate.”

The Watch Captain did just that, but neither adventurers nor later patrols would find any signs of these mysterious assailants. It is believed the Antinium left their position on the beach and avoided further contact while they journeyed north, into the rocky highlands. There they continued to hide until a chance encounter some two months later.

To Guild Master Jekra of Talvasor

“I am writing to you to detail an unusual circumstance which has happened in my guild today. Not an hour ago, a Gold-rank [Ranger] entered my guild bearing four corpses on a litter which caused quite a commotion. He says he found these monsters hunting together on a rocky hillside and they attacked him on sight.

I have inspected the corpses myself, and I must confess, they gave me quite a stir when I saw them. These new monsters are like nothing I have encountered either as an adventurer or Guild Master. They are some kind of insect, with black bodies and tough exoskeleton, and yet have four arms and two legs and apparently walk on two legs like Drakes and Gnolls. Their blood is green, and their eyes are multi-faceted like an insect, and they have wicked mandibles with which they might bite.

I have never seen this kind of monster before. I am unsure if it is some new dungeon-spawn or a species of some kind. I am writing to you in hopes you will know their species and know of an appropriate bounty to reward the adventurer with. He claims the creatures fought with unusual ferocity, not ceasing until he shot each one through the head and hacked off their heads. Please advise soonest,

–Guild Master Pessia

Fortunately, Guild Master Jekra was able to connect the bodies of the Antinium with the rumors from Rhir and immediately raised the alarm with each of the Walled Cities, urging immediate action and mobilization of each city-state’s standing armies.

It is here that multiple written accounts of the following events begin, and so the decisions made by the leaders of each Walled City* cannot be cast into doubt. For nearly a month, authorities debated and argued against the presence of the Antinium within Issrysil. Lacking evidence of the Antinium outside of eyewitness accounts (the bodies of the slain Antinium had long since been disposed of by the time others could verify the claim), and due to the lack of any prolonged conflict, the collected authorities failed to take decisive action.

*The famed Walled Cities are not all ruled by the same methods of government. Some espouse an elected official, while others are managed by a body of powerful individuals or, in some cases, a hereditary leader.

A few leaders of Walled Cities posted hefty bounties for Gold-rank adventuring teams to explore the area where the Antinium had been sighted, but again the Antinium preferred to avoid combat where possible, and thus the adventurers returned empty-handed, emboldening the claims that this was merely a false alarm.

On the outskirts of civilization near the mountains and in the highlands, further reports of mysterious monsters and strange people moving about at night continued to appear, in growing numbers and proximity to towns and cities. [Strategists] believe that these were the first scouting groups deployed ahead of the main assault.

However, word of the Antinium’s arrival had been kept to a bare minimum of people, as the leaders of the Walled Cities did not wish to start a panic. Only a few other individuals of note knew of the Antinium’s presence, including the young Lady Magnolia Reinhart, Lord Tyrion Veltras, and General Sserys.

It is unknown how Lady Magnolia and Lord Tyrion learned of the Antinium, but it is speculated that both Humans had access to powerful magic spells which alerted them to this issue. While Lord Tyrion knew of the Antinium, he took the view that any conflict would only weaken both Antinium and the Drake and Gnoll populations, allowing the Human cities to easily crush all sides after the war ended.

By contrast, Lady Magnolia took the news of the Antinium most seriously out of all the three, and immediately began contacting other prominent lords and leaders of the Human city-states. Her actions would later impact the course of the war, but at the time, even the word of a young Reinhart failed to sway all but the most cautious of listeners in the north.

On the other claw, General Sserys of Liscor was imminently poised to deal with the situation when he was alerted to the Antinium, and he took decisive action. This is also the first instance where General Sserys’s personal diary reports meeting the Antinium, on a routine guard mission with the Liscorian Army*. He records an unusual patrol and the losses taken by his men.

*The army of Liscor is renowned as being one of the strongest forces on the continent, and most notably for selling its services to any nation who will hire them. As such, the soldiers and commanders seldom stay near their city and instead fight constantly on battlefields for pay.

From the Diary of General Sserys of Liscor –

“Today marks what would have been an uneventful day in our patrols around the city of Ussls. Our subjugation of the local Goblin Lord’s forces has been bloody and hard-won, but I now believe we have stamped out the last of his Chieftains and scattered the few remaining Goblin tribes to the wind. All things being normal, I would not expect more than a few encounters with local monsters, but one of my patrols has been attacked and now six of my soldiers lie dead after facing some unknown enemy.

To summarize: a patrol of twenty Drakes and Gnolls met with a group of fifteen black individuals in a forest, busy harvesting trees with crude weapons. Upon realizing they had been discovered, this strange group immediately attacked my soldiers before an overture could be had. Before they retreated, they killed six of my soldiers – running into the barrier of spears my soldiers had formed to hack apart the front rank. Thereafter, the black creatures retreated, carrying their dead. The patrol leader declined to give pursuit and immediately reported back to me.

I have sent out three forces of sixty warriors each to work with patrols to locate these creatures again, but they have turned up empty-clawed thus far and I am not confident they will find any trace of them. These creatures seem to disappear easily, and had it not been for this chance encounter our army might have passed them by completely.

I am deeply troubled by this. Equal losses against a numerically inferior foe is not acceptable, given the strength of our soldiers. Moreover, the willingness of these strange enemies to throw themselves on our spears and then their desire to remove their fallen brethren is also concerning.

I will see if more work can be had for our forces in this region, even if it means less pay. My commanders will not like it, but my instincts as a [Strategist] tell me this should not be ignored.”

General Sserys did indeed remain in the area for several days afterwards, and his worries would soon be proven extremely prescient: it was five days after this encounter and nearly six and a half months after the Antinium had landed when fifteen villages and a small town were all destroyed in a single night.

The attacks occurred almost simultaneously, and left no survivors. Merchants, adventurers, and a patrol from one of the Walled Cities found the deserted buildings and raised the alarm. Every settlement within a hundred miles was put on alert, and that allowed several survivors to escape when the next wave of attacks began.

Over thirty small villages were attacked two days after the first attack, and several high-level adventurers and groups of soldiers managed to hold back the Antinium long enough for civilians and Runners to raise the alarm. But when a retaliation force arrived, all the villages were found deserted, and both bodies and Antinium were gone.

However, multiple eyewitness accounts confirmed the worst fears of the Drake leaders. Although magic could not locate their hives, these attacks matched the first ones suffered by the Blighted Kingdom in Rhir, and the previous reports of Antinium sightings only confirmed this fact.

Faced with the inescapable realization that the Antinium had landed on their shores, the leaders of the Walled Cities reluctantly began discussing the formation of a coalition army, although several held out hope that teams of adventurers would be able to root out the Antinium by themselves. The lack of any serious attacks meant that negotiations bogged down until spring of 3 B.F., when the Antinium launched an all-out assault on the cities of Ys, Beresslars, and Washaven.

Every city had been put on alert and soldiers and the local Watch vigilantly manned the walls. However, at this point the Drakes and Gnolls had little experience battling the Antinium and made preparations as if they were in danger from a conventional force, rather than the Antinium’s unique style of tactics.

The Walled Cities nearest to the three cities received a panicked [Message] spell just past dawn, and then nothing. Although a force of riders immediately rode to the aid of the cities, it was too late. The Antinium attacked and withdrew before the cavalry reached the city, and the [Captain] in charge declined to give chase.

In less than two hours, the Antinium managed to kill or maim over 80% of the population in each of the cities. The walls and conventional defenses that make the city-states so difficult to take by conventional siege fell within seconds of the attack.

Recorded testimony by the few survivors reports a horde of black Soldiers and even Workers swarming up the walls, building living ladders and overwhelming the adventurers and City Watch by sheer force of numbers. So fierce was the assault, half of the city’s forces were caught in their beds and slaughtered there.

This was the beginning of the war in earnest. The city-states immediately declared a state of emergency and began raising as many soldiers and warriors as possible. However, each city preferred to raise their own armies and retain former alliances, rather than join together.

This was the second mistake made by the Drakes. Initially, the Antinium war force was outnumbered by the numerous Drake armies on the continent. But the separated armies and reluctance of the cities to work together allowed the Antinium to attack with local superiority and quickly overrun countless cities around their Hives.

While the Drake cities had existed in a state of enduring war and skirmishes with each other, one of the factors that prevented most of them from being conquered was the difficulty of taking the city before reinforcements could arrive. Even the largest of forces would take time to breach the walls and other magical defenses that guarded each city, in which time another army would surely launch an attack on the attacking force or their home city.

In this way, a city-state could easily remain autonomous or at the very least, retain much of its independence by forming alliances with nearby settlements and Gnoll Tribes. However, the Antinium’s style of attack was to overwhelm the walls by sheer numbers and relentless speed. Relief armies would find the cities already full of the dead or find the Antinium had already retreated by the time they arrived.

In less than a week, eight cities had fallen and the Drake city-states had realized the magnitude of their error. But while all agreed a coalition army was needed, no city wanted to send their armies past their walls, for fear the Antinium would attack while they were undefended. And while they hesitated, the Antinium swarmed over their walls and slaughtered them regardless.

Only a few armies achieved any success against the Antinium during these initial assaults. A few city-states with superior forces pushed back the Antinium and General Sserys’ army achieved several definite victories before retreating in face of overwhelming numbers.

A Drake [Tactician] recorded several initial observations after one battle, which he immediately passed on to every city-state via mage spell and Courier. She describes the Antinium as an extremely dangerous threat, despite their apparent lack of high-level warriors and magic:

“…While these ‘Antinium’ do not appear to have any individuals within their ranks with unique Skills, I believe their warriors are the equivalent of any Level 15 [Warrior], and are perhaps even stronger when fighting in tandem.

There are two types of Antinium I have observed: the massive Soldiers and the smaller Workers. Of the two, the Soldiers are vastly more dangerous. They fight hand-to-hand and charge into pikes and magical traps without regard for their lives. They will continue to attack even when mortally wounded, and they are capable of bludgeoning even the most well-armored warrior to death given time.

Their shells are as tough as any leather armor and the Antinium fight and move together like a professional unit. Our army was only able to achieve victory by using our superior vantage point and numerous area of attack spells to decimate their formations. Our elite soldiers carved through many of the Antinium, and it appears the lack of magic and any high-level warriors is their only weakness.

The Antinium have no mages, and their ranged weapons are primitive bows and crude stone arrows. Nevertheless, their numbers and efficiency more than make up for this gap. It seems even the “Worker” class can use a bow to fire arrows, so their ranks of archers are capable to matching even our best divisions in terms of sheer output of missiles.

Be warned however: our warriors found themselves under attack from behind our lines at multiple points, and our group of mages found themselves under attack as the Antinium burrowed out of a tunnel. I recommend posting sentries to watch for these surprise attacks, and to fight on hard stone or in marshland if at all possible.”

The most troubling advantage the Antinium had over both Drakes and Gnoll species was their ability to tunnel. Entrenched positions with vulnerable elements such as command headquarters or areas with high concentrations of [Mages] or [Archers] would find themselves under attack by teams of burrowing Soldiers and Workers who would inflict as much damage as possible and then retreat.

These surprise attacks led to a diversification of valuable soldiers, and a standing policy among Drake armies to never have more than one Level 30+ soldier stationed in a squad at one time. This policy is still enforced within all Drake standing armies to this day.

However, even with their mages hidden and protected, there were never enough with levels high enough to turn the tide of battles. The Antinium gladly sacrificed thousands of their Soldiers and Workers to kill even one high-level individual. Slowly, the mercenary armies retreated, forced to abandon their client cities as their forces were gradually worn down.

Sserys made several overtures during this time to local cities, sending requests for their soldiers to join with his to repel the Antinium’s advance, but he was rebuffed and eventually led his soldiers far to the east as cities fell around him. Thanks to his slowing of the Antinium’s advance, several cities evacuated all their civilians and soldiers, but in terms of the overall map of the war, the Antinium were barely slowed as they continued to rampage across Izril.

One month after the start of the First Antinium War, the Antinium paused. It is believed they spent a week replenishing their lost troops and reinforcing their armies, and perhaps, digging and constructing more Hives. No army dared to launch an assault, and the few places where the Antinium had been stopped remained locked in semi-constant combat.

The Black Tide of the Antinium began to march once more, sweeping east, south and north with such ferocious speed that any hope of mobilizing a response force was lost. In an instant, the Antinium had captured nearly thirty percent of the southern half of Issrysil and seemed to be poised to sweep across the rest. However, they met their first obstacle as they encircled and began sieging the Walled City, Zeres.

The Antinium had successfully bypassed four of the Walls built by the Blighted Kingdom in Rhir, but they found the superior construction of the Walled Cities a different challenge*. A huge army began to lay siege to Zeres, but after a week of day-and-night warfare, the Antinium found themselves rebuffed with extreme casualties on their sides and virtually no losses by the defenders.

*The famed Walled Cities bear an entirely different type of fortification than smaller Drake cities. Their origin dates past recorded history, and the magic that allows the three-hundred foot walls to stand hardens the stone and even allows it to repair itself given time. No army has ever taken one of the remaining six Walled Cities by siege, although several coups and betrayals from within have seen the famed cities fall over the millennia.

The living ladders the Antinium used were far too short to reach the battlements of the Walled City, and the defending archers and mages could rain down fire with impunity, as the Antinium found that it was impossible for their arrows to reach the defenders from their superior vantage point.

One of the Lords of the Wall in Zeres jubilantly recorded the Antinium’s failure in his personal diary:

“They cannot break our walls, nor destroy the fortifications underneath! Their sappers may be strong, but these foul insects lack the magic to destroy the enchantments protecting the Walled Cities. We are safe, so long as they find no way to climb our walls or build a siege tower large enough.”

Indeed, the ground around the Walled Cities was impenetrable by conventional tools or equipment due to the magical enchantments radiating out from the walls. This frustrated the Antinium, and several watchers from the walls observed the Workers digging at the ground until their limbs broke and their digits were bloody and raw.

Zeres stood, and the Antinium were unable to abandon it lest the army fall upon their backs. This, along with the sieges of several other Walled Cites occupied a large part of the Antinium’s army, slowing their advance.

If there was a disadvantage to this situation, it was that while the Antinium took heavy losses in their initial assaults, they quickly retreated out of range and maintained a passive siege, hoping to wear down the Walled Cities’ supplies.

This would take years, given the massive stockpiles each Walled City maintains and their ability to grow produce and even herd animals within their massive confines. But so long as the Antinium maintained their siege the armies of each Walled City were forced to remain behind their walls, leaving the smaller city-states to fend for themselves.

The Antinium legions might have swept across the entire southern half of the continent unchecked, were it not for two groups which threw back their armies in unprecedented defeats.

While the city-states slowly evacuated and fell to the Antinium, another force entered the swamplands and grassy plains belonging to the Gnoll tribes, burning and killing everything in their path. However, the Gnolls of Issrysil built no cities like the Drakes, and unlike their scaly rivals, their opposition to the Antinium was far more successful.

The Gnoll tribes of the plains and swamps reacted to the Antinium threat swifter than any of the factitious Drake city-states, and over a hundred tribes sent their warriors to form a massive army – the same kind that successfully repelled even the greatest vanguards during the wars between Gnolls and Drakes of previous centuries.

In their first major engagement with a vast force of nearly eighty thousand Antinium, an army of twenty thousand Gnolls managed to rout the entire force in a bloody battle that lasted only a day. It is suspected that this army was not comprised of normal Gnoll [Hunters] and [Warriors], but rather of elites chosen out of every tribe.

Casualties were high on both sides, but the Antinium army was nearly completely destroyed and a much larger force of over a hundred thousand Gnolls assembled over the course of the next week. This main army, supplemented by several ‘hunting packs’ of tens of thousands of Gnolls, successfully fought off every Antinium advance into Gnoll territory.

The Gnollish resistance likely had much to do with the Antinium’s inability to overwhelm any one front later on in the war. They continued to fight the Gnoll Tribes in increasingly costly battles to both sides, but never penetrated further than fifty miles into the Gnoll heartlands at any time. Nevertheless, the Gnolls never sent any armies out to attack the Antinium in retaliation, preferring instead to guard their scattered tribes and holdings.

Given time, it is possible the Antinium could have taken the Drake settlements and encircled the Gnolls with overwhelming numbers, but their advance east was stopped at the Shivering Falls Pass by the first coalition army formed during the war.

General Sserys had pulled back the Liscorian army far east, looking to rally the cities. Initially he found no help, as the cities distrusted the mercenary nature of his army and feared betrayal. But as it became clear the Drakes would perish alone, more and more soldiers and high-ranking officials began to engage in private communication with Sserys in direct defiance of their city’s governing bodies.

As the sieges of the Walled Cities began, the Black Tide separated and sent a massive force towards the Shivering Falls Pass, one of the strategic locations separating the eastern and western part of the continent. This vanguard army numbered over a hundred thousand, and every city in its path evacuated, fleeing towards the Walled Cities which found themselves swamped by refugees.

Only one [General] refused to retreat. Sserys believed that the loss of Shivering Falls Pass would allow the Antinium to establish a foothold which would be impossible to shift. He instead called every [Commander] leading an army of over a thousand soldiers in the area to join him to defend the pass. The reputation of the Liscorian Army and Sserys’s own high level persuaded countless mercenary groups and smaller armies to accept his gamble and join with his forces which engaged with the Antinium in the center of the pass.

Sserys spoke briefly to his soldiers as his smaller force prepared to repel the Antinium advancing down the pass. He spoke to his army minutes before the armies clashed:

“There is no time for speeches, no time for mighty oaths or solemn vows. Here is the enemy. Here we stand. I will not take a single step backwards. Who will guard my tail?”

General Sserys’ coalition army met the Antinium in the center of the pass, fighting in the narrow confines of the rocky canyon while the Drake [General] led his soldiers from the front.

He personally led fifteen charges against the Antinium. True to his word, General Sserys refused to retreat. Instead, he set up forward lines in the center of the Antinium formations, pushing their numbers back rather than allowing them to regroup.

His overall strategy consisted of forming heavy ranks of soldiers with defensive classes with [Tacticians] and [Strategists] assigned along each column, using their active abilities to reinforce their position. Archers dueled with Antinium at range and mages blasted the clustered Antinium, who had no way to return that kind of destructive power.

Forewarned by previous battles, Sserys actively collapsed tunnels that appeared behind his lines, but his success was also due to his relentless advance; the Antinium never had time to dig underneath his forces as they overran their formations, much as the Antinium had done so effectively in previous engagements.

Using kill-teams of high-level warriors, Sserys sent them in to devastate Antinium lines and retreat with few or no casualties while lower-level warriors pushed the Antinium further and further back. While each Antinium Soldier was stronger than the average freshly recruited [Soldier], Drakes and Gnolls above Level 20 were able to slay countless Antinium before being forced to retreat.

After nearly two days of continuous fighting, the larger Antinium force retreated with less than a quarter of its original numbers. General Sserys’ forces took very few casualties by comparison; the extensive quantity of healing potions, [Healers], and skills of [Commander] classes combined with rotation of wounded soldiers saved thousands of lives on the battlefield.

This victory was the first major defeat of any Antinium army on the continent. News instantly spread to every city-state and with it, both Drake and Gnoll populaces experienced a surge of morale. The Antinium could be defeated. They could be stopped .

The defeat at Shivering Falls was not a significant one for the Antinium hives in terms of either soldiers or strategic importance, but the loss did surprise the Queens commanding the war. Even in Rhir, Antinium had seldom suffered defeat until their departure, and this decisive loss must have alarmed the Great Queen.

Although several additional armies could have joined up to engage Sserys’ army a second time, the Great Queen declined to do so. Instead, she sent additional armies north to assault Liscor while the rest withdrew to maintain their sieges and hold over claimed territory.

This proved to be an error, as Sserys’ victorious army began attracting support and new recruits on an unprecedented scale. The [General] rallied the east, reaching out towards the two Walled Cities not directly in line of the Antinium’s advance for support. Desperate for a leader capable of defeating the Antinium, they sent all the arms and soldiers they could muster.

Sserys’ communications with the leaders of both cities is largely of a diplomatic nature; his reassurances to both leaders are mainly personal and it is likely he avoided any references to his overall strategy save one exchange. Initial requests from both cities were for Sserys to act defensively and hold off the Antinium advance, rather than move to attack as he wished.

Faced with mounting pressure both from correspondence and from officials sent from the Walled Cities, Sserys sent a curt response by mage letter that reads as follows:

We will not retreat.

Victory can only be won by meeting the Antinium face on. Cowardice will only doom us faster. We will assault them and rally our kind or die fighting. This is our only chance.

Do not try to dissuade me from this course again. Drakes do not run.

–General Sserys of Liscor

The next day the First Coalition Army of Liscor launched a full-scale counterattack on the Antinium forces laying siege to the Walled Cities.

Side Story – The Antinium Wars (Pt.2)

The First Antinium War had raged for over four months after the initial assault and resistance of the Drake armies when the Antinium began to realize that the continent would not so easily be taken.

The Black Tide had swept across Issrysil much as they had done on Rhir, but unlike the Blighted Kingdom, the Drake and Gnoll species had no great enemy like the Demon King to fight against. And in the face of the Antinium’s invasion, in time the warring Gnoll Tribes and Drake cities put aside their longtime rivalries to unite against a common enemy.

The eventual alliance of cities and tribes that formed under General Sserys’ command took months to come together, all while the Antinium were conquering unchecked. Had the alliance come together at the start of the Antinium War, or even after a few months, the Antinium war machine might never have been allowed to grow as large as it did.

Sserys eventually managed to unify every standing Drake city and forge a tenuous agreement with the collective Gnoll Tribes—essentially a non-aggression pact that allowed the Drakes and Gnolls to focus solely on the Antinium. Thus, Sserys was named High General and given command of the entire war against the Antinium.

It must be said that despite his high level and strategic expertise, even Sserys and the best [Strategists] on the continent were hard-pressed to even slow the Antinium. The Queens reacted with such speed and decisiveness that catching their armies off-guard was difficult, and without issues of morale or lapses in communication, the Antinium possessed fewer weaknesses to exploit than conventional armies.

Yet, if the Black Tide was relentless, there were still bastions which even the endless numbers of Antinium Soldiers could not wear down.

The Gnoll Tribes, Walled Cities, and Sserys’s army were the indomitable pillars that could not be broken down however many times the Antinium attacked. But cities burned and floods of weary Drakes and Gnolls fled eastward, another target for the Antinium to exploit.

General Sserys could not abandon the civilians to roving Antinium war bands, and so the Drakes were forced to fight defensively. One small mercy seemed to be the limit to the number of armies the Antinium could field at once; with the few Queens in each Hive, they were unable to scatter their armies and perform the simultaneous lightning-strikes as had been so devastating in Rhir.

However, the Drake forces were clearly at a disadvantage, and meanwhile the Antinium were continually pushing north, towards the last bastion between Drake and Human lands – Liscor. Sserys was aware of this danger and directed ever more armies north to hold off the Antinium while he attempted to evacuate the lowlands, but his armies were slowly being fought back by the Black Tide.

Two events of note changed the balance of power during the First Antinium War. While [Strategists] and [Tacticians] have continually argued the implications of each engagement, from a historical perspective the Antinium were always winning. But the emergence of a second leader who would prove vital during the war and the famous Accord at Liscor both helped tip the scales back towards the defender’s side.

The city-state of Geir lay directly in the line of the Black Tide, but had thus far escaped any major conflicts with the Antinium. However, after one of Sserys’ armies suffered a major defeat, the Antinium suddenly advanced on the city, striking within hours of their last battle with the speed that had so dismayed Drake [Strategists].

The few [Scouts] monitoring the Antinium front reported seeing the Antinium swarming the walls, heedless of the defensive spells exacting a toll on their army. Like many other settlements, the defenders mobilized too slowly to push back the Antinium and their gates were dragged open within the first hour of fighting. After that, all visual reports ceased as the scouts were forced to retreat as more Antinium pushed the frontlines forward yet again.

Communications ceased as the Antinium armies continued onwards, and it was assumed the city was overwhelmed. However, two days after the attack, a lone Human Courier – Mihaela Godfrey – broke through Antinium lines from within and delivered a message to General Sserys. It came from a young Drake [Lieutenant] stationed within the city and reads as follows:

“To anyone who may read this,

My name is Zel Shivertail. I am a Level 15 [Lieutenant] in command of Geir’s remaining forces, as I believe all higher-ranking officers are now dead…

We have been attacked by a vast Antinium army which overwhelmed our walls. The attack happened with such suddenness that most of our warriors were lost within the first few moments. I managed to rally what few soldiers, guardsmen and civilians I could and retreated into the keep.

The Antinium broke through the stone walls, but the city was built on an ancient dungeon. We have barricaded ourselves within and the Workers have yet to tunnel through the enchantments…

They are relentless. With each hour more Soldiers attack our positions. We have set up killing corridors and are using what few [Mages] we have while our warriors rotate. Everyone, Drake and Gnoll and the few Humans with us are fighting.

I have sent our one Courier out, in hopes that she may reach someone who will bring word to General Sserys. Please tell him we are still alive, and not to send reinforcements. The enemy is too well-entrenched here. All of us know our lives are lost, but we will keep fighting and divert as many Antinium against us as possible.

We will hold this place so long as a single one of us draws breath. I beg only one thing of those who would follow: avenge us. Scourge our enemy from these walls and reap a hundred bodies for the fallen.

We are here. We will fight until our last.”

At first, many believed Shivertail’s message to be a trap set by the Antinium. But records indicated that Geir had indeed been built over a dungeon of considerable size and magical strength. That there were still survivors shocked those in command, and Sserys immediately began exploring options to support the beleaguered survivors of Geir.

Written recollections suggest that as many as three hundred assorted [Soldiers], [Guardsmen] and civilians with assorted classes escaped into the dungeon, due in no small way to Zel Shivertail’s quick thinking. The Soldiers prioritized fighting those with combat classes, allowing a large number of civilians to take cover during the attack.

Perhaps the Antinium believed that the survivors would be easy to rout, and indeed, they might have been were it not for the explosive leveling that occurred as the desperate people fought an increasingly deadly defensive battle against the Antinium Soldiers, who found themselves unable to advance down the narrow corridors which equalized the numerical superiority enjoyed by the Soldiers.

This, combined with the magically impenetrable walls, gave the survivors of Geir a fighting chance. Their situation was no less dire, but they were able to resist being overwhelmed on the first day, and the next. And as the fighting continued, a miracle occurred.

Forced to fight with their tails to the wall against impossible odds, the defenders of Geir leveled up almost daily and gained unusual classes such as [Stalwart], [Defender], and [Lineholder] among the warriors, and [Survivor], [Fighter], and [Protector] among the civilians. A few even gained rare classes like [Slaughterer], [Blood Berserker], and so on.

This explosive growth is widely known and accounted for by [Tacticians] of Drake, Human, and occasionally, Gnoll species when laying siege to well-fortified positions, but the Antinium were clearly unprepared for this eventuality. They hurled more and more of their Soldiers into the battle until eventually, the dead grew to be so numerous that the defenders were able to construct impromptu barricades out of the slaughtered Antinium.

For over a month, Zel Shivertail led his increasingly high-level defenders against the Antinium, until the day they managed to push out of the dungeons and retake the keep.

This had been the moment Sserys had been waiting for. He personally led a mounted group of elite soldiers to the rescue, driving a spear into Geir while two armies held back the Antinium long enough to retrieve the survivors.

The daring success of Sserys’s actions and the retrieval of over forty Drakes and Gnolls with levels over 30 was hailed as a heroic victory throughout the continent. As the leader of the defenders of Geir, Zel Shivertail was awarded multiple accolades, not least for his own achievement in the face of dire odds. From a Level 15 [Lieutenant], Shivertail grew to become a Level 39 [General] after his battles, one of the most incredible growths ever recorded in known history.

Shivertail was immediately given a command of his own; he assembled an army around the survivors of Geir and led his soldiers on to several notable victories, not least of which was the second defense of Shivering Falls and his retaking of Geir later on in the war.

His defensive abilities—born out of that deadly siege—allowed his army to fight off far larger forces than his own and even push back the Antinium at a number of key battles. Shivertail became hailed as ‘Tidebreaker’, in reference to the Black Tide’s failure to overwhelm his army time and time again.

More important than his prowess as a general was the fact that at last a group of people had survived one of the deadly Antinium assaults. Geir’s story became a rallying cry and brought new confidence and hope to the citizens desperate for any good news.

Sserys is known to have been especially heartened by this event, and began to rely on Shivertail as one of his most trusted generals. He wrote in one entry in his private diary:

“…talked with him at length. I still cannot believe young Shivertail managed to do what he did with so few numbers. But I have seen his willpower and daring on the battlefield and have every expectation that he will rise to the occasion as this damnable war goes on..

It has taken some doing, but at last I have commissioned some armor fit for him. Yet he refused my gift, claiming it would be better suited to someone of a lesser level. He has also forgone any magical weapons, as his Skills allow him to fight with his claws with far more efficiency than even experienced warriors.

I must confess, I admire his humility, but I cannot lose such a valuable young [General]. He is an icon among the soldiers, and he gives me hope we may win this war yet…”

Sserys’s cautious optimism would soon be rewarded, for the Antinium chose that moment to launch their most daring offensive yet. They diverted every active army not engaged north, towards Liscor, one of only two gateways to the northern Human territory, in hopes of cutting off any possibility of reinforcements and encircling Sserys’s forces.

This attack on General Sserys’ own home would normally have provoked an overwhelming response from the Liscorian Army and the General himself, but countless Antinium armies were sent to slow the massive force Sserys attempted to bring to his home city’s rescue.

Liscor found itself under attack by a huge Antinium army, but uniquely, did not immediately fall to the Antinium onslaught. Like the Walled Cities, Liscor possessed above-average magical defenses upon its walls which allowed it to repel the Antinium host countless times. Yet the Antinium filled the region around Liscor, with so many bodies present that it seemed as if the ground really was water to the hopeless Liscorian citizens.

Sserys, desperate to save Liscor, pushed ahead with his armies, fighting countless desperate battles to find himself at the southern entrance to Liscor. But there his progress halted. The Black Tide met him with overwhelming numbers and encircled his back, cutting off any hope of retreat. Suddenly, it was Sserys who was trapped as both his army and Liscor were surrounded by the Antinium forces.

No other Drake commanders were close enough to come to Sserys’ aid, and Zel Shivertail, commanding the bulk of the Drake forces, was fighting back a huge push from the Antinium front and could spare no armies to break the siege.

The Drake armies were forced back and cut off, and Liscor teetered on the verge of collapse as the Antinium continued their relentless siege. It would be no exaggeration to say that the fate of the Drakes hinged on retreating with Sserys’ army mostly intact. Without it, the Antinium would have been able to completely overwhelm the stretched Drake armies already.

But the Antinium had no intention of allowing Sserys to retreat. They launched an all-out assault and Sserys made his stand against one of the mountains.

—-

The hour was just past dawn, and the Drakes had endured yet another massive assault that had seen tens of thousands of Antinium Soldiers charging their defensive lines without regard to their own casualties.

Sserys was preparing to rally his troops for a final charge. He had been pushed back six times, but he considered his army’s only chance for survival was to push to the gates of Liscor. There they might be able to hold out long enough for Zel Shivertail to muster a force to come to their aid, but the Antinium had formed a literal wall of bodies that continually replenished itself.

As Sserys prepared to give the order, he heard a horn call in the air. He relates the moment in his personal diary:

“…and in the midst of my despair, I heard it. A battle horn, a call to arms. Not from my camp or the endless Antinium horde, but beyond, to the north. That is when I saw the Humans. They swept down the pass, an army as great as any that ever marched north against us. [Knights] and [Adventurers] riding on warhorses, ranks of [Soldiers], and countless mages raining fire and death on the Antinium from behind.

It was glorious. And in that moment, I saw a young woman at their head, raising a sword. And I knew this battle could be won, and ordered the charge. Not towards Liscor, but into the center of the Antinium army.

For Liscor I would die. But that was not this day. And we broke the Black Tide between us, Drakes, Gnolls, and Humans all striving together for glorious victory.”

The arrival of the Human forces at Liscor was a complete surprise to both Sserys and the Antinium Queens. The long history of enmity between the indigenous Drake and Gnoll populations and the Humans, beginning when the first Humans landed on the continent from Terraria, meant that even while they fought against the Antinium, the Drakes were more concerned that a Human army might attack their forces than that they might come to their aid.

Too, the fractious Human city-states to the north were just as divided as their Drake counterparts. Unless a Drake army was marching north, the Humans refused to work together. That such a massive army – of over a hundred and sixty thousand Humans – had arrived in Issrysil’s darkest hour can be accredited to one person: Lady Magnolia.

The young Reinhart had not spent the many months during which the Antinium War had raged silently. Although her initial warnings had fallen on deaf ears, the scion of the Reinhart house slowly gathered influence and support, seizing the power from her family in a swift and bloodless coup and using her power to force or persuade cities to lend arms towards a relief army.

The Antinium’s growing threat alarmed many prominent Humans, and with the full might of the Reinharts behind the effort, a Human army was formed and sent south just in time to break the siege of Liscor.

It is unclear how much the young Magnolia Reinhart invested into the war effort, but every Gold-rank and Named adventurer in the North was offered exorbitant sums to act as vanguards and special units, and elite warriors from each city were sent to fight with heavy investments of both supplies and arms, indicating that this was no token force. The Humans meant to throw the Antinium back into the sea, starting with Liscor.

The Human attack occurred under the guise of mass-concealment spells that nearly drained all the mages in the force. However, their surprise attack was so devastating that countless thousands of Antinium died in the first moment as the army dropped its enchantments and charged into their unguarded rear.

While Human and Drake tactics share many similarities, there is a marked difference in army composition. Humans heavily favor mounted assaults with armored cavalry as opposed to Drake armies which usually have small mounted regiments. Additionally, Human armies favor a mass-attack with mages before launching their first assault.

Thus, the Antinium found themselves hammered repeatedly by countless spells before the bewildered Workers and Soldiers observed a stream of heavy cavalry charging into them. At the same time, Sserys launched a devastating attack of his own, and the Antinium lines began to break as the army struggled to fight on both sides and hold off an attack from Liscor as the defenders began to sortie.

The siege of Liscor broke as the Black Tide found itself hammered from two fronts. The armies of General Sserys blockaded the southern exit while Lady Magnolia’s Human armies rampaged through the lines of the Antinium, blasting apart their ranks with magic to great effect while armored cavalry mounted continuous charges to break the advancing Soldiers.

Numerous Human [Lords] and lesser nobility were present at the battle leading their respective commands, but unusually, Lady Magnolia Reinhart was spotted on the field herself, inspiring troops from behind her house’s personal elite guard. While the Lady Reinhart did not participate in any of the fighting, her presence on the battlefield was a significant break with typical aristocratic behavior in the nobility.

The battle around Liscor raged for several more hours, but the balance of power inevitably shifted towards the Drakes and Humans. The Antinium retreated in chaos, leaving countless dead and both armies to celebrate.

Whatever initial misgivings the Drakes might have had about Human aid was set aside in the face of their timely arrival. Magnolia Reinhart was again instrumental in acting as a buffer between both forces and deciding on a course of action as both sides’ commanders debated how to press their advantage.

The end result of the battle for Liscor was a huge blow to the Antinium forces and a new ally in the form of the Human coalition army, which would go on to secure numerous victories against the Antinium. However, Lady Magnolia Reinhart would return north after the battle, having lost her taste for war in that first battle. This came as a relief to many of her personal aides and those affiliated with the Reinhart house, but also to General Sserys as well.

“I sought out the young lady Reinhart after the speeches and celebrations were finished. I wanted to thank her personally, but to my surprise, I found her wandering amidst the fallen. Many Humans gave their lives, and I saw her staring at their bodies for a long time among the Antinium.

I believe she wept, and vomited, although I only rejoined her later. All I know is that while she accorded me with every courtesy and behaved to the utmost standards of her Class, her face was pale and she seemed unsteady on her feet. I did not take much of her time, and spoke with her later, after she had recovered herself.

I must confess, while I take little pleasure in the discomfort of young Reinhart, I am relieved to see her thus. Had she half the cunning, bravery, and skill on the battlefield as she did in the realm of politics, I fear we would soon be in greater danger from the Humans than the Antinium.”

Despite Sserys’s fears, Magnolia Reinhart was still instrumental during the rest of the Antinium War, if not as a warrior or commander, then as a diplomat. She convinced wavering allies to commit to aiding embattled armies and campaigned ceaselessly to maintain the pressure on the Antinium.

It seemed the war was won, or so the [Messengers] and [Runners] shouted from every rooftop. Both Drakes and Humans had allied, and even the Gnoll Tribes had sent a smaller force of their own to push the Antinium back. This coalition of forces – dubbed the Southern Alliance – joined together to push back the Antinium time and time again in resounding victories. The sieges on two more Walled Cities were broken, and the Antinium lines were pushed back until their Hives were in striking range.

However, this was not the end of the Antinium War, merely a lull in the fighting. The Queens had indeed withdrawn their forces, but not to retreat. Instead, they launched a second massive offensive as the three joint armies drew closer to their position, deploying their secret weapon in the war: the Prognugators.

Perhaps the so-called Prognugator class had not yet been ‘born’ in the Antinium Hives, or their movement to the front lines signified the desperation of the Antinium Queens. However, as the Drake, Human, and Gnoll forces approached the hive, they found themselves suddenly under attack by overwhelming Antinium numbers, acting in even greater and more deadly concert than before.

Suddenly, the Antinium armies were using advanced tactics and strategy not seen before during the war. While the Antinium had always employed basic strategies and formations, now they launched sneak attacks, flanked weak targets actively, and laid traps and feinted, much like any force led by a competent commander.

And yet, the Antinium had no visible commanders on the front lines, no observable [General] which archers or mages could aim for. It was only after a decisive battle in which an Antinium vanguard broke through Human lines and slaughtered the [General] in command did witnesses report seeing an Antinium who looked like a Worker, yet wielded swords and fought like a warrior with classes.

This was the first sighting of the elusive Prognugators, one of the sub-commanders of the Antinium. They appeared to be ordinary Workers or normal Antinium until they displayed their unique abilities on the field. These included strong fighting capabilities – at least on the level of a Silver-rank adventurer – and keen strategic insight. They would pretend to be ordinary Antinium while they secretly led the armies, only to reveal their true nature when in danger or at key moments.

Once Sserys and the Human commanders learned of these Prognugators, every effort was made to hunt them down and destroy them. But despite several reported kills of the Prognugators, it seemed they were immortal.

In one battle, a spear-wielding Antinium would be slain by arrow, but only a week later he would reappear, fighting with the same vigor as before, completely unharmed. It was as if the Prognugators were endless, and the bewildered soldiers began to fear these immortal Antinium as unkillable nightmares.

However, the Prognugators could die. Reliable accounts, including one by Sserys himself, describe the [General] and others killing the Prognugators in single-combat, only to see them appear again, apparently weakened. While it was not clear from afar, Sserys reports that after he slew a Prognugator who fought with dual swords and daggers the first time in a close match, the Antinium was noticeably weaker the second time they dueled, and actively avoided Sserys in the third battle they met in.

It seemed that whatever claim to immortality the Prognugators had, it was not infinite. Repeated deaths led to a final ‘death’ as it were, and their ranks eventually thinned as they were repeatedly sought and destroyed.

Of the six Prognugators, only three apparently ‘survived’ the end of the war. Klbkch the Slayer, Wrymvr the Deathless, and the Small Queen Xrn were sighted after the First Antinium War and even during the Second Antinium War*. It is speculated that their repeated deaths or perhaps their failures to secure victories may have led to their final demise at the hands of their Queens. Other theories include a limit to the number of times the Antinium are able to revive such individuals, but whatever the case, the eventual death of half of the Prognugators led to a far more cautious approach in their deployment.

*As of writing, Klbkch is the only Prognugator confirmed as still living – he resides with the sixth Antinium Hive in Liscor after the peace treaty following the end of the Second Antinium War.

And yet, the damage caused by the Antinium’s second advance brought even the combined Human, Gnoll and Drake forces to a standstill. The Antinium fought desperately to keep the armies from taking even one Hive, and eventually the true power of the Antinium began to tip the scales of balance back in their favor.

Antinium Soldiers, despite their weaknesses, were extremely efficient and impossible to break from low morale. Exhaustion did not seem to be a factor for the Antinium; some fought until they literally died of exhaustion, but the same could not be said of the non-Antinium forces.

Sheer exhaustion from continuous battles wore down the Drakes, Humans, and Gnolls, leading to repeated defeats as weary soldiers faltered under the ceaseless advance of the Black Tide. Suddenly, even the advantage enjoyed by the three races began to erode as more and more Antinium marched out of their Hives each week, a consequence of their high birth-rate.

The battle lines stabilized once again, but this time it was to the detriment of the Drakes. Sserys grew increasingly worried as more and more defeats occurred among his armies, writing in his journal the fears he refused to share with those under his command.

“ Again, and again they come for us. Are they endless, or do these ‘Queens’ bear children so quickly that they can replenish their armies in weeks?

The Humans fight far more bravely than I would believe, but even with their army, we cannot keep fighting as we have. In a month—perhaps less—we will lose this war.

That is unacceptable. We must act decisively to end the war now or resign ourselves to death. It is time again to gamble with the fates and risk all or nothing. If need be, I will lead the charge myself into the heart of one of their Hives. If we must sacrifice an army to take the life of even one Queen, it may be worth it. ”

Sserys’ proposal to launch a suicide attack was unanimously rejected by the war council, but it became clear that without some decisive action, the war would be lost.

Nine months after the beginning of the Antinium War, the true weakness, the crucial weakness of the Antinium was discovered by chance in an engagement with a patrol of Humans that found themselves ambushed by over fifty Antinium Soldiers and Workers.

The ambushed Humans quickly fell to the Soldiers, but one [Hydromancer] cast a [Rain] spell in desperation. She perished, but a relief force found that the area the patrol had been ambushed in – a natural valley – was filled with not only the corpses of the lost patrol, but all the Antinium. They had drowned attempting to climb the muddy embankment and sank beneath the waters.

This development largely went unnoticed until the [Strategist] assigned to the army reviewed the patrol’s report. She quickly sent a message to the highest-ranking mage in the army, and the experiment was duplicated on a larger scale the next day.

The results were immediately apparent and decisive, and it led to the Antinium army’s eventual complete defeat and the changing of the entire war. It was a simple discovery, yet vital, and it was this:

The Antinium cannot swim. They are unable to float, and despite being able to hold their breath for an extended duration, they perish of suffocation like any other species.

At first, General Sserys dismissed the reports coming from the Human army as impossible, an error in judgement. He and other Drakes had to see the Antinium drowning in person before they would believe.

In retrospect, the Antinium’s weakness appears obvious, but not so to those who had fought against the Antinium at the time. In Rhir, the Antinium had battled the Blighted King’s armies with few places that were located next to water, and their departure across the sea tricked the world into believing they were able to swim. What sane creature would travel across the oceans without the ability to even float?

Yet the truth remained: the Antinium could not swim. And with that discovery, their endless numbers suddenly became not only manageable, but a weakness.

The Drake and Human armies suddenly pulled back from their offensive charges and adopted a wholly defensive formation. They placed heavy groups of pikes and defensive soldiers towards the front, all to buy their [Mages] enough time to cast [Rain] and other weather-related spells to flood the battlefield. [Geomancers] and [Diggers] built floodwalls to contain the water, and formed natural valleys to drown the Antinium in.

This general strategy required constant adjustments as the Antinium armies actively tried to avoid just such a scenario, but the results were dramatic. Entire armies of the Antinium perished, and they found themselves unable to advance into certain areas for fear of being drowned out. The Drake armies even created artificial lakes to halt the Antinium’s progress in some areas.

While the Workers could drain the waters given time, the ability of the Drakes and Humans to set the battlefield forced the Antinium on the defensive. In the course of weeks, the Antinium had been pushed back all the way to their Hives by the attacking armies, and there, for the first time, the Queens were finally in direct danger.

Sserys led the first attack on an Antinium Hive. He recorded the battle in his diary:

“ That first assault was the most harrowing experience I have ever gone through. Antinium filled the tunnels, fighting savagely in that confined space. The tunnel walls kept opening up around us as the Workers tunneled around to hit our flanks and rear, and they came at us without pause, desperate to defend the Queen that must surely lurk below.

…We cannot face them. No. I have pulled my forces back and ordered every mage in my army to cast as many water spells as possible. We will flood the monsters out. ”

That was exactly what Sserys’s army did. For four days and four nights, the mages cast endless [Rain], [Downpour], and other related spells, flooding the Hive with water.

It is believed the Workers in the Hive labored desperately to drain the water into side-tunnels and other passages, but even their efforts eventually failed them. The Antinium launched constant attacks on the Drakes above, but by the end of the fourth day the water had reached the mouth of the Hive entrance, and after three more days of waiting, [Divers] were sent in. They found the Hives full of dead Antinium and the drowned Queen deep below.

One Hive had fallen, and the continent celebrated. Yet the cost of that battle did not go unnoticed or unwarned of. Mages specializing in water magic warned of the effect the spells would have on the weather, and Sserys himself banned this tactic except as a means of last resort.

“Dead gods, I have never seen such horror. The entire Hive is dead. We know that now. All within are drowned and rotting—over a hundred thousand Antinium, possibly twice or three times that number. All dead.

We burned the ground to ash, and then filled their tunnels with water. We made it rain until the world seemed as if it were naught but mud and rain. And the cost has taken its toll.

I remember this land. It was green and lush, but now the ground is a swamp of death and the sky is cloudless. The mages tell me that this magic has interfered with the weather. It will not rain here for decades . While it is a flooded place now, soon this will become an arid wasteland, fit only for the dead we have entombed.

Never again. Not if I can help it. This war has made me sick, and I am tired of it. Let us finish this once and for all if we must.”

True to the mage’s predictions, the site of the Antinium Hive has since become a dry desert, and both vegetation and wildlife have died out in a fifty mile radius around the place of the former Hive.

And yet, this victory over one Hive was not only decisive, but the first chapter in the final saga of the war. Emboldened by the destruction of one of the four Hives the Antinium had built, the Walled Cities and Human alliance decided to form a grand coalition army – dubbed the First Unified Army – to assault the main hive of the Antinium and end the war in one quick stroke.

Almost every commander and leader was in support of this plan, as every side had grown weary of this ongoing war. Sserys himself volunteered to command the army, and only a few dissidents opposed this strategy.

Among them was Zel Shivertail. The second-in-command argued that the Antinium were too dangerous to fight, even with their weakness exploited. But his voice was lost and overruled by Sserys himself, and the First Unified Army set out towards the Antinium Hive nearly one year after the Antinium War had started, one of the largest armies to ever march across Issrysil.

It was at this moment that the Antinium did something unprecedented. They attempted to sue for peace. Antinium [Workers] bearing white flags approached armies en-masse. While they were often cut to ribbons, many survived and the letters they bore were all identical. The Antinium Grand Queen – a position that was entirely new to the Drake and Human leadership – requested an immediate peace treaty between the Antinium and the rest of the continent.

These terms were unanimously refused by the leaders, who felt that they now had the upper hand. Rather than make peace with the Antinium, it was infinitely more preferable to destroy them all at once, and so Sserys’ army was given complete authority to dispose of the Antinium in any way they saw fit.

[Couriers] and [Mages] kept the army in almost constant contact with the other cities as the army approached the main Hive where it was believed the majority of the Queens and the Grand Queen of the Antinium resided. Only a few Antinium forces challenged the army, and they were quickly destroyed.

Sserys encircled the Hive with his army and made camp, assuring the cities that they would destroy the Hive on the next day. His forces settled in—

And were all gone by the next day.

It was an almost completely silent night, punctuated only by a few [Message] spells that seemed to have been cast by accident. But as the Drake and Human leaders waited for Sserys to report in as dawn broke the next day, they found that no mage in the army could be reached, and none of the [Couriers] sent the night before had returned.

Many spells have been attempted, witnesses interviewed, and even the Antinium have been questioned, but to this day, there exists no record, no evidence of what transpired during the night. No spells were cast, and no alarms were raised among the cities. But every member of the army, including non-combatants like [Cooks] and [Porters] disappeared without a trace, leaving behind neither bodies nor clues to what had happened.

Only one record remains of that night. General Sserys’s diary. The latest entries record the First unified Army settling in, Sserys’ proposed tactics for beginning the siege of the Hive, and a final entry.

“This is the hour of my death.

We have been attacked in the night. We were prepared, although not for the amount of Antinium that emerged. But our defenses were solid, and we fought them back and began the siege early.

The Antinium came at us, limitless numbers of Soldiers and Workers, but we destroyed them by the thousands.

We met them in the tunnels and pushed them back. Soldiers and Workers both emerged…we melted them, blasted them apart…we were winning. I believe it was just past midnight when the Antinium pulled back and we believed they were making a final stand.

They arrived as we were pushing towards the central hive. Our night scouts reported sounds and then—silence. Slowly, all the camps around my headquarters stop reporting in, even forces with tens of thousands of soldiers. But even as I sent [Runners] and mage spells demanding reports, I received only silence. No one returned.

Something is moving in the tunnels. Something is underneath us. They are waiting, systematically destroying my army in the cover of the night. Already they are attacking the edges of the camp.

I do not know what kind of enemy we are facing. I only know that they are Antinium, but of no kind we have witnessed before. They are some new breed of Antinium, some secret weapon of the Queens.

Thus far we have not recovered any bodies intact for me to describe. To destroy these new varieties of Antinium, our soldiers and mages have had to dismember them. They do not stop.

Zel must be told. There are more Antinium types than just Soldiers and Workers. We cannot defeat them. I hear my warriors fighting and dying. We will make a stand here, but I know that I will not live to see the dawn.

I regret leading these good soldiers to their deaths. I only hope that we will do enough damage that the Antinium will continue to sue for peace.

…I am tired. I can hear them coming for me.

Alas, this is the place where I part ways. If I could go home once more—but no. Goodbye. Let my death have meaning. I will die as I lived: a soldier.

‘Oh sunfilled skies, let me ride again on the fields of battle in another life. To Liscor, and the world, fight on. May we one day know peace.’

—Sserys of Liscor

High General Sserys’ journal and his corpse were both found in the remains of the First Unified Army’s encampment twenty four days later. After the initial loss of contact, the allied city-states waited with increasing concern until, seven days later, it became clear that the Unified Army had been destroyed, and no survivors remained to bear word of their defeat.

After the city-states accepted the fact that Sserys and his army had been lost, they immediately began organizing a second, even larger army to investigate the site of his demise. This second army, entrusted to Zel Shivertail, was given explicit instructions not to attack the Hive, but only to gather information and immediately retreat. Constant, 24-hour contact was maintained between the army and the city-states as they approached the seemingly inactive Hive.

The Second Unified Army found the encampment of the first mainly intact; no damage was reported to either the fortifications or even the tents established. Indeed, even high-level [Scouts] could only detect faint signs of violence and tracks leading into the Grand Hive.

No soldiers of the First Unified Army were found besides High General Sserys; speculation abounds to this day as to their fate, but it is most likely the soldiers were first killed then processed as supplies within the Antinium Hives.

Only General Sserys’ corpse remained, lying in his command tent, fully armored, sword still grasped in his hand. The [General] had died fighting, with traces of Antinium blood upon his sword. His cause of death was a single strike to his heart which tore through both enchanted armor and bone to reach it.

The Second Unified Army collected Sserys’ corpse and his diary and immediately retreated. The city-states argued and debated what to do in the face of this new information and mysterious new breed of the Antinium. It was feared a third offensive would drag this war out even further, but it never came to that.

To the great surprise of all, the Grand Queen of the Antinium still sued for peace despite the massive losses suffered by the Southern Alliance. [Strategists] speculate that this was a pragmatic move; although the Antinium may have destroyed the First Unified Army, the Second would doubtless cost more lives and resources, and leave the Antinium prey to another attack if the Human Coalition entered into a combined assault.

Whatever the case may be, the First Antinium War ended with a signed accord by the Walled Cities, the Grand Queen of the Antinium, and the Human coalition led by Magnolia Reinhart. Further hostilities would be limited to a few instances of adventurers straying too near to the Antinium Hives until the famous Goblin King’s rampage coincided with the assault on Liscor and the surrounding area by the Necromancer Az’Kerash—

(At this point, Ryoka Griffin stopped reading. She left this book behind to journey to the High Passes, and has since not reopened it.)

2.39

She slept on the way back. Somehow, Erin found she was extremely tired after her meeting with Magnolia, and despite it being only dusk she slept like a baby.

She woke up as Reynold slowed the coach next to her inn. Erin blinked, looked around wildly, and realized she was home.

Home. It was an odd thing to say, and even odder that the sight of Toren’s skeletal frame standing in front of her inn was reassuring, but there it was.

Erin was home.

It was the work of a few minutes for Erin to extricate herself from the carriage. Not because she was that slow; Reynold insisted on helping her pack up the huge meal Lady Magnolia had sent with her. It was far too much for Erin to eat, but she suspected Lyonette might enjoy the rich food.

“Thanks so much for driving me out here, Reynold.”

“It was my pleasure Miss Solstice.”

“Erin. Um, will you come in for something to eat? Or I could make you up a bed. It’s getting late.”

The [Butler] smiled.

“I fear I must decline. I will return to Lady Magnolia’s side shortly, but I thank you for the offer.”

“Oh, it’s no—if you ever have time, come by and I’ll treat you to a meal on the house, okay?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Erin watched as the man climbed back in the carriage and the horses began to gallop. She looked over at Toren as the skeleton walked down the hill. He stared at her. She stared back.

“Hi.”

He nodded. Erin looked at him for a few more seconds.

“Is Lyonette here?”

He nodded, and pointed up towards the inn. On cue the doors flew open and Erin heard a strident voice.

“Is he gone? Come back! I insist—!”

The girl dashed down the slope and stopped, waving her arms and shouting at the coach. She turned to Erin, furious.

“How dare he? The nerve—did you inform Magnolia Reinhart of my distress? When will she send for me? You may pass any correspondence from her directly to me.”

She looked at Erin expectantly. Erin blinked.

“Um. She knows you’re here.”

“ And? ”

“And that’s it. I don’t think she’s sending anyone else. Hey Toren, help me carry all this food to the inn. You can have this basket. And this bundle. And I’ll take this…there’s some good food in here so don’t drop it.”

Erin trooped up to her inn and went inside, ignoring Lyonette’s outraged monologue. The noble girl calmed down only slightly when she saw the feast Erin had brought back.

“Hmf. Well at least the woman was decent enough to provide me with a decent meal as recompense. I will await her reply while I make do.”

Erin suspected Lyonette would be waiting for a long time, but she wisely didn’t mention that.

“If you set the table we can eat, Lyonette.”

The girl stared at Erin. Erin stared back. Lyonette’s petulant self-righteousness was a far cry from Ressa’s stare and Lady Magnolia’s sheer presence. In a few seconds the girl flounced into the kitchen.

She was just finishing setting the table—badly—and Toren had emerged with a jug of cold milk when the door slammed open.

“Humans!”

Relc bellowed the words and Lyonette screamed and dropped the forks and ran for the stairs. Erin laughed.

“Relc! And Klbkch! And Selys?”

The [Receptionist] walked in as Klbkch held the door open and smiled at Erin.

“Hi Erin. I hope I’m not bothering you, but I saw that coach come in and everyone was headed this way, so…”

Klbkch shut the door and nodded to Erin.

“I hope we are not interrupting you today, Miss Solstice?”

“No, that’s great, come in!”

Erin waved the three into her inn happily. She hated being alone, which was to say, trapped with either Lyon or Toren. Relc chortled with delight when he saw the spread of food Toren had placed on one of the tables.

“Where did all this come from?”

“Oh, that? It’s um…a gift. I can’t eat it with just Lyon, so everyone grab a plate and have some. Lyonette—more plates! And forks. And spoons and knives. And cups!”

The girl looked up with disgust, but Toren shepherded her back into the kitchen. Relc stared after the girl and scratched his head, looking briefly put out, but Klbkch spoke to Erin as Selys happily investigated the food.

“I regret that Pawn is not able to visit. He is occupied within the Hive.”

“And I couldn’t find Olesm. I think he’s busy at the Runner’s Guild for some reason. I saw him taking a huge stack of parchment there earlier.”

Selys eyed the food Erin had spread on the table. Magnolia, for all her objectionable traits, was certainly generous when it came to food. Since Erin had fallen asleep before she’d touched the spread, she had two different roasted pheasants, over ten cuts of meat, cheeses, two bottles of wine, fruits that were only slightly wilted, bread, some kind of spicy dip, a sweet dip, olives, and even a crab—

“Is this really all a gift from this Reinhart lady? Did she like you that much, Erin?”

“I think she was just being…generous. She’s really rich, I think.”

“Wow. You know, I knew she was important after Ceria told me about her messenger, but I didn’t know she was that important.”

“You’ve never heard of her?”

Erin was curious. Selys scratched at one cheek and twitched her tail in embarrassment.

“Well, it’s just—she’s a Human, you know, Erin? I guess I just don’t pay attention to famous Humans that much. I might have heard her name once or twice…maybe she was important historically? How old is she? Anyways, I could name a few important adventurers and teams, but not more than that.”

“So no one knows of Lady Magnolia Reinhart?”

“Reinhart? She was the one who sent that carriage?”

Relc looked up from the food as Toren and Lyonette reappeared. Klbkch looked at Erin as well.

“Yeah. She wanted to talk. So you know her, Relc?”

He shrugged.

“The Deadly Flower? Yeah, I’ve heard of her.”

“Oh! From the Antinium Wars! That’s her? ”

Selys gasped in sudden realization.

“But she’s a hero! And she helped beat the Antinium both times. I had no idea!”

She glanced over at Klbkch and froze.

“Uh—”

Klbkch nodded as he delicately consumed a slice of beef.

“I have never met Magnolia Reinhart in person, but I am well aware of her accomplishments. I am curious as to why she wished to speak with you, Erin.”

He looked at Erin, and she realized he probably knew why. Relc scratched his spines and shrugged.

“Who cares? I mean, you can tell us, but free food is free food, right? Can I have all of this?”

“Sure.”

“Great!”

Relc began heaping a plate with as much food as possible, much to Lyon’s outrage. She glared daggers at the Drake which Relc happily ignored. Lyonette tried to load her own plate while keeping as far away from any non-Human as possible. That was fairly impossible, but she gravitated more towards Selys than Klbkch or Relc, staying the furthest away from the Antinium.

“This is so tasty!”

Selys smiled at Erin as the two took their plates to a table. Relc wavered, but Klbkch tapped him on the shoulder and they took a table a few feet away. Erin had noticed the lack of invitation from Selys, as well as the way the Drake had kicked her when she opened her mouth to invite the other two to join her.

“Why don’t you want to eat with Relc?”

She whispered that to Selys when she was sure the other Drake was investigating one of the kegs Erin had put on the bar’s counter in the back. Selys made a face.

“He was flirting with me on the way here, Erin. I just don’t want to give him the wrong idea so soon afterwards.”

“Oh.”

Erin had discussed the more…intimate…relations of each species with Selys before, but she’d never really asked about the Drake’s love life. But from the look on Selys’s face, Relc wasn’t included in any of her aspirations.

“Don’t you like him? I do.”

“As a friend, I guess. I mean, I don’t know him like you do. But I’d never date him, Erin!”

“Why? I mean, he’s not that bad, is he?”

Selys looked over at Relc as the Drake happily poured himself a drink of ale and grimaced.

“Well no, but—he’s really muscly, and he’s arrogant and selfish too. I know he’s a really important Senior Guardsman and he’s really high-level, but I’d hate to be the Drake who had to put up with him in a relationship. Anyways, I prefer guys who look…better, you know?”

Erin frowned at Relc.

“Really? He looks fine to me.”

“That’s because you’re a Human.”

Selys sighed. She swished her tail back and forth on the floorboards.

“Look, it’s not just that. He’s older than me, you know? I mean, I’m almost the same age as his d—”

She broke off as Relc walked over. His tail was wagging as he held up a mug.

“This is alcohol, right? You’re finally serving alcohol?”

He nearly had tears in his eyes. Erin nodded and grinned.

“I bought some—I even made this really weird special drink, but it’s uh, sort of in testing. It does weird things when people drink it.”

“Really? I’ll try some so long as I’m not throwing up afterwards.”

Selys looked intrigued. Relc nodded.

“I’ll try it even if I do throw up. Alcohol!”

He went back to his table as Erin turned back to Selys.

“Anyways, meeting with Magnolia was huge. She said so many things—”

“So tell me everything!”

Erin took a deep breath, and then looked towards the door. A second later, Halrac opened it. The [Scout] grunted when he saw the food on the table before his eyes flicked to Erin.

“Are you open?”

Relc looked over and froze, but Klbkch seemed perfectly at ease. Selys had frozen in her seat, but Erin only smiled wider.

“Come on in, Halrac! Get a plate and have something to eat—it’s a buffet tonight!”

The older man eyed the spread without comment. He seemed puzzled by it, possibly because he could identify the rich food as out of place in the inn, but he loaded up his plate and took a table away from the others.

Erin resolved to talk to Halrac later, after she’d finished eating. He was so silent, except when he was bugging her about having more of that faerie flower drink. But she bet she could get him to open up if she talked enough. She turned and saw Selys gaping at her.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Erin! That’s Halrac! Halrac as in, Halrac from Griffon Hunt! The Gold-rank [Scout]!”

“Um. Yeah?”

Erin knew that. She couldn’t remember if Halrac had told her or she’d heard it somewhere else, but Selys seemed blown away by that fact.

“What is he doing here!? I thought he was staying at Peslas’ inn!”

“Really? Well, he comes in every night. I guess he likes my inn better.”

Erin felt a bit smug at that, but Selys shook her head.

“But he’s famous, Erin! How’d you even meet him? I mean, maybe he’s not as famous as Magnolia Reinhart—”

“Who you didn’t know.”

“—Shut up. I know adventurers because it’s my job, okay? Halrac’s a veteran. He’s killed Griffons by himself and he’s probably the closest to becoming a Named Adventurer in Liscor right now.”

“Well, he’s a good customer. Silent. Doesn’t throw things. And he tips well.”

“He’s rich.”

“Really? Well, I think he keeps coming back because of this drink I made. You know those flowers I told you about? A few days ago I—”

Erin broke off again. Selys looked at her.

“More guests? How can you tell?”

“I don’t know. I just…sense it.”

Sure enough, only a few seconds after Erin had turned, the door opened.

“Rags!”

Erin half-rose from her chair, beaming as the small Goblin entered, pushing back her hood. But the young woman stopped when she saw Rags wasn’t alone.

Rags had a friend. Or an underling? How else could Erin explain the second Goblin that walked through the door. He was likewise hooded, and Erin only caught a glimpse of green skin as he tugged the cloth over his face and looked around. But that wasn’t the thing that stopped her.

“A Hob!”

Relc shot out of his chair and reached for his spear. Klbkch caught his arm, but Lyonette screamed and Selys choked on her mouthful of food. Erin looked at the tall Goblin.

He didn’t look like the Goblin Chieftain at all. What had Relc said? A Hob? As in Hobgoblin? But he looked so…so…Human.

That was to say, he looked humanoid. He was about as Human as a Drake and Erin detected fangs in the smile he gave her.

The Hobgoblin made her uneasy. But then Erin noticed Rags was staring at her. Expectantly. And Erin realized Rags was waiting to see what she would do.

Yet, Erin had a definite sense that this mysterious Hobgoblin wasn’t like Rags. He was dangerous, and everyone in the room felt it. Especially the warriors.

Across the room, Relc and Klbkch were silently staring at the Hobgoblin. The air had frozen around Relc and one of his hands was clenched into a fist. Halrac had paused as soon as the second Goblin had entered, and one of his hands was at his belt. Even Toren was staring hard at the second Goblin.

The air was full of tension. Erin felt her [Dangersense] tingling in the back of her head, but she ignored it and made herself smile. What had Lady Magnolia said about Goblins? No—she’d said it about Erin. A girl who treated Goblins like people. Because Goblins were people. Remember that.

“Rags, come in! I’ve got tons of food, and you’re always welcome here. You and any Goblins. And I see you’ve got a friend. That’s great. Well, he’s a guest and isn’t going to be attacked, okay?”

Erin didn’t look at the others, but she raised her voice and sensed the mood change. Klbkch nodded silently, and Halrac slowly relaxed in his seat and turned back to his drink. Only Relc stood staring, until Klbkch tapped him gently on the shoulder and pushed him back towards his seat.

Erin approached the two Goblins cautiously. Rags looked…different. It felt like ages since she’d last been in the inn, and something had changed in her demeanor.

She looked taller. Physically—she seemed to have grown an inch or two, but also in the way she carried herself. She stared up at Erin without a trace of fear, but only a sense of curiosity and something else in her crimson eyes.

“I’ve got food. Um, and we can play chess later. Where’s your tribe?”

Stare. Erin looked up at the other Goblin. He grinned at her, exposing sharp teeth.

“Who’s your friend?”

The Hobgoblin opened his mouth and Rags kicked him. He frowned down at her and she glared up at him. Erin scratched her head.

“Is everything okay?”

Rags shrugged. She walked over to the table filled with food and grabbed a plate. The tall Goblin followed her. Erin watched them begin to pile food on their plates as they muttered to each other in their incomprehensible language and went back to Selys.

“Erin. Who’s that other Goblin?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, why is he here? ”

“He’s…hungry?”

Erin spread her hands out as Selys kicked her.

“Ow! I don’t know! What’s the problem?”

Selys lowered her voice and hissed at Erin.

“The problem is that he’s a Hobgoblin! They’re not like normal Goblins. They’re dangerous! Even a normal Silver-rank adventurer wouldn’t be a match for one!”

“Well…he’s with Rags! That means he could be okay!”

“That’s not your only problem, Erin. After that Goblin raiding party—this isn’t good.”

“This is my inn. What’s the problem?”

Selys nodded.

“Him.”

Erin looked over and saw Relc. It wasn’t like she’d forgotten the last time Relc and Rags had met, but now that she looked over, she could see Relc’s expression. Selys looked grim.

“He’s not going to stay calm, Erin. He’s going to start a fight.”

“He won’t do that.”

Selys gave Erin one of the flattest looks the girl had ever received. If the Drake had eyebrows, both of them would have been raised. Erin hesitated.

“Right?”

Rags and the mysterious other Goblin chose a table on the other end of the inn, away from Relc and the other guests. Erin was relieved for that, and hoped she could maintain the peace throughout the night. After all, the Goblins weren’t doing anything, and Relc wasn’t that crazy, was he?

Her optimism lasted for ten minutes. Then, as Relc was going back for more food he paused in front of the table and sniffed the air theatrically.

“Does something stink in here, or is it just me?”

Erin’s heart sank. She watched Relc turn towards the Goblins, heart pounding. Relc opened his mouth and Erin spoke.

“Stop it, Relc.”

He turned to look at her. Relc’s eyes were smoldering, and he seemed even bigger than normal. Erin’s heart was pounding. She did not want to be here. She didn’t want this to be happening. But she had to say it.

“They’re not doing anything. Leave them alone.”

“Me? I didn’t say it was the Goblins who stank—”

“Relc.”

Klbkch spoke up from his table. His voice was low, but Relc hunched his shoulders. The Drake made no further comment but stomped back to his table.

Both Goblins had looked up when Relc spoke, but they returned to their meal as if nothing had happened. The taller one was looking between Erin and Relc with interest, but neither seemed upset.

If that was all, Erin would have considered herself lucky. But no sooner had Relc put his plate down then he raised his mug high into the air.

“Hey Klb, let’s toast our friends. You know, the ones who died defending that village from monsters, you remember?”

He raised his mug and spoke loudly to the room.

“To Byssa, Invrss, and Olivis, who died protecting us from a real threat. Those bastard Goblins.”

The inn was silent as Relc noisily drank the entire mug down. He tossed the glass casually onto the table and looked at Rags. She stared back.

“Stop it.”

Erin was on her feet. Her knees were shaking, but she made herself stand. She walked in front of Relc and met his eyes.

“Why are you doing this?”

Relc met her eyes and Erin felt a shock. There was something dark in the large Drake’s gaze.

“Because I can’t stand the fact that you let them in here. Because you’re letting them eat while my friends are rotting in the ground.”

“They’re not the Goblins who killed your friends. Rags is di—”

“It doesn’t matter. They’re all the same! ”

Relc picked up the mug and hurled it past Erin. She flinched and Selys screamed as the glass shattered.

Across the room Toren moved. He’d been standing still, but now he grabbed at his sword, purple eyes blazing.

“Toren! Stand still!”

He froze in place. Relc sneered at the skeleton.

“Good decision. Your little pet monster won’t stop me. And neither will you.”

He moved towards Erin.

“Drake.”

Halrac half-rose from his table. Relc pointed at him.

“Stay out of this, Human.”

He looked back at Erin as Halrac hesitated. He was armed, but Erin didn’t want a fight. She shook her head at him as Relc stared at the two Goblins.

“I’ve seen those things kill countless good people. They’re heartless murderers that don’t deserve a chance.”

“You’re wrong.”

“ What? ”

Erin crossed her arms. She felt like a small bug in front of Relc. His rage seemed to be coming off him like heat. He loomed over Erin, but she refused to take a step back.

She saw the small bodies, held the severed heads of the dead Goblins in her hands. She saw the child looking up at her with hate in her eyes. Never again.

“You will not hurt them. Not here, and not anywhere. Do you understand me? They are under my protection. If you hurt them, you will be my enemy.”

Erin’s chest was tight. The air felt hot, but now she felt like her entire being was being poured into those words. She stared at Relc and felt something alive around her. She pushed , and he narrowed his eyes.

“You’ll regret it, Human.”

“Maybe I will. But until then, I’ll do what I think is right.”

The air was hot. Erin met Relc’s gaze for a long time, an eternity. At last, he looked away.

“Okay, you know what? I’m fine.”

Relc raised his hands. He sat back down. He grabbed a piece of meat and turned back to his plate as if nothing had happened.

The sudden lack of hostility nearly made Erin stumble. She stared at Relc’s back and then got angry. Just like that?

She couldn’t let it go. Not like this. Erin’s pulse was thundering, but she felt oddly calm, as if she was standing on the brink.

“No. Get out.”

Relc paused as he reached for another piece of meat.

“What?”

“You heard me. Get out. You’re not welcome here right now.”

“I’m not going to pester your little Goblin friends.”

“It doesn’t matter. You said—you made yourself clear.”

Erin bit her tongue as she stumbled over her words. They sounded stupid in her ears, but her chest was still tight.

“You were nice to me. But if you can’t tolerate my guests, then you’re not welcome in my inn. Go away, and maybe I’ll let you come back later. But not now. Not tonight.”

Relc’s eyes narrowed.

“You sure you want to do that? I’m a guardsman of the city. You can’t just—”

“Relc.”

Another voice interrupted him. Klbkch spoke. His voice was dry and calm as ever, but there was an edge to it.

“Do not use your position as a guardsman here. Erin Solstice has spoken. She is within her rights. I will testify to that if need be.”

Relc’s head turned. His tail was very still as he looked at his friend.

“Stay out of this, Klb.”

“The [Innkeeper]’s word is law here, guardsman. Don’t push it.”

Now Halrac spoke up. From his chair he stared at Relc. His hands weren’t quite at his belt, but Erin could see a dagger at his side. Relc stared at him.

“You think a dagger will scare me? I could take both you and Klb together. Want to see?”

“No one’s fighting anyone.”

Erin raised her voice. She felt the pressure on her intensify as Relc shifted his gaze her way. But she was also pushing back, and she felt the air around her growing solid. It was like she was pushing down on the entire inn.

“Didn’t you hear me, Relc? Leave.”

He stood up fast. Erin didn’t move, but both Klbkch and Halrac did. They walked forwards but Relc stepped towards Erin.

“Do you think I’m scared of you?”

“No.”

Erin’s eyes were locked on Relc’s. She felt her pulse racing, felt every floorboard and chair in her inn. She pushed harder and Relc gritted his teeth.

“This is my inn, Relc. Get out or face the consequences.”

“You’re just another stupid Human. You don’t understand anything, do you? ”

“I understand right and wrong. You can’t kill people, Relc.”

“They’re monsters! ”

He roared it in her face. Erin felt spittle strike her cheeks. She felt Halrac shift, but she refused to move. Relc drew in another breath and then Erin heard a quavering voice.

“Erin’s right, Relc.”

The Drake turned, incredulous, as Selys stood up. The younger Drake looked a lot smaller and she was shaking with her nerves, but she found the courage to look him in the eye as she spoke.

“Erin’s right. You’ve got to leave. This isn’t right. I’ve seen Rags and she’s never—”

Relc whirled and Selys flinched. He stared around the room. All his furious eyes met were cold stares, and two pairs of crimson eyes. Rags stared at Relc with silent hatred, and the other Goblin…smiled.

The Drake guardsman turned back to Erin. But now both Halrac and Klbkch were blocking Relc’s way, and the Hobgoblin was still sitting at the table with Rags. Smiling. Just smiling.

Relc’s eye twitched. He took a deep breath, and then turned. Slowly, he walked towards the door. Relc opened it, and turned. His eyes—Erin felt her heart breaking when she saw the look in his eyes.

“I hope your damn tails fall off. All of you!”

He slammed the door so hard that Erin felt the thump from where she was standing. She wavered, unsure, and then heard the angry roar as Relc stomped back towards the city.

All the strength went out of her legs. Erin sat down, and found that Selys had put a chair underneath her bottom just in time. The other Drake grinned at Erin weakly.

“That was exciting, wasn’t it?”

Erin looked back. Selys’s smile faded. After a moment, Erin put her head on the table. She didn’t cry, but she was terribly, terribly sad.

—-

It was quite a while before anyone began eating again. Halrac and Klbkch returned to their seats silently without more than a word, and only Selys tried to fill the awful gap in the room with words.

Erin had to go upstairs to find Lyonette. The girl was hiding in her room, under her bed. She only came down when Erin reassured her that Relc was gone, and then she grabbed a plate of food and barricaded herself in her room.

It also took Erin a while to remember she’d told Toren to stand still. The skeleton was frozen in place until she told him he could go, and then he seized a bucket and walked out of the inn. Erin almost wondered if he was mad—but Toren didn’t have emotions, did he?

At their table, the two Goblins chattered quietly. Neither seemed disturbed; Rags actually looked cheerful, and her companion kept shooting glances at Erin.

And Erin herself? She felt awful.

“He was nice to me. He was the first person I ever met. The first one that didn’t try to kill me, I mean.”

“I know.”

Selys patted Erin on the back sympathetically. The two stared at their meals, neither one hungry anymore.

“That was amazing how you faced him down, though. No one picks a fight with Relc in the city when he’s mad. Even Watch Captain Zevara is careful. Relc once beat up over forty people in a fight, did you know?”

“No.”

“And that Skill! It was a Skill, wasn’t it? When you were staring at Relc, everything suddenly grew really heavy. It was like the air was trying to crush me.”

“It just sort of came out. I don’t know how I did it.”

“Well, he’s gone.”

“Yeah. But he might not ever come back.”

Selys had nothing to say to that. After a while, Erin stood up and went over to Klbkch and Halrac and thanked them for helping. Klbkch nodded and told Erin he’d speak with Relc, although she wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. Halrac just nodded.

“You’re an odd person. Brave.”

It was a compliment, Erin supposed.

It was quiet dinner, but at least it was a somewhat pleasant one. Erin chatted with Selys and Klbkch, and occasionally approached the table with the two Goblins. They just stared at her when she came over the first time, and Rags had just shrugged when Erin apologized for Relc.

Something was up with them. They kept watching Erin, but apparently they were too busy chattering in their own language, so Erin left them be.

After a few hours, Selys left. She had to go to work tomorrow, and Klbkch left too, to escort her back. Halrac lingered for an hour longer before he left, muttering about dig sites and mages.

Rags and her mysterious Hobgoblin friend left as well. Erin sensed his eyes on her as they left, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing.

And then Erin was alone. She sat in her inn, listening to Lyonette moving around overhead and wondering where Toren had gone. Her heart still hurt.

What should she do? Goblins. She felt bad at kicking Relc out but—no, she had meant every word. But Magnolia’s words still echoed in Erin’s mind.

She was weak. All those grand things the woman had talked about—Erin really was incapable of doing anything without help. She couldn’t even face Relc without everyone’s help.

So. Then. What could she do?

“Level up.”

That was her only option, wasn’t it? Erin sighed. Stronger. She had to do something. She had to make something. Somehow. Some way.

“Well, I have one idea.”

Tomorrow she could—

Someone knocked on the door. Erin frowned. A late night visitor? She wondered if she could say they were closed. She stumbled over to the door and unbolted it. Erin yanked the door open and then froze. And then she smiled, her face lighting up with joy and relief.

“Ryoka?”

—-

I am angry.

I think I’ve always been angry. Ever since I found myself disappointed by the people I looked up to. Ever since the day I stopped believing in heroes.

It’s a long story. And I guess a lot of it was my fault. Once upon a time, there was an angry girl lashing out. Rebelling.

We all go through that phase. But I never quite got over that sense of fury when I learned the world wasn’t fair. That, somehow, while I’d been handed a great life, there was still so much injustice.

At times I forget. I run and run to forget, and I ended up running into another world where I thought I could be happy.

But now it’s back. The same old fury, a snarling beast in my stomach, pounding rage seething in my heart.

The kind of emotion that would lead me to murder. And there are people in this world that are worth killing. No—not people.

Monsters. Just monsters.

The snow crunches under my feet. I walk forwards, a small Gnoll cub awkwardly padding alongside me. My stomach is empty, and I feel lightheaded.

At the end of my rope. Far past it, in truth. My two stumps on my right hand ache . I’m exhausted, hungry, injured.

And so angry.

Even now, the rage threatens to consume me. I—

I’ve never been this angry before.

I’ve felt anger before. Hot and seething. And I’ve felt fury, deep and coiling, building like a pressure cooker, ready to explode outwards with a good spark. And I’ve felt all-consuming rage, burning a hole through my mind, eradicating common sense. But this—this is different. This feeling frightens even me.

This is black fury, terrible madness that grips me. And with it, I hear the little voice I thought I’d buried. It whispers to me.

Kill everything. Kill everyone. Stab them. Gouge their eyes out. Rip them to shreds.

Let the damn world burn.

I can’t stop looking at my hand. The place where my fingers should be. And memory. I can remember Urksh and the Stone Spears tribe.

All dead.

All because of me.

Goblins. I woke up screaming two nights in a row, hand burning, infected. I scared Mrsha. Even now, the Gnoll cub is following me, but a ways away. She fears me and maybe, hates me for what I did.

The price paid for her life, and mine come to that.

I look down at her, and the Gnoll looks up at me. Her fur is so white now, the color of fresh snow. She’s almost invisible if she stops, and her brown eyes are the only real color on her body aside from her claws and nose. She is…silent.

She’s always been silent. But now Mrsha walks like a ghost. She has lost her tribe. Her family, her friends…

All because of me.

Even now I see the faerie hovering overhead. I hear Urksh, hear his voice over the sounds of his tribe dying around him.

“We offer everything.”

Did any of them survive? Any of them? Or did the entire damn army die as well? What was the price?

Mrsha stumbles, tripping over something in the snow. I stop, and she slowly gets to her feet.

She’s tired. And hungry. Neither of us have eaten.

“It’s only a little farther. Can you walk?”

She nods. I nod back. There’s nothing more to say. If I carried her I would fall within a mile.

“I’m sorry.”

How many times have I said that? How many times did I see it when I woke and remembered? Mrsha just looks up at me silently, her young eyes judging. But she can’t tell me how she feels.

It doesn’t matter. I know. I know what it’s like, to lose faith in someone you admired. I failed Mrsha. I brought her stories and then death. I gave her a small dream and then took everything she had.

I…this is all my fault*.

*Of course it isn’t. I know it isn’t. I’m not responsible for all of it. I didn’t force armies to fight or make the Goblins kill. But it is my fault. Mine alone.

Too late to go back. Too late to offer something else. She is all that remains, and I must take care of her. So I turn and look across the snowy plains.

Something flits down into my line of sight. A body made of crystal and ice. Immortality frozen into the shape of a small faerie. She looks at me.

“Yon city is but an hour’s journey away. Do not stop now.”

It almost makes me laugh. The faeries are worried about us. About me. I look at her.

“What was the price? What was paid, and what was lost?”

She looks at me in silence. It’s the same question I’ve asked every time one of them comes near. Silently, the faerie flies back up with the others.

They’ve been avoiding me. Can’t they answer?

“What did we pay? Was it really that steep a price!?”

I shout up at them. Mrsha hunkers in the snow and covers her ears with her paws. The faeries look at me, silent judges.

“Do not ask, mortal. What is done is done. Only regrets can come of knowing what might have been.”

I snap. I don’t remember seizing the rock in the snow and hurling it up at the faeries. I scream at them, my voice raw and furious.

“ Fuck you! Give me a goddamn straight answer for once you bitches! Tell me! Damn you all, you traitorous conniving demons! What was the price!? Tell me or—”

Something. I see a shivering ball of fur cowering on the ground beside me as I hurl snow and scream at the retreating faeries. I halt, stop.

Mrsha is cowering in the snow, away from me. She’s shaking so hard that it looks like she’s vibrating.

All at once, the anger goes out of me.

“Mrsha. I—”

I step towards her. She flinches away. I stop.

“I’m sorry.”

I sit in the snow, flames gone. Embers remain, but they smolder on. Yet guilt and sadness are in me now, too strong to ignore.

I’ve really made a mess of things this time, haven’t I? I thought a few potions and some alchemist’s tricks would change things. But I—

I was arrogant. And now that arrogance has cost lives. If I had levels, maybe I would have gotten to Mrsha sooner, or maybe I would have been able to fight. Maybe—

But now it’s too late. Far too late.

Ever since that night, the voice of the system or whatever it was has stopped speaking to me. Usually, every night really, I’d hear some kind of notification in my head and cancel it. [Barefoot Runner Level 1!], or [Disciple Level 3!] after the fight I had with Calruz. Yet now that I’m waiting for it, I hear nothing.

Nothing at all.

I guess it just gave up on me. Or that was part of the price I paid? I don’t know. I only know that I got away from certain death and paid for that miracle with two fingers. And I know that Mrsha survived, at the cost of her entire tribe.

Maybe they were fated to die, and this allowed one to live instead of others. Or maybe the faeries altered destiny so the tribe died instead of just Mrsha. I guess I’ll never know.

But I remember the Goblin Lord. I remember his eyes, and his damn army.

I clench my fists as Mrsha slowly stops shaking and looks up at me. I force myself to smile unconvincingly at her. But inside, the madness rears up again.

I will never forgive them. They will die. I swear it.

I am no killer. That’s what Erin told me. But those monsters deserve to die. And I will kill them, even if it means I can never go back to who I used to be.

For now, I look at Mrsha and try to make my voice soft. Reassure her. I wish I knew how. She’s just a kid. She needs an expert to help her with the trauma and loss. But I’ve been marching her relentlessly.

“I’m sorry for shouting, Mrsha. We’re nearly there. Once we get to the city, we can eat and sleep, okay? We’ll be safe there.”

I point and Mrsha squints. Liscor is visible across the rolling plains of snow in the distance. She looks uncertain.

“We’ll be safe, I promise.”

What a lie. And how could I promise that to a kid who’s just seen her family cut down around her? But Mrsha nods, trusting me and so we walk on as knives of guilt cut my stomach to ribbons.

On and on, in numb silence.

It feels like a second before I’m staring at a wooden door. I look around and blink. It’s night time. Mrsha leans against my leg, too tired to do anything else. The faeries are gone. I look around, but their glow is nowhere to be seen.

Good. I guess. My head is full of fog. I raise my left hand, my good hand, and knock.

For a minute I think no one’s coming. But there’s light in the windows. Please let her be there. Then I hear the scraping of bolts in the lock and the door opens.

Light and warmth spill out into the cold night. I blink.

“Ryoka?”

A familiar face fills the doorway. It’s strange, but she hasn’t changed a bit.

“Hi, Erin.”

She beams at me. I can barely lift my head. I’m back.

All the strength goes out of my legs. I collapse forwards, onto Erin.

She yelps and catches me just in time.

“Ryoka? What’s wrong?”

“I’m back.”

“Are you hurt? Are you tired? Hold on, let me—who’s this?”

I try to pick myself up as Erin fumbles for the door. It’s almost comedic so I smile, but then I see Mrsha peeking anxiously at Erin from the snow.

“Mrsha.”

“Who?”

Erin’s face is a picture of confusion as I turn and beckon. The Gnoll hesitates, but she steps into the warm inn and sniffs the air.

“Oh! She’s so cute! ”

Erin bends down and Mrsha leaps back out the door like a wild animal. I sigh.

“It’s okay. Erin—this is Erin Solstice, Mrsha. She’s a friend.”

A friend. I hold the door open. Mrsha hesitates, but she pads in again. This time Erin maintains a respectful distance.

“Where did she come from, Ryoka?”

How can I explain? I just sigh.

“It’s a long story. Her name is Mrsha. She’s just a kid. I brought her here because there’s nowhere else for her to go.”

Mrsha pads a bit into the room, her nails clicking on the floorboards. She’s on all fours—it seems Gnolls alternate between two and four legs and she’s still used to four legs for movement. She sniffs and stares at the dim embers in the fireplace, but she stays next to me.

Erin looks at Mrsha, eyes widening as she realizes what I mean.

“Oh no. Did you—was she lost? Or…abandoned?”

“Neither. Her tribe’s gone, Erin.”

It’s all I can say right now. Even that hurts. Erin’s eyes widen, but it takes her only a few seconds to get it. She’s lived in this world as long as I have. Possibly longer. She knows what I mean.

“I’m so sorry. Hey sweetie, are you alright?”

Erin bends down with a big smile for Mrsha. But Mrsha just edges away. She hides behind a table, staring at Erin. I can’t blame her for being afraid.

“Mrsha. It’s alright. Erin’s not dangerous. She’s nice. She’ll help look after you.”

Better than I can. Mrsha peeks up at Erin from around the table and I realize how thin she’s gotten. She barely ate after that first night, and without food—

Erin lets Mrsha sniff at her hand, but Mrsha’s still shy. She looks up at Erin with wide eyes, and I realize that she’s probably only the second Human that Mrsha’s ever met.

Too bad. If she’d met Erin first—

I close my eyes. It all hurts.

I lean on one of Erin’s tables, exhausted. My hand splays out and Erin looks down and gasps.

“Your hand— ”

I grimace. It’s still hard for me to look at the stumps. I wrapped them in some bandages, but—

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you later.”

“Tell me later? Ryoka, what hap—”

“Feed her first. She hasn’t had any food today.”

I point to Mrsha. My stomach is empty, and I’m about to pass out from hunger. Mrsha must be worse off. Her ears perk up when I say ‘food.’

Erin’s still hesitating. She’s looking at my hand, and that makes me…irritated. I know it’s bad. Haven’t I stared at it every second of every day? But that’s not important.

“Erin. Food.”

My friend jerks and Mrsha jumps back. Erin looks around wildly.

“Food? We’ve got food. There’s some leftover meat—uh—where did Toren put it?”

She raises her voice to shout for the damn skeleton.

“ T— ”

“Don’t.”

I have to raise my voice in a half-shout that scares both Erin and Mrsha. Both look at me.

“What?”

“Don’t call Toren. You’ll scare her.”

I can’t believe I have to explain it to her. My temper—it flares and goes out. Not Erin’s fault. Erin blinks at me, and then looks at Mrsha.

“Oh, right!”

My teeth grit together as Erin rushes into the kitchen and goes looking for the food. Why am I angry? I mean, why am I angry at her? It’s not Erin’s fault if she’s thoughtless—

Control yourself. I can’t trust my emotions at the moment. I take a few deep breaths as the chill leaves me and exhaustion fills my limbs. It’s okay. Everything’s okay now.

It’s really not, but I tell myself that until Erin returns. She’s got some food wrapped in cloth and she’s dusting off snow. It turns out she’s got meat—part of a roasted fowl and some sliced meat, cold bread, and cheese.

She must have put it in the snow to keep it preserved. Doesn’t she know that will attract scavengers and monsters? If she thought for one damn second—

Calm down.

Erin adds more wood to the fire as she unwraps the food.

“Sorry—you can put it near the fire to warm up. And uh, I don’t think Toren’s in the inn. He must have gone outside.”

“Fine.”

The meat is cold and hard from being kept outside. I barely taste it, but gulp it down. Mrsha’s eating just as fast. Erin watches us gobble the food up and goes to get more.

“Enough.”

I say it after a few more minutes of frantic eating. Mrsha looks at me.

“Don’t eat too much or you’ll get sick.”

Heavy food on an empty stomach. Already I feel a tiny bit nauseous, but I’m alive. Alive.

Erin hovers around me and Mrsha, a pitcher of warm milk in her hands. I know she wants to ask questions, and I don’t want to say anything. All I want to do is sleep. Sleep and not have to deal with this. But I’ve got to deal with this.

“Why didn’t you eat? I mean, didn’t you have any more food?”

No, we starved ourselves for the fun of it. I bite my lip. Calm.

“We ran out of food a day ago.”

It was either stop to forage or press on. I wasn’t sure whether I could find anything—or whether I’d be able to get out of danger if I met a monster—so we just kept moving.

Mrsha shudders. She reaches for a glass of milk and gulps it greedily. I stare at her and feel another pang. That’s one more thing I have to answer for.

Erin sees me looking. I don’t know what she sees on my face. I don’t want to know. Looking at her expression is bad enough.

“Ryoka, what happened? ”

At last, Erin puts the jug on the table and sits next to me, staring. Mrsha hesitates, but the Gnoll just edges away from Erin a bit as she chews at some scraps on her plate. I sigh.

“It’s a long story.”

“Tell me. Please? All I know is that you were going on a long delivery, but the Frost Faeries chased you away. Did they do this?”

“No.”

They might have. But—they’re malicious, deceitful, antagonistic—and yet, I know they like children. No, they would never have organized this, even if they could.

And Erin’s staring at me. Just staring. I want to tell her, but I don’t. I want to bury the memories forever, and another part of me wants to confess my failure.

I hesitate. Mrsha’s still sitting here. But she’s not going to let me put her to bed so easily. And it needs to be said. So I look at Erin.

“Fine.”

No one else has to know. I may never tell the entirety of what passed again. But Erin knows me. I know Erin. We haven’t known each other for long, but I trust her. More than almost anyone in this damn world. She helped save Ceria with me. She…

Might understand.

Slowly, I begin to speak. I tell Erin everything that passed since I ran out her inn being chased by the faeries. Some of it is unimportant. The long days of being tormented by them – meaningless now. They’re almost pleasant memories to what came next.

And I can’t describe what passed in the Gnoll’s camp. I just tell Erin I entertained the faeries with stories and leave it at that. What I felt then is too precious to break down into a mere words.

Then comes the battle between the two armies. And the Necromancer. Erin listens, asking questions I don’t answer, wondering, speculating. But this is all a prelude.

When I speak of the night that Mrsha lost everything, the Gnoll child flattens herself to the ground and covers her eyes with her paws, shaking. Tears trickle down her face. Erin looks at her but I keep going.

It must be said. And it’s so easy, too.

“I struck a bargain with the faeries. They helped save Mrsha and me, but the Stone Spears tribe—all of them—we left them behind to the Goblins. The army was in retreat and I ran with the faeries. They froze everything in our way. I don’t know what happened to the others.”

The memories almost wipe the living world from me. I see ghosts, blood, and death. But the world swims back into vision when I hear Erin crying.

She’s crying. My eyes are dry. Erin’s shoulder shake as she stares at me. It hurts. Her sympathy hurts. I look away.

Erin wipes tears from her eyes. She goes to pet Mrsha, but the Gnoll jerks away. She scampers under a table and curls up into a ball.

Heartbreak. My eyes are dry, and my soul is bleeding. I look at Erin.

“We came back. The faeries are still around. Mrsha has nowhere to go. Can you take care of her at your inn?”

“Of—of course. Absolutely. No problem.”

Erin looks around for something to blow her nose on. In the end she runs into the kitchen and comes out with a dirty rag. I eye her as she wipes the snot from her face.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

“You’ve said that. It happened.”

Nothing can change that. I sit at the table and stare at my fingers. So much, and yet so little. Not enough of a price, and yet—

They’re gone. Forever. No potion will bring them back. Not even Magnolia’s healer friend can restore missing body parts, just restore damaged ones.

Gone forever. A small price to pay.

“The Goblin Lord is still out there.”

I clench my hand, ignoring the pain. I sense Erin grow still as she sits next to me. I look at her.

“You need to be careful. His army was many days south of here, but he could come north. If he does—”

“If he does we’ll see. But for now you’re safe. I’ll lock the doors and Toren should be back. I’ll tell him to guard the inn.”

“Fine.”

Erin fidgets in her seat. I look at her. Why is she so easy to read? Doesn’t she have any…

“What is it, Erin?”

She hesitates.

“Um. Rags is in the area. With another Goblin.”

Silence. In my heart. I feel my fingers throbbing.

“Keep her away. If I see a Goblin right now I will kill it.”

I meet Erin’s eyes. Mine feel like they’re burning. She looks startled, but not afraid. Have I ever seen Erin afraid? But then her expression clouds and I see…disappointment.

It makes me angry. How can she judge me, when she’s heard what happened? How can she let Goblins into this inn?

How can—

I need her. I try to stuff the insanity welling up in my chest further down, but it keeps bubbling up. Pockets of madness.

“What happened here?”

I ask to distract myself. I don’t know that I really care. Erin hesitates. Now she looks worried.

“Oh, nothing much. Nothing…too important.”

“Erin.”

“Well…okay, some stuff happened.”

“Tell me.”

Hesitate. Fidget. She looks at Mrsha, and then at her hands. I stare at her. At last, Erin gives in and begins to chatter nervously.

“Oh I met some Gold-rank adventurer’s after I took this girl into my inn. She’s sort of annoying but they were going to let her die in the cold if I didn’t help. So that led to a fight and then I found out the faerie flowers were useful and I kicked Relc out after he got mad at Rags’ Goblin friend and ImaybewenttoseeLadyMagnoliatoday and—”

It’s like someone’s sent a jolt of electricity down my spine. My eyes fly open, and my heart begins to beat again. Anger stirs in my chest, a dark, twisting thing.

“What did you just say?”

“I met Lady Magnolia. Look, she sent a carriage to my inn, Ryoka, and I thought—”

“You just got in, didn’t you? Just like that, without a second damn thought?”

“I—”

Erin spreads her hands out helplessly. As if to say ‘what should I have done’? It makes me even angrier. My voice rises, and Mrsha, half-dozing, looks up.

“What did you tell her?”

“Um.”

Erin scratches her head. She can’t even remember.

“Nothing much…? But she knows I’m from our world. I mean, another world. And uh, she’s got other people.”

“Other people from our world?”

Damn her. My heart is beating faster. Erin nods.

“Yeah, she’s got a bunch of girls and guys. They’re younger than us, but they want to become adventurers. But uh, Magnolia doesn’t want them to leave. She’s afraid they’ll tell the secrets of our world.”

“And she knows those secrets? She knows everything?”

Erin can’t meet my eye.

“…Yeah. She knows about guns and stuff.”

“ Fuck. ”

I hit the table with my good hand. Erin looks worried. She reaches out to me, but I knock her hand away.

“I didn’t tell her anything important, Ryoka! She just wanted to know if I could be trusted. She tried to use a Skill on me, but it didn’t work—”

“ You shouldn’t have been near her in the first place!”

I jab at Erin with one finger. She looks indignant.

“Why not? You met her!”

“Before I knew how dangerous she was. But you—you should have thought before you spoke to her! Did you even hesitate? Or did you see a shiny coach and just decide to get in?”

“Ryoka, that’s not what happened. Listen.”

Erin frowns, but I’m done listening. The beast is in my chest, and the fury is consuming my mind. Too late.

“No. You listen. You going to meet Magnolia is exactly what she wanted. She knows you’re from another world now, you idiot! She had no way of telling, but you gave it away—probably the instant she suggested she knew! And now she knows I know you, she’ll use you to get to me!”

“She wouldn’t do—”

Erin hesitates. Even she can’t finish that sentence. I glare at her. Something’s in my chest. It has control of my tongue.

“You don’t think. You just dance to her strings like a damn puppet, you moron .”

The other girl’s brows snap together.

“Don’t say it like that. I didn’t do anything wrong! I think Magnolia’s on our side.”

“On our side? ”

Something in me snaps. All of the hatred, the anger, the frustration and fear and loss—it spews out of me, like poison.

“You fucking idiot. Don’t you ever think? No. you don’t. You just go ahead and do whatever’s in your empty head without a second’s regard for the consequences. Because of you, one of the most dangerous people in the world knows your secret and she’ll never give up. This is all your fault, you airheaded brat. ”

I can’t stop the torrent. I don’t even want to. Erin stares at me first in shock and hurt, and then outrage.

“I’m not an idiot! Ryoka, just listen—”

“Shut up.”

“No! You shut up and listen!”

“So I can hear more of the lies Magnolia’s put in your head? But you believe what she’s told you without any doubt. Just how stupid are you!?”

I’m going too far. I know it, but I can’t stop. Erin’s face freezes.

“Don’t call me stupid.”

“Why not? You’re the dumbest person I’ve ever met.”

“Ryoka. I’m warning you—”

“Oh? And what will you do?”

“Just don’t call me names! Listen to me for a second!”

“No. Fuck you. You’re an incompetent buffoon.”

I poke Erin in the chest, hard. Too far. Stop. Erin grabs my hand.

“Don’t touch m—”

I throw her. Erin slams into the table and I realize I’ve gone too far. She gets up fast. I raise my hands.

I want to fight. I want to hit something. But the rest of me wants to stop. A voice is screaming inside my head, the same voice that shouted when I fought Calruz.

But it’s too loud. Everything hurts. My heart is in pieces. I just want to hit something, and get hit back. Maybe then—

Erin swings at me. Slow. Clumsy. I step back and punch her. With my bad hand. My stumps collide with her chest and I grab at my hand in agony.

While I’m bent over, Erin clenches her fist. She punches at my chest. I see the blow coming a mile away. I raise my arms to block—

—-

Thump.

The impact was so heavy it made Ryoka’s entire world disappear for a second. The impact sent her flying backwards. Ryoka flipped over the table and hit the floor. She lay there, silent and breathless for a few seconds, before she gasped and rolled to one side.

Erin stood, shaking as she stared at Ryoka. [Minotaur Punch]. She hadn’t meant to use it. She hesitated. Should she go and help—

Something sharp stabbed into Erin’s ankle. She screamed in pain as it began to gnaw at her flesh, like needles jabbing into her skin.

“ Aaaah! ”

Erin shouted and waved her arms in a panic as she tried to shake off the thing that was biting her. She managed to fling it off and then saw Mrsha fly through the air. The Gnoll child crashed into a table and fell to the ground, whimpering in pain.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry— ”

Ignoring her bleeding ankle, Erin rushed over. Mrsha blinked as she got to all fours, and then her eyes focused on Erin. She snapped and Erin nearly lost a finger. Mrsha leapt at Erin, and the girl yelled in pain as Mrsha tried to claw at her face.

“ Mrsha! Stop! ”

The Gnoll paused. She looked over as Ryoka got to her feet. The other girl was clutching at her chest, wincing, but she was unharmed. She pointed at Erin.

“Get off of her.”

The Gnoll hesitated. Then she leapt off of Erin, her needle claws digging into Erin’s flesh one last time. She ran to Ryoka and circled the girl anxiously.

Slowly, Erin stood up and looked at Ryoka. The other girl met her eyes. The anger that had been smoldering in her gaze was suddenly gone, extinguished by the brief fight. She looked down at Mrsha, and then back at Erin.

Neither girl seemed to know what to say. Erin stood and stared at Ryoka, still feeling the pain in her chest from where the girl had poked her. Her ears were still red, and she was angry—

Until she looked at Ryoka’s fingers. And Ryoka’s fury was gone too. She sagged, and suddenly seemed a hundred years old.

“I’m sorry, Erin.”

“No. I’m sorry too.”

Awkwardly, Erin walked over and helped Ryoka sit down. The Asian girl winced as she sat and touched her chest.

“What was that?”

“Uh, [Minotaur Punch]. It’s…a skill. I shouldn’t have used it. I’m sorry.”

“Strong. If I hadn’t blocked it would have cracked my ribs. Nearly did anyways.”

Ryoka took a few deep breaths, wincing. She nodded at Mrsha as the Gnoll circled her legs.

“I’m sorry Mrsha bit you.”

“No—it was my—”

“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have said any of that.”

Ryoka stared blankly at the table. Erin didn’t know what to say. At last, Ryoka looked up.

“Strong. I guess that’s what levels give you, isn’t it? Power.”

“Yeah?”

Erin didn’t know what Ryoka meant, but the girl nodded. She stared at the table again, and her hands.

“If I had levels, I could have saved them. Maybe.”

From an army? Erin opened her mouth and then closed it again. Ryoka’s eyes glistened as she looked at Mrsha. The Gnoll was just staring up at her. Slowly, the girl bent and patted the Gnoll on the head. She curled up around Ryoka’s feet. Shivering.

Silence fell as the two sat with each other. Mrsha’s rapid breathing slowed as she curled around Ryoka, and as time passed by, her body relaxed. Her breath came more slowly, and then crawled. Mrsha slept.

Ryoka stared down at Mrsha’s slumbering body. She looked at Erin, and saw the other girl was barely hurt. But Ryoka could feel her lungs still working for air, and felt the pain from that one punch in her chest. She smiled bitterly.

“I guess I’m weak, huh?”

So weak. Even Erin was stronger. Ryoka stared at her hands. They shook. The bloody bandages around her stumps were coming loose. Erin watched as Ryoka raised them.

“I’m so weak. I couldn’t save anyone. I just watched them die, Erin.”

“I know.”

Erin knew what Ryoka meant. The girl looked at Erin. She was shaking all over now. Ryoka was coming apart at the seams. Her eyes were full of liquid. Tears.

“I tried—”

“I know.”

“I really did—”

“I know, Ryoka. I know.”

Ryoka grabbed at Erin’s arm. Her grip was strong, but she was shaking.

“I couldn’t do a thing , Erin. Not one thing. They’re all dead because of me.”

“It’s not your fault, Ryoka. It’s not.”

“It is. I caused this.”

“No.”

“I couldn’t do anything. ”

Erin hugged Ryoka. She felt the girl freeze up, and then Ryoka broke down. She began to sob, slowly, and then into Erin’s shirt. Erin held Ryoka as the tears came at last, the dam breaking, the unshed sorrows spilling out in the safety of Erin’s inn at last.

In the silence of the night, Erin held Ryoka as the girl cried into her arms. Tears rolled down the other girl’s face. She grabbed Erin, clutching at her shirt as if she were hanging on for her life.

“I couldn’t do anything, Erin. I couldn’t—”

“I know. Shh. I know.”

From the staircase, another girl stared down at the two girls sitting in the common room. She spoke not a word. Out in the snowy landscape, a skeleton prowled, hunting, killing. He did it to feel alive.

And on the floor of the inn, a small Gnoll slept. She didn’t hear the agony in Ryoka’s voice or even notice the tears that fell onto her snow-white fur. She slept, not caring if she lived or died when she woke.

Ryoka felt the world spinning around her. Nothing was right. But there was someone hugging her, her one anchor in a world full of pain. She cried into Erin’s arms, letting all of the pain out, sobbing and wishing the past few days had never happened. Wishing she had the power to change the past. Wishing she were stronger. Remembering the dead.

Outside, the snow began to fall again. More and more, until it seemed the world would be covered in it. On Izril, Terandria, and even Baleros and Chandrar. The snow fell as Ryoka wept.

2.40

Erin woke up to the sound of snuffling. She opened her eyes fast; when you hear something large and unfamiliar moving around your face, sleep tends to be a lesser concern.

To Erin’s relief she wasn’t being attacked by mutant caterpillar pig monsters. Instead, she saw Mrsha, the small white-furred Gnoll rooting around her cupboards. She was pawing through Erin’s meticulously organized shelves, sniffing at what she found.

“Hey.”

Erin said it softly, but Mrsha still freaked out. The Gnoll turned and scampered out of the kitchen, fur standing straight on end.

“No, wait, I didn’t mean—”

The young woman rolled out of her blankets, tried to stand, tripped, and smacked her toe against the cupboard.

When Erin had stopped whimpering she found Mrsha in the common room, hiding under a table and staring at Erin. It was like having a wild animal in her inn, except that Mrsha’s eyes were far more intelligent than any animal Erin had ever seen. She stared at Erin warily as the girl halted.

“Hi Mrsha. You’re awake, aren’t you? Are you hungry? Do you want food?”

Erin kept her voice low and soothing. Mrsha made no move, but she backed up a bit as Erin stepped forwards. The girl stopped.

What should she do? Ryoka was currently upstairs, sleeping, and Erin had no desire to wake her. Carefully, Erin walked back into the kitchen and looked around.

Mrsha’s nose twitched as Erin came back out a few minutes later with some fried sausage and scrambled eggs. She stared fixedly at it, but she retreated to another table, hiding between the chair legs as Erin approached.

Carefully, making no sudden moves, Erin put the plate on the floor. Mrsha stared at it, and then watched as Erin retreated to the kitchen. Erin hid herself behind the door frame and waited.

After a few seconds of staring at the plate and Erin’s half-visible head, Mrsha made her move. She darted out from the table and stopped at the plate. She began to gobble down the food on the plate, licking her paws greedily as she scarfed the food.

It was adorable to Erin the way Mrsha licked the plate clean with her tongue and washed her paws and face. Adorable, and heartbreaking. Ryoka had told her what had happened to Mrsha’s tribe. She was all alone now.

What was she supposed to do next? Mrsha burped and Erin decided to attempt contact once more. Her ankle still hurt from Mrsha’s bite yesterday, but she had been punching Ryoka at the time.

When Erin approached again, this time with a glass of water in her hands, Mrsha tensed, but didn’t run.

“Hey cutie. Here’s a glass of water. Are you thirsty?”

Mrsha peered suspiciously up at Erin. She accepted the glass of water and drank messily. She was still clumsy enough that she slopped a lot of water onto the floor, but Erin didn’t care. Mrsha flinched a bit as Erin sat next to her, until Erin offered her a hand.

“I’m sorry I kicked you last night. Ryoka and I just had a fight. But I’m not mean, okay?”

The Gnoll child blinked at Erin’s hand. Then she sniffed it. Erin kept very still as Mrsha’s whiskers tickled her skin. The Gnoll grabbed Erin’s hand with her own paws, and Erin was relieved not to feel the sharp claws, but instead the much softer pads on the Gnoll’s paws.

Mrsha inspected each of Erin’s fingers with great interest, flexing them, pulling them apart and together, even patting them. Then she hesitated, and licked Erin’s skin.

“Hey! That tickles! ”

Erin laughed and pulled away. Mrsha looked alarmed, but when she saw Erin laughing something changed. The Gnoll put her paws on Erin’s leg and looked at Erin inquisitively.

“Go ahead. I won’t move.”

Erin did her best, but she wasn’t prepared for Mrsha’s curiosity. The Gnoll prowled around her, poking at Erin’s body, her sides, even patting Erin’s breasts which elicited a yelp of surprise. The small Gnoll was soon all over Erin, and Erin was laughing as she finger-combed Mrsha’s hair when Ryoka walked downstairs.

Ryoka Griffin was still numb, but better. Incomparably better than yesterday, in truth. She remembered the empty bleakness in her soul like a nightmare. Now she was still hollow, but there was something inside of her. Something warm that came from a full night of sleep in a warm bed and hot meal.

She walked softly down the stairs and saw Mrsha sitting in Erin’s lap as the young woman ran her hands through Mrsha’s soft hair. Erin was humming a song under her breath, and Mrsha was swaying to the sound.

Ryoka paused and watched the scene for a little while. Erin was singing the doe rei mi song.

“ Me, a name I call myself. Fa, far, a long, long way to run… ”

Mrsha’s eyes were closed. The child wasn’t smiling, but her face was…peaceful. Ryoka wiped her eyes and waited until they finished stinging before she walked into the room.

“Ryoka!”

The Gnoll’s eyes shot open at Ryoka’s name. She leapt out of Erin’s lap and ran on all fours around Ryoka.

“Mrsha. Hi.”

Ryoka raised her hands as Mrsha leapt around her like an excited dog. Mrsha stood up and reached for her. Ryoka hesitated.

“Here.”

Erin lifted Mrsha up. The Gnoll squirmed, but then started licking Ryoka’s face and sniffing her. Ryoka recoiled, but held in place as Erin stared at her.

“Morning, Erin.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Ryoka scratched at her hair. She avoided staring at Erin. The two stood awkwardly until Mrsha wriggled out of Erin’s hands. That broke the spell.

“You want food? I’ve got lots.”

“Sure.”

Ryoka sat awkwardly at a table as Erin disappeared into the kitchen. Mrsha tried to follow Erin in, but Ryoka called her back. Mrsha sat on the floor and fidgeted until Erin came back with crepes of all things. Ryoka stared at the steaming food until Erin plonked down some butter and a bowl of sugar.

“How…?”

It wasn’t that Erin had made the crepes; it was that she’d been in the kitchen for less than twenty minutes and she’d already fried up a stack large enough for Ryoka, Mrsha, and Erin herself. And she’d managed to cook some more sliced sausage up on another plate.

“Oh, I’ve got [Advanced Cooking] and I figured out how to make pancakes earlier. Try some, they’re really good!”

Erin handed Ryoka a fork and then dug into her own plate. Mrsha was already patting one of the hot crepes with a paw, waiting until it was cool enough for her to eat.

“No, here, darling.”

Gently, Erin wrapped Mrsha’s paw around a fork and showed her how to cut and pick up the crepes. Mrsha was clumsy, but she soon began to spear oversized bites of crepe and dip them into butter and sugar before transferring them into her mouth.

Normally that kind of excessive gluttony would be remarked on—at least in Ryoka’s house. But Erin was doing the same and Ryoka herself put back quite a number of crepes before she even began to feel full.

“That was good. Really good.”

“I’m glad. You ate more than I thought, but we’ve got leftovers. I guess Lyon can eat them.”

Erin covered the plate with a cloth as Ryoka frowned.

“Lyon? Who’s that?”

“Oh—oh, right! I forgot, you haven’t met Lyon! She’s probably still sleeping upstairs.”

Ryoka’s eyes flicked to the stairwell. She hadn’t even noticed there were other people in the inn. But now that she was finally thinking again, a hundred questions and thoughts were pushing through her mind.

She couldn’t help it. It was her nature. But part of Ryoka felt she shouldn’t be wondering and planning. Everything she did hurt people. What good were her opinions?

But then Ryoka looked at Erin as the girl laughed at Mrsha’s attempts to steal sugar from the bowl. Flawed as she might be, she could still help Erin who sometimes didn’t think enough.

“So this Lyonette is a new employee? Did you hire Ceria too, or is she in the city?”

Erin paused.

“Um. No. Ceria’s gone north. She’s gone back to adventuring.”

Ryoka held quite still as her thoughts paused. She didn’t swear, and she clamped down on her immediate response. Because Mrsha was sitting in her chair, happy and bloated. Ryoka would slice off the rest of her fingers before she disturbed the child’s moment of peace.

“I guess a lot has happened. You’d better tell me all of it, Erin.”

“Oh—sure. But uh…”

Erin’s eyes slid sideways to Mrsha. The kid was staring at a crumb on the table.

“Uh, what are you going to do about her, Ryoka?”

“I don’t know.”

“You said she’s by herself? Does she have any…anyone…?”

Ryoka closed her eyes. Something dark squeezed her heart.

“I don’t know. I…doubt it. And I have no idea who to ask.”

Memory flared in her head.

“What about that Gnoll you know? Krshia, right? Could we ask her for help?”

Mrsha’s ears perked up at the word ‘Gnoll’. She looked over at the two Humans. They exchanged a glance.

“Um, well, the food was good, right Ryoka?”

“Right.”

“How about I find something for Mrsha to do? Hey Mrsha, you must be bored. Do you want to play with uh, some things, sweetie?”

Mrsha cocked her head at Erin. Ryoka stared too, raising her eyebrows silently. Erin hesitated, and then ran into the kitchen. Both Gnoll and Human heard banging and doors opening, and then reemerged with an armful of ladles, rolling pins, and other cooking equipment.

As a ploy to distract Mrsha, Ryoka thought it could never work. But she’d forgotten that Mrsha wasn’t a child in a first world country, and she’d probably been banned from hanging around the cooking pots in the Stone Spears tribe’s camp. She immediately scooted over to the cooking equipment and began inspecting it with interest.

Erin sighed as she and Ryoka relocated a few tables down to talk. They kept their voices low, in case the young Gnoll was listening.

“Good thinking, Erin.”

“I guess she’ll play with those for a while. But I don’t know what to do, Ryoka. She needs someone to look after her, and proper toys and stuff. Not…”

“I know.”

“And she’s so sad, Ryoka.”

“You can tell?”

Ryoka stared at Mrsha as the Gnoll inspected the various cooking utensils Erin had brought out. She was half like a normal toddler in that she tasted everything, but she was clearly older and smaller. It must be a Gnoll quality to want to smell and taste everything.

Erin nodded.

“She’s just like a kid. I mean, a Human kid. She’s really curious, but every now and then when I was playing with her she’d…how bad was it?”

“Bad.”

Ryoka saw the Gnolls falling around her, and the Goblins screaming and cutting both Drakes and Gnolls apart. She shuddered. Erin stared at Ryoka, and then looked at Mrsha.

“What should we do with her?”

We. It was just like Erin, to immediately put herself into the problem and look for a solution. Ryoka half-smiled.

“I guess we need to talk to Krshia. She’d probably be willing to help, right?”

She vaguely remembered Erin having a good relationship with the Gnoll, but now Erin hesitated. She looked at the table and twiddled her thumbs.

“Um. There’s this thing with Krshia. ”

“What thing?”

“Well—”

Erin began explaining in a rather confused way a story about Gnolls and burning shops when Ryoka heard someone moving upstairs. Ryoka turned, and saw Lyon.

The young woman stood staring down at the room. Mrsha had gone silent as she appeared at the head of the stairs, but Lyonette’s eyes were fixed on Ryoka and Erin. She stared at the two girls, and then spoke in a haughty voice.

“I am awake. Where is breakfast?”

Ryoka watched Erin’s face change in a second. Her bright smile disappeared and she sighed. Ryoka stared at the other girl.

“Who the hell is that, Erin?”

“Oh—that’s Lyon.”

The other girl had heard her. She descended the stairs with chin raised.

“That is Lyonette de Marquin, peon. ”

She was wearing somewhat ragged travelling clothes, and her hands were dirty from work. But she still conducted herself like some of the haughty girls Erin had sometimes seen, those born into money.

“Ryoka, meet Lyonette du…something. She’s uh, an employee I’ve hired.”

“I am pleased to meet you, Ryoka. I trust you will conduct yourself with the appropriate manners in my presence?”

Ryoka eyed Lyon as Erin scowled. She shrugged.

“Perhaps.”

Lyonette’s brows flashed together, but before she could speak, Erin interrupted.

“I’ve got some crepes in the kitchen, Lyonette. You can have them or some porridge. Or cereal. Help yourself.”

The haughty girl sniffed, but she went without another word. Ryoka stared at Erin.

“An employee?”

“Sort of. I mean, yes, but she’s not a good one.”

Erin rubbed at her eyes as Lyonette poked her head back into the common room.

“Where are the forks?”

“The drawer next to the cutting board.”

“Very well.”

“So, is she some kind of noble?”

“Yeah, she says—”

“Where are the cups?”

Erin’s left eye twitched.

“I’ve told you, it’s in the cupboard above the forks.”

“Ah.”

Ryoka watched Lyonette disappear. Mrsha had stopped playing with a ladle and was staring at the kitchen with interest.

“She reminds me of a female Pisces.”

“Even he wasn’t this bad.”

“So why haven’t you fired her?”

Erin shrugged helplessly.

“Because I can’t. She’s got nowhere to go, Ryoka. And if I send her north a monster will eat her. And she can’t go into the city because all the Gnolls want to kill her.”

Ryoka raised both her eyebrows. Erin shook her head.

“It’s a long, long story. And it’s actually why I’m not talking to Krshia, actually.”

“Then tell me. Start with—no, tell me what happened from the start. Let’s do this right.”

It took a while for Erin to relate the entire story, but for once, Ryoka managed to listen to all of it without many interruptions. Lyonette returned with her breakfast and ate in a corner. Mrsha abandoned her playing to stare at Lyon. Both girls tensed when Mrsha sniffed around Lyonette’s legs and the other girl froze up, but surprisingly, Lyonette let Mrsha paw at her without any screaming or noticeable revulsion.

“…And so now I can’t buy anything from any Gnoll shopkeepers, and I haven’t talked with Krshia since. I’ve been meaning to, but after all these adventurers came by and Magnolia wanted to chat…”

Erin spread her hands out helplessly. Ryoka nodded absently as she looked at Lyonette. She hadn’t exactly had a good impression of the girl from the start, but she was now right above Persua on Ryoka’s dislike list.

“And that’s what she’s like all the time? Just…”

Ryoka waved a hand at Lyon as the girl stared at Mrsha and the Gnoll stared back. Erin nodded miserably.

“Erin…”

“I know. But I didn’t know she was like that!”

Both girls watched as Mrsha scooted closer. Lyon hesitated, but then she gently patted Mrsha on the head. She began to scratch Mrsha behind the ears and the Gnoll child leaned into Lyon’s side. For once, Lyonette wasn’t scowling.

“That’s odd. Normally she runs away from anyone with fur or scales. Or dirty hands.”

Ryoka nodded. Then she spoke the thought that had coalesced in her mind ever since Erin had described meeting Lyonette.

“She’s a princess.”

Erin paused. Then she turned and stared at Ryoka.

“What?”

Ryoka nodded at Lyonette.

“She’s a runaway princess. She has to be.”

“Well, I know she says she’s noble, but a princess?”

The incredulous look Ryoka received did nothing to faze her. She shook her head.

“She is a princess. How can you not see that?”

“How are you seeing that?”

The other girl began to tick points off on her fingers.

“Running away from a royal family, calling other people peons, countless powerful magical artifacts, haughty attitude.”

She looked at Erin.

“How many stories do you know of where the princess runs away? Look at the way she acts—not to mention the fact that she seems to think Magnolia would just take her in. We’re in a world that has dragons and magic, Erin. Lyonette is a princess from Terandria. They have several royal families there.”

It was a lesson in facial expressions to watch Erin’s face. Incredulity turned to thoughtful contemplation, and then uneasy suspicion which became shock and realization, which finally merged into reluctant acceptance and deep regret.

“Oh my god.”

Ryoka patted Erin on the shoulder as the girl slumped to the table.

“She might not be a princess. But she’s probably among the high nobility, at least.”

“How could I not have seen it?”

“The important thing is what happens next.”

Erin looked up.

“Like what? Send her home? How would I even…? You said she’s probably from Terandria? That’s another continent. I can’t send her back there!”

“I’m not suggesting you do. But you have to do something about her. She’s a danger to you if she stays here.”

“Because someone will come looking for her?”

Ryoka nodded. Her mind was already racing with possibilities.

“To bring her back—or kill her. Or use her as a hostage. Either way, you’ll be a loose end to tie up. Maybe she’s not that important if Magnolia isn’t interested in her, but she’s clearly some rich person’s daughter.”

“ Noooooooooooo… ”

Erin moaned as she covered her face in her hands.

“Why is my life so hard? What do I do? I don’t need this!”

She lowered her hands and stared at Ryoka.

“What do I do? What can we do?”

“Think.”

“What?”

Ryoka tapped the table.

“Calm down. Just think. Lyonette is a problem, but from what you’ve told me, she’s not the only thing on your plate. You’ve got lots of problems.”

Erin looked down.

“I know.”

“And I’ll help you with them.”

There was a pause, and then Erin looked up. Ryoka didn’t exactly meet her eyes. She cleared her throat awkwardly. Her face was hot, but she knew what she had to say. It was just hard.

“I…said a lot of things I shouldn’t have last night, Erin. I’m sorry.”

“What? No, Ryoka, I know it was really tough. I’m sorry for hitting you.”

Ryoka rubbed at her chest. Her ribs still hurt.

“No, it was my fault. It’s just—a lot of things have happened. That army of Goblins is a real threat. But from what Magnolia told you, that might be the least of the things that’s about to hit the continent. And we’re about to be caught in all of it.”

Erin caught her breath. When Ryoka said it like that, everything seemed so much more overwhelming. She had no idea what to do, and said so.

“What should we do, then? I mean all these problems—what are you going to do, Ryoka? Do you have a plan?”

She had nothing like a plan. Ryoka stared at her hand. She had nothing. She didn’t know what to do. But now Erin was counting on her too. She had to keep going. She couldn’t falter. Not now.

“Next? I guess the next thing I have to do is collect my reward from Teriarch. Once I do that, I need to deal with Lady Magnolia. Then…I don’t know.”

Ryoka stared down at her maimed hand.

“I’ve got to finish this delivery. When I do, I’ll come back and help you.”

She looked at Mrsha. But then felt something. Erin touched Ryoka’s good fingers gently.

“Don’t go. Stay here for a while.”

The taller girl shook her head. Her legs felt like lead and her mind was still heavy. But she had to see this through. She had not told Erin who Teriarch really was. A Dragon. Maybe he would have the answers to all of this. Maybe—

“I have to go. I have a job, Erin.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to go today . Or even tomorrow. Ryoka, you looked half dead when you came in! And then there’s Mrsha and all this stuff that’s happening here…stay here.”

Ryoka hesitated. She looked at Mrsha again. The Gnoll was leaning against the table where Lyon sat, eyes closed. Could she just leave Mrsha here and run on?

No. Of course not. Ryoka closed her eyes and nodded.

“That was stupid of me. I’ll stay. At least for a day.”

“Good! Then we can do something together!”

Ryoka opened one eye and stared at Erin.

“Like what?”

“Something. Anything!”

Erin looked at Ryoka. She smiled in excitement.

“We’ve never actually done anything together. I mean, we went into the city that one time and I sang on the inn’s roof, but besides that…”

Ryoka nodded slowly. She looked at Mrsha, and then at the inn. This inn. This place where she felt safe. Somewhere to go home to. Slowly, she began to realize what she had to do.

“Okay. Let’s do something.”

The [Innkeeper] smiled.

“Great! What should we do? We could get a bath. You and Mrsha, uh, sort of smell. Or we can visit the city. Or—”

“Let’s go see Krshia.”

Erin froze.

“What, now? But—”

“As long as Lyonette’s here, she’s a problem. Those Gnolls won’t give up after just one attempt. At least, that Brunkr might not. I want to be sure you’re safe. And I…need to tell them what happened.”

Erin nodded slowly. Ryoka stood up, and stared out the window. The sky was clear, but snow had fallen heavily. Her body was tired, but she kept moving. She had to keep moving.

She had a duty now. A mission.

Ryoka stood, and shouldered the debt she carried. It weighed her down and gave her a purpose. She looked at Mrsha and knew what she had to do.

—-

Erin walked down Market Street in Liscor and felt like nothing had changed. And yet, the feeling in her bones was like that of a traveller coming home after many years.

How long had it been since she’d walked down these stalls looking for that familiar brown fur and calling voice? Too long. Just a week or two had passed and yet—

She missed her friend.

It took Erin a while to spot Krshia’s shop. That was also because she was walking with Ryoka and Mrsha; while Ryoka could easily keep pace, Mrsha was not so quick. The Gnoll child kept pausing to stare around the market or dart off after some interesting sight or smell, and Ryoka and Erin kept having to go after her. Eventually, Ryoka ended up dragging a reluctant Mrsha along by the paw.

But at last, they were through the market and nearing the intersection when Erin saw two familiar figures. Krshia stood behind her shop’s counter, arguing with her nephew Brunkr.

It was all the same. And yet, it wasn’t. Not nearly.

Erin remembered Krshia had always been in the center of Market Street, with one of the biggest shops and many customers. But now—

Now she had a small stand, with a few items on display. It was so far from the bountiful shop she’d kept stocked that it hurt Erin’s heart. And neither was the Gnoll smiling and laughing with her customers. Her ears were flat against her skull and she was snapping at Brunkr.

“—go back if you are so impatient! Tell them, yes, tell them of my failure! But here I am still the leader, am I not? If you go against my wishes, you defy the Chieftain!”

“You are not the sole leader here, Aunt!”

Brunkr wasn’t wearing his sword and shield, but he was still taller than Krshia. His fists were clenched, and both Drakes and Gnolls were walking wide of him. Erin stopped as she saw the two, uncertain.

Someone bumped into her. Ryoka cursed under her breath as Mrsha tried to tug her into a queue of people lined up to buy some grilled meat that smelled wonderful in the cold air.

“Mrsha, no! You can’t—Erin! Can you hold her?”

Ryoka looked over and saw Krshia and Brunkr. She paused, but didn’t let go of Mrsha who was practically drooling.

“That’s Brunkr?”

Krshia was growling at Brunkr, and he was making the same noise. It looked as if they were about to attack each other at any second. In short, not the atmosphere Erin wanted to have a reunion in.

“Yeah. Should we—?”

Ryoka hesitated for a second. Then she thrust Mrsha’s paw into Erin’s hand. Erin lifted the Gnoll into her arms and watched Ryoka. The young woman walked straight into the argument between the two Gnolls.

“Krshia Silverfang? My name is Ryoka Griffin. We need to speak.”

Both Gnolls shut up and stared at Ryoka. Erin held her breath and Mrsha stared as Ryoka faced both Gnolls down without a hint of fear. Tall as Ryoka was, both Gnolls were taller and bigger than she was.

Brunkr glared at Ryoka.

“Another Human? Go away. We are busy. This is a matter between me and my Aunt.”

“I’m a friend of Erin Solstice’s.”

Ryoka jerked a thumb over her shoulder at Erin. Krshia’s eyes widened when she saw Erin and Mrsha, but Brunkr just growled.

“I do not care. Go away.”

He tried to loom over Ryoka, but she didn’t even bat an eyelid.

“And who are you supposed to be?”

“I am Brunkr, warrior of the Silverfang tribe. And I—”

“Okay. Piss off. I need to talk to someone important.”

Erin’s mouth fell open. Mrsha’s ears flattened and suddenly she was the one clinging to Erin. Brunkr’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth.

“You dare? You dare to insult me? You?”

Cold sweat ran down Erin’s back. She’d thought Ryoka had gotten better—or at least she wasn’t crazily angry anymore. But she wasn’t showing many signs of sanity at the moment. What should Erin do?

But Ryoka seemed to have a plan of her own. She calmly stared at Brunkr as the Gnoll drew back his lips and bared his teeth.

“I dare. I dare because there are more important things than you, little Gnoll. Krshia Silverfang. The Stone Spears tribe is gone .”

The street went silent. Ryoka’s raised voice caused a hush and a pause as every single Gnoll on the street within hearing—and that was quite a radius—stopped and stared at her. Brunkr had drawn in his breath to roar, but now he froze, eyes wide.

Krshia stared at Ryoka. Her eyes flicked to Erin, and only now seemed to notice Mrsha. She took a step back, and for a second her eyes were filled with fear.

Then the moment passed. She looked at Ryoka, and shook her head.

“You speak the truth?”

“To the best of my knowledge. I witnessed their end.”

Krshia nodded. She looked at Brunkr.

“Close the store. I must hear this.”

He didn’t argue. The street was full of silence as Krshia gestured. Ryoka walked after her, silent. Erin hesitated, but hurried after the two, Mrsha in her arms. She sensed Gnolls following her. And now that all eyes were on her and Ryoka, they saw Mrsha too. She heard muttering, and felt a twinge of unease in her heart.

They were all Gnolls, and Krshia was her friend, even after Lyonette. She didn’t seem angry at Erin, even if Brunkr was a jerk. But then why were all the Gnolls staring at Mrsha? And why was she holding on to Erin so tightly? And why—

Why did they all look so afraid?

—-

I think I have it figured out. I’m Ryoka Griffin. I’m a Runner, and an arrogant young woman who thought she was better than she actually is. Because I was a fool, people died.

Maybe I couldn’t have saved them anyways. But I could have been stronger, and maybe that would have made a difference. Regardless though, they died. The people who helped me died. It may not be my fault, but I still have a debt.

A debt to the dead.

One person still lives. A kid, a child. I will keep her safe. But I will also pay off my debt. And the first part of that is confession.

I sit in Krshia Silverfang’s apartment, a cup of weirdly bitter tea in my hands. There’s a bowl of chopped meat on the table, but I’m not sure if it’s raw so I don’t take any. Erin and Mrsha have already eaten several cubes.

Krshia sits across from me, with Brunkr by her side. She’s clearly in charge; she was the only person to ask questions as I told her what happened. Whatever their beef, Brunkr is clearly subordinate to her in this matter.

And there are Gnolls outside. I look towards one of the windows and see a bit of fur disappear. Gnolls are standing outside the apartment, maybe even on the roofs. I doubt it’s an ambush. I think they’re listening in on our conversation.

Small wonder. The news I have is bad, as bad as it gets. I can tell that just from the look on Krshia and Brunkr’s face.

“A Goblin Lord.”

That’s what Krshia says after I finish. She stares down into her cup of tea, untouched, as her nephew clenches his fist. She looks up at me gravely, and I nod.

“A Goblin Lord. And he’s got an army.”

“An army strong enough to defeat Zel Shivertail. It is an ill thing. Worse, he has slain the Stone Spears tribe to the last.”

Krshia’s eyes flick to Mrsha. Mrsha’s sitting next to Erin, but she seems uneasy around Krshia. No more than Krshia and Brunkr seem uneasy around her , though. They keep looking at her.

Because of the fur?

“These are dark tidings you bring us, Ryoka Griffin. But I am grateful you speak to us of what has passed instead of letting others spread the news.”

I nod, my attention back on Krshia. In truth, I have no idea what this Gnoll is like. I knew Urksh, fairly well for someone who’d only spent four days in his company. But Krshia is a stranger, for all Erin says she’s ‘nice’. I have to watch her, and at the same time, I have to help. A good start is being honest.

“I owe them. The Stone Spears tribe saved my life. Their Chieftain was kind to me.”

Krshia nods. She closes her eyes for a second, and I see a bit of pain cross her features.

“I knew Urksh. He was not the strongest Chieftain, not as a warrior, but he was wise. That he is gone is a true loss.”

“That the tribe is gone is a disaster.”

Brunkr growls as he clenches his fist. No tea for him. He looks at me, eyes full of passion and fury.

“What of the mining expedition? They may yet live. Gnolls will not die to Goblins so easily.”

I shift in my seat and shake my head.

“I had the same thought. But that army had over a hundred Hobgoblins in it. Even if the mining expedition wasn’t found…”

Krshia nods. Her expression is bleak.

“They would throw themselves upon the Goblins rather than live without their tribe. They are gone, Brunkr.”

“All except one.”

I nod at Mrsha. She blinks around as both Gnolls stare at her. Erin pats Mrsha on the shoulder soothingly, but Mrsha just edges towards her, away from Brunkr.

“Hrr. Yes. Young Mrsha.”

Krshia gets up from her chair. She bends down and Mrsha scoots back, but the other Gnoll’s face is nothing but kind. She growls something low and soothing and Mrsha’s death-grip on Erin’s arm slowly releases.

Mrsha doesn’t speak—she can’t—but she does reach out with one paw. Krshia lets Mrsha put a paw on her cheek, and then nuzzles the smaller Gnoll gently. White fur brushes against dark brown and I look away.

“Human.”

Brunkr looks at me, his eyes serious. I stare back. I don’t like Brunkr. He’s probably a solid, serious guy, but he doesn’t strike me as smart . And it’s smart I need right now. Smart, and willing to talk and compromise.

“What of the other tribes? Did you run and warn them? Or are they at the mercy of this Goblin army?”

Krshia steps back from Mrsha and looks disapprovingly at her nephew.

“If it is Shivertail, he will have had the Gnolls in his army howl, yes? The tribes will be warned. This Goblin army will not catch them so easily.”

She shakes her head.

“No. They are warned, but a meeting must be called. The tribes must either flee or band together to destroy this threat before a Goblin King arises.”

“I will lead the warriors south, to defend our tribe—”

Brunkr rises, but Krshia glares him back down.

“And do what? A few spears will make no difference against such a horde. Besides, you are weeks away and our tribe is secure. You are needed here.”

“To do what? Guard ashes? ”

Brunkr’s hackles raise as he stares at his aunt. She glares back, and the mood in the room goes sour again. Mrsha edges away, and Erin looks worried. She hasn’t said much—I guess she’s worried about saying the wrong thing.

But I? I don’t care if the mood’s wrong. I just want to resolve this. So I clear my throat and get the two Gnolls to break off the staring match.

“That’s the second thing I need to talk to you about. Krshia Silverfang—”

She waves a paw.

“You are a friend of Erin’s. I am Krshia.”

I nod.

“Krshia, Mrsha here is without a home. I don’t know anything about Gnoll customs, but you’re the only Gnoll that Erin knows. Is there any way she could stay here?”

I’m not prepared for the look of horror Mrsha gives me. She tries to struggle out of Erin’s arms towards me, but the girl holds her. She’s giving me a look too. What?

Krshia hesitates. She casts an eye at Mrsha, and I see her expression as she looks at her white fur.

“Brunkr. Will you go and give Mrsha some food? I have some snacks from home she may like.”

It’s the cheapest of tricks, but Mrsha’s ears perk up at the word ‘food’. Brunkr glares, but he stands up and walks into the kitchen. Erin’s the only one who protests.

“Mrsha’s had a big breakfast, and a lot of these cubes. Maybe she should—”

I glare at Erin and jerk my head towards the kitchen. Her face goes slack and I nearly slap my head as I see her put the pieces together.

“Oh. I’ll uh, let’s go eat something, Mrsha!”

She leads Mrsha into the kitchen. But the kid still looks over her shoulder at me twice on the way there, and I see her peeking back to make sure I’m not leaving.

Damn it. I didn’t mean I’d just run off. But I just meant that—

Krshia moves towards me and lowers her voice. I focus back on her, leaving recriminations aside for a second.

“Ryoka Griffin. The situation is more complicated than it seems, yes?”

“It is.”

I keep my voice low as the Gnoll sits next to me so we can talk. I can sense her body heat, and her fur makes me feel like I’m next to a bear. But her eyes—her eyes are just like any person’s eyes. I focus on that.

“This news you bring is terrible. My heart hurts for Mrsha. And yet, the situation here is complicated.”

I nod.

“I know. Your people want to kill Lyonette, and Erin’s protecting her.”

Krshia nods.

“Among other things. It was a terrible thing Lyonette did.”

“She destroyed your store, yes. And she did a lot of damage to other Gnoll’s shops. But there’s something else, isn’t there?”

All of that was bad from the way Erin described it, but it still doesn’t quite square with a Gnoll hit squad going out after Lyonette. Krshia hesitates, and I stare at her.

“I’m not Erin, Krshia. Let’s speak honestly.”

Her lips quirk into a bitter smile.

“It is something that I have wished for. But circumstances have conspired against me speaking so before now, yes? What you say is true. The thieving girl destroyed more than simply my shop. She destroyed something…precious to my clan. Something we have labored to accumulate for many years.”

Fuck. That’s not what I wanted to hear. But it puts the pieces together. I nod.

“So Erin, by saving Lyonette, is also preventing you from righting the wrong.”

“She has taken on the debt, yes.”

Krshia nods. I scowl.

“That’s bullshit. It wasn’t her fault. She did nothing that warranted an attack. ”

Krshia’s eyes are steady as she meets mine.

“No, she did not. That was wrong. But the debt of the thief cannot be erased except by blood, and Erin Solstice bears the cost so long as she protects her.”

Gnoll customs. In my stay with the Stone Spears tribe, Urksh explained some of their customs to me. They take debts like this seriously, and their idea of guilt is transferable. I scowl into my cup of tea and drink some. Not bad, and it gives me a second to think.

“Do all the Gnolls in Liscor think like this?”

“Some. The young do. We who are older understand Erin Solstice. But even so, it is hard to accept. The thief must be punished. The debt must be paid.”

“But she has nothing.”

“Nothing but her life.”

The old customs. Blood settles all debts. The most ancient of customs. Sometimes I think the Gnolls are just like us—well, what the hell am I saying? That does sound like us.

Damnit. Fine. Let’s see just how bad this is.

“And what is the worth that Lyonette cost you? How many gold coins would it be equivalent to, for instance?”

“Fifty thousand gold coins.”

I blink, and stare at Krshia. She stares back. I open my mouth, and close it. If I’d said something like ‘you can’t be serious’ or ‘this must be a mistake’, I’d probably have to stab myself to erase the embarrassment.

Krshia is serious. And so I’ll answer her. I stare at Krshia.

“So long as Erin has that debt, you won’t help her, will you?”

“It would be…harder, yes. We have given Erin Solstice aid before, as we have you.”

I remember the Gnolls that helped fight Gazi and nod.

“You know she’s from another world. And you wanted her to give you something useful. Something you can bring back to your tribe.”

Krshia inhales softly. I hear Brunkr growling to Mrsha in the other room and her knocking about.

“You are quick, yes? You think differently than Erin does.”

“Not necessarily better.”

“No. But you are correct. We did hope. We offered much in exchange in hopes of receiving more. But—”

Krshia shrugged.

“The thief cost us too much. It was poor luck, but my tribe will pay for it. I do not believe Erin will be able to offer anything worthy of such a debt.”

“So you’re trying to talk Brunkr out of trying to kill Lyonette.”

Krshia’s eyes flicker. She inclines her head.

“Very quick. It would undo years of work in Liscor and do more harm than good. But the debt still remains.”

“Fine. I think I understand the problem.”

I sigh, and put down the tea cup. Then I face Krshia, and raise my voice so the Gnolls listening at the doors and windows can hear.

“I will take on Erin’s debt. And I will pay it.”

The Gnoll blinks at me. Once. Twice. I grin, the wide grin of an idiot who’s betting everything with nothing in their hand.

“You are confident, yes? Do you have something of that worth?”

Eight hundred gold pieces, which I don’t actually have at the moment. 1.6% of Erin’s debt. I don’t say that out loud, though.

“I’ll find a way. I am from another world, just like Erin.”

Krshia blinks at me. But she doesn’t seem surprised.

“Mm. But that does not mean you have anything more than Erin Solstice, yes? And should this not be a great secret?”

“Things have changed.”

A certain group of idiots in Magnolia’s care proves that.

“I will pay the debt. I will find something that will erase Erin’s debt. I promise.”

Krshia studies me.

“You are confident, yes?”

“Yes.”

I hold her gaze. After a second, she nods.

“Soon. If you would erase the debt, then you must do it soon.”

“Fine.”

I am so fucked. But it’s just one part of the debt I owe. I look at the kitchen as I hear Brunkr growling and Erin laugh.

“What about Mrsha?”

Krshia nods.

“We will take her. My tribe is far to the south, but we will raise her here until we journey back.”

I hesitate. That’s what I had planned, but I remember the look in Krshia and Brunkr’s eyes.

“And she will be safe?”

“Yes.”

Barely a flicker. But it’s there. I stare at Krshia.

“Her fur is white. I thought it had to do with the Frost Faeries who saved us, but does that mean something in Gnoll culture?”

Krshia’s gaze wavers. She picks up a cube of meat and pops it into her mouth and swallows it without looking at me.

“There is…significance.”

“You mean it’s bad luck. Or an ill omen.”

“…Yes.”

“What does it mean, exactly?”

Krshia pauses.

“Don’t lie to me, Krshia Silverfang.”

She glares at me. I glare right back. Krshia sighs and scratches at her neck.

“Too quick. You are prickly, like a thorny bush, yes? But you are right. White fur is a sign among my kind. No Gnoll has white fur, except those touched by disaster.”

“Disaster?”

“Those who have lost their tribe. Those who have survived calamity. And, it is said, those who bring it.”

My throat closes up. I’m suddenly very, very glad that Mrsha is in the other room.

“None of what happened was Mrsha’s fault.”

Krshia traces a pattern on her leg.

“I am sure you tell the truth. But my people believe in such signs. Can you be certain that none of it was due to her?”

The Frost Faeries. I clench my fist and feel my nails digging into my skin, puncturing it.

“No. But she is still innocent.”

Krshia studies me and nods.

“I will take her. She will be safe with me.”

I shake my head. Now everything’s changed again.

“No. She’ll stay with Erin. I saw the way Brunkr looked at her.”

“He is young.”

“But if he acts like that, so will the other Gnolls. Would Mrsha even be safe in Liscor?”

Krshia nods, but only after a second. I feel grim. Literally grim.

“If you can’t be absolutely sure she’ll be safe, she’ll stay with Erin. And anyone who tries to hurt her will have to go through me and every damn guard I can find.”

“She will not be harmed, Ryoka Griffin. But perhaps it would be best for her to stay in the inn.”

“Fine.”

I shake my head. This has been complete crap, but at least I’ve got something else to focus on. What the hell can I give the Gnolls? I know there’s something.

Gunpowder aside, there has to be something. Advancements in archery? I saw the Gnolls using shortbows and longbows, but what about composite weapons or compound bows? Can I even make that?

Some kind of medical advancement? Education? But it has to be something truly valuable. Damn it, how will I keep Mrsha safe? I haven’t seen Erin’s skeleton—she’ll have to keep him around the inn at all times. How soon is ‘soon’?

Krshia interrupts the whirlwind of thoughts in my head.

“Why do you offer to take up Erin Solstice’s debt, Ryoka? Is it merely friendship or something else?”

I look at her. The answer is burning in my chest. It’s the only thing I can do. What I must do.

“I have my own debt to the Stone Spears tribe. That’s why I’ll help Erin and give your tribe something of worth. I owe Mrsha more, though. Remember that.”

“And what do you owe Mrsha?”

Krshia’s brown eyes are fixed on me. I meet her gaze, my eyes serious.

“Everything.”

—-

Something else happened before Erin and Ryoka left Krshia’s house. Ryoka was just finishing her discussion with Krshia when she heard a yelp, and then a shout from the kitchen. She’d leapt out of the couch and was running into the kitchen before she knew what she was doing.

Brunkr was shaking his arm and shouting in agony. Ryoka saw Mrsha biting his hand, teeth gnawing at his flesh as he tried to throw her off. Erin was holding him down.

“Mrsha!”

“Get her off!”

“Mrsha, let go!”

I run to Mrsha and help drag her away from Brunkr. Her mouth is bloody and she struggles like a wildcat in my grip, snarling silently at Brunkr.

“That hurts!”

He roars at her and bares his teeth. I push Mrsha behind me, but Erin and Krshia block the way.

“Desist, nephew.”

“She drew blood!”

Brunkr snarls at Krshia, but Erin stands in front of him. She raises a fist.

“Get near her and I’ll punch you.”

That makes Brunkr hesitate. He eyes her, and I hustle Mrsha into the other room. I’m about to shout at her when I see her face.

Mrsha’s teeth are covered in blood and she’s still snarling. But she’s also crying. Tears roll down her face as she strains in my arms, trying to get free.

In the end, Brunkr goes back into the living room as Erin and I sit with Mrsha. I don’t know what Krshia said, but a few words from her in the Gnoll’s growling language made Mrsha stop trying to attack Brunkr.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know!”

Erin accepts a wet washcloth as she mops at Mrsha’s face. The Gnoll wriggles away from her at first, but then lets her clean up the blood. She spits onto the cloth and I offer her some tea to wash the blood away.

“All I know is that Mrsha was fine, then Brunkr growled something at her and then—she attacked him!”

Brunkr looks defensive as Erin pauses to glare at him. Krshia gives him a death look and his ears flatten.

“Brunkr. What is it you have done?”

He glares at the floor as he mutters a reply.

“I just told her…her tribe is gone. Gone, and never coming back. Gone because she brought disaster with her. Because she is cursed. ”

Silence. I stare at Erin, and then Mrsha. She’s crying again.

Erin stands up. She doesn’t say a word. She just punches Brunkr hard enough to send him crashing into a wall. Krshia nods in approval.

“My deepest apologies, Erin Solstice.”

“I think we should go.”

Erin looks sadly down at Mrsha. She’s crying, and clinging to me. I feel her claws piercing my skin, but I just hold her. Krshia looks sadly at us, her eyes lingering on Mrsha’s white fur.

White as snow. A pure color. White, the color of purity, innocence.

And also death.

—-

It’s a slow procession home. I carry Mrsha, even though she’s heavy. She’s still crying. I have to stop twice for her to throw up. All the food she ate comes up and she just clings to me harder.

Another failure of mine. I’m not worthy of even staying around her. But if Krshia can’t protect her, somehow I have to.

Somehow.

Erin and I don’t talk much on the way back, just slog through the deep snow. It looks like it will snow more tonight.

“Aha! I see the mortal fool has met the one who serves food! ‘Tis good!”

“But they move so slowly! Like ants! Like bugs!”

“Should we drop more snow on them? An avalanche? Hail?”

Frost Faeries fly down out of the air. I stare up at them. Now’s not the time, but they laugh and grin as if nothing’s wrong.

“Ho, travelers! Give us your coin or we shall bury you!”

“Brigands, we! Victims, thee!”

Erin winces, but she doesn’t respond to the faerie’s provocations. I have no such inhibitions.

“Get lost, you lot. Now’s not the time.”

“ Ryoka! ”

Erin hisses at me, but I just stare at the faeries. They pause.

“Ooh, the mortal has teeth! Are we disturbing you?”

I point to Mrsha. She’s buried her face in my clothes and hasn’t moved. I feel her tears soaking through my layers of clothes.

“You’re bothering her . Go away.”

The frost faeries hesitate. They stare at Mrsha and seem to confer. Then, without a word they fly away.

Erin gapes at me.

“How did you do that? They never listen to me!”

I shrug, adjusting my hold on Mrsha.

“Hit them where it hurts. They like children.”

As if to spite me, I feel something gently smack me in the back of the head. Erin wipes away the snow as I grit my teeth.

“Little freaks.”

Another snowball taps me on the back lightly. Erin shakes her head.

“I think they like you.”

“I’ve reached an…understanding with them.”

“That’s so…uh, well, it’s good, right?”

“Who knows?”

We walk on. In a few minutes we can see the door of Erin’s inn at the top of the hill, and something else.

“There’s a crowd at your inn.”

“Oh! I guess everyone thought I’d be in!”

Erin darts forwards, and I hear her calling to people ahead of me. I barely recognize any of the people who’re standing in front of the inn. A female Drake…Selys? And the Antinium’s either Pawn or Klbkch—no, Klbkch is the only one with two arms, so it must be him. And there’s an older guy in his thirties who I know I’ve never seen. He’s wearing leather armor and he looks like a fighter. And…

Goblins. My footsteps stop and my heart freezes in my chest. The small Goblin—Rags is standing next to a Hobgoblin in the snow, apart from the rest. I quickly look down at Mrsha, but she’s still oblivious to the world, clutching my chest.

Erin returns, beaming at me.

“Everyone’s here! Looks like I’ve got a full inn—what’s wrong?”

Only now does she see the expression on my face. I point with one hand to the Goblins.

“ Them. Get them the hell out of here.”

“Who?”

Erin turns. Then she looks back at me, troubled.

“Ryoka. They’re guests. I—”

“I’m not asking you!”

I point at Mrsha and Erin’s face changes. Reluctantly, she goes up the hill. I see her talking to the two Goblins and pointing back at me and Mrsha. I don’t know what she says, and I don’t care. I walk up the hill, away from the Goblins. By the time I reach the top, they’re gone.

Erin had that disappointed look on her face, but I don’t care. I push into the inn, ignoring the others who greet me. Only when I’ve put Mrsha down do I look around.

“Hello! You’re…Ryoka, right?”

I hear a friendly voice and look around. Selys, the female Drake, is smiling at me. She looks down at Mrsha. She’s curled into a ball in one of the chairs.

“Aw! Who is this?”

“Mrsha. She’s had a bad day.”

Selys nods and walks quietly away from Mrsha so she can speak to me.

“I know we barely got to talk, but I heard a bit of what happened from Erin.”

“Oh, really?”

Inwardly, I curse as I hear the words come out. I’m still really hostile from seeing the Goblins, but Selys just gives me a smile.

“Don’t worry. I get it. Erin is a little oblivious, but if you ever want to talk, I’m willing to listen.”

I stare at her. Well.

“I guess [Receptionists] have to deal with a lot of crap, huh?”

She chuckles.

“It’s part of the job. And after hearing about that Goblin Lord—Ancestors, I’d hate to imagine that. Is that Gnoll child—?”

“She’s the only one who’s left, yeah.”

Selys’s eyes are full of pity.

“Poor girl. Let me know if I can help, okay?”

Is it really that easy? Can you really just offer to help like that? I hesitate, and then nod awkwardly.

“Thanks.”

“Just let me know. And I think what she—what’s her name? Mrsha?—what she really needs right now is some sleep and quiet.”

But when Selys and I try to bring Mrsha upstairs, she starts slashing at both of us the instant we get near. She bites at me even when I try to sit next to her. And it turns out that claws hurt even if you have scales. We have to leave her alone. Selys and I retreat as Erin bustles around us, chattering to Klbkch and the Human.

“Oh, Ryoka! Have you met Halrac? No? This is Halrac. Um, he’s a Gold-rank adventurer.”

I nod at the grizzled man. He nods back. Unfriendly guy*. His eyes flick to Mrsha as he sits at a table.

*Wait, what the hell did Erin say about him being Gold-rank?

“Ryoka Griffin. You have my condolences.”

I turn. Klbkch, one of the damn Antinium—no. He’s one of Erin’s friends and he died once to save her. I nod to him.

“Klbkch?”

“Yes. Allow me to reassure you that I will conduct patrols of the area south of Liscor when possible to ensure the safety of Mrsha and this inn.”

“Really?”

That’s…suspicious. Why would Klbkch take so much interest in Erin? It must have to do with the individual Antinium thing and Pawn. Damn it, Erin.

But any help is welcome, so I nod. Klbkch looks at Mrsha. She’s crying again. Her small body shakes, and I feel my heart ache.

“I regret what has occurred. Rest assured, if the Goblin Lord’s army passes near one of the Hives, it will be destroyed.”

There’s nothing to say to that. I just nod. But Mrsha’s crying puts a damper even on Erin’s good cheer. She does her best, cooking up food and insisting we all sit together at a table, but she can’t get Mrsha to move and so Lyonette brings us our drinks—hot water for me and Klbkch and ale for Selys—in silence.

I glance over at Halrac. He’s sitting alone, but he keeps staring at Mrsha. Is he bothered by her? Well, of course he would be. He stops Erin as she passes a table and points to Mrsha. And then, for some reason, I see him point to a bunch of flowers on a table near one of the windows.

“Flowers? Why the hell are there flowers in here?”

Selys looks over as she bites into some spaghetti with meatballs.

“Oh, those? I think they came from the faeries. That’s what Erin says, anyways.”

Klbkch and I stare at her.

“The Frost Faeries gave them to her? Why?”

“I dunno. For some meal she cooked them. Erin was pretty mad about it at the time.”

Oh my god. She didn’t. They didn’t. I stare in horror at the flowers as Erin goes over to them. Golden flowers. Is it too much of a leap of logic to assume…?

“Did she think they were golden coins?”

Klbkch stares at me as if I’m crazy, but Selys nods. She slurps down a noodle.

“That’s right! That’s what Erin said! How did you know?”

I put my face in my hands and groan. Did Erin just not remember those old stories about faeries? I hope she didn’t waste that much food on those bastards*.

*Is bastard the right word, here? Bitches might be more gender specific, but it doesn’t really encapsulate how much I sometimes hate those damn faeries.

“Pardon me. Am I to understand these flowers were enchanted to look like coins?”

I nod at Klbkch. It feels really odd to be sitting and chatting to an Antinium, much less Klbkch the Slayer. I want to talk with him, but not with Selys around.

“It’s something the faeries do. They trick people into accepting gold that turns to flowers or disappears the next day. Erin got taken for a ride.”

“I see. This is unfortunate.”

“Yeah, but Erin says the flowers are actually useful.”

“What?”

All three of us look over to the flowers. Erin is picking some and… squeezing them? Yes, she’s adding them to a mug and Halrac’s watching her with an intense expression. What the hell is going on?

But then Erin walks over to Mrsha with a mug full of ale and a few drops of that flower nectar mixed in. I frown as she gently touches Mrsha.

“Mrsha? You okay, honey?”

Mrsha swipes at Erin, but the other girl is out of arm’s reach. Erin touches Mrsha again.

“Hey, I don’t want to bother you sweetie, but I’ve got a drink. It’ll help you relax, okay?”

“The hell is she doing?”

Is Erin trying to get Mrsha drunk? I stand up, frowning, but Klbkch tugs on my arm.

“Please wait, Ryoka Griffin. I believe Erin Solstice may be attempting to do something beneficial.”

I hesitate. But then, this is Erin. I look back at the flowers, and then at the way Halrac’s staring at the mug. Flowers. Illusions.

Hallucinogens? Not the craziest thing I’ve heard of.

Even as I watch, Erin coaxes Mrsha out of her ball. The Gnoll sniffs at the mug, but curious as ever, she tastes some. I watch her gulp a few mouthfuls of the drink down with butterflies in my stomach. Mrsha’s eyes go wide, and then she sighs. She closes her eyes, and then goes limp.

“Mrsha?”

Erin turns towards me as I approach. She lets me take Mrsha. I feel at her anxiously.

“She’s just asleep, Ryoka. Or…in a trance. Halrac says the drink helps. I’ve tried it before, and it does make you feel better.”

“It will.”

I turn. Halrac, the Gold-rank adventurer is standing behind us. He nods to me.

“Miss Griffin? Erin Solstice has a unique drink. It’s liquid memory.”

“Memory? You mean it’s some kind of drug?”

I glare at Erin. She raises her hands defensively.

“It’s just the flowers and some alcohol! It’s part of one of the skills I learned, Ryoka! It’s called [Wondrous Fare] and Halrac says it makes you feel better! He’s had lots!”

Erin looks over at him and the adventurer nods. He stares at the drink on the table.

“It…brings back happy memories. For a time. I imagine the Gnoll child will sleep after drinking it, in any case.”

I stare at Erin. Faerie flowers can be made into a magical drink? Why did I not think of that? No—is Erin a genius or just insane?

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“Why don’t you try some?”

Erin offers me the drink. I accept the mug and stare into it. Halrac looks at the piss-colored liquid as if it’s liquid gold, but I’m not so sure.

“It’s not bad?”

“The alcohol is swill, but I’ll vouch for its effects. I’ll have one myself, and pay what you want for it.”

“Really? Ooh, what should I charge?”

“Is that drink for everyone? I’d like to try some too if we’re having samples.”

Selys stands up and stares at the mug, as does Klbkch. Erin picks some more flowers as I stare at the liquid.

It’s not like I haven’t tried…certain medicinal herbs…before. But that was just once, and I’ve never smoked or taken any hard drugs. I love to run, not mess up my body. But if Erin was confident enough to give it to Mrsha—

At the very least I should see what effect it has. I hesitate, but Erin’s already mixing up another three mugs. Cautiously, I down the drink.

Yep. That’s some crap. Did Erin buy the cheapest alcohol available? I frown as I swallow. I don’t sense any other taste, but it was just a few drops. How long does the effect l—

The world dissolves around me. Into rushing air. Into mist and smoke that drifts up from the fire.

I stare at Urksh as Mrsha sits next to me, staring up at me. The Gnolls in the camp bustle around, laughing, talking, as I stare at him. He looks up from a bit of hot fish and grins at me.

“You look shocked, Ryoka Griffin. Is this not what you wished to see?”

“No. No, I—”

I falter. Mrsha looked up inquiringly, her brown fur shining in the firelight. Urksh laughs.

“It is well. Rest here a while before continuing on your journey.”

“I will. I just—”

A piece of hot fish—mackerel, maybe, is resting in my hand. Hot enough to nearly burn my skin, but not quite. So warm and tender that I can bite into it and banish the cold of the night air. The fire in front of me warms my skin, and Mrsha sighs as she snuggles into my side.

I look at Urksh. He smiles as he sits in the cold winter air. The Gnolls laugh as they prepare to sleep for the night.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He nods.

“I know. But it is not you who must apologize, yes? We paid the price as we wished.”

“Yeah. It’s just—”

He shakes his head.

“Eat, Ryoka Griffin. And then, perhaps, tell us another story. The one about the [King] with the sword was particularly good, I thought.”

Mrsha nods. She sits up eagerly, and I raise the fish to my lips. The scent makes my mouth water, and I see Gnolls drifting over. They sit together, warm, happy, full. The cold air blows, but it is banished by the warmth here. I open my mouth, and my teeth sink into the hot food—

“Ryoka? You’re doing the same staring thing. Are you okay?”

“Oh.”

The vision fades. I stare at Erin. She smiles nervously at me.

“No good? Everyone’s gone silent. I tried the drink, but I only had a bit and I just felt happy when I remembered playing chess against Pawn. Is it too strong or good like that?”

I stare at the drink. It’s still half full. I put it to my lips and drink the rest down. The world spins, and the last thing I feel is myself falling backwards. And then, for a few moments, I’m sitting around a camp fire again. Laughing. Happy. And I ask for their forgiveness and know peace.

Until I wake.

—-

Outside the inn, the Frost Faeries watched as Ryoka Griffin collapsed backwards and Erin scrambled to catch her. They hovered outside in the cold, staring through one of the windows. It wasn’t that they couldn’t enter; it was just that they didn’t mind the cold and they didn’t want their conversation to be heard.

“The drink is made from the flowers. The innkeeper made it.”

“That’s not supposed to happen. Mortals don’t use the flowers we give them! They’re supposed to throw them away!”

The faeries watched as Erin laid Ryoka down and then looked at the other patrons of her inn. They all had the same far-off expression in their eyes.

“Should we remove the flowers?”

“But ‘twas a gift! We cannot take it back!”

“What if we gave actual gold? Would that suffice?”

Inside the inn, Erin brushed against Klbkch. The Antinium had gone completely still after drinking his mug, just like Selys and Halrac. Now the slight nudge sent him toppling backwards, and like a domino the Drake and Human toppled over as well. The faeries watched as Erin began to panic.

“‘Tis funny.”

“Yes.”

The faeries paused. They looked at each other.

“I wonder what the drink tastes like?”

“Swill, I heard.”

“Good swill?”

There was only one way to find out. The faeries swooped into the inn.

“Innkeep! A mug of your finest swill!”

And both Ryoka and Mrsha slept soundly, dreaming of a happier time. That was, until they woke. But though the dream faded, part of it remained, filling them up. Mending cracks in their hearts. Like a flower, growing in the snow.

2.41

Because she woke up early, Erin decided to make gravy. Everyone else was still asleep, anyways.

Ryoka and Mrsha were upstairs, but Erin had had too much trouble trying to drag Klbkch and Selys up the narrow staircase, so she’d left them in the common room with a blanket and pillows instead.

It was easy to make gravy. Erin got a pot out and fished around in her cupboard for supplies. She got out some flour, and found some of the bacon fat she’d chilled thanks to some snow she’d packed into a cauldron. It was mostly melted, but it kept the food she put in nice and cold, if a bit wet.

By the time Ryoka stumbled downstairs with Mrsha in tow, they found Erin putting out gravy on the table in a huge bowl next to steaming biscuits and mashed potatoes. That coincided nicely with Selys and Klbkch waking up on the floor. Erin beamed at all of them as her guests rubbed their heads and moaned.

“Morning!”

Selys clutched at her forehead.

“How much did I drink last night?”

“Um…four mugs? No, wait…six? Eight?”

Erin had lost count. She’d kept serving everyone the faerie flower alcohol until they’d started to pass out. It had been a long, anxious night for her. Everyone would just take a drink, stare off into the distance for ten minutes, and then keep drinking. In the end, they’d all just gone to sleep—except for Halrac. He’d left for the city, staggering slightly. Erin had been worried, but he was a Gold-rank adventurer.

“Ancestors.”

Selys groaned and clutched at her head. She tried to stand up and sat back down hard.

“My mouth tastes like…dead gods, that was some awful ale, Erin.”

“Hey!”

Erin opened her mouth, and then closed it.

“Well…I’ll buy some better stuff next time, okay?”

“There shouldn’t be a next time.”

Ryoka lurched over to the table as Klbkch dragged himself upwards. Mrsha yelped and scurried away at the sight of the Antinium. He looked worse for wear. Even though his appearance was mostly unchanged—the Antinium not really having skin or clothing that could get rumpled—he looked…disheveled.

“Good morning, Klbkch!”

Erin smiled at Klbkch. He looked around at her, somewhat slowly.

“I have failed to return to my Hive. That has never happened before.”

“Oh no. Is that bad?”

Klbkch nodded slowly.

“I must…excuse me.”

He put a hand to his head and paused. He had no eyelids, but Erin sensed that he was concentrating. After a moment, he nodded.

“I have informed my Queen. She has recalled the search parties.”

“Search parties?”

Klbkch shook his head. He stared at the food on the table as Mrsha tried to grab a biscuit with her hand. Silently, Ryoka grabbed a plate and spooned potatoes and biscuits onto it, and slathered everything with the thick gravy. She put it on the table and handed Mrsha a spoon. Clumsily, the small Gnoll tried to inhale the entire thing.

“So. Um.”

Everyone looked at her. Erin smiled nervously.

“How was it last night? Was the faerie flower drink really that good?”

Erin didn’t really understand Halrac’s fascination with it. When she’d tried some, she just remembered happy moments, but that was all. And yet, between the four people in her inn (not counting Mrsha), they’d downed an entire keg’s worth of her ale.

Ryoka, Selys, and Klbkch exchanged a long look. As one, they shook their heads.

“That was a terrible drink.”

“Awful.”

“Please do not serve it again.”

Erin’s jaw dropped.

“What? Why?”

Selys was still rubbing at her forehead as she nibbled at a biscuit. She drank deeply from a glass of water and grimaced.

“At first, I thought it was wonderful. I was remembering having fun with my uncle when he used to visit. And I was so happy—but then the memory kept going and going, and I felt the need to keep drinking. Every time I woke up from the…dream, I just drank more and went back.”

“So? What’s the problem?”

“Remembering a bit is fine. But after a while—there’s such a thing as too much nostalgia, you know?”

“You can get lost in the memories.”

Ryoka nodded. She stared at her gravy, ignoring the smacking sounds Mrsha was making next to her.

“It’s like an addiction. You keep wanting to go back. Put another drink in front of me and I’ll keep drinking it, again and again.”

“To remember.”

Klbkch was silent. He hadn’t even put anything on his plate. Ryoka looked up at Erin.

“Dilute the drink. Maybe offer the full-strength version once in a while, but don’t keep serving it to us, damn it!”

Erin shrank under the strength of Ryoka’s glare.

“Oops. Sorry.”

The three diners turned back to their breakfast in silence. Mrsha ate happily, scarfing down the rich gravy until she had a round belly. She at least, had had no ill effects from last night, having only imbibed a few mouthfuls of the magical ale.

Erin scratched her head. She’d wondered about the drink, but then of course the faeries had come in and she’d given them several pints before chasing them out. She remembered them flying into walls and laughing before she’d managed to get them out the door.

“So…can I get you guys anything else?”

Klbkch shook his head. Selys put her head on the table and moaned softly. Ryoka was rubbing her eyes.

“I’m uh, oh! Lyonette!”

The possible princess walked down the stairs and paused when she saw Selys and Klbkch. She sniffed .

“I am awake. What is for breakfast?”

“Mashed potatoes and gravy. And biscuits!”

Ryoka eyed Lyonette silently as the other girl helped herself to food. Silently, Erin’s guests ate until Selys looked out the window.

“I’m really glad I don’t have work today.”

Klbkch nodded slowly.

“I believe I shall…abstain from my duties as well. It is necessary.”

“Oh, uh, well, that’s good, isn’t it?”

Both Drake and Antinium stared silently at Erin. They looked melancholy. And so did Ryoka. She was just staring at her food.

It was like…it was like everyone had depression suddenly. Erin’s eyes darted around until she saw Mrsha was fidgeting on her chair.

“Hey Mrsha, what’s wrong?”

The Gnoll child was squirming, in a very familiar fashion. Erin realized what the problem was.

“We have a bathroom right outside. Come on, let me show you.”

She took Mrsha’s hand and the Gnoll eagerly leapt off her chair to follow Erin. They’d made it to the door when Erin felt a familiar sensation, that of someone approaching the inn. She stopped, and then the door opened.

The early morning sky was gray, but light still flooded into the inn. It flowed around the figure that entered, and despite the bright sky, the gaping sockets of Toren’s skull were still dark, illuminated only by the two burning purple flames that stared at Erin and Mrsha.

The skeleton was wearing the battered bronze armor he’d found, only it seemed even more battered and torn up than before. In his hands he held a notched sword and shield, and faint streaks of blood covered his blade.

“Toren! There you are! Where have you been!?”

Erin scolded the skeleton as he stood silently in the doorway. He stared at her, silent as always as Erin frowned at him. Then she felt a tugging at her hand. She looked down.

Mrsha was trying to pull away from Erin. All her fur was on end, and she was scrabbling at the floorboards as she tried to run.

“What’s wrong, Mrsha? Oh, is it Toren? You’ve never really met him, have you? Well, he’s really nice—”

Erin broke off. She sniffed. Something was smelling. That’s when she noticed the puddle around Mrsha. It seemed the skeleton’s arrival had affected Mrsha’s bladder control.

“Aw, Mrsha! ”

She let go, and the Gnoll scampered back towards Ryoka, whimpering in fright. Ryoka slapped her forehead as Erin stared at the puddle. She looked around and smiled sheepishly at Toren.

“Hey Toren. I’ve got a job for you.”

—-

Some days I just want to punch Erin. I’d probably get my ass kicked, but I’m still tempted*. It takes me nearly half an hour to calm Mrsha down after Toren appears, and even then, she won’t go anywhere near the skeleton.

*How strong is Erin, anyways? I know she has [Minotaur Punch] as a skill, but is there a set limit on how strong the Skill is? And if it depends on her hitting her target, that’s not too reliable in a battle. Plus, if she hits armor wouldn’t she break her hand?

Not that I blame her. Toren freaks me the hell out too, and I don’t understand how Erin’s so cavalier about having him around. She’s busy ordering him around even as I finally finish breakfast.

“Thanks for the food, Erin.”

“Oh, no problem! How did it taste?”

“Good. Was that roux you made?”

“What?”

“Roux.”

“No…it was gravy.”

“But—Erin, do you know what roux is?”

“…No.”

I rub at my face.

“Never mind. I guess your skill told you what to do, right?”

“Yup! I’ve got [Advanced Cooking] now. Isn’t it great?”

Erin puffs out her chest and looks proud. Selys looks impressed and Klbkch nods. I shrug.

“I guess. It’s an important skill, right?”

“For an [Innkeeper], it’s great! Most [Cooks] and [Innkeepers] in the city have [Basic Cooking], but [Advanced Cooking] is rarer.”

Selys explains as she finishes her plate. I rub at my head. It still aches, but it looks like it’s time for me to get to work. Time to think, and plan. Selys is a native here, and she knows a lot of common-sense things. So I ask her the obvious questions.

“If that’s the case, there’s presumably an [Expert Cooking] skill, right? How many people would have that?”

“[Expert Cooking]? Well…no one in this city has it. You’d have to be a really high-level [Chef] to have that. I’ve heard some of the Walled Cities have people with that skill. They’re always hired by the nobility.”

So. You can rate skills by their rarity, which generally corresponds to a level. Makes sense. And I guess it’s still a parallel to our world.

“What level would you say that skill appears at?”

“Um…Level 40? Maybe Level 30, if you got lucky. There are better skills—or so I’ve heard, but it’s still rare.”

“Right. Because most people don’t usually get to Level 30?”

“That is correct.”

Klbkch nods as he delicately slurps up some gravy. I try not to look at him eat—I try to be open minded, but the Antinium creep me out in a way the Gnolls and Drakes don’t. Hell, even Selys is still sort of disturbing to me. I don’t know how Erin is so natural around all of them.

But here I am, sitting with Klbkch the Slayer and a Drake [Receptionist] of all people, talking as if I’ve known them for a long time. They’re so friendly.

“I still can’t believe you don’t know all this. Is it because you don’t have levels?”

Selys stares at me, and I tense slightly. She doesn’t know I’m from another world. But hell, I have to know how levels and classes work. I might not use them—and possibly can’t anymore—but not knowing how this world functions is only inviting trouble. So Ryoka, lie your ass off.

“That’s right. I’ve never paid attention, I guess.”

“Erin was like that too, you know. Are you both from the same nation? You seemed to know each other.”

“Something like that.”

Klbkch nods.

“I am familiar with the country they originate from, Selys Shivertail. Their people have customs unlike ours.”

That makes me stare hard at Klbkch, even though Selys accepts his statement at face-value. He just covered for me, didn’t he? Erin did say Klbkch knew she was from another world. And now Erin’s coming over. I try to signal her with my eyes to play along, but she’s oblivious.

“Oh yeah, this is a lot like…uh, where we come from. I mean, there are some big differences, but there’s actually a lot of stuff in common, right Ryoka? Like, this is totally like Dungeons and Dr—”

“It’s sort of similar, but I wanted to be sure about all the details.”

I cut Erin off and glare at her. She returns my look blankly.

“What? I’m not a gamer, but you told me you understood something about the system, right? It’s like Diablo, you said.”

“Diablo?”

Selys looks between us. I shake my head.

“It’s just…nothing. It’s a game from where we come from.”

“Oh, I see.”

I am going to kick Erin’s ass. As Selys and Erin start talking about Mrsha, I cover my face for a second. Then I look up and see Klbkch is staring at me.

Oh shit. Did he…how much did he get from that? Erin says he knows she’s from another world. What about me?

Kill Erin. But watch him. Klbkch the Slayer. I read the history of the Antinium Wars—damn it, I wish I’d read more than the first section now. They didn’t mention much about the Prognugators, but this guy was around decades ago. He dueled General Sserys—he’s dangerous.

But the Antinium in front of me is sitting in Erin’s inn, eating gravy. And he was killed by Goblins , or so Erin said. Weakening Prognugators. Hmm. And Erin’s involvement with the Antinium is also special. She can make unique Individuals, which could mean…

Gah. My head hurts already, and not just from the alcohol. I thought my life was complex, but Erin’s is ten times more convoluted. Not only is she involved with the Antinium, she’s attracted Lady Magnolia’s eyes, and she’s on the receiving end of a Gnoll debt so massive it can only be settled with death—unless one of us has fifty thousand gold pieces lying around.

Holy fuck. I close my eyes for a second. What should I do? What can I do? Normally I’d be running off to collect my payment from Teriarch, but—

No. I look over and see Mrsha, crowding around that Lyonette girl for some reason. She’s feeding Mrsha scraps from her plate and scratching her behind the ears.

Oh yeah, and Erin’s got a princess or some high-ranking noble’s daughter in her inn. God damn it.

I massage my temples. Selys looks at me sympathetically.

“Head still hurting? A healing potion will get rid of that. I know a shopkeeper who sells cheap ones.”

“No—thanks. I’m just really busy. There’s a lot of shi—a lot of stuff I need to deal with.”

“Like what? I’m free today, if you need some help, let me know. A friend of Erin’s is a friend of mine.”

Selys smiles at me. I hesitate.

“Nothing too important. I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

“As you like. I’m going to see if Erin wants to relax in the bath house. You’re welcome to join us.”

“…Thanks.”

Selys gets up to chat with Erin. I stay at the table, thinking. People move around me. Klbkch is still sitting—he’s not eating, but I suppose the Antinium have to sit to digest? I put him out of my mind and think.

I’ve really got to think, because there is a lot of crap for me to deal with at the moment. I won’t say that this is a terrible situation but—no, aside from moments where I’m actually in danger of being killed, this is probably one of the worst.

Fifty thousand gold pieces. Let’s just focus on that. Yesterday I made a claim to the Gnolls that I would pay Erin’s debts. There’s multiple reasons why I did that.

First, it’s pretty clear the Gnolls have power. Erin’s been helped by them in the past, and they might be an ally. If there are any groups she and I can trust, that is. But Krshia seems intelligent, and it’s better to have someone on our side than against us. Which leads me to the second point.

We need the Gnolls to cancel the debt, or else Erin and Lyonette are in danger, and so is Mrsha if she’s staying with them. Is this even a place for a young Gnoll? How can Erin raise her? I can’t…I can’t stay with her. But she needs a home. A family. If Krshia could—

Third point. Krshia might be able to mitigate the stigma associated with Mrsha’s fur, but not with her authority contested. The debt of Lyonette’s is sapping her influence as long as it remains unresolved. That Brunkr idiot seems to be trying to usurp her position, and he would be a danger if he took control. All in all, that means resolving the debt is really damn important.

The only question is…how? I have some ideas. I could give the Gnolls a technology—that was what I claimed, but now that I think of it…

Fuck. I am so screwed.

Let’s put this in perspective. I need to give the Gnolls a technology worth 50,000 gold pieces. At the same time, I can’t destabilize the world by giving them gunpowder.

No.

All flesh is grass.

No.

So what do I do? It seems simple, right? But what can I physically give the Gnolls besides weapons? The industrial revolution? What the hell would a nomadic society need that kind of infrastructure for? And they wouldn’t be able to make use of it, anyways.

No, think. It has to be something simpler. A practical technology or revolution. Think, Ryoka.

Hm. Trebuchets. But damn it, that’s a siege weapon—not something roaming tribes need! First off, wouldn’t trebuchets exist in this world? They were a medieval invention, and this world has renaissance-era technology at times.

For instance, they’ve got glass. Hmm. Lenses? But that technology is dependent on glass grinding to focus the lenses properly, and I don’t know how they’re made.

Damn. So telescopes are out. What else?

Radios…? Hah. Even if I had the ability to work with wires and metal to that extent, who needs radios when you have mage spells and the ability to howl? Long-distance communication isn’t a problem for them.

Bows. Gnolls use bows. I’ve seen them use composite bows and short bows so…fuck. They don’t have compound bows, though. But could I make one? Nope. I’d need industrial-era technology.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Okay…steel. But this world has steel. On the other hand, I never saw steel in the Gnoll tribes which means only a high-level [Blacksmith] can probably make it. It’s no revolutionary technology, though.

I wish I knew how to make Damascus steel. There’s the Bessemer Process of course, but that requires industrial era technology, again…

A printing press? This world still has handwritten books in many cases, but…

Two reasons why I can’t give the Gnolls that. No, three. One, I don’t know how to make a printing press. With screw-based technology, of course, adapting from the wine press…but hell, I’d need months to figure out the exact way to set one up. Second, the cost in resources and space isn’t practical for Gnolls again, and third…

You can’t copy magical spell books with a printing press. That’s obvious. I’ve seen spells, and if they exist on paper, it’s not just in the two-dimensional sense. My guess is that it would be impossible to copy one with any kind of printer, so that already makes one of the greatest revolutions of our world fairly useless to the Gnolls.

What they need is something immediately useful, but the more I think, the more I don’t have any good idea. None except for weapons, and I won’t give that to anyone.

“Fuck.”

I hold my head in my hands as I sit at the table. Then I hear someone clear his throat delicately.

“You appear to be in a state of distress. May I inquire as to your predicament?”

I look at him. Trust no one.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

Klbkch pauses.

“Does your issue relate to the Gnoll debt towards Lyonette du Marquin?”

What the hell? Klbkch is just staring at me. My heart rate picks up, but I keep my face straight.

“How do you know about that?”

“The Antinium know much of what occurs within Liscor.”

“…Were you listening to our conversation yesterday?”

The Antinium shakes his head.

“No, but there are a finite amount of topics which would necessitate such discussion. And the Gnoll’s issue with Erin and Lyonette is a pressing concern.”

“To you? Why the hell would the Antinium care about something like that?”

“Erin Solstice is…important to the Hive. And to me.”

What an odd thing for an Antinium to say. I stare at Klbkch.

“What do you want?”

His multifaceted eyes are fixed on mine.

“I wish to speak with you, Ryoka Griffin. I have desired to speak with you for some time. My observations of your behavior lead me to believe I can trust you.”

He’s been…waiting? To speak with me? And watching me? I’m naturally paranoid, but this makes every instinct I have scream out warning signals. I shrug, carefully.

“I’m free to talk. What…did you want to talk about?”

“I would like to speak candidly, Ryoka Griffin. You are wary of me; that is understandable. But I do not wish to cause you or Erin Solstice any harm. I would like to assist you, and I hope you will regard me as an ally, not a potential foe.”

I…fuck. This is coming out of left field. I thought I was in left field already, but this is catching me totally off guard. I scramble for a response. Test him.

“Are you trying to say we’re on the same side?”

Klbkch tilts his head slightly.

“Are there sides, Ryoka Griffin? The Antinium are not your enemy.”

“I disagree.”

“As do I. If the Antinium were your enemy, Ryoka Griffin, you would be dead. You do not matter to the Hive or my Queen. Erin Solstice is only a tool to be used. So long as that is the case, any interaction with either of you falls under my purview of responsibilities.”

I pause. Klbkch is speaking carefully, and if I read between the lines…

“You’re offering to help. Why?”

“Because Erin Solstice must survive. She must live to help the Antinium. And you are attempting to protect her because you both come from the same world.”

He knows. My heart stops dead in my chest for a second. He knows.

I glance around, but the inn is empty. Where has everyone gone? And why is it daytime all of a sudden?

Klbkch says nothing. He just looks at me. Watching. He’s seeing how I react.

Can I take him? He’s got two swords and classes. So…no. My right hand is still injured and I’ve got no weapons.

“I would prefer this discussion remain civil. Rest assured, I will not harm you or Erin. That is the last thing I desire.”

Fuck. But at least I might not die this instant. I try to keep my voice level as I reply. Focus. This is…the Antinium are as bad as Magnolia. If they know…

“Why bother with the niceties? Are you trying to get us on your side so we can help your Hive?”

Klbkch’s gaze doesn’t waver.

“So long as Erin lives, she will help my Hive. But to answer your question: my Queen is not aware that you and Erin come from another world, Ryoka Griffin. If she was, you would be captured and quickly interrogated.”

I feel a chill. But, wait a second. Klbkch is saying—he’s saying he’s lying to his Queen? For us? No. For Erin?

“Aren’t you supposed to be the right-hand of the Antinium Queens, or something? I thought Prognugators were loyal.”

“I am. But loyalty takes many shapes, and I have grown to question the direction the Antinium are taking. I believe leaving you alive is preferable to your deaths. No—I know this is the case.”

My god. Is this…is this Erin’s effect? She created individual Antinium, but affecting the allegiances of a Prognugator? Or is this something already occurring? I reach for a mug to take a drink. My hand is shaking. Klbkch nods, seeing my reaction.

“I have not informed Erin of this because of the dangers involved.”

“But you’re telling me? Why?”

“Because you can keep a secret. Let me be clear, Ryoka Griffin. Your status as a traveler between worlds is not important to me. If my Queen knew of this, she would interrogate you mercilessly. But I only care about Erin Solstice. She is the valuable one.”

“The Individual Antinium.”

“Just so.”

Klbkch nods.

“Erin Solstice must not die. She must live, and help my Queen change the Antinium from within.”

“But—you want to help us. Help her.”

“I will assist you to the best of my capabilities and inform you of the dangers of which you are not aware. I will reveal secrets of my Hive. I will use my command over Soldiers and Workers to defend this inn and your persons, if need be. I will even lie to my Queen for you.”

“Because Erin is important.”

“She is everything, Ryoka Griffin.”

“Why haven’t you told her this? Why haven’t you offered to tell her…all of this?”

For the first time Klbkch looks uncomfortable. He pauses and clicks his mandibles together delicately.

“I had considered that option to begin with, but it grew apparent that Erin Solstice cannot keep a secret. Anything I tell her will inevitably be repeated to all our costs. You are more discreet.”

So because Erin has a big mouth and doesn’t think, he can’t trust her. But he trusts me?

Or does he? Is this all some ploy? I have to test him? Hah, as if I’ve got a choice. Here’s an Antinium Prognugator or—Revalantor or whatever the hell he is now, offering to tell me all about his Hive. I can’t turn my back on this.

Take a breath, Ryoka, and plunge in. I don’t know how far these murky waters go, but if this is the case—I look at Klbkch.

“Fine. Tell me what you know. About the Gnolls and their debt, for instance. You said you know something?”

He nods.

“The Gnolls in Liscor are led by Krshia Silverfang. Ostensibly, they arrived nearly a decade ago to facilitate trade, but their true purpose was to acquire information or objects of value to improve their tribe’s standing. The decennial gathering of Gnoll tribes involves bringing a gift to be shared with all Gnolls, and the Silverfang tribe hoped to gain something of true value to improve their standing and influence at this event.”

Holy fuck. I stare at Klbkch.

“You were planning this all along, weren’t you? You wanted to tell me this.”

He pauses.

“My goal is to keep Erin Solstice alive. It is only fitting that I inform you of all dangers to her, and the Gnoll situation has been studied closely by my Hive.”

“Okay, okay, go on.”

I listen with rapt attention as Klbkch continues.

“Under Krshia’s influence, the Gnolls began pooling their profits and purchasing magical tomes from every shop they could find. They gathered many spell books together—most containing Tier 1 to Tier 3 spells—in the hopes that they might offer them as a gift to the tribes.”

Gnolls learning magic? I’ve never heard of a Gnoll [Mage], just [Shamans]. But wait—didn’t Erin mention the Gnolls had a feud with Wistram?

“So the Gnolls wanted to train their own [Mages].”

“Correct. The spell books were hidden in Krshia Silverfang’s shop, to avoid detection, and, I suspect, to enable them to transfer them easily. A few weeks ago, Krshia Silverfang sent word to her tribe requesting warriors to transport the books out of the city. I believe they were also arriving to help guard Erin Solstice, whom the Gnolls had identified as potentially valuable. However, Gazi the Omniscient slew the first party sent.”

The Gnolls on the road. I remember.

“The next group sent arrived too late. Before the spell books could be transported, Lyonette du Marquin destroyed Krshia Silverfang’s shop using a powerful magical artifact which bypassed the normal magical protections on the books.”

“…Shit.”

That’s even worse than I thought. Klbkch nods.

“It is an unfortunate circumstance, but without any gifts for the Gnoll tribes, the Silverfang tribe will lose much of its standing.”

“And that’s why the debt is around fifty thousand gold coins, isn’t it?”

“A considerable sum was spent accumulating the spell books over the years. I believe the Gnolls were ignorant of the dangers a powerful spell could pose to such books. Most spell books are immune to conventional harm, but sufficiently powerful magic will destroy them.”

I close my eyes.

“Damn it.”

“I surmise that you have accepted the responsibility for this debt along with Erin Solstice. She is aware of the issue, if not the cost, but she will be unable to resolve it herself.”

“And I suppose the Antinium won’t help?”

Klbkch shakes his head.

“Erin Solstice is certainly important to the Hive, but my Queen would never authorize such an expenditure of resources for any individual. At the moment. She does not understand how important Erin is.”

“Which is extremely. You think different from your Queen. Are you rebelling against her?”

“No.”

The word comes out fast and flat. Klbkch stares at me and I’m suddenly aware that he’s armed and I’m not. Then he seems to relax, and I’m able to as well.

“I would never betray my Hive, or my Queen. But I believe she makes mistakes. One of them is not trusting others. My Hive, my Queen, we need allies if we are to change the Antinium.”

“Change the Antinium? How?”

Klbkch hesitates. He holds up one finger.

“Allow me to reconfirm that we are alone.”

I twist in my chair, but that’s an idiotic move. Klbkch is clearly doing something. He looks up after a minute and nods.

“The inn is vacated, and there is no one within two hundred meters of our location. I have reconfirmed that the [Assassins] and [Scouts] sent by Lady Magnolia are hidden several miles to the east of our position and possess no listening artifacts or spells. Selys Shivertail is with Mrsha in Liscor—”

Wait a second, what did he say?

“What? She’s with Mrsha? Where’s Erin?”

“She is exploring the wilderness with Toren and Lyonette. I believe she informed you of this.”

I…vaguely recall something like that? I was thinking about the Gnolls and remember Erin saying something. I should pay more attention to my surroundings.

…Was Klbkch sitting there the entire time? Watching me? Then another thought strikes me. I pause and stare hard at Klbkch.

“You…know where she is? Both Erin and Selys? At any given moment? Are you having them watched?”

I can’t believe Soldiers and Workers are that good at hiding. Unless…is the Hive that spread out underground? Klbkch shakes his head.

“There is no need for physical scouting. A specialized breed of Antinium developed within our Hive is able to listen to movements and sounds at extreme range. They are able to monitor individuals, if given instructions and time.”

‘There are more Antinium types than just Soldiers and Workers.’

“You have more than Soldiers and Workers?”

“They are known as Listeners. A few were allocated to our Hive. Their existence is not a secret; they were revealed during the Second Antinium War along with a few other types. However, only Soldiers and Workers are allowed within the Hive in Liscor.”

“Why is that?”

“Because my Queen stands lowest among the six Queens under the Grand Queen. Her work here is experimental, as are her ideals. And so she is restricted from utilizing the Hive’s full potential, denied certain resources and equipment.”

A power struggle between the Antinium? No way. But that means—

“Are the Queens competing with one another? Are you at odds? Do the Hives fight each other?”

Klbkch shakes his head.

“Competition is strictly based on achievement. The Queens and the Antinium have one goal, but viewpoints differ between Queens as to best achieve that goal.”

Like having multiple CEO’s working towards one end. I nod, slowly.

“And you want your Queen to succeed.”

“I believe in her mission.”

“Which is to create Individual Antinium capable of leveling which will make the Antinium stronger.”

And deadlier. They would overrun the continent. Klbkch simply nods.

“Astute. My faith in you was not misplaced.”

“But if Erin helps you, we all die. We make the Antinium stronger, and you’ll still kill us all in the end.”

Klbkch shakes his head.

“My Queen is alone in seeking to gather allies and forge relations. Yet even she is limited in…vision. She treats other species as pawns; I would have her see them as people.”

So the Queen in Liscor is more progressive than the other Queens, and her Prognugator is even more so. I think I understand.

“You think you can talk your Queen around. But either way, she has to have more influence.”

“Just so. And the proof of her labors rests in the Individual Antinium.”

“Which is why Erin Solstice is essential.”

“Correct.”

My pulse is racing. I have to calm myself and drink more water before I can speak.

“Okay. Okay, let’s say what you’ve said is all true. What happens when your Queen proves herself? She gets special Antinium?”

“She will gain access to the…tools to create such Antinium if she desires.”

“So the other Hives have special Antinium already.”

The ones who killed General Sserys during the First Antinium War. Klbkch nods.

“Each Hive’s Queen has special dispensation to create their own unique type of Antinium. The Grand Queen is privy to every Hive’s secrets, but besides her, each Queen hoards her own unique type of Antinium and method for improving our species.”

Bombshells. That’s what this day is filled with.

“So what you’ve told me is that the Antinium aren’t united. Or rather, there’s a power struggle in the Hives and factions for how the Antinium should evolve.”

Klbkch glances at me.

“If any of the Queens—or other Prognugators—learn that knowledge has come from either you or I, we will both die.”

A moment of silence. I read the unspoken words.

“Does that mean you want me to tell someone? Lady Magnolia?”

“I would prefer my Queen to rise in status. She has worked long without permission to create her own types or deviate from the normal Soldiers and Workers.”

“Because she’s a renegade? Because she’s in disgrace?”

“Because she wants to create Individuals, yes.”

“What happens now that she’s succeeded? Or rather, Erin has? Does she need to prove this to the other Queens, somehow?”

Klbkch’s sits very still. He barely moves, even when speaking or gesturing. He’s an entirely different kind of person, more like a robot than a human being. Yes, a robot. One made from chitin rather than metal. A tin man, a bug man. With a heart.

“A delegation of Antinium will arrive shortly. They will assess whether or not Pawn and the other Individuals are truly Individual. Then the Queens will debate and the Grand Queen will decide what to do with the information.”

“And then?”

Klbkch shrugs.

“It will change everything. Or nothing. The Grand Queen will decide whether Individuals will make the Antinium stronger and move from there.”

“And why do the Antinium need to be strong? To conquer the continent?”

“If necessary.”

The cold-blooded response ties my tongue. Klbkch looks at me and shakes his head.

“The Grand Queen is more minded to pursue peace at the moment, at least until she is certain victory would not weaken the Antinium. Moreover, I believe I can convince my Queen to speak against such an action. This continent is not what the Antinium seek. We require strength to take back our home.”

“Your home? Someone chased you out?”

My god, the book—I need to read the second part. What he’s saying changes everything. Klbkch nods.

“It is why we fled Rhir. And why we continue to attempt to build our forces. We left because we were losing , Ryoka Griffin. And now that we are gone, the enemy will soon emerge above-ground again. This Blighted King is strong, but he is unprepared.”

“Unprepared for what?”

“We must be stronger. I must be stronger.”

Klbkch looks at me. I’m transfixed. For a second, he seems huge. Ancient. I’m like a bug—in his eyes.

“That is why you must help me. Why I know you and Erin must be protected. The Antinium must change. Or the Antinium will be wiped from the earth.”

“What. Happened?”

Klbkch pauses. He stares into his cup. And then he looks at me.

“The Antinium Wars? What Drakes and Humans and Gnolls fear so? They were setbacks. Dust. The true disaster occurred on the oceans when we lost our entire people. Even now, we are a fraction of what we were.”

I take a breath. Heart. I can hear my heart and his voice. Nothing else.

“If that’s the case, why did you run? What was so terrifying that you had to flee rather than fight?”

Klbkch pauses. He sits in Erin’s inn quietly, but his eyes reveal what he is. There’s something timeless there, something akin to Ceria’s gaze. Or Teriarch’s. Don’t look at Klbkch and see a bug. See him for what he is. A creature from centuries ago. An old hero of the Antinium, maybe. Something ancient. Only now do I realize how terrifying what he’s saying is.

The Antinium. Creatures numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Millions, even. Why did they ever run from Rhir? What could have caused them to flee?

Klbkch’s voice is the only thing in the world. Soft. Yet the words he speaks are so loud I can feel them shake my soul.

“We fled from a God, Ryoka Griffin. There is a God buried in Rhir. And it is trying to wake up.”

—-

It—it’s almost funny. I feel like puking, or screaming, or asking a thousand and one questions. But that issue with the Gnolls and the fifty thousand gold coins’ worth of debt? Not a problem right now.

“Again, I regret that I cannot assist directly with the issue of the Gnoll’s debt. But I agree that their aid would be invaluable to both you and Erin Solstice. The Gnolls possess a wide degree of skills and knowledge the Antinium have not, and they are steadfast allies to those who have assisted them.”

Klbkch and I sit in Erin’s inn and talk. Calmly. He’s calm. I—well, I’m still trying to calm down.

I had a…freak out after his revelation about the God. Just a little one*. But now we’re all calm. Klbkch is speaking about the future, and frankly, I’m inclined to listen to him.

*It was something. I may have become hysterical, for the first time in my life.

The Antinium. I had no idea—what he’s told me is hopeful , strangely enough. True, there are five other Queens who want to kill all other species, but there’s dissent among the Antinium. Hope for change and peace. But do I share that information? Do I help Klbkch overtly or just keep Erin safe?

“May I ask what you intend to do to settle the debt?”

I blink, and refocus on our conversation. I need to think. I can’t be useless, not now. Too much is at stake, although again, Gnoll debt? Small potatoes.

“I’m not sure yet. I’m weighing my options, but I don’t have that many things I can really offer the Gnolls at this moment.”

“From what you have said, there are many technologies available to you, but few or none that you are able to reproduce at the moment. My Hive could assist with the collection of resources, but the Antinium do not shape metal—at least, most Hives do not.”

“One does?”

“I believe so.”

There’s an information lockdown between Hives? Hm. That’s more rivalry than competition. Good to know.

“Yeah, there’s not much I can really make. Hell, I know all kinds of useful technologies and advancements in metallurgy, medicine, construction…but you need an existing framework to build all of it. Titanium, for instance is a metal harder than steel, but it’s impossible to smelt without…well, damn, I guess a Tier 6 spell might do it or something…”

“Impractical for the Gnolls, in short.”

“Yeah. And things like mathematics—well, it would change the world, but it’s not immediately useful.”

“Indeed.”

I sigh.

“Fuck. I think it has to be an artifact. A magical one. I’ll have to ask Lady Magnolia—or Teriarch.”

I told Klbkch a lot. Not everything, but quite a lot of what I’ve seen and done. And what I know. The Antinium nods.

“A dangerous choice. Both individuals are quite powerful and you may risk much by approaching either one. Despite Teriarch’s abilities, I would encourage you to view Magnolia Reinhart with the same amount of caution.”

Another surprise. No—I really shouldn’t be surprised, should I?

“You know him? Teriarch?”

“We know he is a Dragon. He incinerated two armies sent against him in the Second Antinium War. It was a mistake to attack him. I advised against it, but the Queens did not listen.”

Get the book. Read the book. Unless that’s the part of history that no one knows about. Yeah, I think people would know if a Dragon lived on the continent. Another secret to keep.

“If you are able to convince him to part with one of his treasures…yes. That would no doubt satisfy the Gnolls.”

“If. Any tips?”

“Do not attack him.”

“Thanks.”

I eye Klbkch. He sits calmly in his seat, watching me. If only I could read Antinium and tell what he’s thinking. Is he really that calm? He must be nervous. But his face is an insect’s face; impossible for me to read.

“I’m surprised you don’t want me to tell you how to create weapons from my world. Not that I would.”

“Despite the advantage it would bring, I fear it would work at cross purposes to my goal. A superior type of weaponry would only impel my Queen to abandon her current plan and use such arms to begin a third war. I would not wish such bloodshed to occur. I…do not wish to see the inhabitants of Liscor die.”

A tin man with a heart. Part of me actually wants to hug him. The other half wants to sit in a corner and gibber for an hour.

“So. What’s the plan?”

Klbkch tilts his head.

“I will provide you with information, resources, protection. You must assist Erin Solstice in your own way. And if you have a means to help my Hive—”

“Right. I get it.”

I stand up. I start to pace. I have to move.

“But there are so many questions I want to ask. All the things the Antinium know—”

“I will share what is necessary. But some secrets must remain so. If you are caught and tortured or charmed—”

“Right. Right.”

He’s no idiot. I eye Klbkch. No, he’s no idiot at all. He’s a Prognugator, one of the Antinium Generals. He’s probably smarter than I am. But then what can I ask?

“If you can’t give me something to give the Gnolls, all we can exchange is information.”

“Just so. I believe that is extremely valuable in itself.”

He’s not wrong there. I spread my hands.

“Is there anything you want to know about my world?”

“Many things intrigue me. But if I may—earlier today, Erin mentioned to you that our system of leveling is similar to your world?”

“Ah.”

I make a face. Erin and her big mouth. How can I even explain that to him?

“We…don’t level up in our world. Not at all. We can become better at things through practice, but we don’t level.”

“Not at all? Erin mentioned a game in conjunction with this fact. ‘Diablo’.”

It feels completely strange for an Antinium to start mentioning video games. I shake my head.

“That’s…it’s just a video game. A thing people play for fun, like chess. It’s not…”

I hesitate. Hold on, now.

“It has parallels to this world. Erin and I have both noticed it. The way this world operates with people leveling up—it has parallels to a game. But many things are different.”

“I see. But are the mechanics similar?”

“They are. I know the game—”

Hell, I lived Diablo III for a while. I was addicted until my damn parents made me quit.

“—But I couldn’t compare it to this world. I don’t know how the class system works or how leveling works.”

“It is considered a mystical element of our world as well. Most people understand the mechanics, but there is no consensus on the reason behind our leveling or advancement.”

Really? I frown.

“Can you explain some of the mechanics to me? From your perspective—a native’s perspective, that is.”

Klbkch nods. He taps a finger on his arm a few times, a dry, clicking noise. Then he speaks.

“Leveling is a means by which we grow stronger. As we take interest in certain activities, we gain classes. By pursuing these activities we gain more levels in a class. However, gaining levels grows exponentially more difficult as time goes on.”

I nod. That all squares with what I understand.

“Most people will end up around Level 20 in one class over the course of their life. Few individuals reach Level 30. A handful in each town; a few dozen in a city. Few will ever reach Level 40; those who do are considered famous in their own right. Those who pass Level 50 in their class are generally known throughout the world.”

Again, more information I know, but Klbkch saying it is still useful.

“Is there anyone who’s ever hit a…maximum level? Level 100, for instance?”

Klbkch seems to frown. He has no eyebrows but—is it just my imagination? That’s the sense I get from him.

“I know of no individual with a level approaching one hundred. Legends speak of individuals with levels above eighty and ninety, but why would there be a limit of one hundred levels?”

“Because…”

I pause. Well, because it’s a round number? No; there’s a reason for it.

“Hold on. This is a concept from my world. Where I come from—video games usually have a level limit. Level 100 or 99 is usually that limit.”

Diablo III didn’t have that system. The level limit there was Level 70 with Paragon levels, but in this case it sounds like Level 100 would be the closest match. Klbkch shakes his head.

“That is odd, but intriguing. I have never known any individual with such a high level in any case. Most grow too old to continue leveling in time to pass Level 60 in any case.”

“Hold on. Old? What does age have to do with levels?”

I frown. Is leveling…age gated? That doesn’t sound quite right.

“Age is a known factor in leveling. Those who grow older level far more slowly, independently of their actual class level.”

“That doesn’t sound like any game I’ve played. Are you sure that’s what happens?”

Klbkch nods.

“I am one example of this occurrence. I have…declined in ability much over the many years I have been alive. I have lost levels, which is an occurrence that only occurs among the Antinium.”

“You lost your levels? Because you died, right?”

“Correct. During the First and Second Antinium Wars—and even before that—I have experienced death many times. I am able to be resurrected thanks to my Queen, but each time I lose ten levels from my classes.”

That sounds exactly like a video game. Resurrecting and losing levels? I scratch at the table with a fingernail.

“And you’re saying you’ve having a tougher time regaining your levels because you’re…older?”

Klbkch nods again. He seems to hesitate, and then he speaks.

“This is secret information. At the moment, I am a Level 21 [Swordslayer], a Level 18 [Commander], a Level 11 [Diplomat], and a Level 14 [Assassin]. However, at my peak I was a Level 44 [Swordslayer], and a Level 26 [Assassin].”

My jaw drops. If you add up the levels, Klbkch is saying he once had seventy levels altogether! Isn’t that on par with a legendary hero? No—a Named Adventurer is only around Level 40. He was stronger than that? Wait a second, if you add up the levels he has now…

“That’s…incredible.”

Klbkch nods. It’s not arrogance.

“My abilities were quite useful. However, you will note that my current self is far weaker than I was. Recently, I have struggled to regain even the levels I have lost, and I find it increasingly difficult to level up my [Swordslayer] class.”

“Right, but you still have over sixty levels total, don’t you?”

“Correct. But that is only cumulatively. As I have said, I am leveling slower due to my advanced age. I am quite old, and it is an established fact that older individuals gain levels slowly.”

Wait, but what Klbkch is saying doesn’t make sense to me. I tap the table as I speak.

“What about your cumulative levels? I mean, you were Level 70 in total, and now you’re Level 64 in total. Wouldn’t that explain the slower growth you’re experiencing?”

Klbkch pauses. Again, I get the impression he’s frowning at me.

“Why would cumulative levels affect my growth?”

“Because you’re nearing the level cap of one hundred. If it exists in this world. Look, in a video game leveling up requires more experience the higher level you are, right? Just like this world. But that cost is also based on your total number of levels, not just a single class’s level.”

Do they really not know this in this world? Does that explain lower levels? Gods, it might. The Antinium stares at me across the table skeptically.

“That conclusion requires a number of suppositions that cannot be substantiated. I am not sure your belief that there is a maximum level in this world is correct. Moreover, why would each class count towards this total?”

“Why does age count towards leveling?”

I shoot a question back at Klbkch. Okay, it’s a cheap debate trick, but I feel like I’m on to something.

“The problem I’m hearing with your world is that everyone assumes you slow down in leveling due to age. But what if that was just because older people have a lot of other classes?”

The Antinium is silent for a long moment.

“Most individuals do not level past Level 20 to begin with. Few attain a cumulative level past fifty, even with other classes.”

“Because it gets harder to level up! And people think it’s age, but—okay, let’s say you’re a Level 20 [Butcher], but you have ten other levels in…I don’t know, [Dancer]. That means that the system would treat you as a Level 30 person when it comes to leveling up, slowing your growth. And that also means that adventurers, generals… everyone is stunting their growth and maximum level by taking on needless classes!”

I point at Klbkch. My heart is racing with excitement.

“You aren’t leveling up because you have needless classes. You were stronger when you were younger because you only had two classes, and you focused on one more than the other. Think, Klbkch. Can you name any other individuals who only had a few classes?”

He’s silent for a long time. Then Klbkch looks up.

“The first Grand Queen. She…she was Level 79. She was a [Supreme Matriarch] – a special class gained from advancing in the [Queen] class for centuries. She…she was extraordinary among my people because she continued to level even in her later years.”

“My god.”

I have so many questions . But I have to continue.

“Okay. Then—damn, we need more information. Do you know if your Grand Queen had stopped leveling? Or was she continuing to gain levels? Did she have any other classes?”

Klbkch pauses. He lowers his head, as if he’s in…pain? As if the memory hurts him.

“She was focused. She only truly desired one class, and never took any other. She was so dedicated to leading us that…yes; she had only one other class, although I barely recall it.”

“That’s why she got to such a high level. The exponential difficulty of leveling was working against her of course, but she would never have gotten to that level if she didn’t focus on one class.”

I think I’m smiling. I don’t have levels—I might not ever have them anymore—but we’ve figured out something huge. This information—could I give it to the Gnolls? Hold on, it’s not that useful unless you have people who can actually get to a high level, but…no, it’s still frickin’ big.

All at once Klbkch stands up. I flinch, but he’s not looking at me. He stares out a window.

“I…we must confirm this. This information—if it is true, it changes much. That it was not discovered—”

“I guess if most people never level up as much, it wouldn’t be an issue. And someone who’s high-level might not realize they’re nearing their level cap. Plus, it might be a softcap.”

“Softcap?”

“It’s another idea from my world’s games. It means that there’s no hard stop when you get to a certain point, like Level 100, but afterwards continuing becomes impractical. So let’s say there’s a softcap on Level 100. It means that after that point you can continue leveling, but advancement will be even slower.”

Klbkch begins to walk back and forth, like I was doing. I watch him move—he’s got to be agitated.

“That adds credence to your statement. In advanced years, leveling is often cause for celebration.”

“Is there any way we can corroborate this information? Prove it, somehow?”

“My situation is unique to my nature, and I do not have access to information about other Prognugators and Queens.”

“Why not ask a local, then? You said Selys was in Liscor?”

Klbkch nods.

“She is in the park with Mrsha.”

“The park? Well, can we talk to her?”

“Let us go at once.”

—-

When Klbkch opens the door for me, I blink at the snowy landscape. The snow is knee deep outside.

“What the hell happened out here?”

The Antinium walks out with me, striding through the snow as I shut the door to Erin’s inn.

“I believe the effects of alcohol on the Frost Faeries led them to increase the amount of snow that fell overnight.”

“Goddamn it, Erin.”

“I would appreciate it if you did not use that expression.”

I hesitate, and look at Klbkch.

“Oh, right.”

Gods are real. When I think of that—it makes the revelation of leveling seem pale in comparison. I still can’t believe no one in this world realizes there’s a level cap. But if most people never level that high up, and the few who do just think they’re ceasing to level due to age…

“What can you tell me about the God?”

“Very little. I only know what my people know. And I would prefer not to speak of it in any case.”

“Why?”

Klbkch looks at me.

“Because even speaking of Gods gives them power.”

American Gods . Neil Gaiman. Or—alternatively, Small Gods , Terry Pratchett. My mind races. I—I close my mouth and walk with Klbkch in the snow, thinking.

It’s only a few minutes before we reach Liscor’s gates, despite the heavy snow. The guards recognize Klbkch in sight and call out to him. He waves. We walk on. Klbkch leads me down the streets of Liscor, and I look around at the bustling city.

You’d never imagine it was just attacked a few weeks ago. While this place isn’t New York, it’s hardly a small town either. The city feels…well, it feels big. Populated. Liscor is bigger than Celum or Esthelm, despite being enclosed on all four sides by those massive walls*.

*Talk about fortifications. Apparently, all Drake cities have these gigantic walls, although Liscor’s are second only to the famous Walled Cities. If the gates hadn’t been left open during the undead attack, I can’t imagine even a hundred thousand of them would have been able to break into Liscor. Not without siege weapons. Undead siege weapons…? A giant?

It’s either because he’s an Antinium or because he’s a Senior Guardsman—probably both—but Klbkch and I walk in a circle of space even on the most crowded of streets. Surprisingly, not all the looks he gets are unfriendly, either. Some Drakes and Gnolls nod to the Antinium, and Klbkch exchanges greetings with several people he knows by name. It’s actually me that gets more dirty looks.

The Antinium turns down another street.

“Where are we going?”

“To a playground, I believe. In the park. Selys has taken Mrsha there.”

Sure enough, the street widens and then I find myself staring at the oddest of sights. In the center of the city is…a park. A big one, at least, for an enclosed city like this. And there’s a playground occupying a part of it as well.

“What the hell?”

It’s a playground. And those are…trees. And grass, growing right next to the cobblestones that line the circular perimeter of the park. That’s normal. Yeah, parks, trees in a city with walls. I can see that.

But the playground catches my eye. Because it is not like a Human playground. Human playgrounds aren’t this cool.

It’s a…jungle gym. At least, that was what it was. But some mad architect took one look at the plans and decided to make a playground for children that would give any anxious parent a heart attack.

Long tunnels of smooth, polished wood connect towers that spiral upwards like a miniature castle. Monkey bars are set twenty feet in the air, above a floor that you have to climb up a long rope just to get to. Even as I watch, a Gnoll cub slides down a slide that curves downwards over thirty feet, dropping the kid down towards the ground in a long, spiraling journey.

The towering construction of wood and stone goes up four stories high. It has separate rooms with glass windows for children to occupy and play in—walls with grips that any climbing gym in my world would envy—even a huge rope bridge which sways and wobbles high over my head.

I know my mouth is gaping. I stare at the giant tower and I want to climb it. But while the child in me dreams of swinging and jumping around high up there, the practical part of me wonders what the hell happens if someone falls? There are so many ways to topple off—that damn rope bridge has huge gaps in it! A fall from that high ends up in death no matter how soft the grass is.

And then, just as I’m imagining that scenario—a kid slips. I see a Drake child overbalance and tumble off the side. I open my mouth to shout and I dash forwards, but I’ll be too slow, I know it.

But then—the young Drake’s body pauses as he falls through the air. I watch in incredulity as the air around the kid seems to freeze, and he slows down to a crawl. He softly lands on the ground and laughs.

I stare, and then hear laughter. Some Drakes are laughing at me, not the kid. I guess the look on my face must be hilarious.

“Please do not be alarmed. The magical spells on this playing area are cast by a Wistram mage and checked upon each year.”

Klbkch walks over to me and I stare at him. He nods at the playground and the Drakes and Gnolls walking around and enjoying this natural retreat in the center of their city.

“It is an expensive construction, but one the city council devoted funds to as a matter of public benefit. I am told the Walled Cities have similar constructions with an even greater degree of magical enchantments.”

“Why the hell do you need something like this? ”

I point at the playground. One of the Drake parents gives me a dirty look, and I watch my mouth.

“Due to the unique geography of this landscape, the residents require a place to relax and enjoy themselves when confined to the city during the spring months.”

“Right, I read about that. But…huh. It’s just like my world. We have parks in our cities as well. If not so…close to other buildings.”

“Indeed? That is interesting. Ah, there is Selys.”

Klbkch points to a familiar Drake and a bundle of white fur. Mrsha is swinging on some bars way too high for me to feel comfortable about, laughing with a bunch of other Gnoll kids. Two groups of parents are watching their offspring play with Mrsha without any worries—I see the Gnoll parents eying her fur, but they make no comment.

“Ryoka! Klbkch?”

Selys greets the two of us with some surprise.

“Did you come to check up on Mrsha? I told you I’d take her out for the day. Unless…Erin’s done with her exploration?”

“No, not yet. Actually Selys, we wanted to talk to you.”

“To me?”

Selys looks at me, surprised. I nod.

“Can we sit somewhere?”

“Oh, of course. There are some benches over there. Mrsha? We’re going over there?”

High above us, Mrsha lets go of one of the bars and waves a paw. She looks so happy up there, just like one of the kids, immersed in the adventure of a life time. Like any other Gnoll cub—except for the fur.

I leave her behind and sit with Selys and Klbkch. It’s a cold day, but at least there’s a bit of sun coming through the clouds at the moment. Funny, it seems warmer in this park. Must be all the kids running about or…an enchantment over the entire place? Maybe it’s just my imagination.

“So, what can I help you with?”

Klbkch looks at me. I guess he wants me to explain. All of this makes sense to me, but to a native of this world, this must be like finding out the earth is round, or…or that the planets revolve around the sun.

Hell, I didn’t know I was going be pulling a Galileo today.

Slowly, I explain my theory about leveling to Selys. She stares at me with increasing incredulity until she guffaws as I get to the part about cumulative leveling.

“What? Are you serious, Ryoka? Levels don’t work like that! Everyone knows you level slower as you age—it’s because we’re running out of energy, not some weird limit!”

She waves a claw at me, still chuckling. I frown at her.

“How do you know? What makes you so sure?”

“I know because—well, look, just because people don’t level when they’re older doesn’t mean there’s some limit!”

Selys frowns as she tries to explain. She frowns, and then brightens.

“Take old Peslas, for example. He’s an [Innkeeper], like Erin. Have you heard of him?”

A bit of memory flares inside my head.

“He’s the one who runs another inn, isn’t he? The one the Gold-rank adventurers are staying at?”

“That’s right. Well, he’s above Level 30 in the [Innkeeper] class, so his inn is one of the best in the city. But he hasn’t stopped leveling because he can’t! He’s old, and he just doesn’t want to work harder.”

“What do you mean?”

Selys rolls her eyes and wraps her tail around one leg of the bench.

“Not everyone wants to work their tail off until they can get to a higher level, Ryoka. Some people decide they’re at a good level and stop. For instance, Peslas has a nice inn and lots of guests, but he doesn’t work that hard. And he’s old. So he levels once every couple of years. He leveled up six years ago and threw a huge party. My grandmother and I were invited to it.”

“But he could be leveling slower because of his total level as well, not just because he’s taking it easy and he’s old.”

“Yeah, but…well, he doesn’t have that many levels in other classes.”

Selys looks uncertain. I shake my head.

“But every level counts, Selys, don’t you see? Someone who has only one class that she levels like Erin will level up fast. She told me she only has a few levels in [Singer] and [Warrior], but how many do you have? How many does Peslas have?”

Now the [Receptionist] frowns to herself. She mutters as Klbkch and I watch Mrsha running around with another Gnoll kid.

“Well, I know he was bragging—he talks a lot about his classes—I know he said he was a [Warrior] when he was younger. He got to Level 16 while serving in the army, so there’s that. And he has levels in [Cook] and [Bartender] because he used to do that before he became an [Innkeeper]…but he doesn’t have many in each. Just a few levels.”

“Does he have any other classes?”

“Oh! I remember! He’s got a few levels in [Singer] and [Dancer] too! He was so happy about that—he got a good Skill that helps him sing…”

Selys’ face turns pale. I nod, and Klbkch nods too.

“One or two levels here and there. In this world, it’s not that much. In fact, people like to level, don’t they?”

“It’s so useful. And we get Skills even if it’s one or two levels.”

Selys mumbles the words. I nod.

“But that slows you down. It takes away from the maximum level you can achieve. It hurts you, but no one realizes it because everyone thinks it’s due to age.”

“And few people have the desire to reach higher levels in any case. So the issue is never noticed. In any case, why would anyone assume there is an artificial limit?”

Only someone from another world would assume that, and only because older video games like Pokemon had hardcoded limits to their system that prevented them from going past Level 100. Why would a system in this world have that kind of limit? It would only make sense if someone created the system…

Klbkch looks at me. I nod. My heart is racing.

Selys shakes her head repeatedly, as if dazed.

“This is huge. This is…do you know what this means if this is true? ”

“It will affect all in small ways, and affect few in huge ways.”

Klbkch said the words softly as Mrsha nipped at a Drake’s tail and elicited a shout from the Drake and her parents. I consider what he’s saying.

For many, I guess this information wouldn’t be too useful. Not if they don’t have the ambition to level up faster. But maybe it would allow everyone to reach Level 30, rather than waste their early levels on useless classes. It would lead to specialization—but most importantly, it would allow the people who reach the high levels in their classes to become even stronger.

“This information could change the world.”

I look at Klbkch. He looks at me.

“Fifty thousand gold pieces?”

“Perhaps.”

“What are you talking about?”

Selys looks between us. She’s trembling. Her world must be shaking. I feel sort of bad for her, but this information helps her as well.

Klbkch nods. And then he nods again.

“What Ryoka Griffin describes is exactly what I am experiencing. I had feared it was due to my age—or that I was becoming weaker—but I have ceased to level in my main class because I have too many other classes. It may be age, but Ryoka’s theory is equally sound, perhaps more so given…certain factors. I believe she is correct.”

“ Dead gods. ”

Selys breathes the words like a prayer, only no one prays in this world because the gods are dead. Except there is one.

Klbkch nods one last time. He’s like a creepy bobblehead.

“I must confirm this. There is information in my Hive which I am able to sort through. Data on warriors, people in positions of note, unusual classes, and so forth. I will review several hundred individuals and see if the results match your conclusions, Ryoka Griffin. If it is correct, this secret you have uncovered will be valuable beyond belief.”

I nod. My heart is pounding. Information that could change the world. Klbkch glances at Selys.

“This knowledge must not spread until it is certain, and even then, should be kept quiet. For now. Are we in agreement?”

Selys nods vigorously.

“Lips sealed. Completely.”

But then her face falls.

“Ah! But I’ve got so many classes! I thought—everyone gets a few levels in one or two classes but no one cares about that! No one—does that mean I’ll never reach a high level?”

Her face is stricken. Klbkch nods slowly.

“It will be…difficult for me as well. If I am unable to reach the same heights, it would be best for me to rectify the situation.”

I eye Klbkch. He’s the only one who can lose levels, but if he’s suggesting what I think he is, that’s insane.

“For now, just don’t level up if you don’t want to. You can refuse to level up or take a class.”

Selys shakes her head distractedly.

“I never understood why that was possible. I thought you’d have to be crazy to turn down a level or not gain a new class.”

I nod. It’s not a conclusion anyone would make if they didn’t understand games. Is it a trap for the people in this world? Or just an oversight? Does anyone know this secret? Some people must, but they would hide it because it’s so valuable, wouldn’t they?

“I think—yeah, I think if my suspicions are true, it’s for this exact reason that you can refuse to level up.”

A system based on a game, except no one knows the rules. My spine tingles. Gods. One is still alive.

We don’t say much after that. Selys and Klbkch just stare at each other and she mutters about classes while he…goes through his Hive’s information. I’m not sure how he does it. Is it stored in some location, or are the Antinium all carrying bits of the data?

For now, I don’t ask. But after half an hour Klbkch looks towards one of the walls.

“Something is happening.”

People—Drakes and Gnolls, and even some of the Humans—are pointing and walking in one direction. I stare at Selys and Klbkch.

“What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know. Do you want to see?”

Klbkch and I look at each other. We’re thinking the same thing without saying it out loud. If there’s a crowd and something going on which attracts attention, there’s probably one person—one girl at the heart of it.

People are clustering around the southern gate, and I hear people exclaiming and laughing. Klbkch, Selys, and I make our way through the crowd, Selys holding Mrsha so the small Gnoll doesn’t get lost. We get close to the southern walls—close enough to hear the laughter and exclamations—but the people are packed so densely around the gates that there’s no way through.

“Up there.”

Klbkch points towards the battlements. The citizenry aren’t allowed up there, but his position as a Senior Guardsman gets us up there. And that’s when we see it.

“Oh my god.”

At first, it’s just an odd shape moving around in the snow. You can see from a long distance on the battlements, and that’s how I see Erin. And Toren. And then, when you look closer, you see it.

The [Guardsmen] on the wall are laughing so hard they can barely stand up straight. I stare down at Erin and Toren as they…traverse the snow. Yup. Just when I think she can’t get any stranger, Erin does something like this.

I look at Selys. She’s covering her mouth as she tries not to guffaw. Klbkch is just staring. I think he’s in shock.

Someone has to say it. I stare down at Erin and shake my head.

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

2.42

She was a [Princess]. She was royalty. She was heir to one of the glorious kingdoms of Terrandria, and she had seen more in her eighteen years of life than most commoners could hope of glimpsing in their entire lives.

And she understood people. People were dreary, dull, and most had small ambitions and smaller minds. But Lyonette du Marquin couldn’t understand the person called Erin Solstice. She was a mystery.

Of course, to look at Erin, one would immediately notice her plain looks. She had a modicum of attractiveness perhaps; her teeth were not crooked and she had no glaring disfiguring features, but she was no courtly beauty.

And indeed, her class was mundane as they came. She was an [Innkeeper]. Only…she wasn’t just an innkeeper.

She played chess, the game of [Strategists] and the nobility. She played it better than anyone Lyonette had seen, and that alone was inconceivable. But more than that, she treated with the lesser races as if they were people, and she employed a vicious, horrible, ghastly undead skeleton as if there were nothing abhorrent about the idea!

And yet, and yet. She was also kind. Grudgingly, Lyonette admitted that fact as she broke her fast on the thick gravy and biscuits. She dipped a steaming chunk of biscuit in the meaty sauce and consumed it ravenously.

This was not the elegant food she dined on nightly in her home. But it was…an acceptable repast nonetheless. That was one small point in Erin Solstice’s favor.

Something snuffled at Lyonette’s leg and she looked down. The young Gnoll cub sat on the ground underneath her table, staring up at Lyonette with wide, curious eyes.

Another point. At least Erin Solstice, for all her myriad flaws, was kind to children. Even a Gnoll child was not without merit.

And this one—

Lyonette glanced around, but the Drake female and Solstice were talking, and the odd City Runner was talking with the horrible Antinium. And the skeleton was in the kitchen. So Lyonette broke off some of her biscuit, dipped it in gravy, and lowered her hand under the table.

Mrsha immediately glomped onto Lyonette’s hand and licked it, which made the girl laugh. Quietly. She’d always loved the dogs that the [Kennel Master] raised, and the Gnoll child was more than a mere animal. She—it had broken Lyonette’s heart to hear the tale. Not for the Gnoll tribe of course; they were ghastly beasts. But the Gnoll child had looked so sad…

What was she doing here? Lyonette frowned as she wiped her fingers and resumed eating. She should be headed north, with as much coin as she could take. Lady Magnolia would surely take her in, despite Solstice’s lies. And then…

And then, Lyonette could find her true calling somewhere else. She could search for adventure, rather than continue being trapped by mundanity.

She would not escape without cost, though. The humiliation Lyonette had already suffered was beyond forgiveness, and worst—she had another class.

[Barmaid]. Level 3. And she had gained a Skill. [Lesser Stamina]. It made napping more difficult, but on the other hand it allowed Lyonette the energy to complete the many irrelevant tasks Solstice forced upon her.

That was the greatest affront of all. Her royal class had been ruined by the addition of a common class. It was an unforgivable occurrence; Lyonette had been sullied. If her father were to learn of this—

Lyonette’s stomach clenched. What did she care of her father? What did he care of her? He had probably only sent search parties as far as the shores of Terrandria, never imagining she would have the courage to book herself passage to Izril. And she had survived monsters, starvation, and even the horrible mob that had cast her out of Liscor to get this far.

She was only staying at this inn because she had no choice. But soon, she would be restored to her rightful position. And perhaps then she would extract some form of retribution upon that damnable skeleton.

A [Barmaid] class. Of all the insults! Lyonette scowled as Mrsha sniffed at her feet and recoiled. It was unacceptable! She was not destined to wait upon commoners like a useless peasant!

But she had leveled up. There was that. Lyonette stared at her food, suddenly less hungry. It had been so long, she’d almost forgotten what leveling up was like. That had been nice.

“Perhaps…”

Lyonette hesitated, and shook her head. No, it was ridiculous. But a thought nagged at her mind as she pushed back her plate. It was intolerable of course, being ordered around, being subservient to another. It was ridiculous that she should level in any class other than [Princess]. But…

But it was better than being useless.

—-

“So, I was thinking, I need to make my inn more popular, you know?”

Erin gestured around her inn as she spoke to Selys. She wasn’t trying to be mean of course; she had a nice inn. Everything had been built by the Antinium, and she even had glass windows. Even Peslas’ inn didn’t have glass windows. But—it wasn’t enough.

“I mean, I’ve got that faerie flower drink, but I need to work on that. I was really thinking, though, that I need more stuff.”

“Stuff?”

Selys looked at Erin blankly. Erin nodded and tried to explain.

“Remember the acid flies? Well, the Antinium loved those. I had a full inn some nights, and I made tons of gold coins! But now its winter, I’ve got nothing special to sell. And I don’t get many guests. Plus, I made a bit of money selling the acid fly acid, you know?”

“Don’t remind me.”

“But Selys, just think about it! It was so useful—it helped kill Skinner, and you can melt undead with it really fast. Even if it does smell.”

“Where are you going with this, Erin?”

“ Well… I was thinking I could sell stuff to adventurers.”

Selys eyed Erin suspiciously.

“What kind of stuff?”

“You know, like seed pod cores. I’ve still got some and they scare those Rock Crabs away. Plus, if I find more boom bark I could maybe sell that.”

“Didn’t Toren blow up your inn with that?”

“Okay, maybe not boom bark. But it could be good business, you know! I just need to go exploring.”

Selys glanced out one window. The snowfall from last night had stopped, but the snow was so deep that there were practically no features to the landscape. Even opening the door this morning had necessitated quite a bit of arm strength on Erin’s part.

“Exploring? In this weather? Erin…”

“I’ll get Toren to guide me. I think Mrsha’s scared of him, anyways.”

Both females looked over and saw Mrsha prowling around after Toren as he mechanically swept and cleaned up the common room. Every time he turned towards her she would scoot under a table, but she kept eyeing him warily.

“Your skeleton scares me , Erin. Okay, if he’s with you I guess you can always let him fight monsters and run away. But be careful, alright? Shield Spiders still make their nests and [Dangersense] doesn’t cover all kinds of traps.”

“Sure, no problem. But that means I’ll have to leave Mrsha with Ryoka.”

Erin looked over at Ryoka. She was still staring at her plate, although she’d finished eating. Klbkch was watching her, and it looked like Ryoka was in deep thought.

“Do you think that’s wise?”

“Well, Ryoka did bring Mrsha this far.”

“No, I mean, look at her.”

Selys pointed back to Mrsha. The Gnoll cub had lost some of her fear of Toren. She was reaching out and even as the skeleton turned, she grabbed his ankle curiously. Toren whirled, and Mrsha fled, yelping in terror.

“Toren! Don’t scare her!”

Erin went to cuddle Mrsha. She looked at Selys.

“What’s the matter?”

“She needs entertainment, Erin. She can’t stay in an inn all day, and she needs a minder, not…”

Selys nodded to Ryoka. The other girl was still motionless. Toren approached and tentatively reached for her plate. The other girl made no response, even when he waved a bony hand in front of her face.

“Right. Well, what should I do? Maybe I could leave her with Krshia?”

But that would mean she was around Brunkr, and Erin didn’t like that.

“Leave the child with me.”

Both Selys and Erin turned. Lyonette had stood up. She raised her nose at the two of them imperiously.

“What was that, Lyon?”

The girl’s eyes flashed, but she made no comment about her name. Erin liked the sound of Lyon better than Lyonette, anyways.

“I am bored. I will look after the child—Mrsha.”

Erin and Selys exchanged a look. Erin tried to make her tone friendly.

“Well, that’s really nice of you to offer, Lyonette. But…uh, I think…um…no.”

Lyonette scowled.

“Why not? I am quite capable of looking after a child.”

She glared as both Drake and Human exchanged a dubious look. Selys coughed into one claw.

“I can take Mrsha, Erin. I’ve got a day off and besides, there’s a playground in the city. She can have fun with other kids there.”

“A playground?”

Erin had never seen anything like that, but then, she’d never bothered to explore the city fully. Selys nodded.

“She’ll be safe with me. And I’m sure she’d like to have fun, wouldn’t you, Mrsha?”

The Gnoll cub looked up at Selys. She wagged her tail a bit and sniffed at the Drake as she crouched down.

“She’s sort of like a puppy, don’t you think?”

Erin whispered to Selys as the Drake scratched Mrsha behind the ears. Selys shrugged.

“Gnoll cubs are pretty animal-like. And Mrsha’s young; I wouldn’t worry about it. Drake hatchlings like to bite everything they can fit their mouths around. Aren’t Human children different too?”

Erin thought of screaming babies and toddlers who would eat bugs and sand and poo. She nodded.

“Well…if you don’t mind, that would be great, Selys! Thanks! Then Lyonette can help me and Toren look for cool stuff.”

Lyonette’s brows snapped together.

“What was that?”

“Hey Toren!”

Erin called out to the skeleton. He looked over at her.

“We’re going out! Get your sword and put the dishes away, okay? Lyonette’s coming too!”

The skeleton appeared to perk up when Erin mentioned the sword, but when she mentioned Lyonette he seemed to sag. He walked into the kitchen as Erin went over to Ryoka.

“Hey Ryoka, is it okay if Selys takes Mrsha for the day?”

“Mm.”

Ryoka didn’t look at Erin. Erin hesitated.

“And uh, I’m going outside. With Lyonette and Toren. I’m going exploring.”

“Mhm.”

The other girl’s face didn’t change. She was clearly deep in thought, or sleeping with her eyes open. Erin hesitated.

“I will inform her, Erin Solstice.”

Klbkch nodded from his seat. Erin smiled at him.

“Oh, thanks Klbkch! But are you sure you want to stay?”

The Antinium nodded.

“I would like to chat with Ryoka Griffin. Take care while you are exploring. Do not hesitate to run.”

“Don’t worry! I’m going to bring a frying pan and a knife.”

Klbkch stared at Erin. She gave him a thumbs up.

“See you later!”

—-

“It’s cold. And wet.”

Lyonette complained loudly as she followed Erin and Toren through the snow. The skeleton was breaking a path through the deep snow, but even so, Erin had to fight just to keep moving. The snow was deep today, even for someone used to Michigan winters.

Erin had seen snow that went knee-deep, but she couldn’t remember ever seeing waist-deep snow. But in some of the valleys, the snow had accumulated to the point where it made progress impossible.

“Why are we even out here?”

Lyonette complained even more loudly Toren slipped in the snow and face-planted. Erin sighed. She was already regretting taking Lyonette with her, but it was either that or inflict her on Ryoka. And Ryoka would probably kick Lyonette in the face.

Why hadn’t she left Lyonette with Ryoka?

“Come on Lyon, it’s not that bad.”

Erin’s foot found a divot in the ground and she windmilled her arms wildly to stay upright. Lyon stared at her in disgust. But instead of her usual snide remarks she folded her arms.

“Do not mistake me; I am grateful for your assistance in my time of need. But I am not your slave, to be ordered around at your whim.”

“I didn’t say you were. But we’re all working in this inn together, Lyon. I own it, but I need your help.”

“And how is this helping your inn, pray?”

Lyon gestured at the white landscape. She stared at Toren as the skeleton sloughed ahead of them.

“It will take the better part of a day to get anywhere. And what are we even looking for?”

Erin shrugged.

“I dunno. Hunting monsters? Gathering mushroom and rare stuff? Maybe there’s a mine around here somewhere.”

Erin had no idea how mining worked. And the look Lyonette gave her told her that she probably wasn’t going find any gemstones any time soon.

“You. Wish to hunt monsters?”

“Well, want is a strong word. But Toren’s got a sword. And armor.”

Erin pointed at Toren. The skeleton had stopped to watch the two girls argue. He was slowly sinking deeper into the snow as his holey bronze armor weighed him down. Lyonette sniffed.

“That thing fills me with no confidence.”

“Well…I have a frying pan.”

Erin lifted it to prove her point. Lyonette stared at the frying pan.

“…Are you unwell in the head? How will a frying pan kill monsters?”

“Hey! I killed a ton of zombies with a frying pan! Well, not this pan because they get really gross when the brains and stuff get on it but—”

“Wait, you killed a zombie ? By yourself?”

“I had help. There was this undead attack and I had to kill a bunch of undead. Some Antinium Workers came to help me, and a lot of people died. Oh, and there was this horrible huge flesh-worm-thing that attacked. And a lot of zombies and ghouls and even these Crypt Lords tried to kill me, so yeah.”

Erin was aware that Lyon was gaping at her. She cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed.

“Anyways, if it’s just a Shield Spider or a Rock Crab we’re fine. I can scare away Rock Crabs and Toren and I can kill Shield Spiders.”

“You can!? ”

“Well, yeah. You just hit them and keep dodging their fangs. And legs. Oh, and don’t fall into their pit traps.”

This was all normal to Erin. But Lyonette stared at her as if this was all completely new to her. Which, come to that, it was.

“But— Silver-rank adventurers take on requests to slay Shield Spiders!”

“Yeah?”

Erin scratched her head. Lyon stared at her. The silence lengthened until Erin felt it was time to move.

“Okay, we’ve got to go. Toren, take us to the place you found the mushrooms!”

She turned and began to follow Toren. Lyonette followed them after a few seconds.

It was mercifully quiet for a while, but Erin was beginning to suspect that Lyonette, annoying though she’d been, was right. After about thirty minutes of struggling in the snow, they were only a hundred feet away from the inn.

“Alright, new plan! We’re going into the city!”

Of course, when they got in sight of the gates and the Drake Guardsman on duty, Erin realized that there was another problem.

“Oh, right. Lyonette can’t come inside and neither can you, Toren.”

Both skeleton and [Princess] gave Erin a flat look. She smiled and scratched at her head.

“Um. Okay, Lyonette, you stay outside with Toren. I’ll be back soon!”

Lyonette stared at Erin as the girl shook snow off her boots and proceeded down the freshly cleared streets of Liscor. Then she looked at Toren.

The skeleton stood where Erin had left him. He was staring at the snow. Just staring. Lyonette knew the skeleton’s features never changed, but she got the distinct impression he was upset. He was gripping his sword rather tightly.

Slowly, she edged away from the skeleton and then looked at the guard. The Drake on duty stared ahead, boredom written into every inch of his body and his slowly wagging tail. He’d eyed Toren once, but apparently the guards knew about Erin’s undead helper. Slowly, he scratched at his butt.

Lyonette decided to stand right where she was. After a few minutes of waiting in the cold snow, she sneezed.

—-

“Snowshoes?”

Krshia looked blankly at Erin. The Human sneezed again and nodded.

“Yeah. Do you have any?”

Krshia scratched at her furry chin. Today Brunkr was nowhere to be seen, and she’d told Erin that he was still sulking.

“There is not much call for them outside, yes? The roads, they are melted clear with magic spell and many feet. And it does not usually snow so deeply.”

“Yeah. Um. Oops.”

Erin recalled several drunk faeries laughing as the flew out of her inn. She had the feeling that might have precipitated the sudden weather change.

Krshia eyed Erin, but shrugged.

“I may be able to find some. But none that will fit Human feet, yes? They will require resizing. And certainly none for your undead…thing.”

“Oh, I’ve got [Advanced Crafting], and I only need a pairs for me and L—uh, I just need two. Toren can run pretty fast through the snow since, you know, he doesn’t get tired.”

And the snow had a lot less mass to constrict in his case. Skeletons were thin.

Krshia nodded.

“But you will still be quite slow, yes?”

“Yes? I mean yeah, that is a problem.”

Erin frowned. She wanted to get around, at least so she could do some exploring and maybe gather some rare mushrooms like the ones Toren had found. Maybe she could sell them to the faeries for actual gold this time, or use them in a dish. But it was hard to explore when you moved at a glacial pace.

The Gnoll [Shopkeeper] thought as she and Erin stood together in front of her stall. It was nice to be on speaking terms with Krshia again. She always had good advice for Erin.

Let’s see. If snow shoes were too slow, what was faster?

“How about skis?”

“Skis?”

Erin tried to explain. Krshia looked blank.

“Snow shoes we have, but these…pieces of wood seem too fragile. Gnolls would not use such things. Perhaps a Drake might have such devices.”

The tone in her voice suggested that only a Human would be that crazy, and even then, possibly only Erin.

“Well…darn. Maybe I could make some, though. Can I buy some wood? I mean, it’d be hard since Lyonette doesn’t know how to ski. And Toren can’t either…too bad we can’t all just—”

Erin paused. Her train of thought stopped, as she switched transportation methods. Okay, skiing might be a bit impractical, but there was another easy way to travel in the snow, wasn’t there?

An idea sparked in Erin’s mind.

“Hey Krshia, do you have any sleds? Can I buy one? No—can I buy one and a lot of wood? And some nails? I have a hammer. Ooh, and some leather. Or maybe rope. And do you have bells?”

The Gnoll frowned at her.

“Wood is expensive in the winter, Erin Solstice. I would not ask, but I have not the coin to make promises to other shopkeepers. Are you sure you have the money?”

“I’ve got gold. Lots of gold.”

Erin reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a handful of gold coins. She slapped them on Krshia’s counter.

Krshia’s eyes bulged. Erin smiled sheepishly.

“I saved up. And Halrac tips a lot. So about those bells…”

—-

“T-there you are!”

Toren looked up at the sound of Lyonette’s voice. The grinding impatience and simmering resentment in what would have been his heart—if he had one—faded for a moment when he saw Erin. At last, his stupid mistress would give him an order and hopefully he would soon be released.

But his hopes were dashed when he saw what Erin was carrying. The girl was trying to lug a huge pile of various types of wood as she dragged a wooden sled on the ground. She had a box of nails and screws precariously next to a saw on top of the load.

“Hey Lyonette! Hey Toren! Sorry I’m late! It took a while to get all this stuff!”

Lyon stumbled towards Erin, her teeth chattering.

“I’m freezing. You’ve been gone for an hour!”

“Sorry, sorry. I really am. But look! We just need to get this back to the inn and we can build some really cool stuff with it!”

“Build? Build what?”

Toren wanted to know that too. Erin was smiling oddly, and he didn’t like the look she was giving him. It was almost as if she was measuring him, and the skeleton’s nonexistent blood ran cold when he saw the bells.

He wanted to run. Something about the glint in Erin’s eyes made him want to run.

“Hey Toren, come here for a second, will you?”

—-

It was a cold, snowy day around Liscor, and on the continent of Izril in general. The snow had fallen hard last night, and so even the most determined travelers like City Runners and caravans following the main roads were moving at a snail’s pace.

The Frost Faeries considered this entertaining. They laughed and threw snowballs at one poor Gnoll who was dragging a toboggan filled with supplies across the snow. Yes, the snow could not be avoided. It was everywhere, making people’s lives a misery. The Frost Faeries felt smug at that thought.

But then—movement. From their position high overhead, the faeries saw something odd making its way across the snowy plains. They swooped down, keenly interested in anything unusual. And as they got closer their tiny jaws dropped and their eyes bulged.

They’d seen sleds before, of course. The Gnoll tribes used them for all kinds of transport, and sleighs were similarly used in colder weather. But this—this was different. No horse pulled the sled that had been mounted on skis, and indeed, this device alone was making quick headway in the deep snow. Because of what was pulling it.

A horse, fast as it might be, could only travel on relatively clear roads. The same went for a dog team; even the best dog sleds would have issues in waist-deep snow. But there was one creature that ignored all temperatures, which could run full-sprint for hours on end without tiring, and most importantly, couldn’t disobey orders.

“ Mush, mush! ”

Erin shouted happily as Toren pulled the sledge she’d built through the snow. The wide and long vehicle she’d constructed with the use of her [Advanced Crafting] Skill was six feet long and wide enough for both her and Lyonette to sit on it comfortably.

The skis she’d mounted on the bottom allowed the sledge to speed around even in deep snow, and Toren made it all work. The skeleton flailed his arms wildly as he ran through the deep snow, and Erin laughed as the reins she’d fastened to his body jingled and rang in the crisp air.

A leather harness for her skeleton, a sled for Erin and Lyonette—and they were speeding across the winter landscape with quite commendable speed. In truth, Toren could only pull the sledge about as fast as Erin could jog at the best of times, but it was a pleasant ride, and most importantly, Erin was riding and not fighting through the snow.

Erin flapped the reins again and Toren endeavored to run faster. She looked over at Lyonette and saw the girl had the same expression on her face as the Frost Faeries overhead had. A sort of slack-jawed stare with glazed eyes for the full effect.

“Isn’t it great?”

Lyonette stared at Erin. Her eyes were fixed on Toren. The skeleton was fighting his way through another thick drift of snow, his jaw gnashing furiously as he pulled the sledge up a hill.

“Go for it, Toren!”

From her position at the head of her ride, Erin stared across the open landscape. This, now, this was what she’d been missing. This was fun. She felt a song coming on, and began to sing, her voice carrying for miles around.

“ Dashing through the snow, on a one-skeleton open sleigh, over the hills we go, laughing all the way! ”

Erin’s voice echoed across the snowy landscape as the wind rushed past her head. She pointed.

“There! Go that way, Toren!”

She was pointing towards a cave opening in the distance. Toren change directions, and Erin whooped as she felt the sledge shift smoothly on the snow.

“Let us ride! We demand to join in!”

Erin looked up and Lyonette screamed as Frost Faeries flew down from overhead, laughing and pointing at Toren. They settled on the side of the sledge and for once Erin didn’t begrudge their presence.

“What song is this? We must sing along!”

“Sing! Sing for us!”

“Okay! Everyone join in!”

The faeries cheered and Lyonette stared at one as it landed on Erin’s head. The young woman thought of the few Christmas songs she knew by heart, and began to sing.

“ You’d better not shout, you’d better not cry; better not pout, I’m telling you why! Santa Claus is coming to town! ”

“Ooh, threats! Good!”

“Who is Santa Claus? Does he eat children?”

“Run faster, dead thing!”

Toren staggered as a snowball bounced off the back of his head. Erin looked at the Frost Faeries in surprise.

“Haven’t you heard of Santa Claus? Lyonette?”

No one had. And it was a bit too windy to explain about Santa, so Erin found herself switching songs.

“ Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful! And since we’ve no place to go; let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! ”

This was a song the Frost Faeries could get behind. They cheered and laughed and started singing along with Erin.

“Let it snow!”

“More snow! Let’s bury yon mountains, sisters!”

“What? Wait! Don’t do that!”

Erin shouted at the faeries as more snowflakes, heavy thick ones, began falling from the sky. The faeries looked at her. So did Lyonette.

“Who are you talking to?”

Erin pointed at a Frost Fairy.

“Her!”

Lyonette stared at the Frost Faerie, and then at Erin with the look of someone who clearly feared she was sharing a seat with someone who was insane. Erin remembered Lyonette couldn’t see the faeries.

“They’re faeries! You can’t see them but—they’re little blue people! They’ve got wings and they speak to me and Ryoka! They make it snow, but I’m telling them to stop!”

The other girl edged away from Erin. But the snow had begun to fall and it had also stopped as soon as Erin had complained. The rest of the sleigh ride was filled with more Christmas songs, most of which the faeries sang with Erin. The only one they hated was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer , because they thought he was a freak.

As they reached the cave, Erin leapt off the sledge, still arguing with the faeries.

“He was not a freak! He just had a red…shining nose, that’s all! It was probably magic!”

“Bah! He was an abomination! ‘Twas right of the other reindeer to shun him!”

“How bright was his nose? Bright enough to light up the sky?”

“Who is Santa Claus?”

“Oh hey, this is one of the caves where Toren found all those mushrooms, right Lyonette?”

The [Princess] stared at Erin.

“Um. Yes?”

“Good! Let’s go get some poisonous mushrooms!”

The faeries cheered and Erin walked into the cave. She ran out a few seconds later.

“Bear!”

It was a sleeping bear, but that was more than enough for Erin to retreat back to her sledge. She pointed at Toren. The skeleton had paused to squat in the snow, probably to take a break from the efforts of pulling the sled, and the jingling harness she had put on him.

“Toren, there’s a bear! You go in there!”

The skeleton brightened up considerably. He reached for his sword—Erin had made him leave his armor behind so he would move faster. She scowled at him.

“Don’t hurt the bear! Just get those mushrooms! And be quiet; don’t wake the bear up if you can help it!”

As she and Lyonette sat in the sledge, Erin listened to the faeries laughing overhead. Lyonette eyed the fuzzy blue shapes she identified as the dangerous and unpredictable Frost Sprites and ducked whenever any of them come close.

“Are we just gathering mushrooms?”

“Well, to begin with. We’ll visit all of those caves Toren found and see if we can’t find something cool, okay?”

Lyonette shrugged and sniffed. She wiped her nose, and eyed Toren as the skeleton skulked back out of the caves, holding two handfuls of discolored mushrooms.

“Are we going to take all of the mushrooms with us? How will we carry them?”

Erin snapped her fingers.

“You’re right!”

She waved at Toren and hissed at him.

“Toren! Get the rest of the mushrooms quick, will you? We’re going back to the inn! We need jars! Lots of jars! Ooh, and I can make us lunch!”

The skeleton twitched.

—-

“Are those… bees? ”

The third cave Erin and Lyonette found after a hearty lunch harbored a strange sight. Erin cautiously peered into the depths of the large cavernous hole in the side of the mountain and stared at the shapes moving around in the darkness.

Lyonette hung back. Erin beckoned her closer, and the girl reluctantly approached. She was holding a ball of light—it turned out she knew the spell, even though she didn’t have the [Mage] class.

“I think those are bees. What do you think, Lyonette?”

The girl hesitated. She flinched as one of the shadows flew closer.

“They’re—they’re bugs! I didn’t think any were alive in the winter! Why do you even care? They’re horrible!”

“Yeah, but are they bees or wasps?”

Erin frowned at the bees. She thought they were bees. She could vaguely make out a certain fuzziness about them, and hornets looked different. More evil. So. Bees in the winter. It was certainly something she hadn’t expected to see, especially in a cave. But then, she supposed bees had to live somewhere. They didn’t migrate, after all. Or did they? Were these special winter bees?

The last three caves they’d visited had been uninhabited except for some plant life and mushrooms. Erin had made Toren scrape mold and fungi and pick mushrooms and put them into glass jars. She really doubted she’d do anything with the mold, but she was feeling scientific. And adventurous, which was why she hadn’t immediately run when she’d seen the flying insects in the darkness of the cave.

One of the faeries that had decided to make her own nest in Erin’s woolen hat hissed at the insects. It seemed to hear this and buzzed closer. As it’s features became clearer Erin and Lyonette backed up fast.

It was a bee. A big bee. In fact, it was the biggest and most terrifyingly large bee that Erin had ever seen in her life. She’d heard of the Japanese Giant Hornet which could grow longer than a human finger, but these bees were in a different category altogether.

They were as big as her entire hand—no, bigger . The bee buzzed closer and Erin saw a huge stinger and long legs, and the familiar yellow fuzzy patch around the black carapace of the bug. She froze in place as it approached, seemingly staring at the Frost Faerie on Erin’s head.

And it wasn’t alone. As if they had sensed the intruders, suddenly a swarm of bees began flying over towards the invaders. They were coming out a huge nest that was actually blocking a good part of the cave. The massive hive was anchored to the stone walls and Erin could hear a thrumming from within.

The lead bee buzzed closer and Lyon and Erin froze in place as it approached. Toren stared at the bee curiously, but without a hint of fear. In a situation like this, Erin considered the best move to make was not to aggravate the insect. Any sudden moves could make it angry, but fortunately Toren didn’t seem inclined to attack and Lyonette was scared stiff. They could back away without triggering—

“Wretched insect! Know your place! Begone!”

The Frost Faerie on Erin’s head flew up and smacked the bee on the head. Frost spread from where she’d touched the insect and it recoiled. The bees suddenly became agitated, and the Frost Faerie flew at them, screaming insults.

Erin didn’t need to see any more than that. She turned.

“ Run! ”

Lyonette was already gone. Toren watched as Erin ran out of the cave screaming and the Frost Faerie retreated, shout insults at the bees as they swarmed after her. The skeleton leisurely walked out of the cave; the bees totally ignored him as they chased the two Humans and one immortal outside.

Erin flung herself into the snow and tried to bury herself deep. Lyonette was doing the same. Above her, she heard the rest of the faeries shouting in outrage and a horrible, terrifying buzzing overhead.

After what seemed like an eternity of tinny voices shouting and buzzing confusion, Erin dared emerge from her snowy cover. She found several dead bees littering the snow around her—all of them frozen, and triumphant faeries laughing and chasing the few remaining bees into the hive.

“Take that, ye craven fools!”

“Trouble not the fae!”

It seemed like there was some definite antagonism between the species. And even as Erin watched, the faerie began eating one of the bees. They tore it apart and—

It took Erin quite some time to pull Lyonette out of the snow. The other girl just screamed and tried to wriggle further into the snow bank when Erin touched her. When she finally came out she was red-faced with the cold.

“I am not going in there again! You can’t make me! I won’t!”

“Don’t worry Lyon, we’re not going in. I promise.”

Erin tried to soothe Lyon. At last, the other girl subsided, and Erin took a few deep breaths to steady herself.

“Well, yeah. Those are some scary bees. And even if the Frost Faeries can beat them—”

“Anytime!”

“We fear no stingers!”

“Bring out your Queen! We’ll duel her!”

“—I really don’t want to get stung. So. Toren!”

The skeleton looked up. He was gathering up dead bees and stuffing them into a glass jar, a measure Erin wasn’t sure if she approved of. Well, she probably would have told him to do it anyways, but the bees were even more horrific crammed into the jar.

Erin found a big jar and tossed it to Toren.

“Go into the nest and get me some honey! And honeycomb. Don’t do too much damage to the nest and don’t hurt the bees—if you can. Okay?”

Her skeleton stared at Erin with what almost looked like an aggrieved air before he nodded and walked back into the cave. Erin settled back into the sledge and looked at Lyonette.

“He’ll be fine. I think. I mean, he’s dead and a skeleton. They can’t really hurt him, right?”

Lyonette just stared at Erin. She wasn’t hurt, but she was still breathing heavily.

“You are insane! I thought you were just unnatural, but you are clearly—insane!”

“No I’m not.”

Erin was hurt by the accusation. Lyonette shook her head. Erin turned back to the cave and listened.

“Wow. You can even hear them buzzing from here.”

The buzzing from the cave was indeed an audible thrum that could be felt even from here, like a bass beat coming out of a speaker. Erin and Lyonette waited for another minute, and then heard the buzzing change in quality. Suddenly, it grew much, much louder and there was an audible note of menace to the sound.

“Uh oh. Looks like Toren’s at the hive.”

“S-should we hide?”

“Why? He’s the one getting the honey.”

Erin felt rather smug. Even Pooh Bear couldn’t do as well as she could with a skeleton helper. Lyon shook her head.

“But even if he’s unharmed, what happens when they follow him out and find us here?”

Erin stared at Lyonette. The girl stared back.

“Run for it!”

In the sledge, the Frost Faeries laughed as the two girls jumped into the snow and began trying to cover themselves again.

“Hah! Foolish mortals! Let the buzzing things come!”

“Yes, we’ll freeze their wings. We won’t run from any overgrown flies!”

They laughed as the buzzing sound turned into a roar , and then the faeries paused as the bees emerged from the cave. Not just one or two or even a hundred; thousands of bees poured out of the entrance, engulfing something in the center which waved and struggled wildly.

The faeries stared at the thousands of bees congregating around Toren—a swarm so huge that they began to blot out the sun overhead. They exchanged a glance and then dove into the snow with Erin and Lyonette.

Erin peeked up as the bees swarmed angrily. She couldn’t see Toren among all the bees. Where was he, trying to get back to the sledge? But then her eyes widened as she saw him.

Her skeleton was in the center of the swarm of bees. And he wasn’t on the ground—he was in the air! They were lifting him up ! The angry bees lifted the struggling Toren off the ground, ignoring his flailing, until he was a speck in the sky. Then they dropped him.

Erin and Lyonette and the faeries saw Toren falling to earth. They felt the thump he made as he smashed into the ground, the snow doing nothing at all to cushion his fall. They saw his bones scatter into the air, and all ducked as the bees flew back into their hive.

It was a long time before anyone dared to move. Then, Erin got up and stared at Toren, or rather, the scattered bones that were Toren. They were wriggling towards each other, over, say, a radius of about fifty feet.

She cleared her throat several times, and looked at Lyonette. The girl had found the jar of honey Toren had extracted, safe where he had dropped it in the snow. A massive chunk of honeycomb floating in a huge pool of honey. A maggot—or rather, a baby bee was wriggling inside the sticky liquid.

Erin stared at the maggot. She looked around, and found Toren’s head in the snow. The skeleton stared at her reproachfully. The faeries stared at the bee larvae and licked their lips. Lyonette threw up.

“Um. Well, good work everyone. Let’s take a five minute break, okay? And can you look around for Toren’s bits? I think that’s his hand over there.”

—-

Aside from the bees, though, it was really a pleasant ride through the snowy plains around Liscor. Once Toren was reassembled and the faeries had…eaten…the bee larvae, he pulled them onwards and Erin and Lyonette could relax and try to warm up. The honey was delicious, and all things considered, they felt good. Even the Snow Golem attack didn’t bother them much.

“ Aaah! Help! ”

Lyonette screamed as Erin found herself pulled off the sledge by a snowman twice her height. Erin hit it with her frying pan repeatedly, but the packed snow resisted her blow. The Snow Golem opened its maw—sticks for teeth snapping at Erin as she struggled—and then bit down on her midsection.

“ Ow! ”

Erin screamed in pain and punched the Golem in the head. His bite didn’t hurt—well, it didn’t hurt half as bad as it should have. His ‘teeth’ were just fallen branches and sticks after all, so while they drew blood as they pierced Erin’s winter clothing, they didn’t do much more damage.

“You jerk! Toren, help!”

The skeleton attempted to rush to Erin’s aid, but two more Snow Golems were blocking his way. They smacked at him with blobby hands made of snow, and tried to bury him with their bodies. And that was it. That was all they could do, really.

Erin raised her fist and punched the Golem in the face. Her [Minotaur Punch] reshaped the Golem’s face a bit, but again, her hand wasn’t exactly the best weapon to use against a creature made entirely of snow.

What she really needed was a shovel. And once Erin realized that, she just dug herself out of the Golem’s grip. Toren was busy slicing the other two Snow Golems apart with his sword, but Erin had little trouble disassembling her own Golem. The only dangerous moment came when he tried to smother her with his body, but by that time she’d realized he had a brain—a core of beautifully white—and cold—snow. She punched that and made the Golem’s head explode into powder and the Golem collapsed.

Panting, Erin got back in the sledge as Toren put his foot through one of the Snow Golem’s heads and tried to get it loose while the other one bashed him repeatedly with a rock. Lyonette offered Erin a towel.

“Thanks.”

Erin stared at the Frost Faeries reproachfully. They were laughing and placing bets on whether Toren would kill the Snow Golem now or after it had knocked his head off.

“You lot could have helped, you know?”

“Bah. Yon enchanted snowballs are no threat.”

One of the faeries waved a tiny hand at Erin dismissively. Then she cheered as Toren beheaded the last Golem with a slash of his sword. The skeleton did it in a flashy manner—he ducked as the Snow Golem lunged at him, and his body blurred . Erin blinked as Toren’s sword sliced the head off the Golem and the rest of the body collapsed.

“Wow, that looks like a Skill, doesn’t it, Lyonette? I wonder how he did that? Can the undead level up?”

The girl just shuddered and stared at the abominable snowmen. She stared at Erin.

“How are you so calm? They tried to kill you! ”

“Yeah, but they’re not that dangerous. Besides, isn’t it so cool?”

Lyon stared at Erin. Erin stared back with a smile on her face.

“Some monsters are horrible, but this is magic. And we’re on an adventure, right?”

“…Are we?”

“Yeah! Oh hey, Toren, wait!”

Toren paused, foot raised as he prepared to stomp the Snow Golem’s head into mush. Erin frantically waved at him.

“Wait! Give me a jar!”

The unnaturally pure snow in the snow Golem’s head froze Erin’s hands even through her gloves as she shoveled it into the jar. But it was definitely magical, so she filled another big jar with snow. Toren stared at the Snow Golem’s face as Erin finished extracting the contents of its head.

Erin smiled as she held up the heavy jar and stared at it. The snow might melt, but she could see if it was still magical afterwards. Or maybe she’d leave it outside and keep it fresh. Would it create another Snow Golem if it was outside? How did they even form, anyways? Did they eat people? Could they even eat? She breathed onto the glass and wiped away the condensation as she stared at the shimmering white snow inside.

“Snow Golem brain-snow.”

Erin thought about that for a second.

“Ew.”

—-

They were quite a ways away from her inn—farther than Erin had ever gone, in truth—when they found the Corusdeer corpses. Erin shouted for Toren to stop the sled and jumped out to stare at the hacked up body parts lying in the snow.

“This is so awful. What could have done this?”

The deer had been hacked to bits, at least ten of them. They’d stained the ground red, but the white snow had covered the bodies partially. Only the area around the horns was melted in truth; even as Erin stared, the horns gave off steam in the air.

“Something killed them, but didn’t eat them. What? An adventurer?”

She couldn’t imagine Halrac picking on poor animals, but maybe they’d attacked him. Toren looked the other way as Lyonette stared at the bodies and the faeries debated whether they were hungry enough to have deer after the bees.

Gingerly, Erin approached and stared at one of the Corusdeers’ horns. She was fairly sure she couldn’t use the meat; it might have frozen, but something could have infested it or…or it could just be rotten. She held one hand out towards the horn and touched it.

“It’s hot! ”

It actually burned her fingers when Erin took off her glove to touch it. She sucked at her fingers and waved Toren over.

“I want all these horns. Um, wrap them in something or they might set the sledge on fire.”

Toren stared at the Corusdeer he’d killed and kicked one of the deers’ heads. Then he clattered his jaw and unsheathed his sword and got to work at hacking the horns off the heads. He wasn’t quite wishing the sledge would burst into flames. He was more praying that he accidentally crashed into a Shield Spider pit and they killed everyone at this point in the journey.

—-

“Well, that was fun!”

Erin stretched as Lyonette staggered into the inn and collapsed next to the fire. The girl moaned softly, and Erin turned as Toren lugged the huge collection of jars and the hot Corusdeer horns into the inn. The faeries flew in as well, laughing and in extremely good spirits.

“Where’s Ryoka and Klbkch?”

Both Human and Antinium were gone. Ryoka must have finished her thought, and Klbkch was probably back in his hive. And Selys and Mrsha hadn’t returned yet. Erin stared around the inn, momentarily deflated. Now there was no one to share her amazing discoveries with. She looked at the jars Toren was piling on the table.

“No, not like that, Toren.”

He was creating an unstable pyramid, as if he wanted the glass jars to break. Erin scowled at him and he began putting them in a more stable configuration.

“Let’s see. What did we get?”

She had several small jars filled with different kinds of mushrooms. Some were green, some were purple—one type was a really tall mushroom that came up to knee height and had a spotted crown the size of a car tire. She’d had to cram that one in to the jar. And another was a really tiny mushroom that glowed in the dark. They were all promising, if not edible.

She also had the honey Toren had stolen from the Hive—a huge jar of it that Toren had to use both hands to carry—and another jar filled with dead bees. And she had the Corusdeer horns and a jar of Snow Golem snow.

Erin rubbed her hands together happily. Toren put the bundle of horns in a corner of the inn and folded his arms. Lyonette moaned.

“This is such a great day.”

Not only did she have new stuff to experiment with, she had a new way to travel! Now Erin could actually go places, with Toren to pull her. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before, but an undead could pull her around all night! Why didn’t everyone have…undead horses or something, and ride carriages around? Maybe Pisces could make an undead horse for her.

Erin’s mind was spinning with possibilities, but one thing was tugging at her mind. She walked up to one of her windows and stared at the sledge. It was part sled, part sleigh. And it was so useful. But…

Yeah. There was one thing you did in the winter that Erin really hadn’t done yet, had she? She’d been so sick of the snow, and the Frost Faeries that she’d forgotten. Winter was supposed to be fun! She remembered countless days when she’d thrown snowballs, made snow angels, and gone snow sledding. Of course, that was a lot of work—Erin actually preferred snow tubing. Now that was amazingly fun.

Of course, it was only fun because there was this amazing lift you could hook your snow tube to. It carried you up a huge hill and then you could sled down. If you had to climb the hill every time it would get old fast. It was too bad this world had nothing like that.

Toren crept towards the inn’s entrance, hiding his sword behind his back as Erin stared at the sledge. Yeah, too bad. Because it would be amazingly fun to ride down a hill in that . But she’d have to pull it up.

“Unless…someone does it for me.”

Erin’s eyes shifted sideways and Toren froze as he tried to open the door silently. She grinned.

“Hey Toren? I’ve got another job for you!”

—-

The [Guardsmen] on top of Liscor’s high walls were often bored, but today was a bad day where they were not only bored, but cold. They shivered on their posts, freezing despite the modicum of cover the crenelations gave them from the biting wind. A hot drink would warm them right up, but sadly they would have to wait until they were relieved to enjoy such luxuries.

Occasionally, Watch Captain Zevara or Senior Guardsman Klbkch would come up with some hot drinks for everyone on guard, but it didn’t look like one of those days. Relc had stomped by an hour ago, and one look at his face had discouraged any such suggestions. Besides, that Drake never paid for anything if he could help it.

So the [Guardsmen] were mildly intrigued when they saw the Human young woman who’d already gained some renown in Liscor sitting at the top of a hill. Her skeleton had untangled himself from its harness, and she was staring down the steep incline.

They’d seen her riding around on the sled earlier of course, and they’d remarked on the oddity of the sight. But now the Human was doing something different. She stared down the hill, and then called something towards the skeleton. He ran at the sled and pushed it, and then the [Guardsmen] heard the scream, slightly delayed, as the girl went flying down the hill.

That was the thing. A sled was customary for sledding for one reason. It was actually slower than something like a sleigh or skis. This was important; while speed was preferable, there was such a thing as too much speed.

The guardsmen watched the girl shoot down the hill at a speed faster than any horse could gallop, and heard the shriek of terror turn to laughter. They watched as she waved and hollered at the skeleton, and then saw it run down the hill.

Of course, each Drake and Gnoll on watch had been thinking the same thing: sure it was fun to ride down the hill, but the Human would have to pull the heavy sledge back up , and that would be exhausting. But then as they saw the skeleton run down to the sledge and begin to drag it back up the hill they realized what was going on. Erin shouted and waved at her skeleton as it slowly dragged her back up the hill, and then she slid down again, going even faster on the flattened snow. And she did it again, and again, and again—

—-

Ryoka couldn’t tell if it was envy in her heart as she stared down at Erin, or sheer amazement. She’d actually done it. She’d actually found a way to trivialize even Toren’s existence. From undead warrior, he’d become a glorified dishwasher and cleaner. And now he wasn’t even that.

He was a sled lift.

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Ryoka muttered the words as she and a crowd of [Guardsmen]—and a large body of Drakes and Gnolls citizenry—watched Erin as she laughed and shot down the hill again.

Selys held up Mrsha so the Gnoll could see Erin. The Gnoll stared with fascination at Erin, and Klbkch just stared at the sight, perplexed.

“That is so stupid.”

Ryoka felt she had to repeat herself, because no one had responded to her comment. She looked down at Erin on the sleigh and hesitated.

“…I want to ride that thing.”

She’d gone snowboarding and skiing before, but Erin’s crazed vehicle was another level of crazy. It had all the speed of a ski, but added a good deal of weight to the momentum of the ride. Plus, there was virtually no way to steer the thing, so you could only hang on for dear life and pray like hell you didn’t crash.

If Erin had a stuffed tiger in the back of her ride it would have been perfect, but this looked fun enough.

“What is it? I’ve never seen something like that. ”

Selys was frowning at Erin’s vehicle. Klbkch nodded.

“It is not a sleigh, and nor is it a sled. It is some hybrid of the two.”

“It’s a goddamn sledge. ”

“A what?”

“It’s something—well, it’s something from where Erin and I come from.”

Klbkch stared at Ryoka and she caught his eye. He nodded slightly.

“Ah. I see. And this is a device used for entertainment?”

“I guess. That’s how she’s using it.”

“ Wheee! ”

Her voice was audible even from where they were standing on the battlements. The others watched as Erin shouted at Toren. She was clearly telling him to push her. The skeleton took several steps back, and then ran at the sledge.

“Wow. He pushed her hard. ”

Indeed, it almost looked as if the skeleton was trying to push Erin as hard as possible. She shot down the hill in the sledge, going even faster on the compacted snow.

Erin screamed and laughed as she shot down one of the hills, and then screamed in an entirely different tone as she noticed the rock. From their position on the wall, Selys, Ryoka, and Klbkch saw Erin wipe out.

“Wow. She flipped.”

“Head over heels. First time I’ve seen that.”

“She is not moving. Has she been seriously injured?”

“No—I think she’s stunned. Look, she’s starting to wiggle.”

The Human girl was making an involuntarily snow angel in the ground. Ryoka looked at Mrsha and saw excitement shining in her eyes. Yes, this was a ride to bring out the daredevil in any kid.

The crowd below was watching Erin, but already Ryoka could see people peeling off and hurrying back into the city.

“Looks like she’s started a trend.”

Indeed, even the adults were coming back with sleds and things to slide on. Ryoka grinned. It was stupid. It was dangerous . But hell, she was going down there and trying it.

“Hey Mrsha, want to go for a ride?”

The Gnoll child stared at Ryoka. Klbkch stared at Ryoka. Selys looked down at Erin.

“I call the front!”

—-

“ OhAncestorshelpmeI’mgoingtodie— ”

Erin sat on a hill and watched as Selys zoomed past her, screaming at the top of her lungs. Klbkch stood next to her, watching as Drakes and Gnolls dived out of the way of the uncontrolled sledge.

“I am afraid that vehicle is too dangerous. The other sledders must vacate the hill before it descends or a life threatening accident may occur.”

“Yeah.”

Erin nodded and winced as she felt at the bruises on her back and butt. She’d gladly given up her chance to ride the sledge after the second time she’d had a major wipe out. Now Selys and countless other Drakes and Gnolls were queuing up for a turn. Toren was tirelessly pulling the sledge up a hill, and he’d already accommodated Ryoka’s request to ride it down ten times.

Ironically, only Mrsha had been banned from using the sledge. Instead, they’d given the small Gnoll a much smaller sled that Krshia had begun to enterprisingly sell to the citizens. Some people had their own sleds, but it was rare for them to have this much fun in the snow, Erin gathered.

“I mean, it’s dangerous to be outside the walls. And besides, it’s a lot of work. But that skeleton of yours is really handy, Erin!”

So said Selys after she returned slightly windblown but unharmed from her exciting ride. Erin grinned and offered her the jar of honey. Selys’ eyes bulged at the sight of the massive jar of sweetness.

“Where did you get that , Erin?”

“From a huge bee nest! Actually, Toren got it, but the bees lifted him into the air and dropped him! It was crazy! And we got attacked by Snow Golems! And we found these horns!”

The Drake’s mouth fell open when Erin showed her one of the horns she’d taken from the deer. She’d had to remove a bit of…flesh, but now it was helping keep her warm as she sat in the snow. The horn radiated heat, which was extremely useful.

“Are those Corusdeer horns? Where did you get all of them, Erin?”

“I found a lot of dead bodies in the snow. They were just lying there, so I found them. They’re a deer’s horns?”

Ryoka stomped up the hill, shivering, Mrsha right behind her. The Gnoll was happily rolling around in the snow and dragging the small sled she’d been riding, but she began sniffing at the air and made a beeline for the honey the instant she saw it.

“What the hell is that , Erin?”

Nothing would do but that Erin explain everything to Ryoka, Selys, and Klbkch as she let Mrsha lick honey from her paws. Selys shook her head in amazement after Erin was done.

“You are crazy, you know that? You could have fallen into a Shield Spider pit, not to mention those bees can kill anything they come across! And the antlers—it was a windfall you found them, you know. Even Gold-rank adventurers don’t like taking on a herd of Corusdeer, and their horns are really useful! I can pay you four silver per each antler. The Adventurer’s Guild sells them to [Alchemists] and [Blacksmiths].”

Ryoka frowned.

“That doesn’t sound like a lot.”

“Well, the Guild needs to take a cut, and after all, it’s not like we want people to just go around provoking Corusdeer.”

Selys explained defensively as Mrsha tried to dip her entire paw into the jar of honey. Erin gently grabbed Mrsha’s arm, and then she noticed something wriggling in the honey.

“Why not just cut out the middleman? You can probably get twice that if you negotiate with them directly.”

Selys glared at Ryoka, but Erin shook her head.

“I want to try and use them.”

She saw Mrsha’s eyes following the movement, but save for Klbkch and Mrsha, no one had noticed. Ryoka rolled her eyes, but shrugged. She bent and dipped her finger into the honey.

“Good stuff, though. You can make a lot of treats with this.”

She licked her finger as Erin opened her mouth, and then frowned.

“What the—?”

Slowly, Ryoka reached into the honey and grabbed at the wriggling thing. Selys covered her mouth and Mrsha backed away as Ryoka pulled out a huge, fat, wriggling bee larvae. The Asian girl stared at the larvae as it tried to climb up her hand. She stared at Erin, as the other girl gave her a sheepish grin.

Ryoka’s face turned green. Klbkch stared at the larvae with interest, and he spoke at the same time as some Frost Faeries swooped down from overhead. They both asked the same question.

“Are you going to eat that?”

2.43

That night Erin cooked up a storm. She had far more visitors than usual; Drakes and Gnolls came into her inn in large groups, mainly to eat something quick after a day of playing in the snow.

Erin was only too happy to put her skills to the test. And it did seem like [Advanced Cooking] gave her an edge; she had many happy customers.

Soon though, her inn was quieter and there were less guests. That probably had to do with her evening crowd.

Ryoka sat at one table with Klbkch, talking quietly and giving casual death-glares to anyone who walked too close. She was in deep conversation with the Antinium, and he seemed just as engaged. That was nice. Ryoka had made a friend!

There were more Antinium in the inn too, though. Klbkch had brought them. They were all Workers, except for Bird. He was now their…guardian, or minder Erin supposed. But she was disappointed Pawn wasn’t there.

They’d all come for the bees. Klbkch had been interested in the wriggling grub, although the Frost Faeries had carried it off in the end. So Erin had decided to use one of her harvests.

“Tonight I’ve got a special on bees! Big bees! Hot!”

Every single order from the Antinium was for a bee, so Erin opened the jar and gingerly extracted the dead bees the Frost Faeries had killed.

At this point Lyonette, who’d spent the rest of the day recuperating, had to go into the common room and serve drinks rather than watch Erin cook. She’d been surprisingly helpful today, in that she’d been actually helpful. She’d served drinks to Drakes, avoided annoying the Gnoll customers, and she hadn’t dropped any—she’d only dropped two things!

Erin was happy about that, but at the moment her attention was a little focused on the bees. She gingerly pulled them out of the jar, staring at their curled up legs and wondered if she had chosen the wrong kind of clientele.

But no, the Antinium were her guests! They were nice and they were polite—

Even if they did like to eat bugs.

She could handle it. Erin could handle the bees. Her [Advanced Cooking] applied to them, oddly. Slicing through the chitin and frying it up in a pan wasn’t disgusting. It wasn’t. It was horrific, but Erin didn’t throw up.

And when she was done, she had some steaming bees that she could drizzle honey and cheese on, couldn’t she? And it would be delicious.

Erin stared down at the glistening fried bees on the plates and shuddered. They still didn’t look good to her. She turned as Lyon appeared in the kitchen.

“Oh hey, Lyon. The Antinium’s food is done.”

The girl turned pale as she stared at the bees.

“Do I have to…?”

“I’ll carry them out. Don’t worry.”

Erin took two plates in each hand and walked out. After a second she saw Lyon grab a plate and, holding it out far in front of her, she followed Erin. Wow. She was trying! Why?

Maybe she was realizing that she should be more grateful for her job, and that it was better to be helpful than not. Maybe Lyonette had had a change of heart and wanted to be useful! Or—she could just be helping out so Erin didn’t make her go out on any more harvesting trips.

Either way, it meant the bees reached the Antinium quicker. Bird sat up when he saw the dead bee on his plate and clicked his mandibles together. Even the other Workers stopped playing chess for a second to stare at the food.

“This looks quite delicious, Erin Solstice. Thank you for preparing it for us.”

“Oh, it’s just something I had lying around. There’s a nest of bees around here, you know.”

Bird nodded.

“They are considered a Silver-rank threat. Without mages they are practically impossible to kill.”

Erin looked at the other Antinium as Lyonette handed a Worker a plate and fled. Bird delicately broke off a wing and began to nibble at it. Erin tried not to watch.

“Uh, where’s Pawn? I thought he’d be with you.”

“He is thinking. And speaking to the Workers in the Hive. He has duties below. What he does is important.”

Bird spoke solemnly. All the Workers nodded at once. Erin blinked.

“Oh? That’s…good. I’ll get the rest of your food. And then maybe we can play some chess!”

“That would be most welcome.”

Back in the kitchen, Erin saw Toren. The skeleton was standing over a pile of dishes. He was still a bit wet from his activities outside. He’d been pulling sleds up the hill for nearly eight hours straight. Erin was a little proud of him, and of herself for thinking up the idea.

“Hey Toren, help Lyonette carry the plates out, will you? I’ve got to make more food.”

The skeleton turned. He stared at Erin and then walked over to the plates. He knocked Lyon’s hand aside and grabbed two and walked abruptly out the door.

Erin frowned at him. If she didn’t know better she would have thought that was rude. Lyon sniffed as she rubbed at her hand.

“That thing bothers me.”

“Who, Toren? He’s probably just tired. Or something.”

Did skeletons run out of mana? Erin resolved to ask Pisces more when he came back. She sighed and picked up the pan she’d been using to cook the bees. Then she stared at it.

It wasn’t precisely messy, but bits of the bees had been broken off as she’d fried them. And certain internal fluids had leaked out. Slowly, Erin put the pan down. She carefully tied a piece of red yarn to the handle of the pan she’d used and pointed it out to Lyon.

“This is the bug pan now, okay? Bug pan.”

Lyonette nodded weakly.

Erin put it in the pile of dishes for Toren to wash. Then she got to cooking. She was hungry, and she had a good feeling about tonight. She’d invited Krshia to come over later, and Mrsha and Selys really seemed to have bonded.

“Lyon? Go ask Selys what she and Mrsha want. I’ve got hamburgers, and I can make pizza—ooh! Tell Mrsha I’ll put a little honey in a bowl for her, will you?”

Erin hummed happily as Lyon walked out the door. Today was a good day. And tomorrow would be even better! She looked at Toren as he walked back in.

“Hey Toren, we’re going to go out tomorrow and get more stuff! Get ready because we’ll be running around all day! ”

The skeleton stared at her. Erin turned back to her cooking and hummed happily. The skeleton stared at Erin’s back for one second and then picked up a plate with a bee on it. He walked towards the door and then tripped. Deliberately.

—-

I look up when I hear the crash of breaking ceramics, but it’s just Erin’s pet skeleton. Toren dropped one of the freakish bees Erin was cooking for the Antinium and now it’s rolling across the floor.

That’s the thing about Erin. Yup. I don’t consider myself squeamish, but I’d never touch one of those gigantic bees, let alone cook the thing. But Erin can fry them up without a second’s pause.

“ Aha! Free food!”

From overhead, one of the Frost Faeries jumps down from a beam in the ceiling. She grabs the bee and she effortlessly flies it back up overhead. The group of faeries sitting above the other diners begins to tear it apart and I look away.

Klbkch stares up at the Frost Faeries. He can’t see them like I can, but everyone saw the bee flying through the air.

“The Antinium have no knowledge of these Frost Faeries. I am intrigued that you are able to see them and talk with them.”

I nod. Intriguing isn’t even close to the word I’d use.

“They implied there was a glamour or some kind of illusory magic on them. I think Teriarch can see them, but no one else I’ve met has been able to.”

The Antinium nods. He and I are sitting at a table in one corner of the room, away from any potential listeners. I’m wary of the Gnolls, but they seem engrossed in their own conversations so I try not to stare too hard at them. The key to talking in secret is not to look like we’re discussing anything important, after all.

“They are regarded as natural forces by the citizens of Liscor. That you are able to pierce their spells may be another result of your coming from another world.”

“It seems that way.”

I look up at the faeries. They’re an odd bunch. They’re still devouring the bee—happily, I can’t make out any of the details in the shadowed rafters—but they aren’t everything I expected of them. They’re surprisingly caring when it comes to children, and while they obey rules and bargains made, they can break said rules and interfere to help people as well.

Odd.

“I’m going to try and speak more with them. But it’s hard to get a faerie to tell you anything. Trust me on that one.”

Klbkch nods.

“I wish you luck. But I believe we were discussing your theories on leveling. I have news.”

I look back at the Antinium, all my attention instantly focused. Yeah. This is the real reason we’re sitting together. Now that I have someone I can trust—besides Erin—I have countless things I want to ask of him*.

*I’m still not entirely sure I can trust Klbkch, of course. He has a past—and of course he is still loyal to his Hive. But he makes a good case for himself. If he wanted to, he could easily capture either Erin or me and force us to tell him everything. On the other hand, if he wants our cooperation, well, better to be a useful chess piece than a disposable one.

“What have you learned? Does your Hive’s data match my theories?”

Klbkch nods.

“I have reviewed several hundred individuals with high levels, and their cumulative level rarely approaches one hundred. More than that, individuals with more than two classes rarely surpass Level 30.”

I sit back in my chair and exhale.

“Correlation, if not causation.”

“I am unfamiliar with these terms.”

“It means—”

I try to explain to Klbkch the basis of scientific theory. He nods.

“That sounds accurate. Even if there are nuances to what you propose, there is a high likelihood that cumulative levels factor into the leveling process rather than age.”

“And that means…”

I pause. What does that mean?

“It means we have to tell Erin. And that I have something to give to Krshia and the Gnolls.”

“But no one else?”

“Are there any Antinium you’d tell?”

Klbkch shakes his head.

“My people rarely level in any case. Only the Queens level and they almost exclusively level in the [Queen] class. I could inform other Prognugators, but that would likely lead to every Hive quickly learning this information. I may inform the Individuals, but I will observe them before doing so.”

I frown at Klbkch.

“Why don’t the Antinium even level up that much? Is it because your species is a hive mind?”

“So my Queen has speculated. Even Soldiers do not gain levels in the [Soldier] class that often. She believed that this was due to the Antinium not making their own decisions, hence her desire to create individual Antinium.”

“Sounds like this information doesn’t help the Antinium that much.”

“Indeed. I suggest you use it to placate the Silverfang tribe. If you believe it is worth the information spreading, that is.”

“Hm.”

Is it worth it? But Selys knows now, and once someone knows the information will eventually spread. And we need the Gnolls, Erin and I. At the very least, they can’t be an enemy. I think of Brunkr and—no.

“I’ll tell them. But you and I need to speak more.”

“What would you like to speak about, Ryoka Griffin?”

I stare at Klbkch’s face.

“Everything. I—Erin and I—we’re living in this world ignorant of everything that’s occurred. We don’t know geography, history, or any kind of politics. I want to know how magic works, how things like healing potions are made, what kind of dangerous people exist in the world…”

“I will tell you some of what I know. But I fear I may not be able to answer all your questions in that regard.”

“Why?”

Klbkch taps the table slowly.

“To begin with, my Hive has its own sources of information which it does not share with other hives. And though we have accumulated knowledge, much of it is…specialized.”

My heart sinks.

“Meaning you don’t pay attention to world events?”

“My Queen does, and I hear conversations. But I believe only the Queens look beyond this continent. Most of what my Hive knows of are locations of mineral deposits, fertility of soil, monster lairs and dungeons and so forth.”

I sit back in my chair and frown. I pinch at the bridge of my nose as I think.

“I see. Damn.”

“I have much information that will be useful, however. It has occurred to me that there is another facet of the leveling system that may prove crucial.”

My eyes snap open.

“What?”

The Antinium nods slowly.

“I believe I had informed you of my levels? I possess a wide variety of classes, that will prove detrimental to me leveling up. However, there may be another way to address the issue. I may be able to merge my classes.”

What? I stare at Klbkch.

“You can do that?”

“I am aware it occurs in some rare cases. Two classes may merge to create a new, hybrid class. For instance, a [Warrior] and a [Strategist] class may merge to form a [Commander] class.”

“But—wait a second. You have the [Commander] class, don’t you? And the [Swordslayer] class. Why didn’t those two merge?”

“I can only speculate. But I received my [Swordslayer] class long before I became a [Commander]. Moreover, the [Swordslayer] class is an advancement of the [Warrior] class. It may be that the classes become…”

“Incompatible?”

“Yes. Or I simply may have wished to retain my purely combat-based class rather than focus on a leadership role.”

“I get it.”

I nod and sit back in my chair. Merging classes? What other secrets does this system hold? Prestige classes? Are there certain classes that can only be met by fulfilling rare conditions? Klbkch studies me for a second and then speaks.

“Class merging is rare, and up until this day I had regarded it as a somewhat negative phenomenon.”

Right. While a unique class might be useful, two classes would be thought of as better than one, right? Double the skills. But if it helps with the level cap…

“Here’s a question for you, Klbkch. How much of a difference between Level 20 in [Swordslayer] and Level 44 is there? How strong were you back then?”

In short, how dangerous is a Named Adventurer? I’ve seen Gazi fight, but was that only because she had her enchanted eye?

Klbkch pauses, and then he sits back in his chair. He opens his mandibles, and pauses. I look up. Toren’s stomping over to us. He shoves a plate with a dead bee onto the table in front of Klbkch—so hard it nearly flies off the edge—and then turns and walks back into the kitchen.

“Ah.”

Klbkch inspects the food as I try not to stare at it. Is it just me or is Erin’s skeleton acting oddly? Can skeletons think? Damn. I should ask Pisces about that.

“Pardon me. I will eat as I speak if that is not rude.”

I wave one hand at him, and try not to look as he begins to tear the bee apart. I doubt I could eat in any case right now; his meal is making my stomach roil.

“To answer your question, the difference between my abilities now and in the past is…immense. At the height of my levels, I was quite capable of fighting against even the most powerful of monsters.”

Klbkch stares past me, as if he’s remembering. I have to keep reminding myself how old he must be. I’m not sitting in front of someone my age, or even twice my age. He’s like an old man.

“What kind of Skills did you have? Were they more powerful as you leveled up or did you get useless ones?”

“I would occasionally receive less useful skills, but they did get progressively stronger. One Skill I received at Level 30—at the same time I received the [Swordslayer] class—allowed me to deflect a blow with my swords, even if I was being assaulted by considerable force. I believe I once used it to knock aside a ballista bolt at point blank range.”

I whistle. That’s scary.

“Leveling up in one class sounds better than taking multiple classes.”

“I believe so. My Level 40 skill was named [Continuous Cut]. I was able to use it to strike down enemies with such speed that I could eradicate entire battalions by myself over the course of a battle.”

A battalion? Isn’t that…five hundred soldiers? My chest is tight.

“Klbkch the Slayer.”

“So I was named. But as I believe you know, my skills were inferior to General Sserys. He slew me in battle and I have never regained my former levels.”

Wow. Again, I have to wrestle with myself. Levels are so damn useful. But—bah. It doesn’t matter now, does it? I have a feeling the reason the faeries are so friendly with me is because I don’t have any levels. If their friendship is contingent on me not leveling, that’s already one very compelling argument not to level.

No matter how cool Skills sound.

I scoot my chair closer to the table, even though that puts me closer to the bee Klbkch is devouring. He’s leaving the exoskeleton alone, though.

“Is that really enough of a meal for you?”

Klbkch looks surprised as I point at the bee. He sucks something into his ‘mouth’ and hesitates.

“It is not wholly adequate for my dietary needs. But there is food in the Hive and this is a tasty…treat.”

“Erin told me the Antinium can’t handle gluten. What do you eat, then?”

“We harvest meat and grind it into a paste along with other substances. We do have plants we cultivate—we use them to feed other species we rear for the purpose of consumption.”

Ah. Good. The Antinium have perfected livestock production. I shake my head.

“Well, okay.”

“Hey you two!”

Both of us look up. Erin bustled over to the table, beaming.

“How are you doing? Sorry the food took so long Klbkch—and uh, sorry I haven’t made yours, Ryoka. It’s really busy tonight!”

I shrug. Klbkch nods at Erin politely.

“This is a most satisfactory dish, Erin. Thank you.”

“No problem! Do you want seconds? I think we’ve got more bees in the jar. And I can whip you something up if you want. Ooh, how about honeycomb? And Ryoka, do you want a hamburger?”

Hell yes. Give me some greasy, disgusting food. My arteries can take it*.

*Probably.

“I’ll have a hamburger. Two, actually. Rare.”

“I would be delighted to try some honeycomb, if that is not an imposition.”

“Great! I’ll be back with your orders!”

Erin beams and bustles off. A few seconds later Lyonette appears with some drinks.

“I have water and milk. And ale. Which one do you want?”

“I’ll have the ale.”

“I shall have water.”

She puts the drinks on our table and leaves. I stare at her back. Huh. Erin managed to make her useful. There’s something I thought I would never see.

“You seem interested in the former thief.”

I look at Klbkch and nod.

“I uh, think she’s special.”

“She did possess a number of powerful magical artifacts. And she claims kinship with Magnolia Reinhart.”

“Right. She might be more than that.”

“How so?”

“It’s complicated. I’ll explain it later. Right now, I’d like to ask a few more questions about what’s going on in Liscor.”

“I see. I will answer to the best of my abilities.”

Honestly, Lyonette is small potatoes next to everything we’ve been discussing. I put her out of my mind and concentrate on more pressing concerns.

“Apparently all these Gold-rank adventurers are in town looking for a dungeon that’s buried underground. But the Antinium should know about it already. Is there a dungeon, and if there is, what’s inside of it?”

Klbkch sits back in his chair. He regards the stripped bee carcass and pushes it away.

“There is a dungeon under Liscor. My Hive has been doing battle with the monsters emerging from the dungeon for many years now. Some are drawn to the location; many seem to have nests within the dungeon. But there are traps and many magical defenses as well. Until recently, my Queen had desired to secure the dungeon herself, so that our Hive might reap the rewards of what is contained within. However, this has proved unfeasible and so she has elected to open an entrance in the hopes that adventurers might eliminate some of the traps….”

—-

Erin beamed around the room. She had Antinium eating, Drakes eating, Gnolls eating…she had a full inn for once! And everyone looked happy.

Well, true, the Antinium just looked expressionless and Lyon kept turning green every time she looked at them devouring the bugs—as did the Drakes and Gnolls for that matter—but the point was, she was in business!

And to top it all off, just as a family of Drakes exited the inn after paying Lyonette, in walked Krshia.

“Oh, hey Krshia! I’m so glad you could make it! Brunkr’s not coming?”

Krshia smiled briefly.

“He is nursing the bite young Mrsha gave him. I believe he is also afraid of you, yes?”

Erin laughed. Privately, she was glad Brunkr wasn’t with Krshia. He was kind of a jerk. Out of the corner of Erin’s eye, she saw Ryoka and Klbkch turn in their seats. Krshia nodded gravely at Erin and smiled ever so slightly as Mrsha bounded over, tail wagging.

“It is good to see you, Erin Solstice. And you too, young Mrsha, yes?”

She bent down and ruffled the younger Gnoll’s fur gently. Mrsha sniffed at Krshia and the taller Gnoll sniffed back. Then she looked at Erin.

“It has been too long since I have come here. I would eat here, unless you think it unwise?”

“Oh, no, no. Come in? Unless—”

Erin glanced over, suddenly concerned, and saw Lyonette. The girl had frozen against one wall, eyes wide as she stared at Krshia. The Gnoll sniffed.

“I will not be troubled by the thief, no. And I would sit with Ryoka Griffin and Klbkch if they will have me.”

“Sounds good.”

Ryoka stood up and Klbkch politely made room so Krshia could sit at their table. Both seemed intent, but Erin was just happy to take Krshia’s order—honey-glazed roast ribs, made with real honey—before she bustled off into the kitchen.

She was so busy! Lyon and Toren were filling drinks and serving food, but Erin kept having to cook things. Which she didn’t mind, but it was a relief to sit down after a while and play a game or two of chess with Bird and the other Workers. She won of course; but the games were fun, especially when she played them without looking at the chessboards.

The ghostly chess board called to Erin, and after a while she played some more with her mysterious opponent. They always seemed to be awake; once Erin moved a piece she’d receive a countermove within the hour at the latest, and then they’d both play for as long as she was able. She really did wonder who was on the other end.

Mrsha wandered around the busy room as Selys ate and laughed with some Drakes that she knew. The young Gnoll peeked at the chessboards, and after she overcame her initial skittishness with the Antinium Workers, she sniffed at their bees, tried to eat a chess piece, and eventually sat on Erin’s lap, drowsy with exhaustion.

“Uh oh. Time for someone to go to sleep.”

Erin carried Mrsha upstairs and put her in a small bed she’d made up in Ryoka’s room. The Gnoll curled up in her blankets and Erin’s heart hurt for a second.

This was no place for a young Gnoll, no matter what Ryoka thought. She had to find Mrsha a home, maybe with Krshia or another Gnoll family. If only that nasty Brunkr wasn’t there, and if only Mrsha didn’t have white fur. It wasn’t unlucky. It was…beautiful.

“Maybe a bucket of paint.”

Erin softly murmured the words as she closed the door and tiptoed back downstairs. She entered the common room with a big smile, just in time to hear Ryoka cursing. And Erin was relieved that Mrsha wasn’t around to hear that.

—-

“ Fuck. ”

I know it’s unoriginal. I know there are a thousand different curse words I can use to express my ire. But there’s just something simple about that word. And I’m annoyed, so I’m not in the mood to wax poetic in my anger.

“I am sorry, Ryoka Griffin.”

Krshia sits at the table and stares gravely at me over her meal of ribs. She lifts one up delicately and chews at the tender meat. I stare at the remains of my second hamburger and scowl.

“You’re sure it’s not enough? Really sure?”

The Gnoll shrugs her broad shoulders.

“It is a valuable gift. But it is not enough, yes? What you offer is a secret, the kind that may shape the world. But it will do so too slowly, and it is…”

She hesitates. Krshia taps her claws on the table as if in thought.

“Forgive me. I do not know this word. It is not enough.”

“Inadequate?”

“Hrm. Yes. It is inadequate to what must be given at the meeting of the tribes. It is a valuable gift, but one too cheaply won.”

“I am unsure as to the meaning of your statement, Krshia Silverfang.”

Klbkch speaks to Krshia and she nods at him. They’re very polite towards each other, Klbkch and Krshia. I get the impression they respect each other—but they might not like each other’s company.

“It is hard to explain to non-Gnolls. I shall do the best I can.”

She puts down her bone, totally cleaned of all meat and takes a drink from her ale. I massage my temples and listen.

“Each tribe, each one knows of the gathering that occurs every decade. And so all tribes work to collect or make something that will help all Gnollkind, yes? Some tribes amass wealth to be shared out; that is an easy way of doing things. Others collect food, or arms—my tribe received a Dwarven-made set of arms at the last gathering. The tribe who collected such weapons for every tribe rose in standing much from that.”

“And your tribe wanted to gather spellbooks.”

I understand that part. Krshia’s brows draw together and she sighs heavily.

“Yes. It was supposed to be a secret, but it is hard to hide in Liscor. In any case, it would have been a great gift, one worthy of much praise among the tribes.”

“And yet, this information Ryoka has shared with you has the potential to change your entire race, does it not?”

Again, Krshia nods at Klbkch.

“It does. But there are two reasons why it is not enough. The first, it is that it is not a good secret to have, yes? It raises many problems.”

“Such as?”

“Mrr. When I think of what you have said, it means that to gain a higher level, one must take only one class. This is…problematic. If one must take only one class, it means Gnolls must choose their classes early and never change them. That will make life in the tribes more difficult.”

I guess I see the problem. Gnoll tribes are very practical; everyone contributes towards making the tribe a better place. One day someone might be a hunter, but the next they could take over cooking duty if need be. If everyone has one class though, then suddenly everyone’s a specialist. And, to quote Robert A. Heinlein, specialization is for insects.

“I see the problem.”

“Not all of it. The second problem is that such choices of classes must be made when Gnolls are very young; barely more than cubs, yes?”

Krshia looks troubled. She shakes her head.

“It is not what I or any of my tribe would wish, to force our young to do what they might not want. And yet, it would be necessary. We would have to decide the fate of our next generation. And that is…troubling.”

“Oh.”

Oh. Oh. I get it. Klbkch looks confused, but this is about free will. Gnolls probably hate to force their kindred to do anything; it’s all give and take. Putting someone in a set path for life might work in China with tiger moms, but it’s not going to fly among Gnoll parents.

Well, shit.

“I see your problem, Krshia. But this information might help in any case. Even if you don’t choose to make your kids take one class, at least Gnolls can be more aware of what’s happening.”

She nods.

“This is so, and even with these issues, it is an important gift. A secret of the world. It will take all the tribes to decide if such knowledge should be shared or hoarded.”

“Well, only Selys knows about it so you might have a chance of keeping the secret. Would all Gnolls be so uh, tight-lipped though?”

“If it is decided, they would not betray the pack.”

Hmm. That’s a lot of confidence. I shake my head.

“Okay, what’s the second reason why the secret isn’t good enough?”

“It is too cheap. For a work of ten years, it is too cheap. I am sorry.”

Krshia spreads her hands on the table. She looks at me and Klbkch.

“It is an important secret, but you and Klbkch have uncovered it in days, yes? The other tribes have labored for a decade to bring that which is most valuable to us. How can my tribe’s Chieftain raise her head high with only one small secret to offer the other clans?”

When she puts it like that…I look at Klbkch. Damnit. I really thought we’d solved the problem.

“I get it. I’ll…I’ll think of something else, okay?”

Krshia nods gravely.

“That you have made such an important discovery will help, Ryoka Griffin. I will share what you have told me with the Gnolls in the city. That will please them and keep them obedient. For now.”

And like that, the secret spreads. No matter what Krshia says, I feel like in a year everyone will know about this leveling system. Oh well. I’ll take what benefits I can get from it for now. I need to tell Erin about that too, though. But…

I put my head in my hands as Krshia and Klbkch look at me. Gods. I thought I really had it, this time. But instead I haven’t solved anything.

Just what am I going to do? I think of Teriarch, and I know I have to leave soon. But Mrsha’s still here, and Magnolia’s spies are all over the place and there’s people from my world in her mansion—

What am I going to do?

—-

Ryoka looked like she was having a busy conversation with Krshia and Klbkch, so Erin left them to it. She was busy playing chess, cleaning up dishes, talking to patrons—

“Aha! I see yon keg is unguarded! I declare it plunder!”

“Free drinks! On the house!”

—And chasing Frost Faeries.

“They’re not free! Stop that, you little thieves!”

Erin shouted as she ran after the Frost Faeries. They laughed as they swooped around with mugs in their hands—they were amazingly strong to be able to carry the heavy containers so easily.

Chess board, drunk faeries, collecting payment from her guests—Erin ran around until her feet were sore and it was past midnight. Only then did the last of her guests leave.

Bird departed with Klbkch and the other Workers as Erin bid them good night—or an early morning, rather. Krshia had already left, and Ryoka was sitting at one of the tables, her head in her hands.

“Hey Ryoka. I’m going to lock up, okay?”

The other girl nodded silently, and Erin closed up the inn. Ryoka looked stressed, but Erin felt good as she curled up in her kitchen cot. She’d done some solid innkeeping today, and gotten a lot of cool stuff she couldn’t wait to mess around with tomorrow.

[Innkeeper Level 26!]

And for once, it sounded like the world agreed with her.

—-

The next day, Erin woke up early because she had to pee. She stumbled around, banging into pots with her face and nearly knocking over the jar full of Snow Golem snow, before she finally made it to the outhouse. She sat, shivering, as she did her business, and then went back into the inn and tried to get to sleep.

The only problem was that the cold had done the work of a cup of coffee, and no matter how Erin tossed and turned she couldn’t doze off again. So she got up, despite having only had about two hours of sleep in total.

“Mrshbvg?”

Lyonette blinked at Erin as she came down the stairs—early for once—and found breakfast was already made. Erin stared at her food and scowled as Lyonette opened her mouth.

“I have leveled up in this… [Barmaid] class yet again.”

“Good for you.”

“And I have a Skill! [Basic Cooking]!”

Her tone made this seem like an outrage rather than a good thing. Erin eyed Lyonette wearily from her table as Toren stepped into the inn. She’d told him to come back in the morning.

“It is an outrage! Why would I need such a Skill?”

“…To cook stuff?”

Erin held her head in her hands. She sighed as she spooned delicious honey onto her buttery crepes. At least that was good.

“Honestly, Lyon. It would help me out if you can cook. And you could manage the inn when I’m gone, too.”

The girl paused with a huge forkful of dripping crepe a quarter of the way towards her mouth.

“I could?”

“Yes? No? Maybe? I’m gonna go out and get more bees. That’s what I’m gonna do. The Antinium like them.”

Erin groaned into her food. She looked around at Toren.

“Hey. You.”

He looked back over at her. He seemed almost…annoyed, or antsy. He kept fidgeting in place, as if he was bored. But Erin was too tired and grumpy to care.

“Get the sleigh ready. And get some jars. We’re going exploring again.”

He stared at her, and then stomped out the door, not even bothering to close it until Erin raised her voice and called him back. Lyonette stared at the skeleton and then at Erin.

“Me? You mean, I would own the inn?”

“Not own. But you’d be like uh, a temporary innkeeper. It’d be like your castle, and you’d be like a princes—”

Erin bit her tongue on the words. Lyonette was staring at her.

“Ahahaha. I mean uh. Yeah! Like a princess in a castle, except…not. Yeah.”

She looked around wildly. Ryoka and Mrsha were still asleep, but she knew the young Gnoll would be up soon, and thus, by default, Ryoka.

“I’m uh, I’m going to go get more bees with Toren now. I’ll be back soon—you just hold down the fort. There’s plenty of crepes and if anyone comes by, you can serve them hamburgers. I showed you how to make them, and [Basic Cooking] will do all the rest. Bye!”

She fled the inn before she could say anything else. Outside, Toren stood next to the sledge. He wasn’t wearing his jingling harness. Erin scowled at him.

“Come on, put on the harness, Toren! I haven’t got all day.”

Soon enough, she was in the sledge and Toren was pulling it along. Erin told him to go back to the bee cave. She distinctly felt him hesitate, but soon enough they were there.

“Okay. Here’s the plan.”

Erin crouched in the snow as Toren stared at her. She’d chosen a place far, far away from the cave and with a lot of snow for cover. She pointed at him.

“You go in the cave with two jars this time. Try to get as much honey and as many bees as possible. Actually, go in with four jars, okay? I want two jars of honey and honeycomb, and two full of bees.”

Upon reflection, she probably could have ordered him to do all that by himself, but there was something satisfying about getting out and doing the job herself. Sort of. Erin hid in the snow and watched as Toren ran about and ended up getting lifted into the sky and shattered again by the bees. But he got the honey and a lot of bees, surprisingly.

“Good job, Toren!”

She said it to the head as she helped put him back together. The skeleton just stared at Erin as she gingerly held up the jar he’d stuffed with living bees. Some were still buzzing against the lid.

“Creepy. Okay, next we’re going to look for more mushrooms, okay?”

Erin had the vague idea she could feed them to the Frost Faeries, but she really just wanted to stock up before she went back into the inn. It was only just past breakfast, so she had plenty of time.

The sledge felt wonderfully soft as Erin climbed back into it. She’d added a blanket and a pillow since yesterday, and now she snuggled into them, keeping the jar of dead bees far away from her on the sledge as Toren pulled them onward.

Yes, this was the life. Being an [Innkeeper] was hard work when you were doing all the cooking, but now Lyonette was finally pulling some of her weight and Toren was pulling Erin’s weight and more besides.

The landscape passed by Erin’s fluttering eyes as she rearranged the pillow on the sledge. It was so comfy here. And there was something hypnotic about travelling like this. It was almost like a ferry ride, but with snow instead of water. And Erin had always slept well on car trips.

She yawned. She was so tired. A nap wouldn’t hurt, right? Lazily, Erin raised her voice.

“Hey Toren, let me know when we’re at the next cave, alright. I’m going to take forty winks.”

The skeleton’s head rotated on its shoulders and he stared at her silently. Erin waved at him.

“Don’t hit anything or run us into a pit, okay?”

She closed her eyes and yawned again. It was so pleasant, riding along on the sledge. Sure it was cold, but she had a lot of layers on, and she didn’t get bumped around.

Erin began to doze off. Within moments she was snoring softly as the cold air blew around her.

—-

When Toren heard Erin’s words, he couldn’t believe his ears. Not that he had ears. He couldn’t believe his earholes, rather.

When he turned and looked and saw her lying on the sledge with her eyes closed, he couldn’t believe it. When she started to snore, he believed, but he was really upset about it.

She was asleep! The emotion Toren felt wasn’t just anger, it was indignation. She was asleep and he—he was pulling this stupid sledge!

The feelings surged and fought for dominance in the skeleton’s chest as he ran onwards. He wasn’t tired, not physically at least, but the part of him that thought and felt was sick of pulling Erin on her pointless errands. He had no desire to be smashed by bees again, and he found gathering all these mushrooms… tedious.

And then there was the sound. The awful, endless, sound.

Dingle. Dingle-dingle.

The sleigh bells rang as Toren ran on. They were the most obnoxious things he’d ever heard. They clanged together on his harness. His chains. They were sounds to drive any creature insane.

Dingle dingle dingle.

He was angry. No; he was furious. Toren resented every order coming from Erin’s mouth now. The endless sleigh rides where he’d been forced to pull it up a hill for laughing Drakes and Gnolls had been torture; this was the final straw.

In Toren’s mind he began to wrestle with Erin’s orders. She had given him orders, but they were bad. No—they were worse. They were unacceptable.

Part of him told Toren to obey. This was his duty, what he’d been created for. But—no—he didn’t want to do it! Toren wanted to be free, free to fight and kill and—

Dingle. Dingalingle.

He hated this. He hated taking orders, and hated pulling this stupid device. Toren wanted to grab his sword and hack the sledge to bits. Or—or he could use it on Erin to—

No. he couldn’t do that. The magic binding him still prevented him from doing that. But he was beginning to feel the limitations of it in his soul. Yes, he had to obey orders. But he could misinterpret. He could act slowly. He could—

What had she said? Let her know when they were at the next cave. And she wanted him to pull the sledge. Toren thought about those words. Erin meant other things when she said them to him, of course, but the literal wording gave him a lot of leeway.

What could he do? Toren looked back at Erin. She was his Mistress. But she wasn’t worthy of that title. He wanted…

Dingle. Dingle dingle.

He wanted to be free. And so he would take his freedom, even if it meant getting rid of Erin. He couldn’t harm her, but there were other ways of getting rid of her inconvenient orders, weren’t there?

But could he do that? Toren wrestled with himself. He wanted to be free. But he had orders. But he wanted to be free. Yet, could he—

Din—

Snap.

Toren heard the snap in his mind and in real life. He stared down at the bell in his hands. No more. Nevermore. He would never be a slave again. He would be free.

No matter what he had to do for it.

Slowly, the skeleton adjusted his course. He glanced back at Erin, and saw she was deeply asleep. He began to run north, away from Liscor, away from the inn, this time running as fast as he could. He had a plan.

The sledge travelled northwards, away from the inn, and the mountains. It was clearly going in the wrong direction, but this early in the morning who would be outside to see it? And who would care?

Two Goblins sat on a hill. One was sulking as she adjusted her crossbow. She wanted to eat at the inn, but she’d been banned for reasons that weren’t her fault, even if she understood them. The other Goblin was bored. But his eyes were keen, and so he saw the skeleton, saw the sledge change direction.

The Goblin saw everything. And he grinned. But he said nothing to the other Goblin.

Slowly, the sledge disappeared over the last crest of the hill. Garen Redfang smiled to himself, and wondered when Rags would decide to return to her tribes. She still had much to learn, and this soft place with that strange [Innkeeper] was not the place for her to be right now. She had to be tough, strong. She had to lead the tribes. She could be a Goblin Lord, he knew. And the fewer annoying Humans there were to impede her progress, the better.

—-

Erin woke up slowly. She was cold, and stiff, and no longer moving. That was when she realized she’d stopped. The sunlight was bright, and Erin felt like she’d had a good nap.

“Toren?”

She blinked, looked up at the sky, and gasped. The sun was high overhead! She must have been sleeping for hours!

“ Toren! Why didn’t you wake me?”

Erin shouted as she sat up and looked for her skeleton. But she received no answer. And as she stared around, Erin realized something was very wrong.

The sledge was sitting out in an open field in the middle of snow. That was normal. But the landscape around Erin was not. Erin stared around. Wait a second, where were the mountains? Liscor was surrounded by mountains, but now she couldn’t see any. Except for those much smaller mountains over…there…

Her stomach twisted into knots. Erin stared over to her left. There were trees over there. A forest. There weren’t any forests near Liscor, except for the boom bark trees on that one hill. And why was the ground so flat over here?

“Toren? Where are we?”

Erin looked around wildly now, but her skeleton was gone. She took a few deep breaths, trying to release the knot in her stomach.

Okay, okay. Don’t panic. She was okay. She just had to take stock of her situation. Think. What did she have?

She had: a jar of dead bees, another two jars of honey, a pillow, a blanket, and a sledge. Oh, and her handy frying pan that she kept in case of danger. And her money pouch? Maybe?

What she didn’t have was Toren, any idea of where she was, or any money.

“Toren? Hey, Toren.”

Erin raised her voice hopefully. Maybe her skeleton was nearby, but he just hadn’t heard her. Or maybe—maybe he’d gotten lost trying to find a cave, and now he was scouting around. That was it, right?

“…Toren?”

He was going to appear at any second. Any second. Erin raised her voice.

“ Toren! Where are you?”

There was no response. The cold wind blew, and now Erin felt very alone. She stared around the wilderness. That’s when she noticed the dead wolf.

It was just a wolf. It wasn’t a Carn Wolf; it was smaller, had dark grey shaggy fur, and it had been brutally decapitated. Its head lay in the crimson snow, staring up at Erin. She stared back, too shocked for words. And that’s when she realized she was alone. Lost and alone.

“Uh oh.”

—-

Ryoka woke up slowly when she felt someone licking at her face. She pushed the furry thing off of her and ignored the complaint as it hit the ground. Two seconds later, Ryoka woke up fast as Mrsha cannonballed into her stomach.

“ Damn it, Mrsha! ”

The Gnoll ran out of the room in fright and Ryoka tumbled out of her bed, tangling in her sheets. She arrived downstairs to find Mrsha hiding behind Lyonette. The girl looked at Ryoka reproachfully as Mrsha quivered behind her.

Ryoka rubbed at her face. Wonderful. She’d already made a mess of things and it wasn’t even five minutes since she’d gotten up.

“I’m sorry, Mrsha. I didn’t mean to shout. Just don’t—hit me in the stomach, okay?”

She rubbed at her stomach and sat down on the floor. Slowly, Mrsha came out and gave Ryoka a hug. Sometimes she nuzzled or licked, and sometimes she acted just like a kid.

“Where’s Erin?”

Ryoka asked that question to Lyonette after she’d eaten a few crepes. Mrsha had smeared the delicious honey all over her face and she was busy cleaning herself. Lyonette shrugged.

“She took that horrible skeleton out to ride her sleigh. She said she was going to get more bees.”

“Great.”

Ryoka sighed, but ate her crepes and wondered when Erin would get back. She needed to talk to the other girl about a lot of things.

Selys dropped by in the morning, to say hi to Mrsha mainly, and eat some more crepes. It turned out that there weren’t quite enough, but Lyonette made some to everyone’s surprise. The other girl acted haughty about it, but she fed Mrsha one under the table when she thought Ryoka wasn’t looking.

Ryoka waited for another hour, talking with Selys about how to take care of Mrsha and playing with the Gnoll cub. She had no idea how to really play games with children, but Selys knew a lot of games, including patty cake, although the lyrics she used were quite different.

Time passed. Ryoka went outside to see if she could spot Erin riding around. She ended up going into the city, and Selys went with her, this time to take Mrsha to a bathhouse. The Gnoll had begun to smell a bit.

Ryoka met the Drake who called himself Olesm on the way to the city. He was looking for Erin, and when she told him she hadn’t seen her all day he seemed depressed. He elected to wait in the inn and Ryoka went to talk with Klbkch.

It turned out he was busy acting as a guardsman, so Ryoka went to the top of Liscor’s walls to look for Erin. She didn’t see her, or the sledge.

After midday and a lunch she bought in the city, Ryoka was getting antsy. She talked to Krshia and then went back to the inn to talk to Lyonette and the Drake named Olesm. None of them had seen Erin all day.

This time Ryoka went directly to Klbkch and asked him if his Hive knew where she was. He told her his Listeners couldn’t hear Erin nearby, and that Erin herself hadn’t been spotted since she’d left in the morning.

There was no sign of Erin at the bee cave that Lyonette pointed Ryoka towards, although the snow was disturbed. Ryoka returned to the inn and worried.

By the time evening had fallen, Krshia, Klbkch, and all of Erin’s friends from Olesm to Selys were looking for signs of Erin. Lyonette swore she knew nothing else, but the tracks of Erin’s sledge had crossed with the others too many times for Ryoka to tell where they went.

For once, the ubiquitous Frost Faeries were nowhere to be seen, and Krshia said that she’d spotted them flying south and spreading more snow in the morning. Ryoka sat in her inn, worrying, until she remembered Halrac.

The Gold-rank [Scout] was grumpy as ever and irritated that she’d roused him from his discussion with Bird of all people about some kind of digging project, but when Ryoka told him that Erin was missing he immediately agreed to go look for her.

The [Scout] tracked Erin’s trail all the way from the inn to the bee cave, and he found the set of tracks that led away from the cave and towards the north. They went on and on, and Halrac’s keen eyes spotted the tracks still going north for miles.

Ryoka went back to the inn and spread the news. She listened to Erin’s friends talk and debate, and thought long and hard about why Erin would decide to keep going. She thought about dangerous bees, possibly monsters—although Halrac had found no tracks—and then about skeletons. She thought about Toren, and thought about stories like Frankenstein.

The night was very long for Ryoka. Lyonette made food—a bit burned—for Mrsha and Selys, and Ryoka talked for a while with Krshia and Selys and made arrangements. She gave the Drake and Gnoll most of her gold coins and had to tell Mrsha three times what she was going to do.

The next morning, Ryoka left the inn bright and early, leaving Lyonette behind and Mrsha with Selys. She ran north, looking out for any signs of a sledge, and asking travelers if they’d spotted any sign of a girl or a skeleton. But she heard nothing. Found nothing.

And so Ryoka ran on, and thought of a Dragon that could scry for people if he knew their names. She ran a bit faster after she thought that.

And far away, a [Skeleton Knight] stabbed a pair of travelers to death on the road. He took their coins on the vague chance they might be useful, and kept walking. He was going back to Liscor, to a dungeon where he could level up. His purple eyes glowed and he smiled.

He was always smiling, but this time it was because he was happy. So happy.

Blood dripped down from his fingers, ran down his battered armor and into the snow. The skeleton left a trail of blood as he walked on. At last. He kept thinking those words.

At last.

He was free. And when he was a higher level—just a bit higher—

He’d finally be free forever.

2.44

The continent of Izril had been changed by winter. The cold snows had buried the green hills and fauna, and turned the world white and cold. And just north of the famous High Passes and the climbable mountains, the world had grown desolate.

A large field had been covered by snow, and it was here the winds blew without mercy. Chilling gusts made the freezing temperatures even more dangerous for anyone caught outside without protection.

Flecks of snow fell from a forest in the distance and whirled into the air. They flew in the wind, icy daggers which melted and froze again on bare skin. The field was silent. It was a cold winter wonderland; a place untouched by any artificial dwellings or settlements.

But one figure moved through the static landscape. A Human girl stumbled and slowly pushed her way through the snow, dragging a large sleigh-like vehicle behind her. The cold air tried to bite into her clothes, and the haunting isolation would surely have driven any mortal person insane after a few days.

Because Erin had been outside for less than three hours, she was still in good spirits. And she wasn’t exactly marching in weary silence. She was singing.

“ Because of my skeleton, I can’t find my way home.

That’s why I’m roaming!

It’s so cold out here, I might freeze to death.

So I can’t stop and rest!

Ba dum bum bump bum.

I think I’m totally lost. My sleigh is covered in frost.

I uh, I’m really, really cross.

Stupid Toren! ”

Erin wasn’t feeling too bad at the moment. True, she was lost, abandoned by her skeleton, and she had no idea where she was, but she had a catchy tune in her head so she was focusing on that.

She had no niceties in her song like a proper melody, or a sense of rhythm; no accompaniment aside from the sound the sledge made as she dragged it through the snow. Everything was ad lib, which led to some interesting lyrics.

“No matter where I go, everything seems the same!

I think Toren’s to blame?

I really want to eat, but all I have is honey and dead bees,

I wish I had some— aaaaah! Wolves! ”

She spotted the first grey shape creeping towards her in the snow by chance; she turned her head and saw the wolf about thirteen feet away from her. Erin stopped singing and screamed as the wolf got up and howled. More wolves howled around Erin, and she realized her singing—and the dead wolf Toren may or may not have killed—had attracted a pack.

“Stay back! Stay back! ”

Erin screamed at the wolves as they began to circle her. Again, these were not Carn Wolves, but they were still big and scary to Erin, a girl who had only seen wolves in zoos and on National Geographic and Planet Earth.

And now here they were, larger than—

One of them raced through the snow and leapt at Erin. She yelled, but didn’t flinch away or try to protect her face. Instead she clenched her fist.

“ [Minotaur Punch]! ”

The fist caught the wolf in the stomach. The animal made a wheezing, grunting sound as Erin sent him tumbling into the snow with a punch. Another wolf leapt and Erin dodged and then kicked it in the face. She was wearing winter boots, and the wolf yelped and leapt back.

“Take that!”

She yelled at them and then scrambled so she’d have her back to the sledge. The wolves charged again, but Erin was ready. Her heart was beating out of her chest, but this wasn’t as bad as the undead. The wolves weren’t as dangerous as Gazi, or as numerous as Goblin—

Erin slapped a wolf in the face and made it retreat. But they were scary , and they had teeth! Twice they’d bit into her clothing, but they’d missed her skin. She punched another one. It made the wolf collapse onto the ground for a second before it got up and sped away.

“Yeah, that’s right! You want a piece of this?”

The young woman shouted and waved her arms to try and make herself look bigger. Scare them away. Make as much noise as possible. She saw the wolves hesitating and kept screaming. She wasn’t going to die here, not to wolves.

—-

The wolf pack was hungry, which was why they’d decided to go after the two-legged creature that smelled so odd. Normally they avoided all such creatures and went after familiar prey, but the winter snows had been deeper than normal of late, and finding food had been more difficult than before. They had spotted a group of Corusdeer moving south earlier this week, but there hadn’t been any stragglers to run down, and the deer were too dangerous for a wolf pack to take on unless they were desperate.

So they’d closed in on this Human, using stealth to approach her. But she’d spotted one of their number so they’d attacked.

That had been a mistake. The creature was small, but it hit and struck the wolves like a falling tree. The adults couldn’t bite her no matter how they leapt. And the female thing was refusing to run.

Was she prey? The wolves had thought so, but they were quickly changing their opinion. The creature was screaming and acting afraid, but she was strong, and she didn’t smell afraid like a prey. And then Erin picked up a wolf that had jumped at her and threw it at the others.

That was too much for the wolves. They slunk back as she yelled and threw snow that smacked one of the young wolves in the face and considered their options. They might have stuck around at a distance, watching her and waiting to see if she faltered, but then they raised their noses and scented trouble in the air. The wolves turned and fled. They might be hungry, but even they weren’t willing to deal with this kind of trouble.

The strange two-legged creature stayed where she was, yelling and cheering. She didn’t see the angry grizzly bear emerge from his cave until he was nearly on top of her.

—-

“ Oh my god! A bear! A bear! ”

Erin screamed as she pushed the sledge through the snow. She didn’t know why she’d brought it with her, but it hadn’t occurred to her to just run.

It wouldn’t have helped anyways. The bear was thundering through the snow, creating massive geysers as he roared and came at Erin. She screamed again.

“Stay back! Stay back! STAY BACK!”

She used her [Loud Voice] skill by accident. The bear hesitated as Erin raised her fists in desperation. He averted his charge and ran sideways before stopping and staring at Erin. She stared at him.

The bear was angry—she’d probably woken it from hibernation. Erin might not have ever encountered wolves, but she knew about bears. Michigan had bears and she knew—what was it?

Don’t leave food out, don’t get between a bear and her cubs…stay calm if you see a bear at a distance…but what about an attacking, angry bear?

Erin didn’t know, but the bear was getting mad again. He tried to charge. Erin screamed at him.

“GO AWAY.”

This time the bear clearly reacted to her voice. He shied away and Erin realized he didn’t like the sound.

“Don’t like that? How about this?

She took a deep breath, and then Erin let loose.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—”

—-

Three hundred meters away, a [Hunter] lowered his bow and looked up. The bird he’d been stalking took wing—as did every bird in the forest. They flew up into the air in a panic and he took aim and loosed his arrow. He missed. The [Hunter] cursed, and then looked around.

“What in the name of Dragons is that sound?”

It sounded like someone screaming, incredibly loud and from far away. The man with the bow—Jerad Riels—hesitated, but then he ran through the forest, heedless of the snow that crunched beneath his boots. He was normally as stealthy as possible to avoid alerting his quarry or dangerous predators, but that sound was drowning everything else out.

He ran out of the forest and saw a bear. Jerad knew this bear. It was an aggressive male that he’d stayed well away from while it was hibernating in its cave. Right now, the bear was loping back to his cave as fast as he could. He was running, yes, running from…a girl?

Jerad squinted. He didn’t have a Skill that enhanced his vision, but his eyesight had always been good. His eyes widened as he saw the young woman standing in front of some kind of sleigh. She had no horse, but perhaps the animal had bolted. The girl was the source of the unbearably loud screaming.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA— oh hi there!”

The older man rubbed at his ears, which were ringing. The young woman smiled at him. She was wearing winter clothing, and her sleigh looked like it had been cobbled together in a hurry. There were several jars in the back, and Jerad’s eyes widened when he saw one jar was full of deadly Ashfire Bees.

“Oh hey. I’m lost. My skeleton ran off. Can you help me?”

Jerad looked at Erin.

“What?”

“I said my skeleton ran off.”

His ears were still ringing. Jerad rubbed at them. He could have sworn she’d said something about a skeleton?

“What did you say?”

“What?”

“ What? ”

—-

About two miles to the southwest, the Goblins paused when they heard the faint scream which cut off after a few minutes. Their sensitive ears twitched and they looked at each other, but they moved on when their Hobgoblin leader grunted irritably.

They were thirteen Goblins in all, and not your ordinary group of Goblins either. Each one was over Level 10 in a combat-oriented class, and they all wore armor and carried swords that were neither rusty nor broken. They were part of the Red Fang tribe, and they were on a mission to kill.

The twelve Goblins and one Hobgoblin that marched through the snow had only one task: kill the [Innkeeper]. Kill the girl and do not tell the Chieftain. Each one of them had been told this by Garen Redfang himself in secret, and so they moved tirelessly through the snow, alert for any signs of this Human.

After a while, the Goblins halted for a quick break. They sniffed the air, studied tracks in the snow. Then they looked at each other. None of them spoke, but they were all thinking the same thing:

Which [Innkeeper]? Which girl? What did she look like? Where was she? Was she strong? Did she taste good?

After a moment the Hobgoblin scratched at his back and pointed in a random direction. The Goblins headed that way. Garen had told them the girl went north, but none of them had any tracking class, so they’d lost the tracks the sledge had made in the snow nearly an hour ago.

The Goblins marched on. They were a dangerous band, armed to the teeth. On a mission.

After they’d walked for four more hours in an aimless circle, it occurred to one of the Goblins that the scream and the girl might be connected. They hastened back to the location of the screamer, but by that time whoever had made the sound was long gone.

The Goblins shrugged and kept on looking. Garen Redfang may have picked some of his best warriors, but none of them were exactly bright. Even by Goblin standards.

—-

It was a longstanding practice among Drakes to make fun of Human [Guardsmen] and the local law enforcement in Human cities. One popular Drake joke revolved around comparing Human city militias and guardsmen to ineffectual shaved Gnolls – a joke that fares poorly in translation and is considered extremely offensive to both Humans and Gnolls.

However, it was a universally accepted fact that if you wanted to get rid of a monster or apprehend a criminal in a Human city, you should hire an adventurer. While the local watch might be capable of apprehending common thieves, the difference in the quality of soldiers employed by Drakes and Humans was vast.

In Drake cities such as Liscor, a [Guardsman] was a prestigious job that afforded excellent pay and required an equally high level of competence. In a Human settlement however, those who possessed high levels invariably became mercenaries, adventurers, or personal guards. Thus, gate guards in cities like Celum were usually bored and not inclined to seek out conflict in most cases, their work usually being to break up bar fights and prevent thefts and muggings rather than fend off monster attacks.

But they still did their jobs, and all guardsmen loved anything interesting, which was why they stopped the young woman who was trying to push a sleigh into their city.

“Excuse me Miss, but you can’t bring that through the gates.”

Erin brushed aside her hair and wiped away some sweat from her brow. Despite it still being cold, she was hot from her exertions. She’d pushed the sledge for miles down the road after the nice [Hunter] had helped her get to it.

“Aw. I can’t?”

“You have no horse, and that thing looks like it’d get stuck on the cobblestones.”

They were probably right. Erin sighed and looked around. She was surprised by everything. For one thing, this city had low walls. They were only about twenty feet tall, and the town had a steady flow of traffic. And everyone was a Human!

Erin had had a…reaction when she’d started meeting people on the road. She’d gone around shaking hands and saying hi. Everyone had looked at her as if she was crazy, especially when she told them she was travelling alone. She hadn’t even mentioned her missing skeleton; it didn’t seem wise to mention that bit.

There was a nice spot of open snow just to the left of the gate. Erin pointed to that.

“Can I leave my sledge there?”

The guardsmen exchanged glances and shrugged. Erin pushed the sledge over and wiped at her brow again. Now that she wasn’t in the driver’s seat she felt a little guilty about making Toren pull the sledge everywhere. But why had he just run off? Erin didn’t like to suspect the worst but—

She suspected the worst. Toren had run off, like…a stray dog? A stray undead dog with armor and a sword and eyes that cast a fear spell. She was a tiny bit worried, but right now she needed to get back home.

“You wouldn’t happen to know how far we are from Liscor, would you?”

The [Guardsman] stared at Erin as she carried the three big jars with her. She had to use her blanket as a sack, and the jars clinked together. She really hoped they wouldn’t break.

“Liscor? Are you a [Trader] from there?”

“What? No. I’m an [Innkeeper] and I’m lost.”

He stared at her. He had a fuzzy mustache that wasn’t quite deserving of the name and brown hair. He looked cold in his armor. He was also giving Erin a look of deep skepticism. Erin blinked at him.

“What? I am. I got lost.”

“Liscor is over a hundred miles south of here. How did you travel this far without knowing that?”

“ What? A hundred miles!? ”

Erin clapped her hands to her head. How would she get back? She wasn’t going to walk that far! And she didn’t have Toren!

The guardsman stared at Erin as she groaned out loud. Then his eyes shifted to her makeshift bag with the clinking jars. They were clearly heavy as they strained against the fabric.

“What’s in the jars?”

“What, this? Honey and, uh, honey-related stuff.”

The fuzzy-lipped man frowned.

“I’ll have to inspect the jars. There’s a trade fee if you bring goods into the city.”

“Aw. Really?”

By this point, the other guardsman at the gate had taken over waving people in to the city. Erin was a sideshow attraction that people stared at as they went through. She sighed as the guardsman nodded.

Reluctantly, she reached into the satchel and carefully pulled out the jar of honey. Everyone looked around and stared at the golden substance. Fuzzylips’ jaw dropped.

“Is that—where did you get that? ”

“Uh? From a bee hive? You know, bees?”

One of the armed guards following a caravan burst out laughing. Fuzzylips glared at her as she walked through the gates and then stared hard at Erin. But she just gave him a round-eyed look of innocence. He sighed, cheeks red.

“Are all these jars honey? There’s a tax on them—you’ll have to pay quite a few silvers.”

Erin’s face fell. She reached into the sack and slowly pulled out the jar of dead bees.

“Do these count?”

The guardsman had glanced sideways to flip off his chortling comrade at the gate. He looked back to see an Ashfire Bee the size of his face crushed against the walls of the glass jar.

He screamed and felt backwards, grabbing for his sword. The other guardsman recoiled, and then laughed harder when he saw the jar.

“How did you get those? ”

“I caught them. Sort of.”

It was hard to explain if she didn’t mention Toren, and even harder if she did. In the end, Erin just gave up.

“Look, I’ve got bees. And honey! And I need a way to get back to Liscor. So…can I go in and buy a horse or something?”

Fuzzy-lips didn’t look like he was having a good day. He was breathing hard, and he’d told Erin to put the bee jar back in her satchel. He cleared his throat a few times.

“I suppose you could buy into a caravan or a horse. But a caravan’s slow and a decent horse would cost you at least thirty gold pieces. I doubt you’d make much headway with all this snow we’ve had in any case. Even with your…sleigh.”

Erin’s face fell. She scratched at her head. She had some money, but she really didn’t want a horse, mainly because she couldn’t ride one and she had no idea how to make one go. First things first.

“Okay. Um, can I go in the city now?”

“You’ll have to pay an import tax. Bring the jars over here, please.”

Fuzzylips led Erin over to a small stand located in the gatehouse. To her surprise, she saw they had a bunch of balance scales, crude measuring devices—they were going through a merchant’s wagon item by item, and another guardsman was tapping on parts of the wagon as if he was looking for hidden compartments.

They had to use a big scale for her jars. Erin caused quite a fuss when she took the honey out again—and Fuzzylips got to work weighing the jar. He used colored stones to balance the scale and he muttered to himself as he measured the jar with a knotted rope.

Then he told Erin to place the bee-filled jar on the scale. She did so, ignoring the gasps. Fuzzylips measured the jar fast, and he freaked out when one of the bees twitched inside the glass.

“They’re alive!? ”

Erin poked at the bee curiously. It was waving its feelers at her.

“Weird. I know I sealed the jar, but I guess they’ve still got a bit of air left in there. Huh. It’s been like, ten hours since then. I had a long nap.”

The poor guardsman measured the jar fast without touching the glass. When he was done he scribbled on a piece of paper and told Erin how much it would cost to take the jars into the city.

“Four silver for each jar of honey and seven for the jar of…”

Fuzzylips shuddered.

“Bees.”

“That’s a lot of money! And why are the bees more expensive than the honey?”

“You’ll get more for them from any merchant, I expect. And the [Alchemists] pay a mint for monster parts.”

“They do? Hmm…”

She’d probably need some money to get back. More than she had, anyways. Erin fished around in her pockets.

“Where’s my money pouch? Uh oh. Did I bring it with me?”

Fuzzylips stared at her with a pained expression as Erin checked the many pockets of her layers of clothing.

“Coins? Coins, coins…aha!”

She pulled out her coin pouch and triumphantly spilled some coins into her hands. Again, the guardsmen’s eyes bulged as they saw the gold coins that Erin had earned from her successful days of innkeeping.

“How many silver coins is…? Oh wait, I give you one. Here!”

Erin handed a gold coin to Fuzzylips. He took it, staring as she tucked the rest into her pouch. He had to test the coin by scoring it with a dagger to make sure it was real. The gold attracted not a few eyes, and the [Guardsman] had to fumble with his own purse to make change for her.

“Here you are. And here is your signed proof of entry. Present it if you’re questioned.”

Erin had to fumble with the stamped piece of paper. She smiled at the guardsman.

“Thanks! Can you tell me where I can find an [Alchemist]?”

“Go down the main street and take a left when you see the Adventurer’s Guild. There are a lot of shops down that street.”

“Thank you!”

“Ah, before you go—”

Fuzzylips coughed, and Erin turned back. He and some of the other guardsmen—some of whom weren’t actually men—were staring at Erin.

“You said you came from Liscor? And you’re an [Innkeeper]?”

“That’s right!”

“But—only Drakes and Gnolls live down there. I heard a dungeon was found earlier—are you an adventurer was well?”

Erin frowned.

“No…I have an inn. It’s called, ‘The Wandering Inn’.”

“Ah. Because it wanders magically?”

“No. It’s, well, it’s sort of a joke. And I found the inn by chance when I was…wandering. See?”

Erin tried to explain. In the end, she gave up.

“Anyways, I run it, but I went out for a uh, ride, and I got lost. So I ended up here and now I’ve got to get back. With a horse or something.”

“I see?”

“Yeah! Well, anyways, thanks for all the help!”

Erin smiled at them. She waved and walked out of the gatehouse. The [Guardsmen] and two [Guardswomen] looked at each other. Fuzzylips scratched at his weak mustache.

“What’s the joke?”

—-

Celum was amazing. It looked like a real medieval town, with tons of rumbling wagons and people who dressed in rough clothing and other people hawking their goods. True, Liscor had some of the same elements, but Drakes and Gnolls were different and Liscor didn’t get nearly as many visitors. Erin walked through the streets looking around in awe.

“Wow. And they’re all Human!”

That was something she could only be amazed by in this world. But yet, everyone who walked by Erin was Human, and…white. They all had variations of fair skin, and a lot of them looked European. Erin found that slightly odd, but she was already wondering if she could wait here for a day before returning to her inn.

It had been so long—she just wanted to talk with some other people. But the glass jars were heavy and they kept threatening to fall out of her blanket-satchel. So Erin resolved to sell them first. She could probably sell the honey to a bunch of places, but the bees had to go to an [Alchemist].

What had Fuzzylips said? Something about left at the Adventurer’s Guild? Erin frowned. She tried to make her way through the flow of traffic, but she hadn’t gone more than eight steps before she ran into an issue.

Namely, traffic. In Liscor she hadn’t experienced many problems, but even the main road of Celum had a lot of congestion due to all the foot traffic and the wagons that were constantly moving by. No one wanted their feet crushed by a wagon wheel, and the horses themselves were not keen to have to push through people. All this meant that Erin soon found herself jostled and moving very slowly.

She was worried the glass jars would fall out of her satchel. Erin frowned and wondered if she should try to find another way through the streets before someone yanked at her shirt.

“Hey Miss, I can take you to an [Alchemist]!”

Erin looked down and saw a gap-toothed grin and a young boy smiling up at her. She smiled back.

“Hi there! Who are you?”

The young boy couldn’t have been more than thirteen. He was scrawny for his age though, and he looked underfed. But he gave her such a charming smile that Erin immediately liked him.

“I’m Grev, Miss. And you need to get to an [Alchemist] to sell them bees, am I right?”

“How do you know I’ve got bees?”

Erin was surprised, but the boy just shrugged.

“I wait at the gatehouse. I’m a local guide; I can take you where you need to go without having to wait for all this traffic!”

That did sound good. Erin looked at the milling people—and at the heavy wagons and pooping horses—and smiled at Grev.

“Well, if you know the way I guess I can pay you something. Like a silver coin?”

“I’d do it for half, but if you’re offering—”

Grev’s mouth fell open as Erin put a silver coin in his hand. He stared up at her, and Erin gave him a smile.

“Lead on! And can you show me around afterwards? I’ve never been to Celum.”

Her genuine enthusiasm and trust nearly made the boy reconsider. But then he put his [Fake Smile] back on his face and pointed down another street.

“Sure thing! This way, Miss. I know a short cut.”

Erin happily walked after Grev. She walked down some side streets off the main street, looking around happily. Her smile was wide, and it only faded a bit when she had to go down an alleyway. When she saw the three men in dark clothing her smile was faded, but still hanging on determinedly to her face. When they unsheathed their swords and daggers she lost the smile.

—-

“Hey, wait a second. You tricked me!”

Erin glared at Grev, but the boy dashed away from her and ducked past one of the men. He held out a hand and the man dropped a few silver coins into it. He stopped and hesitated though, looking back at Erin. He spoke to the man with the sword.

“Don’t hurt her! She’s got the money in a pouch.”

The cloaked and hooded man cursed and struck at Grev.

“Beat it, brat.”

Grev fled, casting one glance back at Erin. She stared at the men—two in front and one behind as they slowly advanced on her. She wasn’t sure if she should be scared or not, but Erin was decidedly un happy at the moment. She glared at the men as she protectively shifted the glass jars at her side. The clamped lid of the bee jar brushed against her finger as she considered her options. She’d left the frying pan in the sledge, and they had weapons. What should she do?

“Hand over your coin and them jars and we won’t hurt you.”

The lead man was the one with the sword. Erin eyed it as he grinned at her, exposing bad teeth. He had a low, raspy voice, although it sounded like he was doing it on purpose. The man next to him was shorter, and he was smiling unpleasantly as he eyed Erin in a way she really didn’t like.

“Scream and this will be quick. But if you don’t move, this won’t hurt—much.”

Erin looked over her shoulder. The other man was approaching as well. They weren’t afraid of her.

“No. Go away and I won’t hurt you.”

The muggers laughed. The lead man stepped forwards.

“Don’t make this h—”

Erin punched him. She’d found she didn’t have to yell to use her Skills, but it felt good.

“ [Minotaur Punch]! ”

Her fist caught the man by surprise. Erin felt something crunch horribly as she struck him in the nose, and he dropped to the ground, screaming. The other man blinked, but he slashed at Erin.

“Aah!”

She stepped back and he missed her by inches. Calruz had taught her how to fight against someone with a weapon though, so she let him swing again and then kicked him in the groin. He cursed and Erin punched him in the face. His head snapped back and he fell back.

A huge arm encircled Erin’s throat. She gasped and kicked, but the third man lifted her up, trying to strangle her. Erin grabbed at his arm desperately. He had thick muscles, and she was already feeling the need to breathe. She saw him raising the dagger in his other hand.

Desperately, Erin grabbed at the mugger’s hand. He was strong—stronger than her even with [Lesser Strength], if not by much. But she couldn’t break his grip from this angle. She caught at his hand, and then felt his thumb. Erin grabbed it and bent it back until it broke.

He screamed and let go. Erin gasped for air, and then ducked away as he cut at her. She kicked him in the stomach and twisted left as he tried to stab her in the stomach.

It was just like when Calruz had had her fight Toren. It was dangerous and deadly—but Erin could fight! She could do it! She just didn’t like to.

She stomped on the man’s foot and punched him in the throat when he shouted in pain. He made a gurgling sound and folded up.

“You whore. ”

The man with a sword was getting up. His nose was squashed and he had a nasal tone to his voice now, but there was murder in his eyes. Erin slowly backed up, and her foot touched the glass jar full of bees as the man advanced down the alleyway, sword raised.

“I’m gunna cut you.”

“No you’re not.”

Erin reached down and opened the jar lid. The man stopped and stared at the jars suspiciously. He reached into his side and pulled out a dagger.

“Don’t try it.”

“Oh yeah? Go away and I won’t have to hurt you.”

Erin clutched the thing in her hand as she crouched by the jars. The man hesitated.

“I’ll—”

“ Bee in the face! ”

Erin threw the dead bee at the man’s face as she dove out of the way. He threw the dagger, but it missed as Erin rolled and smacked into the alley wall. And then the mugger screamed as Erin’s [Unerring Throw] presented him with a bee at intimate proximity to his face.

“Take this!”

Erin ran over to the man just as he tore the dead bee off of him. She punched him in the chest and felt something go crack . He dropped the sword, and she punched him in the face. He fell down and didn’t get back up.

Breathing heavily, Erin staggered backwards, and stared at the three muggers. They were down and she was alive. Yeah. Alive.

Something burned. Erin looked at her arm and saw a deep cut she didn’t remember receiving. And her side was hurting too. Something had cut her there too! But she wasn’t hurt besides that.

“Oh wow. Oh no. Oh…”

Erin had to sit down for a second. The dead bee was lying on the ground, so Erin tossed it back in the jar and sealed the lid. Some of the bees were moving in reaction to the air. She stared at one of the men as he bled from his crushed nose and tried to breathe.

She’d never been attacked in Michigan. She’d never even really been in a fight. Of course, here she’d fought undead and monsters quite a lot so she hadn’t been terrified, but still—there was something scary about people trying to hurt her.

Erin sighed and stood up. She walked over to her jars and heard a gasp. She whirled around and saw a small shape stand up and dart towards the alleyway entrance.

“Hey! You! Don’t move or I’ll shoot! I mean, throw!”

Grev froze mid-step, and Erin lowered the glass jar in her hands. She stared at the young boy.

“You! Hey, come here you little jerk!”

Slowly, the young boy turned and walked towards Erin. His face was nearly white and he was trembling.

“I didn’t mean to do it! They forced me to, I swear! They were gonna kill my sister if I didn’t, miss!”

“ What? That’s so ter—why were they giving you money, then?”

Erin frowned at Grev. He turned a shade whiter.

“I—I—please don’t kill me!”

The young woman thought about everything for a second. She considered the day she’d had—most of which she’d slept through, Toren’s betrayal, her entrance to the city and near-death or horrible mugging and worse experience and Grev’s part in all of it. She nodded to herself and clenched her fist.

“ Take this! ”

Grev screamed. Erin punched him on the head, hard, but without using her full strength. He yelped , and tried to scramble away. Erin caught him by his dirty shirt and he screamed in fear as he tried to shield his face.

“ Please— ”

“I’m not going to hurt you any more.”

Grev’s face instantly brightened.

“You’re not?”

Erin tried to make her face scary. She stared at Grev, trying to look menacing.

“I won’t if you do something for me.”

“W-what?”

Erin pointed to the unconscious muggers. One of them was groaning, and she wondered if she should kick them or sit on them or something. At the very least she should pick up all the weapons they’d dropped.

“You’re going to get me the Watch, and I’m going to sit here.”

Grev nodded eagerly. Erin almost let him go, but she had a thought. He was probably just going to run away, wasn’t he? She looked at the jars on the ground and had an idea. Grev’s white face turned even most ghost-like as she lifted one of the dead bees and showed him it.

“You’re going to get the Watch, understand? If you don’t, I’m going to take this bee and shove it—”

Erin hesitated. She eyed the horrible dead bug and Grev’s pale face.

“—Somewhere horrible! Go! Run!”

He ran as if the bees were chasing him. Erin stared down at the bee. Now that she thought about it, they were really useful. Then one of the bees tried to crawl out of the jar and Erin slammed the lid shut, cutting off two of its legs.

“Oops. Sorry!”

—-

Fuzzylips looked like he was trying to tug his budding mustache off his face. He had an incredulous look on his face that Erin was unfairly beginning to associate with his character in general. It seemed to pop up any time she explained something.

“So, you took down three muggers – one of whom was a former Bronze-rank Adventurer – with your bare hands.”

Erin nodded. She watched with interest as the squad of guardsmen forced the groaning men up and subdued any protest with brisk, efficient blows to soft spots.

“But you don’t have any combat classes except ah, two levels in [Warrior].”

Grev was shaking in the street. One of the guardswomen had an eye on him, and he looked afraid as he stared at Erin. What were they going to do with him? She nodded vaguely.

“I’ve got some Skills, though.”

“I see. And you beat them all without any injuries?”

“Well, I had a few but the healing potion cleared them up.”

Fuzzylips cleared his throat again.

“I see. Well ah, Miss Solstice—”

“Call me Erin!”

She beamed at him. Fuzzylips turned a bit red.

“Um—Erin. Well, I’m sorry you had to meet the worst folk in our city so soon. But you’ve done everyone a service, taking these men down. I’d like to present you with their gear, although we will of course be confiscating their weapons and armor. But I can give you some coin and the items they had on them.”

He offered Erin a small pouch he’d added two silver coins and four copper ones to, and three bottles of what Erin assumed were healing potions. She eyed them, confused.

“So you’re giving me their stuff? Because I beat them up?”

Fuzzylips nodded. Erin thought about that.

“Okay.”

“Well then, we’ll let you be on your way. I believe I will escort you to the [Alchemist] myself, in case of other…attacks. As for you—”

He turned and Grev made a run for it. He got two steps before the woman in armor grabbed him and roughly dragged him back. His face was a mask of terror.

“We’ll see if your folks can pay the fine for your crimes. If not, it’ll be lashes, boy.”

“What?”

Erin spoke up as Grev went white and began to cry. Fuzzylips looked at her.

“Pardon, Miss Erin, but it’s the only way to deal with his kind.”

“I already hit him. Isn’t that enough punishment?”

She felt guilty saying that, but Fuzzylips hesitated.

“He deserves a whipping, Miss. There’s no telling how many folks he caused to get murdered or robbed.”

“Right. Well…um…well, what if I said I forgave him?”

Both guardspeople looked at Erin. She was staring at Grev. He was looking at her as if she was his last hope. He squeezed his eyes and more tears fell. She wasn’t sure if he had really learned his lesson, but she didn’t want him to be lashed .

“If you want to drop charges…”

Fuzzylips muttered with his companion and turned back to Erin.

“Are you sure? He’s just as guilty as those other men, mark my words.”

“Well, if he does it again I’ll shove a b—I won’t forgive him. How’s that?”

Erin crossed her arms and tried to look imposing. Fuzzylips and the guardswoman looked skeptical, but he nodded at last.

“Well, boy, looks like you’re getting off easy thanks to Miss Erin.”

Grev looked relieved, but he went pale again as Fuzzylips put his hand on his sword.

“Mark me, though. I know your face, and if we catch wind you’re thieving or committing any more crimes—it won’t be lashes next time. We’ll cast you out of the city. Understand?”

The boy’s face went pale again. He stuttered.

“Y-yes.”

“Then beat it.”

Grev fled, staring back once at Erin. She watched him go, and felt like she should wave. He was a bad kid, but he was still just a kid. Who’d tried to get her killed, true.

After a moment, Fuzzylips cleared his throat.

“Who might you be wanting to see, Miss Erin? I know three reputable [Alchemists] in the city—do you have a preference or name?”

Erin scratched her head.

“Uh, how about the one who’s most likely to buy a jar of bees? I mean, do they even need bees?”

“The stitch-girl might.”

The guardswoman muttered to Fuzzylips, and he made a face.

“That’s true. That loon’ll buy—you want Octavia, Mi—Erin.”

“Cool. Do you know the way?”

“I’ll take you there. It’s only a few minutes’ walk.”

“Really? Thank you!”

Erin began to walk with the man, and then she paused and turned back to the other guardsmen. She smiled at them, deliberately ignoring the way they were kicking the guy with the sword in the stomach.

“Thanks for all the help!”

The guardspeople looked up, surprised, and the man on the ground spat out some blood and said a word that was muffled as he received another kick. Everyone watched as Erin walked off with the guardsman. Then the members of the Celum’s City Watch gathered together for some discussion as the three muggers were hauled off.

“An [Innkeeper] took down three men in an ambush? Are you sure that’s what she said?”

“Positive. And she’s from Liscor? If that’s what the [Innkeepers] are like there, what kind of crime do they have in Drake cities?”

“The Wandering Inn? I still don’t get the joke.”

—-

It was a pleasant walk, not being mugged or horribly attacked while Fuzzylips led her down the city streets. They even made better time; the [Guardsman] wasn’t afraid to shout to make people move aside, and by the time they got to the small street with the boarded-up windows, they’d had quite a nice chat.

“So you guys have never been to Liscor? Really?”

Fuzzylips coughed as he stopped in front of the shop. Erin looked up and read the sign.

Stitchworks. Potions, tonics, herbs.

That was a cool name, Erin decided. She didn’t know how it applied to [Alchemy], but maybe alchemists made magical string? She’d have to ask.

The man next to her coughed, and Erin looked over and listened attentively. He was quite a nice guy once you got to know him, even if he was terrified of bugs and okay with hitting kids.

“I’m not much of a traveler, to tell the truth. And even merchants rarely go that far south. It’s not profitable, dealing with non-humans. I suppose ten years back we did more business, but that was before the Second Antinium War with the Necromancer and they opened their gates to those bugs.”

He shuddered. Fuzzylips—whose name was actually Wesle—had a deep hatred towards the Antinium shared by most humans. She made no comment, but smiled again as she looked at the [Alchemist]’s shop. Some horrible odor was wafting from the inside.

“Well, thanks for taking me here Fuzz—Wesle.”

He turned red again and furiously stroked his mustache.

“It was my pleasure, Miss Erin. And if you ever need help, I’m sure I’d be happy to help.”

Erin nodded and smiled again before she pushed open the door to the shop. She cautiously walked into the dark room, expecting a mad scientist’s laboratory.

She was not disappointed. There was a bit more utility and a bit less insanity in some of the glass devices sitting on counters – Ryoka would have recognized medieval versions of Bunsen burners and test tubes – but the glowing liquids on shelves, ingredients hanging from hooks and general dim lighting offset only by the magical glow of potions still made Erin want to pee a bit. With nerve and excitement.

The only thing missing was this ‘Octavia’, who Fuzzylips didn’t seem to like that much. He’d called her a skinflint and insane, which seemed harsh.

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

Erin cautiously stepped into the shop. It was eerily quiet. Where was the shopkeeper, the alchemist? Was she out? If so, why was the door unl—

A dark brown face and a braided ponytail appeared in Erin’s plane of vision. Octavia popped up from the counter holding a piece of plant matter in her hands. To Erin, it looked as if the girl had appeared out of nowhere.

“Welcome to Stitchworks!”

Erin screamed.

“ Gyaaaaaaa— ”

“Are those Ashfire Bees?”

Erin blinked and cut off mid-scream as the jar full of bees was lifted out of her hands. Octavia held up the jar, breathing on the glass and wiping it clean.

“Let’s see…soldier bees, and worker bees…all intact as well! And alive? How did you get—no, I can make use of these—”

Erin blinked a few times at the dark-skinned girl. Her mind was still playing catch-up trying to interpret what Octavia had just said. The other girl was speaking really fast.

“You said they’re Ashfire Bees? Why do people call them that?”

Octavia bustled around Erin and placed the jar on a big scale. She kept speaking as she did, and as Erin stared at her back and the shock of meeting her wore off, she noticed Octavia’s odd stitch-marks around each shoulder and her neck, accentuated by her sleeveless shirt.

“Hmm…let’s see. That’s not a bad quantity at all. And they’re large bees, too; intact. Yes, I can give you a great deal. Let’s say I give you five gold coins for the jar, and I’ll toss in two of my custom-made stamina potions. It’s a great deal and I’ll throw in a 15% discount on any purchases you make. What do you say? Plus, I can give you a great deal on the honey!”

Erin blinked at her. She raised a hand.

“Um. I don’t need potions.”

“Are you sure? If you’re not into stamina potions, why not a healing potion? Everyone needs a healing potion, even if you’ve got the safest job in the world. I tell you what—I’ve got some low-strength potions right here, perfect the occasional scrape or bruise. I’ll trade them to you—let’s say half-weight of this jar? You’ll make back the market value of your bees or even double or triple the worth with a little bit of legwork in the market, easy.”

Erin hesitated again. Part of her wanted to say ‘yes’, but she wasn’t even really sure what she’d been offered.

“That does sound good. But no thanks. Why are they called Ashfire Bees?”

“A tough customer, huh?”

Octavia didn’t seem to be fully engaging with Erin. She spoke even faster as she pulled some potions off the shelves.

“I’m not fully liquid in terms of finance, but how about some of my latest inventions? I call these pepper potions. A few drops in the eye and your enemies will go blind. They’re going to be a bestseller I can tell, and I’ll give you to them practically for free—I was using them to fill another order, but I can make more and for you I’ll add that to some mana and stamina potions—a full set. Even if you don’t need them, they’ll be worth a fortune, what do you say?”

“Y—”

Erin bit her tongue. She wanted those potions now. She could sell them at her inn! But right now, she needed money more badly. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I don’t really exercise. And I don’t fight, so uh. The bees? Why are they called that?”

“Bees?”

For the first time Octavia paused, she looked oddly at Erin.

“What about them? Do you want to do a trade? I’ll take a few specimens off your hands if you’re willing to trade. Or—”

Erin raised her voice and cut the other young woman off.

“The Ashfire Bees. Why are they called that?”

Again, Octavia blinked at Erin. Then she slapped her forehead.

“Bees! Of course. Well, the Ashfire Bees—lovely quality and perfectly undamaged except for those two, by the way, you must tell me what adventurer harvested them—are known for their ability to withstand heat, and the way they can even start fires when they gather together. Not so much in the winter, but when spring comes, watch out! They’ve burned down forests and they’re quite dangerous which makes them big targets for adventurers. Consequently I rarely see so many in one place, but as I’ve said I’m willing to make any trade you w—”

“Does their honey have any special effects?”

“Their honey?”

Octavia’s eyes widened as she saw the full jar Erin pulled out of her bag. It was gone before Erin could blink.

“Ashfire Bee honey? Well, it’s not the best of reagents, but I can see it acting as a potent base although of course it’s not confirmed since there’s really no reason to use that when it’s such an expensive—I suppose I could make you a good deal right here without you having to find a merchant. Name your price and I’ll make sure you get the best deal right here. In fact, let me find you a seat.”

The girl with stitches tried to alternatively block Erin from leaving or retrieving her jars as she scrambled around for a place for Erin to sit. For Erin’s part, she was so bemused and confused that she eventually took a seat in a stool as Octavia tried to make another deal.

“Okay, you’ve clearly got some merchandise and I would be delighted to take it off your hand. So I’ll offer you my best item right now, which is a high-quality blur potion that I’ve just developed. It has a few minor side effects, but I think you’ll agree that the tradeoff in twitch speed is worth it.”

She grabbed a strange potion—yellow with whirling flecks of blue and shoved it in Erin’s face. The colors spun hypnotically as Octavia kept speaking.

“I think you’ll notice the blending here and the telltale unabsorbed reagents. This is a rare potion—any Silver-rank adventurer would want one. I can give you this and half my stock of—”

“Nah, I don’t want any. Hey, do you think the bees are magical, or is it just a biology thing that makes them so big?”

Octavia paused again. Erin looked at her innocently and started asking all the questions she’d been pondering.

“You see, I really don’t know much about the bees—but I thought you could use the honey and maybe some mana potions and make something cool. Actually, I just wanted to know if mana potions made food…magical. Because what if I added that to alcohol? Does it just make mana alcohol? Or does something else happen? Can you add potions to magical things and make the effects stronger?”

“Um—well, that’s a very interesting question. I have to speculate—”

Octavia hesitated. She looked at Erin.

“What type of ingredient are we talking about here? Some kind of magical excretion?”

Erin shook her head.

“No, I’ve got these faerie flowers, see. When I add them to ale it creates this weird hallucination sometimes—if I add too much you see things.”

“Faerie flowers?”

It was disconcerting the way the other girl’s eyes sparkled. In an instant Octavia was pacing around Erin, speaking rapidly.

“I’m so sorry, it was my mistake. I didn’t realize you were another [Alchemist]—well, I haven’t heard of any ‘faerie flowers’ but I suppose terms differ—are they some kind of toadstool? Of course, I’d love to discuss the effects, but if we’re talking experimentation then I’m sure we can come to an understanding.”

She practically ran over to her shelves and began pulling down ingredients. Erin stared at what looked like a cow tongue floating in green liquid and a handful of purple leaves as Octavia kept trying to seal the deal, whatever the deal was.

“I have quite a large variety of rare ingredients and I would be happy to assist you. Where did you come from? Esthelm? Wales? Further than that? I’m gratified that you chose my shop to visit first—I may not be the highest-level [Alchemist] in the region, but believe me, my experiments have already yielded several new innovations. I’ve got a wonderful new way to make smoke bags, and you won’t believe what I’ve developed for self-defense. True, the Watch banned me from using the stink potion anywhere in the city but—what type of alchemy did you say you practiced?”

“Uh.”

Erin’s brain hurt. But Octavia was looking at her so intently, so Erin scrambled for a response.

“I’m not an [Alchemist].”

“Oh, so you’re just an interested party? Adventurer? Merchant? If you’re looking for someone to experiment on your behalf, you’re in the right place.”

“I’m uh, not any of those things. And I don’t want to make potions. I want to make food. I’m an [Innkeeper].”

“Well, I think we can partner and do some great things together. I think a small down payment on your part would help if we’re going to use my shop, and of course if you have any other ingredients I’d be happy to pay a City Runner to import—”

Octavia broke off. She paused, and then slowly turned her head and stared at Erin, the first non-hyperactive moment Erin had seen her make.

“What did you just say?”

2.45

As Erin Solstice sat with the [Alchemist] named Octavia in a warm room in the city of Celum, another girl ran through the snow far to the south. She had been running for a long time—before Erin had even woken up, in truth, but she ran on with wild abandon.

Most runners conserved their energy; measured their pace and thought of distances to traverse, and of caution and prudence. They treated their bodies as finite resources. But Ryoka Griffin ran as though there would not be another ten minutes, let alone a tomorrow. She didn’t think beyond each step; her bloody feet churned through the snow as she ran the icy road from Liscor north.

She had known pain before. She had felt it in her heart, in her fragile limbs and from a thousand races and competitions and injuries. But now the agony of her heart was making even the urgent, biting thunder in her legs and chest grow silent. She had to keep running. She had to get there in time.

She ran north, gasping for air. She ignored the group of Goblins who spotted her and chased after her for a few paces. She ignored the people on the road; merchants and even groups of adventurers who called out. She ran with only one purpose in mind.

To avoid being too late.

—-

Never again. I swear it. Never again, I swore.

Time and time again I’ve said the same things, made the same promises. My broken oaths litter my past, and the dead claw at my heels. I feel like I walk in circles; repeating the same story towards infinity.

I can’t break free. I can’t stop it. I make friends and lose them. No; until this point I didn’t have friends. It was just me driving the nail into my skin, waiting for my skin to fester and rot. I would throw myself into challenges and cast everything to the wind because there was nothing worth clinging to.

At least, in my mind. But when I finally looked up and saw what was worth holding onto, it slipped from my fingers like starlight in the harsh light of the truth.

I ran for my friends and found only blood and bones before my eyes. Piles of bloodied rags in the darkness. Memory in shadow. It hardly seems like they’re gone. The lack of any goodbye haunts me.

I fell down and the Stone Spearstribe lifted me out of the cold. They offered me a hand—a paw—and lit a fire to ward away the cold. They died to destiny and monsters, fighting alone against a horde led by the Goblin with empty eyes.

And one last time, yes, one last time I run. Onwards, to save a friend who made a place to live in a world filled with monsters and magic. She built a place to keep my heart, and I brought death to her doorstep.

Is that my fate? Is that the price I pay? The cruelest of fates would be that. If destiny could read my mind, it would know that punishing others for my transgressions would hurt me most. If that is the case, why shouldn’t I run far away, far away and find a place where I will be alone forever?

I tried that once. But people who loved me found me. I tried it twice, and they still brought me back. Was it truly love, or just the need to fulfill their duties as parents and guardians in a society that judged?

I should have asked, even if it meant listening to lies.

…

I have one last card to play. My deck is nearly empty. I thought I had a full hand of cards, but each one has flown away into a sky full of regrets. Some nights I stand on a hill full of yellow bones and wonder who will bury me in the dark earth when I die.

I have nightmares about that. Not of dying; I never did. But now I fear I will outlive everyone around me.

My fingers hurt. My lungs hurt. My feet—

At some point I think I decided the boots I was using were slowing me down too much. I threw away the coat and hat and everything else with it around the same time. I run through the snow. My feet burn with the cold; a terrible prickling pain trending towards numbness. Frostbite awaits, a dark little creature holding oblivion in one claw.

I don’t care. I run on, as fast as I can. I don’t even remember how long it’s been. I knew I had to get to Teriarch right away; but it will take at least a day of running straight out to get there.

Too slow. I might die before I reach him. So many things could happen. But I have to run as fast as I can.

If Erin is dead, then I really am lost.

How do I know she’s even in trouble? I can’t tell. She could have wandered off and simply not come back.

She could be dead.

It could be a thousand and one things or none of them. But as I was thinking, the terror of it came over me. When did I—? I’ve never been this afraid. Not of anything. But the thought of losing someone else makes me run even faster than I do now.

Running alone through the snow, blurring past people on the road who stare at me in surprise. Running, running.

But they follow me even so. So I guess I’m not alone.

“Is she trying to run fast?”

“I think she is! But she is so slow, isn’t she sisters?”

“Yes, so slow! Slow like dripping sap and ice melt.”

I grit my teeth. But they’re with me, as always. I look left and see a faerie lazily flying by my side. She laughs at me.

“Huffing and puffing away. Do you think it will help?”

“Where. Is. Erin?”

The faerie stares at me. I stare back. For once, this is a contest I can’t win. After a few seconds I stare back at the road, just in time to dodge past a large stone.

“Human. Have ye not heard us the last hundred times we’ve said it? We do not interfere in mortal affairs.”

“Liar.”

The faerie flips over and stares at me.

“Mm. True. But we do not break our oaths that easily.”

“You broke them once for me and Mrsha. Just tell me if Erin’s okay.”

“And why would we do that?”

Don’t snap at them. Don’t yell. I breathe in and taste the blood as the cold air rushes into my lungs.

“Don’t you care? She made you food. She likes you.”

“She is still mortal. She is one among countless many. Why does she matter more?”

“She matters to me.”

“So?”

It’s too much. I stop in the snow, slowing down and trying not to tumble as I start to skid. I stare at my feet in the snow and only notice now that I’ve left a trail. I lift one foot and see pink, red flesh. Blood begins to drip out of the white-red gashes on my feet, but slowly. The cold makes even losing blood hard.

“Ooh, she bleeds!”

Some of the faeries flying around me fly closer. I wave them away, but they just fly around my leg, pulling faces at me. I stare at them.

“Help me. If you won’t help me find Erin, help me reach my destination quicker. I know you can.”

I still remember the rushing air around me, the coldness in my bones, and the feeling—of flying. The night I ran through the Goblin Army to safety with the faeries—how far did I go? Each step felt like I was running into forever. The world felt still around me and I felt like I understood running like I never had before.

I need the same thing now. Erin could be injured, betrayed by her damn skeleton. Or maybe it failed her and a monster got her. Or if she crashed the sledge—

Erin lies on the ground. The blood from her head stains the snow. She’s looking around, calling out for her skeleton. I hear a growl, and then a Carn Wolf pads over to her. It sniffs at her and then bites, engulfing her head in its huge mouth. Muffled as it is, I hear a scream—

I shudder. My dreams were like this last night. I keep seeing—

I have to run faster. I look at the faeries. They’re hovering around me, giving me skeptical and incredulous looks. One of them floats nearer to my face.

“You beg a favor with naught to offer? Nay, you beg to alter destiny? Have you no shame?”

“Not anymore.”

I meet her eyes squarely. The faerie shakes her head at me.

“Nothing is free. We are not gods! This fate you fear is your duty to change, mortal.”

“My name is Ryoka Griffin.”

She gives me an old look.

“Dust.”

“She fed you. She built her inn out of copper to please you! She’s the only damn person in this world worth saving! Don’t you care!? ”

I scream at them. The faeries hover in the cold air, and I feel it grow colder. My feet don’t really feel like anything anymore. But I don’t look away from them.

This time, the high-pitched voice is gone. The voice that comes out of the glittering diamond of a body is lower, and it echoes. Something else is speaking. Or perhaps it’s the true form of the faerie that even Erin and I can’t see.

“We care. Watch your tongue, mortal. We care . We care like pouring rain and a new shoot’s blossom. We care for fires’ burn and for scurrying things caught by flood and fang. We care for the fading earth and the sigh of a dying breeze. We care.”

“So stop asking!”

A snowball hits me in the face. This one has shards which cut and burn. I wipe away the snow and feel myself bleeding. Around me, the fey are hovering. Watching.

“I know there are rules. I know destiny exacts casualty for every action. But if that is the nature of this world, why not cheat? Why not—break the rules and act without consequence? I bet you can.”

Scornful looks. One of the faeries flies closer. I think I know her. I think I’ve been talking to her most of the time. She looks like the others, but—

She taps me on the nose and everything freezes for a second. I stumble backwards and clap my hands to my face. She shakes her head.

“You really know nothing, do you? Did ye ever think that even we have enemies? Did you not think that the rules exist for a reason? You could not even dream of those who would call the fair folk their enemy.”

“So what?”

The faerie blinks at me. I swing at her and she lazily flips over my hand. She doesn’t look offended. I breathe heavily out of my mouth; my nose feels numb.

“What’s the point of rules if you can’t do anything? If—if your version of morality doesn’t consider Humans important, it’s broken. If that’s what you believe, you can all go to hell.”

I raise my middle finger and flip all the faeries off. They stare at me.

“It matters. Now matters. If we’re so insignificant and you can’t do anything, why are you following me?”

The faeries exchange a glance. And then four more fly down with the first faerie. They speak right on top of each other.

“Because we are bored.”

“Because you defy the fates.”

“Because of a grain of sand.”

“Because you would challenge Gods.”

“Because we can.”

I look at them.

“Then help. You can’t just watch. There’s a cost, even for the audience.”

One of the faeries blinks. The others scratch at their heads.

“There is?”

My heart beats again. I hear it, but my mind is racing. I grasp for straws.

“Of course there is. The audience is never silent. They gasp and encourage or boo the actors. And sometimes they help. Sometimes they change the story.”

“Mm. True. She speaks the truth!”

One of the faeries says that. The other smacks her, eliciting a cry of pain. The second faerie glares at me.

“You have asked much already. Too much! If we do all for you, what purpose do you serve?”

She’s right. I stare at her. I have been asking for their help. I should have been taking care of everything myself.

Without a word I keep running. Something in my body screams, and I swear, it feels like things are breaking —snapping apart in my legs. But I keep running nevertheless.

Faster. I have to run—

A faerie flies by my side. The same one as before. She looks at me.

“Ye really are slow, you know.”

“I know.”

I close my eyes. It was the only thing I was proud of. But it’s true.

“I know. ”

A bit faster. I pump my arms, and my foot pushes off the ground. I can’t really feel them. But who cares?

This might be my last chance.

Erin backs away from a skeleton with a sword. It grins at her, empty sockets flashing with purple life. She raises her arms, but it runs her through. Blood bubbles out of her mouth and she grasps at the skeleton. It yanks the sword back and pieces of her come with it. It slowly raises the dripping blade and—

Faster. I gasp and cry and run. Just once, please. Please God, or anyone who’s listening. Just let me save one more person.

I did it once. Mrsha. I paid a price. I’ll do it again. No matter what I have to give up. Faeries and Dragons. Immortals. I’ll offer whatever it takes.

But how? I know who might find her. But how can I convince him to help me?

It’s like part of me is screaming at once, running with a thousand emotions in my heart. But another side of me sits in silence, listening to the rushing wind. That other Ryoka in me is thinking. Even if I get to Teriarch in time, how do I convince him?

He’s proud. He’s a Dragon. I’m nothing. He might erase my mind or kill me in an instant. What could I offer him?

Think. Dragons. Old. Immortals. Timeless. Pride?

No. Greed? Wisdom? The desire of immortals is…what does a Dragon want? Virgins on stakes? Cow steaks? Money? Magical items?

It’s impossible. But I have to think of something. Something that would tempt even a Dragon?

The oldest kind. The oldest games. Something timeless. Pride. Challenge the Dragon. Sacrifice and risk. A magic sword.

I—old. He’s old. And he’s prideful? Yes. Something’s there.

Hold on. Pride. Magic sword. Magic? Magic…the oldest games?

Hang on.

I think I know what I have to do. If I can ask him that—how did it go? Red house. Owning cats? Fish?

Try to remember. Cryptology club. Middle school. So long ago. I can reconstruct it. Think of it.

My mind is fuzzy. I’m so tired. How long have I been running? Where did my shoes go? I feel numb. It’s a bad sign. But I’m still running. It feels like it’s been over a day. Or maybe it’s been a few hours?

It doesn’t matter. I can feel the cold wind touching my half-healed stumps. I’ve already lost something. I’ve not lost enough. I would give away the rest if it means I’m not too late for once.

I have to be there in time.

It’s so cold.

—-

High above the girl, the faeries fly in the cold sky. They stare down at her and consider what she’s said. They debate in words no Human could ever understand, and think of what might happen and might be.

A faint wind blows. It pushes the girl, though she doesn’t feel it. It is not a wind that touches the skin. It makes her run across the ground, through the snow, and yet, somehow, her path is shorter than before. She runs the same distance the same way, and yet the wind makes her arrive a bit faster than she would have otherwise. That’s all.

The faeries fly after her, savoring the breeze. Then they fly up, and one speaks. She declaims to the world, to the others, her voice high and carrying.

“‘Tis so often we see on high that it is like rain.

The thing that kings dream of and heroes possess;

An end or beginning of such tales, which mortals call doom.

The birthright of tragedy; a speck of hope in despair.

As blades of grass are crushed ‘neath heedless foot

So too shall the skein of woven fate

Crumble and break

Upon this earth.

Yet for this one, the star shines brightest now,

At fire’s waning and the moment hammer strikes.

‘Twill spell her fate, the wretched child

Who would dice upon the table of worlds with Gods.

But quick, we fly on!

To bear witness for friendship burgeoning.

And let the oldest stories rise again.

Lo! We declare such immortal words.”

The other faeries looked at each other. One spoke.

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”

They flew off after Ryoka. And in moments, hours, in due time, she reached the High Passes.

—-

“ Teriarch! ”

The girl screamed. The Dragon watched with magic, one eye cracked the tiniest fraction of the way open. His spells had woken him from his slumber, and now he stared at the girl running through the deathly path between the mountains.

Shouting.

He’d thought she was at least partly intelligent. Didn’t she know what shouting would bring? She wasn’t even using that foul potion this time. Already the wolves were following, and the goats had begun to descend. A few more steps and she would wake darker things with her noise.

He sighed. He didn’t feel like dealing with Humans today. Already he’d been pestered by Reinhart’s messages. He just wanted to sleep. But he had sent something with her, hadn’t he? Something important?

Oh yes, the letter. He’d thought about it for a while. Had it arrived? Teriarch thought of Perril Chandler. Yes, the mage was a nuisance, but the letter was the important thing. He had to know if it had arrived safely.

The Dragon grumbled, but the girl was stumbling. And there were those blasted fae with her as well. But it couldn’t be helped.

He stirred himself, spoke a word. A man appeared in the room; standing with an irritated expression on his face. Teriarch focused, and the man walked back a few paces. There. He looked normal, didn’t he? Teriarch had a thought and glanced at the cave wall.

Right. Shadow. He flicked his tail and his shadow vanished. That should do it.

He looked back at his image of the high passes. He couldn’t focus on the girl; her blasted name still didn’t work. But he could still see her from high overhead. He spoke another word. The girl in the magic spell vanished, and she was standing before him.

She stumbled; stared around in shock. The fae were already chattering to him in tinny voices that hurt his ears. Teriarch grumbled and spoke another word. The flitting immortals didn’t freeze, but the girl did. That was something.

Teriarch cleared his throat. Below him, the magical copy did the same. He saw the Human representation of himself raise his hand to cast the next spell.

All he had to do was say a few words. Teriarch didn’t know what the spell would be called with the magic system Humans used. [Greater Geas] was probably close enough; he doubted the girl would ever meet a mage capable of casting the same.

The Dragon took a breath. He only had to say those words. Then he could ask her all the questions he wanted. She wouldn’t be able to throw off his magic if he used more force. He only had to do that.

But then the Dragon smelled the blood. It was such a faint odor at first, almost masked by the scent of the fae and snow and sweat and ice. And he was used to smelling blood from the things in the High Passes. But this blood was fresh, and close.

Teriarch stared at the girl. Blood was pooling around her feet, running in the warmth of his cave. It ran from her feet, but he couldn’t see any wounds on her body. He stared at her feet.

Two words. He only had to say them. But Teriarch hesitated, and that made all the difference. It was such a small thing. But it meant…

Everything.

—-

“Your feet.”

I stare at the old man, unable to move. I throw myself against the spell that holds me, trying to move any muscle in my body. Hell, I’d release my bowel control if it meant getting his attention. But the full-body paralyze spell freezes even those muscles.

I can’t let him send me away. I have to resist whatever he does. I have to resist. Don’t lose focus. Don’t give in. Don’t—

“What happened to your feet?”

I blink at him. I can move again. I stare down at my feet and see the blood.

“Oh.”

There’s a lot of it. It stains the perfect, lovely marble floor. I raise my foot and slowly stare at it.

Ruined. Flesh is torn. I stare at the bottom of my feet and try to remember what they’re supposed to look like. My feet always had calluses, and Mom used to say that they looked awful. But now—

“Hah.”

It’s not quite a laugh. I just stare at what used to be my soles and shrug. I look at Teriarch. The old man is staring at my feet. His haughty look is gone.

“It doesn’t matter.”

He looks at me, surprised. I just stare back. They really don’t matter. Not right now. But he shakes his head.

“Enough. [Mend].”

He points at my feet, and I feel a shock that goes through my core. It feels like something bright flashes through me. If bright could be a feeling—

Suddenly, the terrible numbness in my feet and my legs fades. I feel pain, and then not even that. I wiggle my toes, able to wiggle them after that feeling vanished.

Blink. Blink. My toes waggle in the blood around my feet. Teriarch speaks again, and then the blood begins to flow away.

I turn around and see the blood flowing away, back towards the cavern entrance. One of the faeries laughs and chases after it.

“There. Kindly do not track—kindly do not bleed in my domain again.”

This time, I look at Teriarch and realize how frozen and tired I’d been before. Now my mind feels like it’s racing at its peak. No—I feel better than I have in years . What magic was that?

No. Focus. Standing before me is a Dragon. Remember that.

But now that I’m in front of him, the old man seems far realer than my belief in Dragons. Just looking at him erodes my confidence in my memories. I remember them clearly but he looks—

He looks good, okay? Like, really good*.

*Like the kind of person we wish we could be. Like a model, something to strive for. Even if it’s an illusion, it’s art in its own way. He makes me remember my imperfections.

But I have to focus. Erin.

The thought of her is the shock I need. I blink and grit my teeth so hard my gums hurt . Teriarch stares at me in silence for a few moments. What should I say first?

“Well, I must congratulate you for punctuality, I suppose. You took longer than I had hoped, but you are clearly dedicated to your duties.”

I stare at him. What? What’s he—

Oh. Oh right. The letter. I’d barely remembered that.

Human Teriarch sighs. He waves a hand and a bag appears and gold coins appear out of the air and drop into it. A lot of coins for such a small bag*.

*A bag of holding? No— focus. Why do I feel so—so distracted? I was—was I depressed? Did that spell actually normalize my brain chemistry or something? Focus, Ryoka*.

**But I want to smile. I want to laugh. What the—I feel so good. What is this? I’ll take it, whatever it is. I can do this.

The old man waves the bag and it drifts towards me. He looks me in the eye, his heterochromic eyes hypnotizing.

“Speak the truth…messenger.”

Did he just forget my name? Teriarch clears his throat.

“I assume that you fulfilled my request and delivered both ring and letter to Perril Chandler?”

“I did.”

He nods.

“Was there any response? I doubt it, but the man might surprise me.”

“No. He…read the letter and said it was an appropriate gift.”

While he was making a horrific monstrosity over my head. Don’t mention that part! Just speak the truth. But half-truths. Yeah.

Teriarch looks vaguely pleased. He nods, but then flicks his fingers.

“Well, it took a bit of thought. And with that, I should be fine for another hundred…blast, what about Reinhart? Hmm…”

Unless Magnolia’s older than I thought, Teriarch believes in thinking ahead a lot more than a Human. And he’s pretty damn optimistic too, unless Humans live longer than they do in our world.

But then the old man pretending to be a mage looks back at me, and my spine stiffens. It’s not a spell; I’m just tense. I have to speak. I open my mouth, but then the bag flies towards me. I catch it instinctively.

“There. Eight hundred gold pieces, as agreed. I believe it should serve you well. Now, I will send you back to your city or hovel or wherever you please.”

He waves a hand and then hesitates.

“Ah. [Open Portal]?”

Did he just cast magic without using a spell? The shimmering magic of golden motes that begins to swirl around me started before he said those words. But that’s not important.

“Wait!”

He looks irritated.

“What is it this time? I will not renegotiate—”

Is now the time for it? No, no time to hesitate. I point at Teriarch, straight at his chest.

“You…you are a Dragon, aren’t you.”

He freezes. The air freezes. For a moment the world goes s—

“Ooh! She said it!”

“Shh! Quiet!”

That came from overhead. I barely process the voices, though. Neither, seemingly, does Teriarch. He stares at me. At last, he clears his throat.

“Dragon? What? You must be…I’m not a Dragon. Hah. You must be mistaken.”

Oh my—he sucks at acting! I stare at Teriarch. He stares back.

“Don’t lie to me. I know you’re a Dragon.”

“I’m not a Dragon. You’re mistaken. I’m uh, an [Archmage]. You must have confused my noble disposition with a Dragon’s…somehow.”

“I know you cast some kind of memory spell on me. I broke it and remembered . You. Are. A. Dragon.”

The white brows of the old man draw together.

“That’s impossible! No Human could—wait a second. Did Magnolia interfere? Is this one of her…pranks?”

“A Courier had a powerful charm. It broke the enchantment on me.”

“A Courier? One of them had—but my spells—was it a directly applied magic, or some kind of non-renewable sealed spell? I suppose my magic might have been compromised by a interwoven spell…”

The old man begins to mumble. Again, I’m a bit taken aback. He sounds grouchy, now, not like a Dragon. But after a few more seconds the old man looks at me. Shit. He’s going to—

“Anyways, you are mistaken. I am not a Dragon. I am just a—”

Teriarch’s eyes widen and then my fist crunches as it meets his perfect nose. It was a good punch; I stepped in and hit him with my best shot. With my left hand. My right one is still missing those fingers even after the spell.

I’ve gotta admit, even though part of me feels bad for hitting someone who looks like he’s four times my age, I enjoy that immensely. Add that to my gravestone*.

*Ryoka Griffin, 1995 – 2017. “Never knew when to shut up. Also, punched a Dragon.”

The old man stumbles backwards. I blink. What? He raises a hand to his nose and looks at the blood gushing from one nostril.

Oh no. Oh shit. I didn’t—he’s human? But I thought—

“Hmf. Humans are so violent.”

And then the old man in front of me wavers, and vanishes. The blood, the odor of his body, even the presence of him, the faint sense that something is there all vanishes in an instant.

And then I see the Dragon.

There are no words. It’s a Dragon. What else can I say? And yet, and yet…how insufficient the word is for him.

A Dragon. A wyrm. A being of scales and fire. An immortal creature or at least an ancient one in most mythoi. Ostensibly a large lizard with wings when you get right down to it. But the reality of one is different.

The Dragon lounges in the cavernous cave, the place that could hold a military aircraft hangar with ease, and makes the room feel cramped . He stretches out, serpentine tail coiling around some of the magical artifacts piled up in his room. He’s not sleeping on a pile of gold a la Smaug—rather, he’s just lying on the ground, using his claws as a pillow.

Yes, he looks more like a dragon depicted in Western culture than an Oriental dragon. But instead of horns on his head he has a mane that looks like someone’s taken molten bronze and turned it into some kind of living hair.

Oh yeah. His scales are bronze. A deep bronze—and let me be clear, when I mean bronze, I don’t mean the color people think of as bronze. I mean bronze as it truly looks when it’s worked properly:

Golden.

The light. Oh, the light. Even the sun doesn’t look as beautiful as this color. The faint light in the cavern reflects off his scales and turns the entire cavern a slightly odd shade. He glows in the light, and his mane is luminous as the rest of him.

And now the Dragon—Teriarch raises his head. When I first saw him he looked almost as if he was sleeping, but now he sits up, and spreads his wings slightly. I step back and stare up, up, up , into two mismatched eyes that pierce me to the core.

This is a Dragon. This is Teriarch’s true nature, in front of me at last. He still defies words. We have so many, but what could really describe what I’m seeing?

Serpent. Wyrm. Drake. Arach. Naga. Ormr. Tann—

Wait a second, I’ve done this before.

I break out of the spell. I’ve done this before. Yes, I’ve seen Teriarch before. And I could stare at him forever, but I don’t have time for that. I clear my throat.

“Uh—”

“ Human. ”

The word makes my bones vibrate. Teriarch’s voice—his true voice shakes me to the core. Remember that bowel movement I talked about? I’m one second away from actually making good on that threat.

Teriarch lowers his massive head and suddenly he’s only twenty feet away from me. Twenty feet, but his head—I’m fixed in place, like a mouse staring at a cat. Or a mouse staring at a jumbo jet that smells like brimstone. When his mouth opens I can smell fire .

“So. You have uncovered my true form. I suppose I should congratulate you. But know this: your error was not in bringing this secret to your grave. Whatever paltry treasure you have imagined obtaining, know that I will not part with a single fraction of my wealth. If you are wise, you will—”

“I don’t want any treasure.”

He pauses. The sight of a puzzled Dragon is something I’ll take to my grave.

“What?”

“I don’t want any treasure. I’m not here to try and extort something out of you. I don’t have any desire to tell anyone that you’re a Dragon.”

Pause. The huge eyes sweep over me like spotlights.

“Oh.”

Blink. Even that’s scary on a face as huge and terrifying as his.

“Then why are you here?”

Stay calm. Be cool. He might be a Dragon , but he’s still Hu—he’s only mort—he’s uh, he probably has the same emotional wavelength as I do. He’s acted like that so far, anyways.

I clear my throat nervously.

“I…need help.”

“What?”

One eye stares at me. My mouth is dry as the Sahara in a heat wave, but I speak anyways.

“My friend is missing. I need you to help me find her. I need your magic. I ask—humbly—for your aid.”

Stare. The Dragon’s just staring at me. I mean, Teriarch’s just staring at me. Is this a lizard thing? My back is already sweaty, but then he turns his gaze away. Teriarch stares at the ceiling and starts talking to himself.

“First Reinhart, and now a random Courier. Do I look like I enjoy entertaining such…?”

It’s a mumble, but coming from a Dragon, it’s quite audible. Teriarch seems to realize this, because he shuts up and fixes me with another glare.

He looks…grumpy. The massive Dragon exhales a plume of smoke as he stares at me.

“Why should I use my vast powers for you? ”

Okay. Time for reasoned arguments. That I didn’t prepare. With a Dragon.

I gulp.

“Magnolia Reinhart knows my friend. If Erin Solstice dies, she will be upset.”

I can only tell the truth. Or maybe he can sense it? Did he cast that spell on me this time? But it’s sort of true, right? Erin did mention that. It’s not a lie, not a lie, not a lie…

Teriarch eyes me.

“So? Humans are always upset.”

Is that a bluff? Call it.

“Oh really?”

I try to smile at Teriarch, but my lips barely work. I feel like I made a really stupid face, but I press on.

“That’s an interesting perspective. Would you like to talk to Magnolia Reinhart and explain how you knew Erin was about to die and you let her? I’m sure she’d love to hear that.”

He twitches . I’m on the mark, or close to it.

“Reinhart doesn’t have the power to order me about.”

Now he really does sound like he’s grumpy! I take a deep breath. Flatter. Dragons. Pride. All that.

“I don’t mean to offend you. It’s just that I really care about my friend, and I know she’s important to…Magnolia Reinhart. I need your help. I’ll do anything for it.”

“Huh. What would I need from you?”

Teriarch draws back and stares over my head. He looks at something on the ceiling. I look up too.

Oh shit. The Frost Faeries are flying around the ceiling, laughing and then shrieking as Teriarch stares at them. They don’t look intimidated at all, but the Dragon looks pissed.

“Hrm. Let me see. You come here, bringing these pestilent beings with you, bleed in my cave twice, inflict that foul potion upon my senses, extort me for more money than your services are worth, and then you demand my help after insinuating that Reinhart may order me about?”

Uh oh. When he puts it like that…yeah, maybe I should have reconsidered.

And to make matters worse, the faeries seem to have understood his reference to them. Some of them fly around Teriarch’s face, shouting shrilly.

“Pests! We aren’t the pests, you bag of scales, you!”

“We do not fear you, old fool!”

“Indeed! Just the other day we slaughtered a score of bees!”

“ Begone. ”

It’s only a word, but it sends the faeries flying away in a panic. Okay, local chain of authority established. I gulp, as Teriarch looks down at me.

“I know it’s presumptuous, but—”

“No.”

The word rocks me on my feet. But I hold my ground. Not for my own dignity; I think I did pee a bit there. But Erin—

“Fine. No favor. But I still need your help.”

“Indeed?”

Now he’s mad. Teriarch stands up for the first time and holy crap is he huge. He takes one step towards me and I flinch. His head lowers further until I can stare down his nostrils. They’re like the muzzle of a cannon.

“And what will stop me from erasing your small mind and sending you out of my cave to be torn apart, Human?”

Yeah, he’s mad. I gulp, but I’m out of saliva.

“I—I challenge you, Teriarch. I challenge you to a game of riddles.”

He blinks. Overhead, the faeries blink. I can practically see his brain working.

“ What? ”

This was a stupid idea. This was the kind of stupid idea I could only have while running through the snow at freezing temperature and high velocity. But it’s all I’ve got.

“You heard me. I said I challenge you. To a game. Of riddles. It’s customary, isn’t it?”

“It is?”

“It is!”

“The game! She challenges him to the old game!”

Overhead one of the faeries shouts jubilantly. Both Teriarch and I look up.

“Haven’t—haven’t you heard of that? Uh, riddles? You don’t—don’t do that?”

Teriarch looks miffed.

“Well, I suppose I have enjoyed a riddle or two. But are you implying some play this game as a way to win…favors?”

“Yes…?”

I really shouldn’t base all my ideas on The Hobbit. Teriarch just stares at me for a while. I try to explain.

“Uh, well, I thought it was considered a sacred game that not even the most horrific of monsters would dare to violate. You could—uh, use it to wager things like life, magic rings—it’s a contest—”

“I am familiar with how games work.”

I shut up. Teriarch stares at me, and then flicks his eyes to the faeries above. Then he sits back.

“Riddles? A game? How…intriguing.”

Oh, be still my beating heart. Seriously, be still. I think I might be as close to a heart attack as I’ve ever come. But then Teriarch looks at me, and I don’t need to worry about that heart attack. It’s already happened.

“But why would I want to waste my time playing a game I know I would win?”

Good question. Excellent one. Do I have an answer? I scramble.

“Well…because it’s a challenge.”

“So?”

He looks nonplussed. And then I get a bit annoyed. My mouth opens, and it takes charge instead of my fumbling brain.

“So? Are you a Dragon or a lizard that likes to hide under rocks? It’s a challenge, idiot. What part of that don’t you get?”

Teriarch gapes at me. The faeries gape at me. My mouth continues as it shoves my brain into the backseat.

“Are you really as stupid as you look? A challenge isn’t meant to give you something. It’s an attack on your authority! If you think it’s so easy to beat me, why not prove it rather than act like a coward and stall? Bring it!”

I’m pointing at Teriarch. His eyes fix on my finger. Above me I hear cheering. I see massive teeth draw back into a snarl, and then I hear the voices, at the edge of my hearing.

“She dares! She dares!”

“Let havoc cry and slip loose dogs!”

“‘Tis the moment! It is upon us!”

I hear something, or…feel something from overhead? Even Teriarch looks up.

“What are—?”

Then something hits me, and I feel…different. But I can’t wonder what I’ve done. Something about faeries? But Teriarch is staring back at me, full of rage.

I meet the Dragon’s eyes, and bow my head. I need to say this right. I’ve only one shot.

“Know now I only seek to make things right!

Oh temper’d Dragon take heed of my request.

Put back your ire as in my hour of plight,

I do beseech thee at one other’s behest.”

Wait, what did I just say?

—-

Oh fair readers let us set the stage and bring you sighs and words unseen. For this cavern where Dragon waits and Human does set the fates, the faeries dance and laugh and dream above. Nothing but such words and plots will inflame few thoughts.

And so they gather closely and listen well; is this Ryoka’s triumph or her death knell?

The Dragon laughs and breathes brimstone’s glare. Sure to sizzle the Human fair. He mocks and talks; she stands firm. Determined to trick this ancient wyrm.

“Your riddle game insults my name.

I am Teriarch; by what dare you to my time lay claim?”

“I dare for friendship and pride and all these things;

I challenge you to an ancient game played for things like magic rings.

It’s fun and daring; a game of skill.

Unless you fear you lack the will?”

The Dragon blinks and the faeries cheer. It has been too long since they have seen a mortal without fear.

“Hm. Well I suppose I could indulge your request

—understand it is not at your bequest.

But any game must wager meet.

If I would win, what will I keep?

You have nothing to offer—you there in bare feet.”

She speaks before him brash and bold; she does not fear to not grow old.

“I offer my life to serve until I am old and lame.”

“A spell will do the same.”

“My soul?”

“What need have I for souls, I, a Dragon, the lord of flame?”

She thinks then, and ponders long, knowing her next answer must not be wrong.

“Then I offer what you do not know, the secret of my name;
the one thing I offer that you have to gain.”

A moment’s pause and the faeries wait. To see what will be decided of this amusing Human’s fate.

Then the maw opens and a deep voice speaks. The words of one neither small nor meek.

“Very well I accept your bet. But beware— would you lot stop that? ”

—-

I see Teriarch raise his head up towards the ceiling, and my body throws me to the floor a second before he spits fire. I hear screams and then the faeries are flying around in a panic. Are they dead? No—just on fire. Literally.

The Dragon harrumphs as the smoke and water cascade from the ceiling around me. I get up, shaking a bit as the faeries hide in a corner of the cavern behind some valuable-looking objects, shouting insults.

“Oafen clod!”

“Foul breath! Stupid snake-with-legs!”

“Fat old one!”

“ Pests! ”

Teriarch bellows and the faeries scatter again. He snorts and glares at them as they decide to hide behind me .

I stagger. And put a hand to my head. And hold my stomach so I don’t vomit. What happened?

“What the hell—”

Was I rhyming? Why did I say—it seemed so natural—

“They have an odd sense of drama.”

Teriarch glares at the faeries as countless icy pinpricks freeze my shirt to my back. But his tone is more conversational.

“They alter the sense of—well, I suppose you would call it your perception of reality. It gets quite tiresome after a while. Still, it is rare to see them do that.”

“Oh.”

My knees are weak. Teriarch blinks a few times at me. His anger is—gone. He’s just looking at me now.

“Curious. This has been an odd day.”

You’re telling me? I knew I was going to be facing down a dragon at some point, but this—

“Well, I have accepted your game one way or another, so let us begin.”

“What?”

Hold on, just like that? But Teriarch is moving. Is he…sitting? No; he can’t really do that, or if he could it would be really awkward. He lies back down like a cat, pointing his head at me.

“A game of riddles, is it? I still have doubts about your intellect. You clearly cannot be that intelligent if you believe you have a chance of succeeding.”

“And you don’t seem that intelligent since you keep claiming you’ll win without any evidence. Would you just shut up and ask me a question? Or I’ll go first and—”

My hand cuts off my incredibly suicidal mouth and muffles the rest. I can hear the faeries laughing and exclaiming on my back.

For a long minute Teriarch stares at me and I imagine what would happen if he breathed even a bit of the fire he hit the faeries with. Let’s see. Death would be instantaneous unless the flame wasn’t that hot, in which case my eyes would melt and I would die in painful agony as every part of my body literally caught fire or just evaporated—

“Fine. As you wish.”

The Dragon snorts and smoke makes me cough. He frowns at me and then rolls his huge eyes and stares at the sky.

“Then, here is a question half of you Humans get wrong. Answer me in ten seconds or I will erase your memory.”

Shit. I think I pissed him off.

Teriarch pauses. Wait a second, does he not have a riddle ready? His mouth moves as if he’s thinking to himself. Is he really—?

“I am that which grinds down mountains and fells even the greatest of structures. Kings cannot ignore me, and yet all things will eat of me until I devour them in t—”

“Time.”

The Dragon pauses. He fixes one eye on me.

“What?”

I’m shaking, but again, my mouth is moving faster than my brain. I’m all instinct right now, and I blurted the answer.

“The answer is time.”

First he doesn’t know about the riddle game, then he pulls one right out of The Hobbit? Holy crap, I’m glad I watched the movie this summer. But is that really a normal riddle? It’s so…easy.

Teriarch looks put out. He harrumphs, and the wind nearly makes me lose my balance.

“I see this riddle has been told to you before. Well; it is a simple one. Ask your riddle, then.”

“Ooh! Is she going to ask her riddle?”

“How exciting!”

“That last riddle was awful.”

Okay, ignore the peanut gallery that’s perching on my shoulders and head. Teriarch is glaring at them or me, I can’t tell which. I gulp. This is all moving very fast. But it’s time. He wants a riddle? I’ve got one for him. Albert Einstein, don’t fail me now.

“Ahem. Uh, in a village there are five houses. Each one is painted a different color, and in each one lives a different species. The five people who live in each house each eat a different kind of food, practice a different kind of magic, and own a different kind of pet.”

Silence on my shoulders. I am conscious of many little eyes staring at me, and two big ones. Teriarch clears his throat.

“Is this riddle going—?”

“The Drake lives in a magenta house.

The half-Elf keeps Shield Spiders as pets.

The Human practices Cryomancy.

The purple house is next to, and on the left of the puce house.

The owner of the purple house uses Necromancy.

The person who eats souls rears Griffins.

The owner of the fulvous house eats bees.

The person living in the center house practices Chronomancy.

The Antinium lives in the first house.

The person who eats grass lives next to the one who keeps Carn Wolves.

The house owner who raises talking mushrooms lives next to the being who eats bees.

The being who eats pancakes studies Pyromancy.

The Gnoll eats bagels.

The Antinium lives next to the ebony house.

The grass-eater lives next to the one who casts Aeromancy.

The question is this: Who owns the Crypt Worm?”

And when I’ve finished my desperate riff on an unfair classic question, only now do I realize how stupid it sounds. This isn’t a fair riddle. He just asked me one about time, for goodness sake! Why did I think—?

I’m—I’m going to die now.

I look over to my right. The faeries are—all of them—giving me the fish-eye. I can hear them whispering.

“Is that a Human riddle?”

“I don’t get it.”

“What Crypt Worm? She never mentioned one!”

“What’s fulvous?”

I chance a peek at Teriarch. It might be the last thing I ever see, after all. He’s just staring at me. Is he considering how to bake me alive? Or is he actually thinking of the answer? No; he can’t. It’s not that simple. He’d have to have a pencil and paper. Hell, it took me ages when I figured—

“Hmm. The…Gnoll. Yes, the Gnoll.”

I feel my heart stop in my chest. Yes, for one second, my heart literally stops beating. The shock that hits me is like a real thing. How—

Teriarch grins at me. His teeth are like my tombstones.

“That was quite an intriguing question. Was it your best?”

The faeries’ tiny little mouths fall open as one. Me? I’m starting to panic.

Oh no. He’s smart. Not just smart; he’s a genius. He has to be. Teriarch raises a claw; now his eyes seem brighter, and he seems more animated.

“Well, it appears we have both answered one question correctly. And you seem to know some interesting riddles I have not heard of. Now, what should my next one be? Hmm. Hmm…naturally I know quite a lot of riddles, but if you know the answers, I should ask…let me see…”

And: shit. He’s competitive as well.

I take a few breaths as Teriarch mumbles to himself like a jet engine preparing to take off. Calm down.

Pep talk. I need a pep talk. Okay, I imagine my brain is giving me advice, because I need it.

Breathe slowly. Focus. You didn’t expect him to get that, but you’ve got more questions you can toss at him. All you have to do is concentrate. You have one advantage Ryoka. And that’s that while this world might have incredible magic, ancient Dragons, and people who can attain power beyond mortal limits—their riddles are still crap.

“Hmm. I have it!”

All my nerves are on fire at the sound of Teriarch’s voice. He raises his head and stares at me triumphantly.

“Human, here is a riddle that stumped your kind for over a century when your people were young. You stand at a crossroads on your journeys, but before you lie two guardians, one for each road.”

What? No. He’s not going to ask—really? I hold my breath as Teriarch goes on.

“The enchantment upon you is thus: you cannot tell either road apart, and yet one leads to safety, and the other danger. Once you have started down a road you cannot turn back. The two guardians will answer one question, but you may only ask it of one of them. And one will always tell truth and the other only falsehood. What question do you ask to take the safe route?”

Okay, riddles in this world officially suck. Or maybe it’s just the time. Or just the Dragon. Did he say that question stumped Humanity for a hundred years? Well, if these were the first riddles…

Teriarch grins at me, triumphant. The faeries are murmuring amongst themselves, clearly impressed.

“I will allow you some time to ponder your answer.”

“I don’t need it.”

He blinks.

“What? But—ah, then what would you ask one of the guardians whom you cannot tell apart?”

I shrug.

“I’d punch the one on the left and ask them if it hurt.”

More silence. Then I hear one of the faeries titter. They all start laughing and Teriarch glares at me.

“That is not a proper answer.”

“You want a proper one? Fine.”

I scowl.

“My question to the guardian would be this: ‘Which path would the other guardian point to that would lead me to safety?’ And then, I’d take the opposite road the guardian points to.”

“How did you know that?”

“Logic.”

And I already solved that puzzle back in middle school. It stumped me back then, but hey, no one needs to know that. Teriarch stares at me.

“Well, I see that you have some intelligence after all.”

“Good to know you aren’t blind. My turn.”

As the Dragon splutters, I think fast. Okay, Einstein doesn’t work? That’s okay, I’ve got…

I uh—

I—

I don’t have time to make up another riddle! And I don’t remember many! They were not my thing in school. I was only in that club for two months! I really thought Einstein would get him, but, hold on, what about the blue foreheads one?

Yeah.

I look at Teriarch.

“Pay attention. A hundred—no, ten thousand people are locked in a room. Each person has a color painted on their head, but there are no mirrors and no one is allowed to speak due to an enchantment. Every day, the door will open and anyone who has a blue-colored forehead will be allowed to leave.”

I pause. Teriarch is frowning and his lips are moving. The faeries are giving me a glassy-eyed look.

“The magic on these ten thousand people prevents them from leaving unless they are absolutely certain they have a blue forehead. In this room, there are 2,459 people with blue on their foreheads, 98 people with red on their forehead, 12 with white foreheads, 4,421 people with no paint on their heads at all, and finally 3,010 people with viridian-colored foreheads. Fifteen people have no noses, and one person suffers from bladder incontinence. At least one person has a blue forehead, and the people know this. On what day does the last person with blue on their forehead leave?”

Again, I just hear silence. But this time Teriarch looks intrigued. He turns his head and begins muttering. Meanwhile my heart is pounding. I jump as someone slaps me on the ear.

“ What? ”

The faerie glares at me.

“These aren’t proper riddles! What trickery is this?”

“They are riddles! They’re logical riddles!”

“They’re stupid!”

All the faeries begin chattering their agreement. I swat at them and then one bites me. I’m trying not to shout in agony when Teriarch looks back at me.

“All of the people with blue foreheads will leave on the two thousandth four hundred and fifty ninth day.”

Oh…

I do sit down, then. Teriarch watches me slowly fold up onto the ground with a smug look. He looks almost like a grinning cat; like Garfield. But I’m just filled with despair. He doesn’t even seem to notice. His tail twitches, knocking over something that shatters as he speaks out loud.

“My turn I suppose. Hrmf. Well, what shall I ask? All of the truly difficult riddles are unpronounceable in your tongue. You wouldn’t happen to speak the language of magic, would you?”

“…No.”

He ponders as I stare at my hands. What was I thinking?

“Ah. Well, here is a simple question, Human. I have…five thousand eight hundred and eleven pears in my possession. I ah, I need to pay for them, but each pear is worth eight silver coins. How much are—”

“Forty six thousand four hundred and eighty eight silver coins.”

I know they’re staring at me, but I don’t care. Okay, so I answer that question, but what can I ask that he can’t answer? Think. I don’t have that many riddles, and he seems to know all the old ones. An unfair one? The Mad Hatter’s—but no, he’ll ask for the answer!

I need a question even someone as smart as he is can’t answer. A question that defies logic or—or—

What about…it’s my last shot.

Teriarch is staring at me. I look up, and realize I actually missed his question.

“What?”

“How did you know the answer to that? That was no riddle.”

“It was just math.”

“Aha!”

One of the faeries on my shoulders flies up. She glares at both of us.

“This is no fair game! Ye two are both cheating! We demand another game! We want—”

Teriarch breathes out. It’s the equivalent of me blowing gently, but it nearly blows me backwards and it sends the faeries flying off me. He shakes his head.

“Enough of that. Now, ask me another riddle. And make it a good one!”

He seems happy. But my heart is sunken into my chest. Time to cheat. This is all I’ve got.

“Fine.”

I look at him. Why does he have to be powerful and smart? It’s almost unfair. But a part of me has to admire him. He solved Einstein’s riddle in a heartbeat, and the blue foreheads puzzle nearly as quickly. He’s—

He’s not like what I expected. And maybe he thinks that of me, because Teriarch is waiting for my question. Too bad I have to win.

“Here is my riddle. This statement is false. Was what I said just now correct or incorrect?”

The Dragon eyes me. I wait for him to declare me a cheater, and I hear someone shouting indignantly from the other end of the cave. And then—he laughs.

“Hah! That old paradox? That’s easy. The answer is—”

My ears ring when he says the next word. I clap my ears to them. Teriarch blinks at me.

“Ah. I forgot Humans can’t understand that language. My apologies.”

“What was that? ”

He smiles at me. A Dragon’s smile.

“The answer to your question. That which is made false by being true unto infinity. The Elves came up with the word; it stumped all of them back in the day.”

Of course. I close my eyes. It’s not the earth that falls out from under me; no, this is different. I just feel tired. Tired and frustrated and helpless.

It’s over.

Above me the Dragon is eagerly speaking, faster than before, his deep thundering voice now replaced by a conversational tone.

“Well, I suppose that makes it my turn. How intriguing. I…hmm. What was that old riddle about sand? Ah, I think I have it—”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Excuse me?”

I sit back. Teriarch’s face looks puzzled in my blurred vision. I raise my voice, trying not to choke.

“I give up. I lose.”

“ What!? ”

“This is wrong! WRONG!”

“Where are the riddles! The games of cunning and skill?”

“This should not be! Did we—”

“Out of my cave!”

“Aaah! Flee!”

I see shapes darting away, flying out of the cave. And I hear whispers. I barely pay attention.

“That game was stupid! It wasn’t true or right! It—did we waste our time?”

“Is she wrong? Did we…?”

Even they think I’ve failed. The faeries leave and I can’t see anymore. Everything is swimming.

I’m crying. I’m actually crying. I sit on the floor and try to wipe my eyes. I was so sure. No—I wasn’t sure, but I thought this was stupid and it was the only thing I could think of.

“I can’t beat you. I can’t even try. ”

No matter what riddle I throw at him, he’s going to solve it. He knows the answer to a paradox . What chance do I have?

I tried to use my brain. I should have just begged. I bend over and bow to Teriarch. He’s staring at me in silence.

“I can’t win. Just—please. I have a friend. I don’t know where she is. I’ll do anything, but please, please help her.”

That’s all I had left. My pride. I give it up at last. I thought I had so much. Once upon a time, I thought I was better. But I’m not.

I’m not stronger than anyone. Calruz and Gerial and the Horns of Hammerad humbled me. I’m not faster either; Val outran me easily. I’m not braver than Erin, or smarter than Teriarch. I’m just…

Weak. And normal. And very small.

And desperate.

I lie on the ground, crying like a kid. And I wait for it to be over. I wait to be squashed like a bug into a smear or to be mind-wiped and sent somewhere else to die. But none of those things happen.

I hear the air moving, and a hurricane that sounds like a sigh. And then I feel something touching me.

A massive claw pushes me up gently. I find myself sitting back, and then a massive head snakes down to my level. A voice speaks.

“Sit up. Wipe your face. What did you say your friend’s name was?”

My eyes widen. But the eye that looks into mine is not angry, and the voice is soft. I stare up, and Teriarch blows a plume of smoke upwards.

“I…suppose I could spare my time for a spell. Scrying is not difficult, and a teleportation spell is quite easy if need be. I just need her name.”

“Erin. Erin Solstice.”

I breathe the words. Teriarch mumbles the name, and then he traces something in the air. I see something shimmering in the air, and he sniffs at it. He stares at something that flickers. His eye widens.

“Oh.”

He stares at me. I look back at him, heart pounding. But then the Dragon shrugs. He looks at me oddly, and then speaks.

“The spell will take a while to activate. But it will find your friend unless she is as peculiar as you are. I grant you the hospitality of my home, Ryoka Griffin. You may wait here until it is finished. And maybe you can tell me a riddle in the meantime.”

I stare at him. He’s a Dragon, a thing of immortal years. But as he lowers his head, he looks a bit more Human, or a bit more like me. There’s something in his eyes that makes me think he’s ancient beyond years, and unknowable. But then I see a bit of kindness.

Like an old man wiping away a kid’s tears. I breathe in, and out.

And then I sit up.

“Well. I do know more riddles.”

“Excellent. Tell me one.”

“Have you heard of an enigma?”

“A what?”

“A code.”

His eyes shimmer.

“I know many codes.”

“Then figure this one out. The riddle goes like this:

The noblest name in Allegory’s page,

The hand that traced inexorable rage… ”

And I see a Dragon smile.

I smile too.

2.46

I sit on the ground and laugh. Hysterically. I thought I’d never be hysterical, but now I guess I am.

Let’s recap. I’m sitting on the ground in the center of a cavern filled with magical treasures. The floor is smooth marble; magelight fills the room. Valuable treasures lie scattered around like afterthoughts, and a Dragon lies across one half of the cavern and eyes me uncertainly.

In short, exactly how I imagined all of this going down. I think I have tears in my eyes, but I can’t stop giggling like a loon to wipe them away.

Erin’s fine. Of course she’s fine. Why wouldn’t she be? I ran all this way, desperate, and she was fine the entire time. She’s talking happily with Octavia in the image Teriarch shows me, and by the looks of it they’re having a good time. Octavia seems animated, at least.

She met Octavia. In Celum. I don’t know how she got there, but Toren must have carried her that far. Somehow.

It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. Now that I know she’s okay, it’s like a cloud lifted from my mind. I can think clearly—only to realize how stupid I’ve been.

Here be Dragons. Or at least, one. Teriarch. He stares at me with a perplexed expression on his huge face. It makes me laugh harder.

How did it get like this?

“Human.”

His deep voice is impossible to ignore, but even he has to raise it above my manic laughter. Teriarch frowns at me.

“No. Ryoka Griffin, isn’t it? Are you well?”

“I’m—fine.”

I’m not. All of a sudden the laughter wants to turn to tears, and I feel like throwing up.

I’ve made such a mess of my life, haven’t I? Just like the last world, I guess you can’t let go of who you are even with a second chance.

I’m just a bit tired, now. But when I look up, even the bleakness of my heart is relieved.

After all, I am staring at a Dragon.

A Dragon.

He lies in his cave, shining like living gold. His scales are brilliant, and they reflect fragments of light onto the walls every time he moves. He is a Dragon. Teriarch is a Dragon.

They’re real.

He delicately clears his throat, and I scrub at my face. Okay, okay, I’m okay. I can’t waste this moment. Waste any more of this moment, that is.

“Sorry. I uh—I’m sorry about that.”

He waves a claw at me.

“I shall pay it no mind. I am relieved that you are so…lighthearted. I understand you were quite concerned for your friend.”

Is a polite way of saying that he’s glad I’m not insane? For a second, I’m tempted to play all of this off as some kind of mental disorder. I wonder how he’d even deal with that?

He’d probably just heal me. Can he heal the mind with magic? What if you were born with chemical imbalances in your brain, for example? Would a [Restore] spell be useless in that case?

There’s the quasi-scientist in me, asking all the questions. Teriarch is still staring at me, so I clear my throat.

“I’m sorry about that. It’s just been a rough couple of days.”

“I see. My condolences.”

He coughs. I scuff at the marble tiles with my foot.

Oh my god. Here I am, talking with a Dragon, and I’m having problems carrying the conversation. And so is he!

Remember, he’s a normal person. Remember that. He’s just a Dragon, an immortal being – not a mammal, not someone who grew up with any of my societal norms, moral standards, hell, we’re not even the same gender…

“Well, yeah, it’s been tough.”

Someone shoot me. But Teriarch just nods and casts his eye to the ceiling.

“I did notice those pests following you about. They have a habit of ruining anyone’s day for as long as they maintain interest.”

“Pests? You mean the Frost Faeries?”

“Yes. I was quite intrigued. How is it that you can see them? Their glamour is usually impenetrable to even the most accomplished mages, unless they know what to look for.”

Um. That’s a really good question. I was going to look into that, but I never got around to it. I hesitate.

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Ah. Of course. I see.”

He gives me a dismissive look. And when a Dragon does it, you really feel small*. He scratches at his jaw. He was interested when I was telling him riddles, but I guess he still thinks I’m an idiot.

* Seriously. He’s about the size of a passenger airliner. Not a 747—more like an Airbus A380. Hell, what would happen if he landed on one of them? He could take down planes just pushing them out of the sky.

I grit my teeth, and moderate my tone. Okay, Dragon or not, I still don’t like being underestimated.

“I was going to say, I’m not sure, but I think it’s probably because I come from another world. Something about the chemical balance in my head – or my diet and my origin from another planet – may help me pierce their illusion. It could be any number of factors.”

The Dragon pauses. He looks back at me.

“Well of course. Ah…well, your origins might be one explanation, but faerie magic accounts for more than one world. There must be another reason; usually their magics are broken by satisfying some rule.”

“Any idea what that might be?”

“Not as such. But I must congratulate you on your considered opinion. It is rare to meet a Human so…thoughtful.”

“You mean, it’s nice not to meet an idiot. And that wasn’t a ‘considered opinion’. That was a basic conclusion that took less effort to come up with than it took to say.”

In the resulting silence I suck my lips in. Shit. I did it again.

But instead of swallowing me in one gulp, Teriarch only stares at me. Then he nods.

“Indeed. Well, I must apologize. It is rare for me to meet any mortal beings worthy of my time. Of course, the gap between our levels of understanding is such that these misunderstandings must inevitably occur.”

Did I just get a Dragon to apologize to me? It was a backhanded apology, but—I’ll process that later. Right now, the intelligent part of my brain that seems to have been on vacation up till this point wakes up and taps my frontal lobe. I might have screwed up in coming here, and that riddle game, but I have an opportunity here, don’t I?

After all, I am talking to a Dragon. And suddenly, I’ve got questions. Millions of questions.

I cough delicately. Teriarch is just staring at me, frowning as if he’s trying to work out what to do with me. Time to get on his good side, or at least, get some solid answers out of him.

“Teriarch.”

He looks down at me. I hesitate, and then bow stiffly. The Dragon looks nonplussed.

“What’s this?”

“Thank you for helping me locate my friend, even though you were the one who won the game of riddles.”

“Think nothing of it.”

The Dragon raises a claw and flicks it, almost like a Human would. He almost seems embarrassed—but then he perks up.

“Ah, yes, I did win, didn’t it? And now I will claim my prize. Tell me, Human. How did you evade my scrying for so long?”

He bends his head down eagerly towards me, and I take a step back involuntarily. I’d almost forgotten when I promised him. It seems too inconsequential, but—

“My name. When you tried to scry me, you weren’t using my proper name.”

“What?”

He frowns at me.

“That should not be. I questioned you under a truth spell. It would have been impossible for you to lie about your name.”

“Yes, but my name—my true name is Ryoka Griffin. I didn’t lie to you. But ‘Ryoka’ is only a translation. I was originally named in another language.”

To my surprise, Teriarch looks offended by this revelation. He starts grumbling to himself as his head rises up.

“That’s it? That hardly constitutes—a minor technicality like that isn’t part of—inferior spell design. I should have used…another language? But all peoples now speak—ah. Of course. You are from another world, after all. I should have factored that into my calculations.”

Now that I think of it—Teriarch isn’t even blinking over the revelation that I’m from another world.

“You knew who I was before this, didn’t you? Lady Magnolia told you.”

“She did.”

Teriarch is still frowning at something in the air. He mutters to himself, and this time I don’t understand the words at all. His eyes seem to shine with light that isn’t there, and I feel the hairs on the back of my neck tingle. Is he trying to alter his spell? Or scry me?

“How do you know her?”

“That is none of your business.”

Teriarch looks at me dismissively. I twitch a bit at that. I hate it when people say stuff like that to me.

“Oh really? I’d say scrying on me without my permission constitutes a violation of my privacy. And Magnolia sending [Assassins] after me and constantly interfering in my life? That also sounds like my business .”

A pause. The Dragon eyes me. And I feel a bit of trepidation as I realize who I’ve snapped at this time. But his voice is just quiet and calm, without a hint of anger.

“She will speak with you in due time. If you have questions, I would advise you to speak with her. I may render her the occasional assistance, but her affairs are her own. I will not divulge her secrets.”

His eyes flick away, and I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding in. Okay, somewhat kindly, yes. But…still a Dragon.

He looks back at the shimmering image in the air and I realize Erin and Octavia are still hovering in the air. It’s…well, it’s a bit disturbing to think that he can just watch anyone he wants. Big brother’s got nothing on a magical Dragon.

But Erin’s not going to the bathroom or doing anything else private. She’s still in Octavia’s shop, in one piece and not missing any limbs. I stare at my right hand. Hell, she’s not even injured.

She looks happy. I can’t tell what’s happened, but it seems like Octavia’s counting out some gold coins and Erin’s peering around and touching things. Damn it, did Octavia scam Erin out of a bunch of money? She’s a fast-talker and Erin’s not. If she’s trying to con Erin I’ll kick her stitched-up ass.

Teriarch indicates the image.

“I will teleport you to your friend—after erasing your memory of course.”

“What? You’re going to erase my memories?”

The talking Dragon has my full and undivided attention. He scratches at the side of his head as he replies, nonchalantly.

“Well, of course. I can’t have you remembering our encounter. Fear not; I am quite capable of erasing only certain memories. You will find yourself outside your friend’s shop with vague memories of arriving there.”

That doesn’t sound good. The free ride, maybe. But the rest? No.

Think. I spread my hands out in supplication. I’ve got to talk him out of this.

“Oh mighty Teriarch—”

I pause. Nah, I can’t do that.

“—Look, don’t erase my memory. I won’t tell anyone what I’ve seen.”

He raises one eyebrow at me. And yes, Dragons have eyebrows. It’s more like a bony spur on their heads, but it works just as well for purposes of skepticism.

“I have heard that claim from countless lips. Each time it always ends with me raining fire and destruction upon the armies that come to slay me.”

He fixes me with a stare any basilisk would be proud of.

“Why should I trust your word now?”

“Besides—I did figure out who you were before this. If I wanted to expose your secret I would have already told someone. And how do you know I haven’t left messages to myself in case you erase my memory?”

Note to self: do that next time. At least Klbkch knows.

But Teriarch doesn’t seem impressed.

“In that case, I will simply have to control you with a spell and have you erase all of your records and kill all those you have told before you slit your own throat. How does that sound?”

I fold my arms.

“Won’t work. Even if you could get me to erase all of my contingency plans, the faeries would just tell me again.”

The Dragon pauses. He looks towards his cave entrance, almost uncertainly.

“They wouldn’t do that. They don’t choose sides.”

“But they are annoying.”

And I’d just bet they’d love to do that – if it occurred to their tiny little minds to do it. But the argument seems to work. Teriarch frowns.

“I can simply cast a spell on you to force you never to divulge my secrets. Or to cease speaking altogether. Which I am considering at this moment.”

Aha. Don’t push the Dragon too hard, Ryoka.

Shut up, Ryoka. I just shrug at him.

“You can do that. But that strikes me as an exceptionally crude and simple solution for a Dragon.”

He pauses.

“How so?”

“Well, aren’t you a Dragon? A famed creature of legend and myth with intelligence and wisdom far beyond that of even the greatest of mortals?”

“Mm. True.”

Teriarch smiles. Let’s see. Dragons are conceited, prideful, and not a little bit susceptible to flattery. I go on.

“Why wouldn’t you want everyone to know of your nature? I’ve heard Dragons once advised philosopher-kings of old. Why not spread word of your identity far and wide?”

He scowls.

“That tends to lead to noisy adventurers with swords tromping around my cave. And armies, eventually. I think not.”

“Well, what about a few people? Lady Magnolia clearly knows about you. Isn’t it beneficial to have a few beings to talk to—people who can help you out?”

“Perhaps…but I am seldom in need of assistance.”

“I just delivered a letter for you.”

“Slowly, and at great cost. You had to come back for directions.”

Teriarch harrumphs and the wind makes my hair ruffle. Smelling his breath is like sticking my head into a train engine and inhaling.

“If it were addressed to any other person, I would have no issue in using magic to facilitate any communication I needed. Moreover, I can fly.”

He spreads his wings, and I eye the thick membrane connecting the wings. Interesting. They’re definitely proportional to his body mass, but there must be some magic to them or else he’s never getting off the ground with just his muscular strength. I shrug and glance towards the image of Erin and Octavia again.

What are they doing now? Erin’s tossing stuff in a…pot? Yes, she’s got a pot over a stove and she’s pouring a potion into it, and a bunch of carrots. Octavia looks like she’s swallowed her thumb. What are they doing?

Focus on the annoyed Dragon.

“Uh, right. Well, even if that’s the case, what if you have to send another letter to Az’kerash? And my abilities aren’t just limited to running. I did know several riddles which intrigued you.”

He grunts and shifts his position awkwardly on the stone floor.

“You are hardly a font of endless knowledge. Or are you implying you know all the secrets of your world?”

“Not all of them, but I know quite a bit.”

“Oh, really?”

The skepticism in his voice makes me frown at him.

“I have a good memory and I was considered to be an excellent student in my world. I know more about mathematics, biology, and the way my world works than almost anyone else my age.”

That’s fairly accurate, although ‘excellent student’ is definitely stretching it. But Teriarch seems determined to be obstinate. He rolls his eyes to the ceiling and flicks out his tongue before he comes up with something.

“Ah, but Reinhart has acquired several children like you. They all hail from your world; what is to stop me from questioning them.”

This time I snort out loud. Teriarch looks more surprised than affronted.

“What?”

“You think you can get any decent information out of a bunch of high schoolers? If they know a tenth of what I do, I’ll eat Magnolia’s maid.”

There it is again. I see him smile!

“You are prideful.”

“Shouldn’t I be?”

He grins at my challenging tone.

“Pride is something which all thinking beings have. But it can be true or illusory. Is yours the kind that would shatter if put to the test?”

He flicks one wing dismissively.

“Regardless, your knowledge may be useful, but what use have I of it? I am no Elf or Gnome to be constantly intrigued by new discoveries and knowledge. I know the secrets of magic and the true nature of this world. I know the names of ancient secrets and treasures long buried. I command storms and flame. What do you have to offer that I don’t already have?”

“Breath mints?”

The Dragon’s eyes bulge. I grin at him, wild and slightly-unhinged on my part. I can’t help it. He’s being competitive and I have to take him down a peg.

“You may be a high and mighty Dragon, but I have seen things just as amazing as you are. Tell me, how fast can you fly? Can you break the barrier of sound? How high can you fly? Can you fly to the moon? Humans have done both these things; if we can do it, doesn’t that make us better than you in some way?”

I’m smirking a bit at him, but to my surprise, Teriarch’s lips quirk and he gives me a smile of his own. It wipes mine clean off my face.

“I have not flown to the moon, but I can break the air into pieces. And you are not the only species to reach such heights. Both Gnomes and Elves have walked upon the twin moons in the sky.”

“ What? ”

No way. But Teriarch is giving me another smug look. That’s impossible, but then—we did it, didn’t we? If you had the right knowhow and spells—

“Well, I suppose that just means Humans, Elves, and Gnomes are all better than Dragons in some way, aren’t we?”

This time Teriarch’s glare is accompanied by a wing flap. The gust of air makes me stumble. I regain my footing and see him smile.

“My apologies. But I believe this discussion has run its course. I do not engage in pointless debate that serves no higher purpose.”

“Coward.”

“What was that?”

I eye Teriarch’s teeth as he bares them ever so slightly.

“Nothing.”

“Indeed. And our…argument arose from one point. You do not wish me to erase your memory. I wish to do so. And I am the one with the authority to decide.”

That’s it, isn’t it? I bite my lip, but I can’t really argue with that. Instead, I sigh.

“Well, you’re right about that.”

Teriarch pauses as he draws himself up, towering over me.

“That’s it? No pleading? No begging?”

“Not my thing. If you’ve made up your mind to do it, I can’t stop you. I just think it’s a shame, that’s all.”

“Well, all beings desire to know all they can. You will not lose much, Ryoka Griffin. Just a few moments.”

He speaks a word, and I feel my bones humming. I stare up at him. He stares down at me, like some kind of ancient god. And because I can’t ever let anyone have the last word, I speak.

“Nothing? Really? A few moments are worth more than that. A moment is enough time to die. A few can be…everything. More than that. ‘A world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.’ ”

I see a Dragon’s eyes widen. Yes, I’m not over it. He’s still a Dragon. So I say that too. A bit of honesty before oblivion.

“Today I met a Dragon. You. And it was amazing. Indescribable. I’m not a poet, and I can’t find the words to even describe the magnitude of what I’ve glimpsed. I just think it’s a shame that I will forget something as timeless as that. In truth, I almost can’t believe that any spell could wipe that kind of experience from my mind. So if you’re going to do it, go ahead. But if you can really take away that moment from me without changing who I am, go ahead.”

I stare up at him and wait, trying to memorize every detail of his face, every part of this moment. But Teriarch hesitates.

“Were those your words, Human?”

“No. A poet wrote them. A Human poet.”

“I see. But what you said about me—do you truly find me that magnificent?”

“Yes. Don’t they have stories about Dragons in your world? They do in mine. You—your people are one of the most iconic images in my world. When people think of fantasy—of swords and sorcery and adventures, they think of Dragons.”

Now two eyes are staring at me. I shudder. Why does it feel as though he can stare into my soul? Maybe it’s the difference in age between us.

But I’m not lying. For once, I’m telling the truth. Compliments and flattery are mixed in, yes, but this is the truth. I can remember reading of dragons as a girl. I can remember the awe of imagining one. And reality did not disappoint.

“I grew up reading stories of dragons hoarding their gold, or fighting knights in battle. A dragon. Terrifying, yes, dangerous, yes, but for every Human in my world, when we dream of magic, we think of your kind.”

“Really? Truly?”

It’s as if he’s hanging on my every word, suddenly. And I have a thought: maybe he’s just as eager to know he matters as I am.

I nod. My heart is pounding.

“We know of you, even if all we know are stories. Remember that, Teriarch.”

For a second, I think he’ll zap me anyways. But the Dragon doesn’t. He closes his eyes.

“Myths. Legends. That is what my kind has become. But if I left your memories intact—”

“If you do, I will tell no one else. I swear.”

Another look. Longer, this time. Then Teriarch turns back to the image of Octavia and Erin floating by his head. I focus on it and realize something’s happened. Both of them are running around and if I had audio, I’m sure I’d hear them screaming. A thick purple vapor pouring out of one pot seems to be the reason. Even as I watch, something melts through the pot as Octavia tosses a white potion into the pot and something explodes into a cloud of white powder.

“Neutralizing potion. At least the [Alchemist] knows to take proper safety precautions. They should have mixed the carrots with a cold agent – even ice would have worked – before mixing in the Corusdeer horns. Of course, they would need a stronger coating. Flour, perhaps.”

Teriarch mutters that as he somehow manipulates the image and sends it down closer to me. I stare at the pot.

“Did you notice all that while we were talking?”

“Of course. We Dragons are quite capable of such feats. Compared to flying and breathing flame while casting a spell, this is trivial.”

He smiles, and suddenly it seems like Teriarch is…tired. I look up at him and feel as if he’s suddenly ancient. Or acting ancient, rather.

“I will send you to your friend. With memory intact.”

“Really?”

I can’t believe it. I wouldn’t have changed my mind with my weak arguments. But Teriarch just nods. He looks so old, now. Was it something I said?

“I will send you back. Do not move, and the process will be smooth. I will be certain of the altitude this time.”

He smiles. And something about him makes me a bit annoyed. First he’s intimidating, and then he’s tired. I want—I have the urge to say something. Here I am in the center of a cave full of treasures.

I turn around and stare at the thousands of things on display. A literal Dragon’s hoard. And the Dragon himself, muttering in his deep voice high above me. I can’t let it end like this. I should do something. I—

Inspiration, crazy, Erin-level inspiration hits me. I look back at Teriarch.

“Ahem. Before I go, can I uh, interest you in an offer?”

He cracks one eye open and frowns at me.

“I am concentrating. Teleportation spells are not easy even for me. What offer?”

How would Erin pitch this? I try my best.

“Would you…consider donating one of your magical items to the uh, GRF?”

“The GRF?”

“The Gnollish Relief Fund.”

That sounds so stupid. It’s perfect. Exactly the kind of thing Erin would say! Teriarch just gives me a blank look.

“Let me explain. I uh, happen to be trying to help out a Gnoll tribe.”

I try to explain as best I can the mess that Erin and I got ourselves into. Krshia’s tribe, the Silverfang tribe, and how they lost all their spellbooks they were trying to bring to their all-important Gnoll summit. Teriarch nods as I finish.

“I am aware of Gnollish traditions. That is a fine one; of course, they used to meet only once every hundred years, and then every fifty years. Then it was twenty years, but I suppose the tribes need to stay connected in this day and age.”

He sniffs; he doesn’t like to alter tradition, I guess.

“But what does this have to do with me?”

“Well…you have a lot of magical items. Would you consider giving one to the Silverfang tribe? A spellbook, for instance?”

He just stares at me. Yup. Definitely an Erin idea. But she could pitch it in a plausible way. Me—

“Why would I even consider something so…ridiculous? Why would I ever give up my possessions for free?”

“Ah, but it wouldn’t be free.”

“Go on.”

Yeah, go on, Ryoka. Tell him why it’s not free*.

*Shut up, me.

“Well, just consider the benefits. You would have a Gnoll tribe in your debt. It would be very clear that it’s you – the great [Archmage] Teriarch – they owe their great gift to.”

“A single Gnoll tribe could do little for me.”

“Yes…but your name would be venerated among their tribe. You would have a little bit of immortality among them. A bit more, should I say? You would be a patron of their tribe.”

“Hmm. Intriguing.”

Teriarch seems pleased by the idea of being honored. Then he frowns.

“Why a spellbook, though? I had no notion that the Gnolls were interested in magic as mages practice it. Their shamans use tribal magic quite well.”

“Well…I think it’s an experiment.”

Another frown.

“An experiment?”

When I explain the longstanding grudge the Gnolls have over learning magic at Wistram, Teriarch really looks confused.

“Why wouldn’t they be able to learn magic? The mages of Wistram are no fools—at least, they were not two hundred years ago. Why would they expel the apprentice sent to them?”

I stare at Teriarch. Did he just imply…?

“Wait—you’re saying Gnolls can learn magic? But the mages didn’t think it was possible.”

The Dragon shakes his head in exasperation.

“Of course the Gnolls can learn magic. Some races are more adept, but they are hardly mindless Antinium or magic nulls. Why would Wistram not…? That is very, very odd.”

Oh wow. Another secret for Krshia. My heart beats faster.

“Well, this is the Silverfang’s great gift to the other tribes. So if you gave them spellbooks—say, uh, fifty of them—”

“ Fifty spellbooks? ”

Teriarch rears up. He stares at me.

“ No. Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

I spread my hands, a bit outraged. I look around his cavern and point to a bookshelf.

“There! Aren’t those all magical tomes? You’ve got at least three bookcases in that one spot. Fifty spellbooks—hell, even ten would be—”

“No. That is unthinkable.”

“Why not? ”

“Because they are mine. ”

Teriarch’s tone is as flat as the glare he gives me. His tail snakes out and curls around the bookshelves I pointed to, as if he’s afraid I might grab them and run off.

“Oh come on. Don’t be stingy.”

“This is mine. I will not just give away what I have collected for nothing.”

Great. The one thing all the stories had to get right was that Dragons are greedy and possessive as hell. I sigh and rake my hair.

“Then—what if you copied a spellbook? Can you do that? With magic, I mean?”

“Of course I can copy a spellbook. I can write however many I wish. But the process requires expensive ingredients and time which I will not waste.”

Teriarch shakes his head at me. But I’m still going for it.

“One spellbook, then. How about just one?”

I think Krshia needs at least one—probably ten. I could get another one if I used all the gold I just received, according to Ceria, but if I can get one—

“I have many spellbooks in my possession, some of which are indeed useful even to the most meager spellcasters. But I will not part with any of them.”

“Why not? You don’t need them. And you clearly have more wealth than you need. Why not give them away?”

“Because they are mine. ”

The same response. Teriarch’s eyes glitter. His head snakes down towards me and I shiver when he stares at me with his heliotrope eye. Avarice. Okay, so he’s an old man who likes collecting things. Gotcha.

“The Gnolls need a spellbook, Teriarch. Don’t you have a bunch of—inferior copies you could part with?”

“ None of the books in my collection are remotely inferior.”

“Damn. So they all have high-tier spells written in them?”

Teriarch looks confused.

“High-tier…? Oh, your little magical organizational system. No; on the contrary. Many of my books contain lower-class spells. But they are of a higher quality in terms of content and accessibility for those studying them.”

I only partly understand what he’s saying. Teriarch notices my blank look and sighs.

“I suppose Gnolls would know as little as you do. In truth, the Silverfang tribe’s gift would be problematic in any case. If they truly bought over forty spellbooks, I imagine they would have proven quite redundant given the commonality of low-level spells. Moreover if they were cheap enough that a single spell could destroy them, they were probably personal references rather than a proper instructional tome.”

If I had ears that could perk up like Mrsha’s…

“Tomes? You mean there are different kinds of spellbooks?”

Teriarch gives me an arch look as I try to look innocent. Play the idiot. Or maybe not the idiot, but the naïve pupil. He does seem to enjoy talking.

“Of course. Have you truly not heard…well, you are no mage. Not all spellbooks are simply repositories of spells. Some are written to teach magic to those who struggle. Let me show you an example.”

He turns and bends down to the bookcase his tail was wrapped around. I can’t tell how he reads the little letters as far away as his eyes are, but then a book floats out of the bookcase and flies at me.

It’s huge. I nearly flinch as a tome half as tall as I am and nearly as wide hovers before my face. It looks like the ancestor of all books, and the front is bound in red leather embossed with gold and what looks like melted gemstones that form words I can’t read.

“Behold. A first-edition tome of Rihal. Three hundred years old and in perfect condition.”

“How do you lift that thing? Were the people of Rihal giants?”

“Hardly. It is a magical tome. It can be lifted by a child if need be.”

All at once the tome drops out of the air. I grab at it and overbalance as I find that the massive book weighs less than a pebble. It sits in my hand, as I gape at it. Teriarch grins, and the book floats back up.

“This is a true book of magic. It is a teaching device, not simply a list. Observe.”

He flips the book open, and I find myself staring at a page full of strange symbols that seem to move or—or have more than two or three dimensions despite being written on the page.

It looks like Ceria’s spellbook, at least in that there’s written magic there. But unlike her spells, these symbols look different. They cover the page, and I get the distinct sense they’re connected. I flip through the pages, noting a certain continuity among the strange symbols.

They’re nothing I could translate to English or any language I know, but the little magic Ceria taught me means I can still read…something. Is it a spell on the book? No. It—it doesn’t look like the spell Ceria showed me. Instead, the shimmering not-words of magic look almost like an—

Of course, fire is a primal construct. Of course. Why did I not understand that? If heat and cold are a duality, then fire represents heat just as ice would cold. Science would say that fire is complex, but to nature, fire is a simple thing. It devours.

And so, unlike the [Light] spell in order to cast a flame spell, I need to offer fire a source. Light is so ethereal that it can be shaped easily by magic; but fire requires fuel. So concentrate mana in one finger, and ignite it. Let your will be the spark and then feed it constantly, let it grow larger and larger—

Explanation.

I blink. And then stare at the glowing flame dancing on my fingertip. I gasp, and it goes out in an instant. A wisp of smoke flies upwards and dissipates.

Teriarch laughs. I look up at him, amazed and moved.

“The book just explained to me how to cast—I learned that spell in an instant!”

I know how to cast that spell, now! No—more than that! I know how fire magic works, at least at the most basic level. The spell I cast wasn’t even a spell, just applied theory. If I used it in a real spell—

Teriarch looks smug as he regards my stupefaction.

“The art of magical teaching has been lost to many. I suspect formalized schools of education such as those in Wistram and those nations that have lasted longer than a few centuries – Terandria for example – might have comparable methods. But this book was a crystallization of the Rihal Imperium’s knowledge of six hundred years. This is merely a book the apprentices and novices would study, of course.”

I’m only half-listening to him. It was magical. It was magic. And that was one spell. I’d almost given up on ever learning magic like Ceria since it seemed to be so dependent on levels, but that—that was like learning science, or math. It was logical. It made sense in its own way.

“You learnt that spell fairly quickly. Some students take numerous tries before they can begin learning even the most simple of cantrips. But then, fire has always come easily to your kind, hasn’t it?”

An instructional spellbook. Not some mage’s personal notes or collection of spells, but a primer to spellcasting*.

*I want it. Can I take it and give the Gnolls something else? Or can I copy it with my iPhone—damn, that’s not going to work. I’ve got to read this first. I’ve got to have it. Somehow.

“Well. I’d say that spellbook would be an excellent gift for the Silverfang tribe. Why not giv—”

“I have told you once and now again: no.”

I grit my teeth. I need that book.

“Would you accept a trade? Knowledge for knowledge? Or something else?”

“You have nothing to offer me.”

The book floats back towards the bookshelf as Teriarch smiles again. He just wanted to show off his collection. But I’ve got—I reach into my pocket, reluctantly. Time to play a card.

“Would you accept this?”

Teriarch blinks at my iPhone.

“What is that? A piece of metal? No—there is some energy within it.”

I hit the power button on my iPhone and the screen lights up. Rather than recoil in surprise or gasp like I was hoping him to, Teriarch just stares at the iPhone and listens to my explanation.

“Ah. An information device. I have seen magical versions of this. They were always too small for me when the Gnomes made them, though.”

“Well, it’s a one-of-a-kind—it’s damn rare since only people from my world have it.”

“Hmm. But it has no magic in it.”

“Yeah. So? It’s still rarer than your spellbook.”

“Hmf. Metal wrought. That is all your little thing is.”

How can a Dragon be so intelligent and so dismissive all at once? It’s the arrogance thing again. I keep my voice level.

“It can do more than just light up. It plays music.”

When I hit the ‘shuffle’ button on my iPhone and it begins playing music, Teriarch’s eyes open wide. Not because of the ability to play music, as it transpires.

“I have never heard that song before.”

My iPhone is playing ‘Beethoven’s 5 Secrets’, a song I found on a Youtube channel I became addicted to a few years back. It’s a remastered version containing elements of four movements from Beethoven’s 5 th Symphony. Not to go on too much, but it’s a complex melody using instruments in ways even a Dragon wouldn’t have heard before.

I grin. Music is one of the few things my world will never lose at. Genius is genius no matter where it goes. I wonder what the faeries would think of this song.

“Do you have more songs on this device?”

“Thousands.”

“I see. Then it is useful. I believe I shall study it.”

“Wait. What?”

Before I can react, Teriarch reaches out. His claw is insanely quick for something so big. It takes a chunk out of my iPhone. I shout in shock as the screen goes dark and the music cuts off abruptly.

“You bastard! Why the hell did you—”

Teriarch ignores me. He taps the iPhone in my hands with his claw. Instantly, it’s whole once more. Then the Dragon coughs.

“Ahem. [Repair].”

There it is again. I’m damn sure now that he doesn’t need to even say the spells out loud to use them. Does that mean it’s not necessary or that Dragon magic works differently from every other species’ magic?

Right now I’m still shocked. I touch my iPhone, and it powers up smoothly. Hell, it’s still on the same song! But I realize Teriarch is still holding the piece he tore away. He tosses it up in the air and speaks another word.

“[Reconstruct].”

The piece of torn silicone and metal flies up into the air, and an iPhone falls down. Teriarch pauses it in the air right in front of me, and I stare at a second fully-functional iPhone 4 hovering in the air.

“My, that took quite a bit more energy than I expected. But as you can see, an object not made of magic can be easily replicated. So it is not so valuable as you think.”

The iPhone floats up and Teriarch inspects it.

“I shall have to use a Human form to investigate this. Ah, well, it may be worth the effort.”

“Give that back!”

I shout at the Dragon, and for the first time jump up and try to snatch it from his claw. He moves out of the way, eying me curiously.

“Stop shouting, young Griffin. You have your device fully intact, do you not? I will take this copy.”

“You can’t do that! That’s theft! It’s not legal!”

“Why not? It cost you neither time nor your possession. I simply copied it.”

“What—you—”

He speaks over my splutters.

“Besides, there is no law here against such things. I am in the right regardless.”

Calm down, Ryoka. Ignore the desire to punch the D—

I kick Teriarch in the leg instead. Pivot, balance on one leg, side kick. I feel like I’ve just hit a wall. The Dragon frowns at me.

“Stop that.”

I glare up at him. Okay, violence isn’t going to work here. Instead, I go for a rationed response.

“You can’t just take my iPhone and not give me something in return. That would be theft.”

“As I have just said, I stole nothing. You have what you came in with.”

“But you stole information! Ideas! Data! Intellectual property! Theft is still theft even if you use magic to restore what was taken. Or are Dragons above the morality of we inferior beings?”

He frowns at me. But I can see I’ve struck a nerve. He glances sideways, and then his tone grows smoother.

“This little thing doesn’t have that much data on it. Surely—”

“It’s got 32 gigabytes of data on it! You could store over a hundred thousand books* on it!”

*Am I right? If you assume each book is…screw it, I’m right!

Teriarch blinks at me. Then he stares at my iPhone.

“So many? But the Gnomes could only get—ahem.”

He coughs.

“Well, I admit this device is interesting. So perhaps I will pay you a few hundred coins for it. How does that sound.”

I stare at him.

“Give me that book and we’ll call the debt even.”

“What? But that is a Rihal—”

“You copied my iPhone. You took my possession first, so if you want to keep it, you’ll give me the tome.”

Maybe it’s my tone of voice, but Teriarch gets mad. He looms over me, growling. His hot breath is like a blast furnace on my face.

“It was my magic that recreated it, girl. Do not try to negotiate—”

“Are you a thief, ‘oh great Dragon’? Or are you a bully and a thug who steals from people who can’t resist?”

“I never said—”

“Can it!”

I’m shaking. I point at the tome.

“Give me that. Give me that and I’ll make sure the Silverfang tribe honors your name, and you can have an iPhone worth more than half of your crumbling books put together. But refuse and I’m walking out of here with two iPhones.”

“I do not suffer threats or extortion, brat. I could erase your memories, you know. Or blast you into ash. ”

Teriarch opens his mouth and I see a hot glow from below. I try not to gulp as I meet his eyes.

“You could. But you and I would both know that you were a thief. Forever.”

For two long minutes he and I lock eyes. I feel sweat running down my back and some stings my eyes, but I don’t dare blink. Then he looks away.

“Hah.”

He chuckles. All at once, the intensity of our confrontation fades away. I watch as the Dragon starts chuckling, and then laughs; a full-bodied sound that makes his scales ripple.

“You really are an interesting Human. I can see why Reinhart is so fascinated by you.”

Slowly, I breathe out. And find myself sitting down. Teriarch sees that and chuckles harder.

“Any more intensity and you might have wet yourself just like she did all that time ago. Or was that her maid? Ah, well.”

He keeps laughing. Me? I’m trying not to revert back into a babbling mess. To steady myself, I stare back at the image of Erin and Octavia. Oh? Now they’re trying to put out a fire. A black fire that seems to be shooting globs of molten fire around her shop. And now some potions have heated up and one’s exploded. Good, good.

“The arrogance and temerity of—but that is why I find myself so…how long has it been? Besides Reinhart, of course. But even she didn’t dare—except for that time…”

He’s mumbling to himself again. I rouse myself and stare at him.

“Well?”

That snaps him out of it. Teriarch stares at me for a long moment, and then sighs.

“Would you accept ten thousand gold pieces? Twenty thousand?”

Twenty th— no, wait, the Gnolls spent over fifty thousand, didn’t they? I eye Teriarch. Hell, I might be able to bargain him up to that, but…

Nah, I want to read that spellbook.

“The book, Teriarch. Take it or leave it.”

“I—hrgh. Very well.”

Teriarch seems to waver, and then he makes a snap decision. He makes the book fly out of the bookshelf and then dumps it in my arms.

“There. Take it. It is a deal. And I will keep this.”

He holds the iPhone in his claws like a prized possession. I grin, almost giddy. I did it!

Then I have another thought.

“How can I carry it?”

“Use the bag.”

Teriarch snaps at me as he delicately inspects the iPhone. He’s sniffing it, and even licking it with the tip of his tongue. It only takes me a second to realize he means the bag he gave me with all the gold coins. I open it, and somehow it opens wide or the tome grows small, because it suddenly fits in the bag.

“A bag of holding.”

“Well, of course. Did you think all those gold coins fit in there by chance?”

“Isn’t that ex—”

I bite my tongue just in time. Don’t look a gift bag in the mouth, Ryoka. Unless it’s to see whether I can fit inside it. Teriarch is too busy acquiring his latest possession anyways.

Huh. It was amazing how he could create a second iPhone just like that. Wait. If he can do that, could he—

“Teriarch, would you consider duplicating the iPhone? For my friend?”

What if we could call each other? Hell, if I could get more copies—

Teriarch pauses at my words. He stares down at me, and then turns his entire body. He brings his head down to eye-level and says one word.

“ No. ”

It nearly blows my eardrums out of my head.

—-

Okay, as it turns out, Dragons might be willing to part with a fraction of their treasury—very reluctantly—but they hate the idea that their possessions can be copied. That was what Teriarch explained to me after my ears stopped ringing.

Now it’s time to go. Teriarch is eying the magic pouch I stored the spellbook in, and he seems grumpy. If I didn’t know better I’d say he was tired, but it might just be that he gave away his book. At least he’s still teleporting me, anyways.

“Stand inside of the circle. There. Do not move.”

He instructs me as he fixes his eyes on the image with Octavia and Erin in it. It looks like the fire is out, but the shop is still smoky and the two girls seem to be engaged in a shouting match. Before that they were lying on the ground, covered in sweat and panting.

I hold still, although I want to move and whoop and shout for joy. I did it! I actually got—there’s so many things I want to say that I can barely contain myself.

There’s a lot more I want to ask Teriarch as well. But he definitely looked ticked as he mutters about non-exact coordinates and not putting my corporeal form though a wall. Ew. I think of splinching from Harry Potter and still my nervous movements.

Teriarch frowns at me.

“The spell is nearly complete. I would warn you to gear yourself better, but you clearly have some ability to have survived this far. What happened to your fingers?”

Only now does he notice? I glance at my right hand.

“I lost them on the delivery.”

“Ah.”

The Dragon goes still above me. He stares at my hand, mid-way through his spell. I shrug, trying to ignore the feeling in my stomach.

“It was my fault. I—made a pact with the faeries. To save a life, I gave that up and a Gnoll tribe gave up their lives.”

“I see. I am sorry.”

Teriarch hesitates. He opens his massive maw a few times and closes his mouth, as if he wants to say something. His eyes flick left towards something, but he eventually remains silent. I half-grin.

“You know, I was prepared to give up my arm to save my friend, Erin. I didn’t know what I’d have to give up for your help.”

The Dragon shakes his head at me, utterly confused.

“An arm? What would I do with an arm?”

“I don’t know. I just thought—the faeries always demanded a sacrifice for their help, a big one. It never occurred to me to just ask for help or—trade.”

Teriarch snorts in derision, and waves one claw in front of his face. Why would a Dragon have such Human qualities? Maybe he learned it from observation? Or maybe—Humans learned it from him?

“You have been speaking too much with those pests. Their sense of duty and obligation—indeed, their price for intervention is far different from yours or even mine. I would advise avoiding their help unless completely necessary.”

See, this is why I shouldn’t go. I shift and stare up at Teriarch.

“Really? They’re that different? I thought since you and they were immortals you’d be the same.”

The Dragon goes for the bait. He snorts at me, and this time smoke makes me cough.

“Ah. My apologies. But your comparison is as humorous as it is insulting. I am a Dragon, not a being of nature. We are both immortal, true, but our roles are vastly different, as our capabilities. I take it that you are aware the faeries are not from this plane of existence?”

“I am.”

“They travel between worlds, and so they have different perceptions. In some places, or so I am told, the will of the world and fate can conspire against interference and punish those who would dare such folly. In the same way, Gods guard their demesnes jealously. Even the fae would not tempt the wrath of such beings lightly. Hence, their rules are kept and enforced among their kind.”

Oh. That makes a ton of sense. I try to give Teriarch my most engaged-student look. I’m bad at it. I never paid a lot of attention in class if I knew the material, but if Teriarch were my lecturer, I’d go to every class.

“Their superstitions and internal laws are meant to protect, but sometimes become redundant. In this world, for instance. The Gods are dead. They have more authority here, hence their control over the weather. But I suspect the fae dislike attachments and debt in any case, which is why they would refuse to help. Too, they love tradition, and would demand a gift for any great aid freely given.”

Gift? Was that my fingers? Or—no, that was an exchange. But could I get them a gift? An iPhone?

“But that is enough of faeries. Stay away from them, or not, but take my gift to the Gnolls. Tell them it is…for their future.”

I look back at Teriarch. Suddenly he looks tired again. He touches the teleportation circle at my feet and the symbols glow bright.

“I wish you the best of luck Ryoka Griffin, for the riddles as well as your device. It has been long since I have found this much enjoyment in mortal contact.”

Oh. It’s really over. I look up into those two magnificent eyes and feel a pang in my heart.

“Do I really have to go? So soon?”

“I am afraid so. I do not entertain mortal visitors for long. And this is too dangerous a place for casual visits in any case.”

I blink. Teriarch smiles at me. He’s right, of course, but even then, I disagree. I’d risk any peril to come back just to look at him. But can I return? Do I have permission to return? Did I have only this one chance?

“Do you think you’ll need a Runner in the future? For another delivery, perhaps?”

He laughs softly; the breeze ruffles my hair as he stares around his cavern, vast for me but barely adequate for him.

“I do not receive letters as you Humans do. If Reinhart has business with me, she will use mage spells. No; I am done with you. Rejoice, Ryoka Griffin. You have seen a Dragon and lived.”

He smiles at me, exposing rows of teeth that make me wonder what could ever challenge his kind. Not armies, not tanks—hell, a Tyrannosaurus Rex would roll over at the sight of those jaws. But he still looks far kinder than the mage I first met.

“Go. And tell no one of what you have seen. Hmm. Perhaps you will. But I would like to believe…yes, I would like to believe you can be trusted.”

“I swore I would not tell. You are only a…mage I met, once. I keep my promises, Teriarch.”

“Perhaps you do.”

He bows his head. And then he speaks a few last words as the light begins to shimmer around my feet.

“Huma—Ryoka. Even if it was mere flattery, I was glad to hear that your people still tell tales of my kind.”

I look him in the eye. Magic swirls around me. Do I have to go? I felt safe here. Safe and—

“I meant every word.”

One last smile. I have seen a Dragon smile.

“Farewell, Ryoka Griffin. We will not meet again.”

No. But before I open my mouth, I’m gone. The last thing I see is Teriarch’s smile. And then—

—-

Octavia hurled a potion bottle at Erin. It was empty and so Erin only dodged splintering glass. But the other girl was searching for more ammunition, and Erin had already dodged a chair and a set of scales.

“Get out!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know it would do that!”

Erin danced and dodged as Octavia raised a log of firewood like a club. The stitch-girl was trying to hit Erin as they danced around the shop counter when they heard a sound like rushing wind.

Both young women looked around just in time to see Ryoka appear two feet off the ground. The girl was frozen in place for a second until the swirling magic light around her vanished. Then Ryoka blinked, tried to take a step, smacked her head on the ceiling and fell to earth.

“ Fu— ”

She landed on the ground and crouched to distribute her weight. She did not fall over or stumble. Erin and Octavia looked impressed, before they remembered to gasp in shock.

“ Ryoka!? ”

“How did you—?”

Ryoka got up slowly. Her head was dizzy, and she felt vaguely like throwing up. She stared around the wrecked shop, with smoke clinging in the air and the smell of a thousand horrible things adding to the suffocating miasma. She stared at Erin, sheepish, wide-eyed, and Octavia, uncharacteristically upset. She nodded to herself and then pointed to the melted pot she’d seen earlier. The liquid was still bubbling in the ruined metal..

“Uh, try cooling down the carrots with something before you add in the Corusdeer horns. And use some flour as well.”

Both girls looked at each other, and then at Ryoka. Then Erin raised a hand.

“What kind of flour?”

2.47

Ryoka knew that she didn’t have the same sense of normality she used to have. Her reactions to things like monsters and magic had been tempered by her experiences in this world, and she could look at Goblins and magic spells without batting an eyelid.

And of course Erin and Octavia were both independent young women who had experienced just as much, if not more, than Ryoka had. But it was still slightly worrying that of the two of them, Octavia was the one who reacted normally.

“How did you—was that a teleportation spell?”

“What kind of flour did you mean, Ryoka? Did you mean acorn flour, or wheat flour? Oh and, how did you do that?”

Ryoka felt like throwing up. Her insides felt like someone had shoved an electric egg beater in them. It had been like that last time as she recalled, although at that point she’d appeared above the rooftops of Celum. She’d been more preoccupied by not sliding off the roof she’d landed on to worry about throwing up.

The smell wasn’t helping. Octavia was staring at Ryoka in shock, but Erin had, in her own way, adjusted to the situation in a second. There was almost something commendable about her mental resilience.

“So was that a spell? Oh wait—you look like you’re going to throw up. Here!”

She handed Ryoka a large, empty jar. It looked like the disposal container for failed alchemical reactions. The taller girl pushed it aside and took a few deep breaths.

“I’m fine, Erin. Just give me a moment. And fresh air.”

She stumbled towards the door of the shop. Erin hesitated, and followed her. Ryoka had to step around upturned chairs and avoid two puddles of potions. Octavia’s shop was trashed. What had happened here?

Oh, right. Erin.

It took a while for Ryoka to regain her internal sense of balance. Her head was still spinning, but when she felt ready to explain things and not throw up, she looked around.

Erin was standing next to Ryoka, staring up into the cloudy grey sky. The winter air blew her hair wildly, but she didn’t appear to notice.

She was smiling. It was so surprising to Ryoka that she stared. Despite being marooned in an unknown city and all she had presumably gone through, Erin was still smiling.

Ryoka touched her own face. She wasn’t smiling. She rarely did.

Erin grinned at Ryoka. The other girl was clearly happy. Then she threw her arms around the other girl.

“Hey!”

“I’m so glad you found me! I was so worried—but you just poofed out of nowhere! How did you do it? Was it magic?”

“No—sort of. It was a mage. I met a mage on one of my deliveries, remember? Teriarch?”

“You mean that grumpy mage guy? He teleported you?”

Ryoka hesitated.

“Yes. He did. He helped me find you and get to you. I was…worried. But it looks like you were okay. What happened?”

“I don’t know! One second I was taking a nap as Toren pulled me around, the next…poof! I’m out in the middle of nowhere and there are wolves and bears! Well, just one bear.”

Ryoka listened as Erin gave her a garbled explanation of what had happened. She shook her head.

“You fought off a wolf pack? And scared away a bear? ”

“Um. Yes?”

Ryoka wanted to disbelieve, or at least believe Erin was exaggerating or boasting, but one look into her eyes told her Erin was telling the truth. It almost made Ryoka’s adventure seem normal.

Almost. The Dragon and the game of riddles still trumped beating down wolves with your bare hands. It felt like a dream, even minutes after it had happened. She’d talked with a Dragon. A Dragon. They were real. He was real.

Ryoka sighed. She was back in the real world. She had to focus. She noticed Erin still hadn’t stopped hugging her and frowned.

“Okay. That’s enough. Get off.”

She broke Erin’s hold and the girl beamed at her.

“I’m just so glad you’re here! You’ll never believe who I met! That girl in there—the angry one—she’s named Octavia and she’s an [Alchemist]! Can you believe it? She’s got all kinds of cool potions, too!”

“I can believe it. I know her, actually.”

Ryoka looked back inside the shop. Octavia had left the two girls alone for a few moments to try and mop up some of the potion on the floor.

“What the hell happened? I saw a bit when Teriarch scried you—”

“Whoa! He can scry people?”

“—But I didn’t get a good look. Erin, what are you doing?”

“Come on, let me show you!”

Erin tugged Ryoka back into the shop. The instant they entered, the noxious smell in the air assaulted Ryoka’s sinuses again. Her nose had already gone numb.

“No! No! Out! ”

Octavia shouted the instant she saw Erin enter. To Ryoka’s surprise she jabbed the mop at Erin like a spear, trying to keep the [Innkeeper] at bay.

“Hey! Watch it, Octavia! I’ll help clean up! Ow!”

Ryoka caught the mop and stared at the girl made of fabric and stitches. Octavia looked like a normal person, albeit with a Frankenstein-esque appearance with all the stitches on her shoulders and neck. She also looked uncharacteristically flustered. She pointed at Erin.

“Ryoka, you know this girl?”

“Hi, Octavia. What’s happening?”

The dark-skinned girl waved her hands and tried to push Erin back out of the shop.

“Do something about her! She’s an insane fool who’s going to get us all killed! ”

“Oh come on! It was only o—two accidents!”

Erin protested, but Octavia was clearly upset. She glared at Erin, fists clenched.

“You melted a hole in my kitchen! And then you nearly poisoned us both!”

“What happened?”

Ryoka interposed herself between the two girls. Both tried to explain at the same time, with much arm waving and accusations.

“I just wanted to make some magical stuff! Like food or a potion! I even paid Octavia a lot of gold to help me out!”

“I thought you wanted to do a few experiments! I had no idea you were this insane!”

Octavia pointed a trembling finger to the part of the shop where the smell was most overpowering. Ryoka saw what looked like the epicenter of a localized disaster; a cauldron had partly melted, and a thick purple residue clung to all the nearby surfaces. The [Alchemist] turned to Ryoka, imploring.

“Please, keep her away from my ingredients and potions! She just keeps mixing them together without any sense of the danger. ”

Both girls turned and stared at Erin, who looked hurt.

“That’s how alchemy works, though, right? We have to experiment to—”

“ No! ”

Octavia clutched at her dreadlocks. Ryoka had to agree with her on this one.

“Erin, you can’t just throw ingredients and potions together. If alchemy is anything like science, you need to document your work. And all this stuff is magical. You need safeguards.”

“What, really?”

“That’s what I said! But you create a poisonous cloud and melted— ”

“Octavia, shut up for a second.”

Both girls shut up and stared at Ryoka. She almost felt like an elementary school teacher dealing with a bunch of brats. But still, Ryoka had to smile a bit. Erin was fine, and she’d even managed to piss off Octavia. And Ryoka had a bag full of money and a spellbook. Wasn’t something supposed to be going wrong by now?

“Let’s start over. Octavia, I’ve just finished a delivery and I came here to find Erin.”

“But how—I don’t know anyone who can just cast a [Teleportation] spell out of nowhere. Was there a spell circle? No one can just click their fingers and just—wait—that delivery to the High Passes…”

“Runner’s confidentiality, Octavia. I can’t tell you anything.”

The stitch-girl looked disappointed. But then her eyes widened.

“Is it the potion maker? Do you have another—”

Ryoka sighed.

“Shut up. Please. Octavia, this is Erin. A friend of mine. She’s an [Innkeeper] in Liscor, far from home.”

“Hi.”

“And Erin, this is Octavia, an [Alchemist] who talks too much for her own good. And she tries scamming everyone she meets, so don’t take any of her bargains.”

“That’s—”

“Now, explain to me how you two met. And what happened. From the start.”

Both girls looked at each other. Then they began a more coherent narrative that Ryoka could actually follow.

The story went like this: Erin, coming into the city had a jar full of bees and two jars of honey. She also had a desire to get rid of said jars, and thus went to find an [Alchemist] to sell them to. Octavia, being known as the enterprising (and annoying) [Alchemist] she was, was only happy to take Erin’s goods and her money if possible.

The interesting part of the story was that Erin was only too willing to give Octavia both, if she helped Erin do her own experiments. Octavia had happily accepted, but it turned out that Erin’s style of experimentation was insane, to say the least.

“She just threw two potions into the mixture. Just like that. ”

Octavia pointed a shaking hand to the place where all the poisonous smoke had come from. It had been neutralized by some kind of white powder, but Ryoka and Erin were both keeping clear of the area.

“That was after she melted a hole in my best cauldron trying to make soup with ground up Corusdeer horns!”

Erin shrugged helplessly.

“I thought I could make something warm and tasty, you know? Something magical.”

“I told you it wouldn’t work. Corusdeer horns can get so hot they’ll melt through almost anything . Putting them over a fire is just asking for a melted fireplace. And in a soup? You’d melt a hole right through your stomach!”

“But Ryoka said—”

“Erin, Octavia has a point.”

“What?”

Erin looked at Ryoka as the other girl shook her head. For her part, Ryoka was uncomfortable with Octavia’s description of Erin’s activities as well. Erin could easily have blown up Octavia’s entire shop or killed herself trying her mixtures out on herself.

“I know you’re excited, but you should really try and think over what you want to do before experimenting. Set a goal, make a hypothesis, and then mix something up, okay? And run everything by Octavia first.”

“Aw.”

The shorter girl sagged a bit. Octavia looked relieved.

“Good. Now, I’ll expect you to pay for damages. I’ll send you the bill—you can leave and—”

“What? I’m not going. I haven’t even finished half of the things I wanted to try yet!”

The [Alchemist] froze.

“What? You can’t be serious.”

Erin looked indignant. She grabbed her money pouch and jingled it in front of Octavia’s face.

“Didn’t I pay you for experiments? Sure, a few of them went south, but I still get to try out more stuff! You promised!”

“I said that, but—you can’t seriously expect—”

Octavia spluttered and tried to argue, but Erin was already looking around for more ingredients and potions to mix and match.

This looked like one particular bargain that had backfired spectacularly for the stitch-girl. Ryoka’s lips twitched. She saw Erin looking at a rack of mana potions. Octavia angrily reached for Erin’s shoulder, but Ryoka caught her arm.

“Don’t try to stop her, Octavia. Erin’s a better fighter than I am; I’ve seen her kill zombies with only a frying pan. She can beat a Gnoll in a fistfight.”

That was all true, but it made Erin turn red and Octavia hesitate.

“But—now, I understand a deal’s a deal, but let’s be reasonable here, Ryoka. You can’t just expect me to fulfill my end of the bargain now, can you? What about damages and the costs of my lost reagents? True, I factored that a bit into the price, but I should be recompensed for my damaged shop and trauma, I really should. You can’t really justify letting Erin continue after all she’s done, can you? Let’s call it quits and I’ll throw in one—two potions, free gratis, alright?”

Ryoka watched Erin’s eyes glaze over as Octavia wheedled and pleaded with her. She raised one eyebrow at Octavia.

“How much did Erin pay you for letting her use the shop?”

The stitch-girl hesitated.

“Um—”

“If it’s over ten gold coins, she could probably buy out that entire rack of potions. I know they’re not high-quality. And how much do carrots cost? A few Corusdeer horns?”

“Well—that is to say—you can’t just simplify the base ingredients cost to a few coins, Ryoka! You know that. You and me—we’re businesswomen. You know there’s transportation fees and procurement costs for adventurers and in the winter prices go sky high—”

Ryoka stared Octavia in the eye until the other girl’s words ran down. She looked back at Erin.

“Go ahead, Erin. Do your worst.”

Erin smiled brightly. She already had some carrots in her hand and another Corusdeer horn. Octavia went pale.

“ Stop that! Don’t you know how much those c—no, not that one! That’s rare! I only have—Ryoka, do something! Ryoka! ”

—-

Alchemy really was quite fun. Erin didn’t want to be an [Alchemist], and Ryoka had told her she shouldn’t take any other classes in any case, but she enjoyed the feeling of experimenting with all the things Octavia had in her shop.

True, she’d nearly poisoned herself once with that terrible cloud, but that was a mistake. Now that Ryoka was here, Erin was taking things slow. She wasn’t even mixing potions now; she was doing something she’d always wanted to try. She was making magical food.

Slowly, Erin stirred the last of the powdered Corusdeer horn into the big pot of soup bubbling over the fire. This time the powder dissolved without causing the entire liquid mixture to glow white-hot and melt the pot, so Erin considered that a good sign.

“Mm. Smells good, doesn’t it, Ryoka?”

“Mhm.”

That came from a desk a few feet away. Ryoka was lying on the desk, slumped over, using one of Octavia’s stools as a seat. She’d cleared away all the alchemy equipment so she could sprawl out on the smooth surface.

She looked tired. But she was staying with Erin as she worked, and Erin was glad to have her here. It had been so surprising to see Ryoka just fall out of the air. Was it magic? She hadn’t really told Erin anything, but Erin was fine with that. Ryoka had found her!

Carefully, Erin added some dried thyme to the soup. That wasn’t part of her magical formula; it was just for taste.

Octavia was off sobbing somewhere, or so Erin assumed. She got really mad because Erin wasn’t being cautious enough, but that was what [Dangersense] was for, right? Besides, Erin hadn’t destroyed anything after those first two attempts. She’d just used up a lot of Octavia’s stuff; that was all.

And it looked like it was all worth it. Erin breathed deeply and inhaled the scent of her new soup. Ryoka’s suggestions had done the trick.

“Let’s see. Cold carrots with a gelatin, lots of wheat flour, and less Corusdeer horn. And I washed the horn this time!”

Erin wasn’t sure about edibility of any of Octavia’s ingredients, but the powdered horn had been washed, and now it was being boiled. That was okay, right?

Ryoka cracked open one eyelid and stared at the bubbling soup.

“Why did you add the herbs? Won’t that mess up the entire mixture?”

“No…I don’t think so. See, if this were potions, you’d have to add all the stuff while it was hot and I couldn’t add stuff like seasoning. But this is just one ingredient, so Octavia said it would probably be okay.”

“Ah. There’s no catalyst, huh?”

“Um. Yeah? It’s just food, so I’m really not doing proper alchemy.”

“Looks good to me. Is it supposed to bubble like that?”

Erin looked back at the pot and yelped. The Corusdeer horns had made the soup extremely hot. But the flour and thicker mixture was diluting the heat; it was only bubbling over rather than meltingly hot. She stirred and blew and added more flour and water as Ryoka watched.

“It’s sort of surreal to see you here, Erin.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe all that happened already. Weird, isn’t it? I never thought I’d get to visit a Human city so easily.”

“Neither did I. You know it’s over a hundred miles from here to Liscor?”

“ What? ”

“You made the trip in one day. Even if you were asleep, Toren had to have been booking it to run that far so quickly. And you say you slept through the entire thing?”

Erin scratched at her cheek awkwardly.

“I, uh, well, I didn’t get much sleep the night before, okay? I might have slept for a long time.”

Ryoka sighed. Erin felt moved to turn and look at her now her soup was back under control.

“You okay, Ryoka? You seem down.”

She saw two shoulders twitch on the Asian girl’s comatose form.

“I’m sort of tired. Been a long day.”

“It really was.”

Erin reached for a stick and lifted it into the air. She eyed the pink smeared layer at the end, and then shuddered and dipped it into the soup, praying it wouldn’t interfere with the taste.

Octavia had an interesting way of testing potions. She had this…thing. It looked like a layer of flesh on a stick, really. It was gross, but it came out of this jar with magic runes on it. According to Octavia, it mimicked Human flesh and other body functions. And it was reactive, so you could see what happened to skin or your stomach if you dipped it in the potion. If anything burned, turned black, or started dying, you had a problem.

It was also expensive, and Erin had burned the last four tests she’d used in the soup. Something about the mixture was making it literally too hot for consumption even when Erin had taken the pot off the stove. But now she thought she’d done it.

“Oh, hey, look Ryoka! This time it’s not burning!”

Ryoka grudgingly raised her head and eyed the dripping flesh-tester as Erin lifted it out of the soup.

“That’s disgusting. Remind me why you wanted to even use Octavia’s shop, Erin?”

Erin hesitated. She stirred the soup a bit more and then took it off the fire. She spoke as she filled a bowl with the bright orange-yellow mixture. It had floating bits of thyme in it, and Erin’s [Advanced Cooking] sense told her it was probably not too bad in terms of taste. But the real test would be seeing how it affected someone.

“I wanted to make something magical. Something…useful. Something other people can’t steal that only I can do, you know? Maybe even something that can help people – not just feed them. Like the faerie flower drink.”

She offered the bowl to Ryoka.

“Here. I think it’s done. Want to try some?”

The other girl stared at the bowl of steaming liquid and looked back at Erin.

“Why don’t you try it? Shouldn’t you do it if you’re the creator?”

Erin hesitated.

“Because…I don’t want to.”

“Well then, why should I try this stuff?”

“Aw, come on. It’s probably harmless. The flesh-test didn’t do anything.”

“That doesn’t reassure me. I could still get food poisoning or have a horrible reaction.”

“My [Dangersense] isn’t going off. That means it’s okay, I think. And Octavia said the Corusdeer horns aren’t poisonous or anything. Just…hot.”

Ryoka eyed the soup like someone watching a ticking time bomb slowly counting down.

“No.”

“Aw come on Ryoka, I dare you to eat it.”

Erin pushed the bowl onto the table. Ryoka pushed it away.

“I said no.”

“I double dare you.”

“No.”

“I triple dare you.”

“Erin…”

“I triple double dog dare you.”

“Stop.”

“I quadruple dog d—”

“Alright, fine. Shut up. I’ll try it.”

Ryoka grabbed the bowl and hesitated as she eyed the soup. Cautiously, she dipped a finger in and looked back at Erin.

“If I die—”

“You’re not going to die. Just try it!”

The other girl looked around and pointed to a wall.

“The healing potions are over there.”

“I know.”

“And Octavia’s neutralizing potion is there. It’ll take down most potions.”

“Ryoka, it’ll be fine! Just try it.”

The tall girl eyed the potion, sniffed it, sighed, and then reluctantly sipped a bit of the bowl. She instantly made a face.

“Hot!”

She licked her lips, paused to consider, and then swallowed some more.

“It tastes…good, actually.”

“Really?”

Erin smiled widely. Ryoka nodded as she drank the rest of the bowl.

“Whew. It’s hot. And it’s…staying…hot. Erin? What’s happening?”

Gingerly, Ryoka prodded at her stomach as Erin tried to explain.

“Corusdeer horns burn for a long time. I thought—you know, since this stuff is magical I could use it in a food to warm people up. Because…it’s so cold.”

Ryoka considered this. She prodded at her stomach and then shrugged.

“It doesn’t hurt. And the warmth seems like it’s spread out. I feel like I could walk outside naked without a problem. But it doesn’t feel bad… ”

“Pleases don’t go nude.”

Both girls laughed. Then Ryoka grew silent. She stared at the pot of soup and then looked at her friend.

“Erin. Do you know what happened? Why did you suddenly vanish? Where did Toren run off to?”

She had an idea, but Erin didn’t want to say it out loud. Slowly, she nodded as her smile faded.

“I think he did something. I think he was the one who abandoned me in the middle of nowhere.”

Ryoka nodded. She let Erin stare into the fire for a few seconds before she asked her next question.

“…What are you going to do?”

Erin shrugged. She felt odd when she thought of what Toren had done. It was betrayal. She didn’t know why, or how—she hadn’t even thought he could do that. But when she thought of her skeleton deliberately leaving her to get lost or die, her heart hurt. She kept her voice low as she replied.

“I might have to kill him. Or—if he’s just disobeying orders, maybe Pisces can fix him? I need to ask Pisces. But if he’s dangerous, I’ll have to take care of him somehow.”

“Is that even possible? He seems immortal and he’s dangerous.”

“He’s not that strong. I mean, he’s a bit stronger than before, but if you break him into pieces you can keep him from coming back together.”

Ryoka nodded slowly. Erin smiled, bitterness mixed with ruefulness.

“I might need help, though.”

“That’s why I’m here, right? I’ll give you a hand.”

Gingerly, as though her face were unsure of how it all worked, Ryoka smiled. Erin smiled back.

“Wanna show Octavia the soup?”

“I suppose. I’ll get her. She’s sulking upstairs.”

Erin poured more soup into a bowl as Ryoka went to get Octavia. The [Alchemist] didn’t have a very welcoming expression on her face when Ryoka finally got her to come back and look at Erin’s creation, but her natural curiosity got the better of her and in minutes she was trying the soup herself.

“It is hot, even when it’s not on the fire. Look—I added some snow and the temperature didn’t even change. Tastes waterier, though.”

Octavia patted her body and then took one of her arms off and studied the cloth. She reattached it as Erin gaped and shrugged.

“Seems like the effect spreads from the stomach. It didn’t affect my arm as cloth, but the effect works when I reattached it. I feel warm all over.”

“You—but wh—”

“I feel warm. Hot, even. If I was outside I’d be fine. And…hold on, I wonder if the effect actually protects you from the cold or just makes you feel warm?”

Ryoka commented as she fetched some more snow from outside. She melted the snow she was holding in seconds, and soon she was smiling.

“I bet I could run barefoot as long as this lasts.”

“I can sell this.”

Octavia’s eyes glittered. She looked at Erin.

“Mind you, it still felt really hot going in. You might want to adjust your recipe.”

Ryoka nodded. Then she had a thought and scowled.

“Damn it, Erin. It is going to be this hot coming out as it felt going in?”

“Ew. I hope not. But doesn’t it warm you up?”

Erin put aside Octavia’s magical arm trick for a second to bask in her own success. She sipped her soup and felt the warmth spread. Yes, she’d done it!

“How did you know this would work?”

Octavia stared at Erin curiously. Erin shrugged.

“I just have this…skill. It’s called [Wondrous Fare] and it sort of works like [Advanced Cooking]. I get a sense of how to make food magical. I think.”

Ryoka scratched her head.

“What I don’t understand is why the soup works like that. What’s in the horns that does all that?”

“Dunno. It’s magical.”

Octavia cleared her throat.

“Corusdeer horns are used as alternative fuel sources by [Blacksmiths], [Chefs]—anyone who needs a really hot fire. They burn for a long time and they burn so hot you have to divide up a horn into sections to really use them. One horn can go for as much as twelve silver pieces or double that if there’s a shortage—want to know how many you used?”

She glared, but Erin only stared back.

“Wanna know how much I paid you?”

“That barely covers—”

Octavia hesitated. Even she had a problem telling barefaced lies, apparently.

“The soup will be a good addition to my stock. Just write down the recipe and I’ll improve the mixture. I can probably sell—”

“Hold on, that’s Erin’s soup. Not yours.”

“Oh, she can have it. I don’t need any right now; I know how to make some. But I’m not sharing the recipe.”

“ What? ”

Octavia moved with the speed of greed. She stopped in front of Erin, glaring. Ryoka reached for her shoulder but this time Octavia pushed her hand away.

“That wasn’t part of the deal! I let you experiment here—I deserve to know the recipe!”

Erin blinked at the alchemist girl.

“Yeah, it wasn’t part of the deal.”

“Exac—huh?”

“It wasn’t part of the deal. I just wanted to experiment; I didn’t say I’d give you the recipes.”

“Yes—but—let’s not be hasty now, Erin. We can make a trade—”

“Tomorrow, maybe. Ryoka says we’ve got to do other things right now. So I’ll be back tomorrow, Octavia! I want to try making a lot more stuff next time.”

“Wait, t—”

Ryoka shut the door in Octavia’s face, grinning. Erin grinned too as they walked out the street. Ryoka had already taken off her shoes and put them in her Runner’s pack, and she was cautiously walking along the frosted cobblestones with her bare feet. She grinned.

“This stuff works well. I’m surprised, though, Erin. I didn’t expect you’d be that rude to Octavia. She’s pushy, but that was surprising.”

As a matter of fact, Erin felt guilty. She made an unhappy face.

“Yeah, I figured out she was trying to cheat me pretty early. I didn’t want to be mean, but she just doesn’t let me do anything unless I just do my thing, you know?”

“That’s fine by me. It works well on her.”

Ryoka stepped into a snow drift and out of it, shaking off the melted snow. This time her smile stretched across her face, like the Cheshire Cat. Erin had seldom seen the other girl so happy.

“This is fucking amazing. I can run with this soup, Erin!”

“Can’t you run anyways? I’ve seen you running in the snow—”

“Not like this.”

Ryoka waved her hand and shook her head.

“Running in those shoes? I’m slow in those. I’m at my fastest barefoot; this stuff is helpful. I’ll buy all of your soup even if no one else does.”

“I think a lot of people will eat my soup! Isn’t it amazing how no one made it until now?”

“Yeah. Amazing. Or…impossible.”

“What do you mean?”

Ryoka led Erin down the street, attracting plenty of stares as she walked outside in what was essentially a t-shirt and shorts without shoes on a wintery day.

“I’d like to know whether Octavia could reproduce that soup even with a recipe. It might be that she can’t, or at least, not so easily. You have a skill, right? It could be that [Wondrous Fare] allows you to make magical food without needing some other kind of reaction or spell.”

“Really? That would be so cool!”

Erin hurried after Ryoka, struggling to keep up with the taller girl’s stride. Ryoka noticed and slowed her walk down, leading Erin deeper into the city.

“Where are we going, by the way?”

Eying one of the signs where two streets crossed, Ryoka took them right. She slowed again to walk next to Erin, speaking over the rumble of an approaching wagon.

“First things first. We should get word to Liscor and let everyone else know you’re safe. Olesm, Selys, Klbkch—even Halrac was worried about you, you know. Mrsha kept trying to follow me when I left.”

Both girls walked to the edge of the street to avoid the wagon as it moved past them. Ryoka especially kept her feet clear. The driver of the wagon stared at Ryoka as he passed, nearly running down another pedestrian who started cursing at him.

“Haven’t you ever wondered how cities kept in touch besides Runners and caravans?”

“No?”

Erin had assumed Runners were the only form of communication. Ryoka shook her head and explained.

“There’s a spell—[Message]. You can send, well, the equivalent of magical emails to people. Not a long message and I think there’s a mana cost with the distance involved and perhaps even the atmosphere, but—”

“Oh! You mean, like Twitter? Magical Twitter?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Ryoka sighed.

“It’s really expensive, though. So we’re only going to send a single message for you. Think of what you want to say; make it concise. It’ll cost a couple of gold coins either way.”

“That’s a lot of money for just one spell!”

Erin was indignant, Ryoka resigned.

“It’s one spell, but there aren’t that many people willing to play telephone all day long. Besides, not all [Mages] learn the spell. Ceria told me it’s not easy to cast, either. You have to be at least Level 15 or so. Here. It’s down the same street as the Runner’s Guild.”

She was staring so much at all the sights that Erin nearly missed the building Ryoka pointed to. The other girl acted as if this was nothing special, but this was the first city Erin had been to besides Liscor, and even then, she’d never really explored every alley and building there either.

The people were so normal -looking it almost hurt. True, they wore rougher garments with a lot less color and logos than Erin was used to, but they were all Human. Sure, some wagon drivers cursed at the pedestrians and some people had swords, but wasn’t that the same as angry people in cars and people carrying guns from her home?

People were people. And though Erin was happy to call Drakes, Gnolls, and Antinium her friends, she always felt a bit alone in Liscor. But here everyone was Human.

It made her smile. And because she smiled, Erin had a different experience of walking through Celum than Ryoka.

The Runner strode through the crowds, impatient, often waiting for Erin, a semi-scowl plastered on her face. But Erin smiled and said ‘hello’ or ‘excuse me’ to people as she walked past. And for every person who gave her an affronted look or just ignored her, two more gave her a smile or a surprised word in response.

Erin stood out from the crowd. Ryoka noticed it as she waited for Erin next to a large building with the symbol of a wand with wings painted on a sign. What the other girl saw was that Erin had no problems waving to an adventurer or a guardsman striding down the street. Other citizens walked wide of people with arms unless they knew them, but Erin was fearless. And these surprised warriors usually waved or smiled awkwardly back.

All Erin noticed was the odd look Ryoka gave her before she pushed back the door. Inside, Erin gasped at the sudden change in temperatures.

“It’s so warm!”

It was indeed like walking into a completely different environment. Despite that, there was nothing like a fire in the large room with one large staircase set against one wall. Ryoka glanced at the doorframe.

“Heating runes or something like that. Looks expensive.”

She let Erin further in. Neither Ryoka nor Erin had ever set foot in such a building, and so both stared around in surprise, if not awe.

This building which was not a Mage’s Guild was expensive, to say the least. Smooth floorboards of rich wood glowed as hovering mage lights gave steady, clear illumination to the room. A second floor overlooked the lobby-like ground floor, where several receptionists were busy tending to their queues of people. There wasn’t too much of a line; but those who were waiting looked like they were all rich, or employed by rich people. The only exception to that rule were the two adventurers waiting in a line of their own.

It was that one that Ryoka took Erin to. Erin stared in fascination at the sheets of paper the people at the counter were writing on. Once a stack had been collected, they were sent upstairs.

“Oh. I get it. They’re writing it all down so it can be sent off!”

“Looks like they make backlogs and the mages come in later. Might be a little bit before our message gets through.”

The adventurer in front of Erin and Ryoka finished his business, and then the man at the desk gestured and Ryoka and Erin walked forwards.

“Are you an adventurer? This line’s for adventurers or runners only.”

The man spoke briskly, barely looking up from his paper. Then he noticed Ryoka’s bare feet and scowled briefly.

“I’m a City Runner. Here’s my seal.”

Ryoka reached into her travel pouch and pulled out a glittering seal that was made of some blue metal and silver. Erin was entranced by the way the colors blended together and sparkled, but the man barely looked at it. He nodded and passed it back.

“Do you have a message to send, or are you here to pick up? The mage on duty hasn’t collected any incoming messages for your guild.”

“Message to send.”

The man grabbed a fresh piece of paper and dipped his quill in the ink pot.

“Name?”

“She’ll be sending the first message.”

Ryoka gestured to Erin. Erin smiled.

“Hi—”

“Name?”

The abrupt response made Erin feel like she was at an airport or something.

“Erin Solstice.”

“Destination?”

“Um. Liscor?”

The man scribbled down on the piece of paper, quill blurring so fast that Erin could barely follow. He wrote faster than most people could type, and his writing—far from being ink splattered and cursively-illegible—was almost agonizingly straight and easy to read.

“And who are the recipients of your message? Please list more than one person if at all possible.”

“Okay. Selys Shivertail or Krshia Silverfang. Selys is a Drake and Krshia’s a Gnoll. Oh, and Klbkch! You can add him too. He’s an Antinium.”

The receptionist’s quill paused when Erin mentioned that. Erin sensed Ryoka was covering her face in her hand as everyone in earshot looked at her. She blushed.

“Well, he is. ”

The man at the desk recovered quickly.

“Very well. And the contents of your message? Be aware of the prices for longer messages.”

He pointed to a board over his head. Erin gulped as she noticed how expensive messages got.

“Okay. Um—this isn’t part of the message. This is just me thinking. Uh, write this. ‘Hi guys, this is Erin. I’m well—’”

Wearing a pained expression, Ryoka interrupted Erin.

“Cancel that. Write this instead. ‘This is Ryoka. I am with Erin in the city of Celum. We are both well, and we will attempt to return soon.’”

The man efficiently scribbled down their message and then crossed out the parts Erin had said. He offered the sheet of paper to the two young women.

“Does that appear to be correct? Yes? Then the price will be…”

Erin’s face fell, but Ryoka just dug at a pouch and dropped several gold coins onto the counter. The man collected them, and then for some reason used a magnifying glass to stare at each of the coins in turn.

“What’s he doing?”

“He’s checking to make sure they’re authentic.”

“Oh.”

That done, Ryoka received a few silver coins in return.

“A mage will send your message via spell sometime today. If there is a response, we will hold the reply for one week before disposing of it. Thank you.”

That was that. Erin turned to go, but Ryoka hesitated.

“…Wait. I’ll send one more message now.”

The man looked up.

“Very well. Your name?”

“Ryoka Griffin. The message is also to Liscor, but the only recipient is Krshia Silverfang.”

Erin watched the man writing on a fresh piece of paper and looked around the room. This was a lot of work compared to using a phone, but she could also see how useful it was. No wonder a lot of merchant-types looked like they were sending messages to other people. You could get good tips about the markets in other cities. Or evil monsters trying to swallow people whole.

“And the contents of your message?”

Erin looked back as Ryoka took a deep breath. The other girl seemed to think for a moment before she nodded and spoke.

“Send this: ‘Krshia Silverfang, this is Ryoka. I have what you want. Tell the others to wait for my return.’”

The man looked up.

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

Erin noticed something then, as the man showed Ryoka the piece of paper. He’d looked sort of bored when she spoke to him, but when Ryoka had delivered her cryptic message he’d become more interested. Come to that, so had the woman standing at the counter next to them…as well as the other man behind the counter. They looked the other way when Erin stared, though.

Ryoka paid for the second message and then she and Erin walked towards the entrance of the building. Erin told Ryoka what she’d seen in a hushed voice. Ryoka only shrugged.

“Don’t bother keeping your voice down, Erin. I’d bet there are spells that can record our every word in here. And you can bet that more than one person’s going to read that message or pass it along before it gets to anyone in Liscor.”

“Really? How do you know?”

Ryoka smiled crookedly.

“Because knowledge is power, or money. [Message] spells don’t seem to be that well-encrypted magically in the first place, but having secretaries handle the mail means that all kinds of secrets are probably sold off or kept. Most people might not know that, but you can bet all those [Receptionists] read all the messages before they go out.”

She hadn’t bothered to lower her voice. A rich, fat man waddling towards an exit looked at Ryoka with a horrified glance, and Erin winced as the people at the counters glared daggers at Ryoka’s back.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s Human nature. But I didn’t say anything they can use; just so long as our friends know we’re safe, it’s fine.”

They were outside the building now. The rich guy had done a u-turn and was moving at speed back to the desk to confront one of the flustered secretaries. Just in case though, Erin lowered her voice.

“What was that message to Krshia, though? What do you have? A delivery?”

Ryoka didn’t look around, but she jabbed Erin with an elbow. Gently.

“That’s private. Let’s not talk about it; I’m sure that spells can be extended past a building, and there’s always Skills as well.”

That made Erin worried for two entire streets, until Ryoka paused to reassure her.

“Don’t worry; Runners are used to transporting all kinds of secret stuff. I doubt anyone would pry too far into my business, but I’m just being cautious.”

“You really think about different stuff than I do, Ryoka. I just try not to let a monster eat my face off and make good food.”

“We all have our skills. Don’t worry about any of it. Right now, our next goal should be finding you transport back to Liscor.”

Erin made a face at Ryoka as they walked along through the snow. Ryoka still looked completely fine wearing practically nothing, even though it was starting to snow. She was making Erin feel cold.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do that, Ryoka. I left my sledge outside of the city, but there’s no one to pull it. Unless you—?”

“No. I suppose we could buy a horse for you and I could run with you, but that’s risky.”

“Risky? Why?”

Ryoka looked exasperated.

“The roads aren’t safe , Erin. The main ones might be, but there’s always the chance of a monster or bandit attack. I can outrun most monsters and I’ve got some items that will help me, but even on a horse you’d be a target.”

Scowling, Ryoka kicked through a pile of snow, ignoring the looks the other pedestrians gave her.

“It’ll be hard getting you back quickly and safely. A caravan’s normally how people travel, but those are slow. We could hire adventurers to guard you, but that would cost a lot of money.”

“Adventurers? Isn’t that overkill? Look, Ryoka, I don’t know about riding, but why don’t the two of us just go back together? You’ve got those martial arts moves and I have some skills. If we get some stuff from Octavia we can probably handle most monsters, right?”

The other girl considered Erin’s suggestion.

“I did get more of the potions and bags from her. I suppose you might have a point but…damn it, I don’t know if there’s any dangerous monsters or bandits nearby. The Runner’s Guild would know, I guess.”

“Oh, do you need to go check in with them? If you want I can wait—”

Ryoka shook her head.

“I can check in later. I want to get you back to Liscor before I take on any requests. But I can ask for information. Okay. Let’s say we go by ourselves. We still need provisions, more of Octavia’s potions and bags, a damn horse—I wonder if we can rent one—”

Erin’s stomach growled.

“Can we talk about all that stuff over dinner? I haven’t eaten in ages. ”

Neither had Ryoka, as it turned out. And once Erin reminded her, it turned out that both girls were famished.

“We’d never get to another city before dark, I guess.”

Erin nodded in agreement. She was tired; all of what Ryoka was saying sounded like a lot of work she didn’t want to do right now.

“I have to go bother—see Octavia tomorrow, anyways. I want to do more experiments before I go. And it’s late. Why don’t we stay at an inn?”

“An [Innkeeper] staying at an inn?”

The notion seemed to amuse Ryoka. She led Erin down another street, and both girls looked out for inns.

“This’ll be great. You know, I was really scared when I woke up, but now I’m thinking this could be more like a holiday.”

“You always look too much on the bright side of things.”

Ryoka grumbled as she pushed the door open to an inn. Erin followed her inside and felt the heat of a roaring fire wash over her at the same time the babble of several voices and the clink of metal meeting pottery hit her ears. She smelled roasted and burnt meat and found herself in an inn.

It was weird. Despite her profession, Erin had been in a grand total of two inns in this world before this, and one of them was hers. And this, clearly, was not her inn.

For one thing, it was a lot more run-down than Erin’s brand new sparkling inn with glass windows. This inn had only shutters, no glass, and it also had stains and tracked in dirt that Erin noted the instant she walked in. There was a bit more mess and a bit less polish, but the inn made up for that with its clientele.

In that it had some rather than none. The room wasn’t exactly heaving, but there were about fourteen people inside, not counting the staff. Two young women circled the room, delivering food and drink to the tables as weary-looking men and women ate. At the far end of the room, a group of five noisy adventurers were laughing and drinking loudly.

Yes, it was an inn that failed to impress, but it gave Erin the sense that it would be a decent place to eat and sleep. It might not have been home for her, but it was clearly looked after by someone who cared, and that alone made it worthy of respect.

Ryoka gave the inn and the entire room one look before she turned to go.

“Come on, Erin.”

“What? But why?”

Before Ryoka could respond, the [Innkeeper], an older woman in her mid-thirties, rushed out of what looked like the kitchen. Spotting two potential customers she hurried forwards with a big smile on her face. Her apron was slightly smutched, but she looked friendly—if harried. She slowed as she recognized Ryoka, and then beamed.

“If it isn’t a City Runner! Miss Griffin, isn’t it? Do come in, please!”

Ryoka wore a pained expression as the woman approached. Erin smiled and received a wider smile in return.

“Welcome to the Frenzied Hare! Do take a seat. My name is Agnes; and I do know you, Miss Ryoka Griffin. You stayed at my inn just as you were starting out as a City Runner. Do you remember?”

It was something that Erin had noticed. Whenever Ryoka didn’t want to say something or talk with someone, her face would become very closed off and she’d change her posture to be more withdrawn. She was doing that now, even though the woman was acting really nice.

“I’m sorry. I don’t recall. Please excuse us; we were just looking in.”

“Oh. I see. But if you’d like to stay, we have food hot and ready.”

“That sounds good to me!”

Erin smiled at the woman. Agnes smiled back.

“Oh, and who are you?”

“My name’s Erin. Please to meet—”

“One second, please, Miss Agnes.”

Ryoka dragged Erin away before she could introduce herself. Erin glared; Ryoka was being rude, but Ryoka herself looked annoyed.

“We’re not staying here, Erin. We can afford a much better inn.”

“What? But she’s nice. And this place doesn’t look so bad—”

“I’ve seen good inns, and this isn’t one of them. The food smells burnt, there’s an obnoxious group over there, and the inn’s not crowded despite it being dinnertime. There are better places to be if we’ve got money. Let’s find one.”

She had a point, but Erin was reluctant to concede. Ryoka walked back to Agnes, whose smile had slipped slightly. She had a resigned look in her eyes before Ryoka even spoke.

“I’m sorry Miss Agnes, but we really have to be going.”

“I understand. But if you ever want to stop by…”

The older woman looked crestfallen and slightly hurt. That made up Erin’s mind.

“Nah, let’s stay.”

She interrupted Ryoka. The other girl turned and glared silently at her, but Erin ignored the look. She smiled at Agnes, who gave her a more genuine smile of surprise in return.

“I’d love to have whatever you’ve got. And we’d like to stay the night, wouldn’t we, Ryoka?”

The other girl looked exasperated, but gave up.

“I suppose we will. A table for two, Miss Agnes. Away from those two, please.”

She nodded at the adventurers who were spilling a lot of their drink on the floor in proper quaffing style. Agnes beamed and led the two girls to a table at the other side of the room, talking excitedly with Erin.

“Oh thank you. You know, it’s been hard since my poor husband fell ill. He’s been abed these last two weeks with a terrible fever, and I’m trying to keep the place running, but I just don’t have his levels, I really don’t. I was a [Tailor] by trade before I became an [Innkeeper] with him…”

“Really? That’s so odd. You know I’m an [Innkeeper] myself, Agnes.”

“Someone as young as you? Bless my heart, that’s quite an achievement! No wonder you’re friends with Miss Griffin, Miss Erin was it?”

“Please, call me Erin. Yeah, I have this inn near Liscor, but I’m uh, travelling abroad for a bit…”

By the time Erin had sat down with Ryoka and they’d ordered some beef with potatoes, the meal of the day, she’d become entirely invested in Agnes’ struggle. She’d even met the two barmaids, Maran and Safry, and they’d both been cheerful and welcoming, if tired. Agnes had chatted happily with Erin before going back into the kitchen to cook, a scene so familiar to Erin that she felt a strong bond with the woman.

Ryoka sat with her arms folded, a scowl on her face. She had refused to take part in any of the conversations. Now she was waiting for their food, clearly annoyed that Erin had chosen this inn to stay in.

“Aw, come on Ryoka. Agnes is nice! Don’t you think so?”

“She’s fine.”

That was her problem. Ryoka got grumpy if she didn’t get her way. Erin was determined to remain upbeat, though.

“Agnes said she knew you when you just got here, Ryoka. You really don’t remember her?”

Ryoka shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

“She’s an [Innkeeper], Erin. No offense, but I sleep in a lot of inns in my job.”

“You remember me, though.”

“You kind of stand out, Erin. This place…”

Ryoka let her voice trail off. She shrugged, looking darkly resigned.

“Let’s just eat. We can talk over dinner.”

“Ooh! I think I see the food.”

Erin turned in her seat and smiled as Safry came out of the kitchen, balancing two plates and two drinks – boiled water and milk in her hands. Ryoka sighed.

“Don’t get your hopes up. Food around here isn’t always as good as your inn.”

“You’re so pessimistic, Ryoka! Come on, how bad could it be?”

“Tell me you didn’t just say that.”

—-

It was entirely the meal Ryoka had expected, and clearly, not the one Erin had envisioned. She saw Erin’s face visibly react to the slightly charred meat and lackluster potatoes as Safry put them in front of them. Ryoka took a fork and poked at her meat, wondering if she’d even be able to get the fatty bit down or whether she should just order another plate and choose the best parts between the two of them.

Safry apologized to Erin as she put the drinks down. She was already friendly with Erin, something Ryoka couldn’t believe.

“Sorry. Agnes ain’t got a Skill. You sure you don’t want anything stronger to drink? Helps wash it all down.”

“No, it’s fine. Thanks Safry!”

Erin smiled at the other young woman, and then went back to looking at her plate. Ryoka sighed.

“See what I mean?”

“It could be good!”

Erin tried to be optimistic as she speared a bit of meat and put it in her mouth. Ryoka watched as Erin chewed, tried to swallow, and was forced to chew more. Her face fell.

“Aw.”

There was way too much gristle in their meat. Ryoka was picking at her potatoes with her fork; they could have used more boiling and they were bland as, well, bad potatoes.

“Looks like the husband had all the cooking talent in the marriage. That, or this inn makes most of its money serving alcohol.”

“Ryoka! Don’t be rude!”

Erin swallowed her bite with some effort. She looked visibly disappointed, but she tried to eat another bite of potato.

“Okay, this isn’t good…but maybe Agnes just doesn’t know any recipes?”

“More like she’s probably never had to really practice until now.”

Ryoka sighed. She’d begun to understand the advantages of levels, as well as the drawbacks they created.

“Her husband—I guess he had the cooking Skills. Agnes doesn’t, and so she never bothered to learn how to cook that well since she didn’t have to with him around. After all, what’s the point? Someone with [Basic Cooking] can do all of what’s needed, which means that unless you live in a Gnoll tribe where the work gets passed around, you probably don’t learn a lot of skills unless that’s your job.”

Ryoka took a bite of her potato and grimaced.

“Or maybe it’s just her. We can still find another inn, Erin.”

“No, we’re staying here. Agnes is nice.”

Erin was wearing her mule-like expression. Ryoka hated that look; it meant Erin was determined to do things her way. She sighed and chewed the potato and washed it down with water. Food was food, after all.

Why was she so upset, anyways? It was just one meal. After all that had happened today, she could take a terrible meal and a lumpy bed. It was just—Ryoka had gotten spoiled from Erin’s cooking, that was all.

The two endured two more mouthfuls of food before Erin put down her fork, looking distressed.

“This is really no good.”

“I told you. We can leave—”

“No, I said we’re staying. But I’m going to have a word with Agnes.”

“What? Erin. You can’t just—”

Too late. Erin was already up and walking into the kitchen. Ryoka ground her teeth. If Erin caused more trouble, she’d…she’d…

Do what, exactly? Ryoka’s memories kicked her and showed her an image of her challenging a Dragon to a game of riddles. Compared to that, what was getting tossed out of an inn by an angry [Innkeeper]?

Erin was gone for quite some time, and Ryoka was idly wondering if she could pull out Teriarch’s book of spells and read it under the table, somehow. Given that it was practically the size of the table, she doubted she could make it work. The adventurers were still laughing and getting on her nerves across the room, and she was just about to order some alcohol and get stinking drunk to put an end to her miseries until tomorrow when someone called her name.

“Ryoka? Is that you?”

A familiar voice caused Ryoka to jerk up in her seat. She looked towards the entrance, and there in the doorway stood a familiar giant young woman.

“Garia?”

Garia Strongheart strode into the inn with a huge smile on her face.

“Ryoka!”

It had been a long time, or Ryoka would have remembered to watch out for Garia’s crushing strength. The hug the shorter girl gave Ryoka made her bones creak, but Ryoka didn’t care. She was even moved to smile at Garia as the other girl took a seat with her.

“Garia, it’s been a long time. How have you been?”

“Oh, you know. I’ve been running deliveries; nothing special. But you—I haven’t seen you in weeks, Ryoka! I didn’t even know you were in the city—no one in the Runner’s Guild mentioned seeing you. What happened? Were you on some kind of really special delivery? I thought you were just going down to Liscor for a while!”

Ryoka realized with a pang that she hadn’t told Garia about what she was going to do. She shook her head.

“It’s a long story. I’m not doing any deliveries at the moment; I’m actually with a friend.”

“A friend? You?”

Garia’s open face was a bit too shocked for Ryoka’s comfort, but she sat and Ryoka flagged down one of the barmaids—what was her name again?—and soon they were talking.

“Anything new happen? Where’s Fals?”

“Oh, he’s out on a delivery. Nothing’s new—unless—have you heard about Persua?”

Ryoka made a face.

“Tell me she’s dead.”

“No—actually—”

Garia broke off and sniffed at the air. Ryoka stopped and looked up too.

Something had changed. The odor of the inn, like background noise, had long since stopped sending active messages to Ryoka’s brain. But something had changed. The odor of slightly burnt meat had changed, and something new and fragrant was in the air. It made the mouth water, and it was coming from the kitchen.

“What’s that smell? Oh, did Jerom recover? He’s a good cook, although Miss Agnes who runs the inn right now isn’t so much.”

Garia looked guilty and glanced around for the innkeeper as she talked with Ryoka.

“I never expected you to come here. I stay here all the time because it’s cheap and Agnes is so nice, but the food isn’t that good. You can probably find a better place, Ryoka.”

“You’re telling me?”

Why was a nice innkeeper the only requirement for both Garia and Erin? But Ryoka was still bothered by the new smell. Her eyes narrowed as one of the barmaids went into the kitchen and came out with a very familiar bun and burger on a plate. The barmaid offered it to one of the customers and Ryoka groaned.

“She’s not.”

“Who? Is someone doing something?”

Erin. Damn it. It was always her stupid ideas. But even as Ryoka watched, more food began to come out of the kitchen as both Maran and Safry struggled to keep up with the flow.

“Here’s a, uh, hamburger, Miss Ryoka. [Innkeeper] Erin said you’d want one.”

Ryoka eyed the burger with the toasted bun and thick, fried patty. This was a homemade burger with all the fixings; it even looked like Erin had mayonnaise somehow and put it with the fries.

How the hell could she cook so fast? It had to be the [Advanced Cooking] skill, but she was still far quicker than she had any right to be. Ryoka’s stomach growled as she stared at the wonderful hamburger, a far cry from the plate of food Ryoka had pushed away.

“Is that…what’s that, Ryoka?”

Garia was staring hungrily at the burger, and even Safry looked like she could use some. Ryoka grunted and took the plate.

“Tell Erin to make another for Garia. And if she’s making more food—”

“Oh, she is. Like lightning, that one. She’s got [Advanced Cooking]. Isn’t it amazing?”

“[Advanced Cooking]? That’s really impressive. Ryoka, do you know the new cook?”

“She’s my friend. She decided to help your innkeeper out. She’s an [Innkeeper] as well.”

Ryoka grumbled into her burger as Garia tried to press her with questions. The juicy meat was making her feel a lot better, and Garia’s eyes nearly popped out of her own head when she got hers and tasted it.

“This is delicious! And what’s this stuff? Did the barmaid say? Fries? Oh! They’re a potato! Your friend is amazing, Ryoka!”

Both girls devoured the food as Ryoka watched the room change. The diners hadn’t exactly been diving into their meals, but now everyone from the tired workers to the adventurers had found a separate stomach for Erin’s far higher-quality food. It flew out of the kitchen and in accordance to the laws of commerce, the livelier mood and smells drew more customers in.

“And now she’s talking with the guests. Wonderful.”

Ryoka tried to catch Erin’s eye, but the girl had now exited the kitchen and was animatedly talking with people, being trailed by Agnes who was giving the other girl amazed looks.

Garia was munching down her second burger, but she stopped to stare at Erin.

“She looks so…so normal. Nothing like you, Ryoka. How did you meet her?”

Should she lie or tell the truth? Ryoka was debating answering Garia when she noticed a disturbance at the other end of the room.

The adventuring group was clearly not a group of Gold-rankers, like Halrac and Griffin Hunt, but they were certainly boisterous enough for two groups their size. They’d been laughing, telling rude jokes and generally causing a mess since Ryoka had come in, growing progressively drunker. She already hated their guts, but even the exclusively-male team had found some delight in Erin’s cooking.

Unfortunately, that had only made them more excited. Ryoka saw one of them grabbing Safry’s arm as she came by with a refill for their tankards. She tried to pull away, but then one of the men grabbed at her breasts while the other felt at her legs.

She knew that it was common in a time before lawsuits and rules about sexual harassment, but Ryoka’s blood boiled at the sight. Safry finally pulled away, looking clearly distressed, but the men only laughed harder. Ryoka growled and tried to stand up.

“Ryoka. Don’t pick another fight, please.”

Garia had seen the same thing as Ryoka, but she only looked uncomfortable rather than angry. She tried to tug Ryoka back down as the other girl eyed the adventurers. There were five of them and two were still wearing armor. Ryoka itched to pick a fight, especially with the man who slapped at Safry’s butt as she retreated.

She had two options. Do something, or do nothing. Most of Ryoka wanted to get up and kick that adventurer’s face in, but one part of her and Garia was telling her that was a bad idea.

“Don’t, Ryoka! If you cause trouble you could get hurt!”

That was true. It wasn’t her fight, and the men had only treated Safry like an object. That was all. Perfectly normal. Ryoka clenched her fist, and then felt the missing fingers on her hand.

She looked down. There were stumps there. She sometimes forgot, now, that she’d lost her fingers. Garia hadn’t even noticed yet; Ryoka had kept her right hand under the table. She’d lost her fingers to overconfidence. A curse, maybe, but the Goblin who’d bit them off had taken her off-guard. And that was only a Goblin. It only took one second, one mistake…

She stared at her hand. She stared back at the man. Slowly, Ryoka relaxed back into her chair. The moment had passed.

Simmering, Ryoka sat back down. The adventurers hadn’t even noticed her. She watched them now, and saw how both Maran and Safry clearly didn’t want to go near their table. But all too soon their tankards were empty, and Maran went this time to give them more alcohol.

This time it was more jokes and more grabbing hands in all the places they shouldn’t be. Garia gripped Ryoka’s arm with a hand strong enough to hold her in place. Maran turned red as one the men tried to tug her blouse down.

Again, Ryoka agonized, but this time Erin saw. One second she was talking to Agnes and an older man at a table, the next she was standing in front of Maran, pushing the man’s hands away. Ryoka heard her voice clearly across the inn.

“Don’t do that again, please.”

The entire room went silent. Garia’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ of horror, and Ryoka saw men and women stop and stare at the adventurers. All five men had gone still. Agnes looked horrified. Erin was just calm.

“Hey mistress, we didn’t mean anything by it. We were just being friendly!”

Ryoka heard the drunk words; an echo of other phrases she’d learned to despise at parties by drunk men and women. She gritted her teeth, but Erin was still calm. She gave the adventurers a big smile.

“Please don’t touch Maran. She’s just trying to do her job, okay?”

“Or what? We paid good coin to sit here. Don’t you know who we are? We’re the Brilliant Swords of Celum!”

One of the men threw that out there, looking proud as if he expected applause. Erin didn’t bat an eye.

“Yeah, but you’re still guests. And this is my—Agnes’ inn. But I’m in charge for tonight. If you don’t behave, I’ll kick you out.”

This time all the adventurers went still, and Ryoka could hear people edging away from Erin. But she didn’t even blink as the bigger men stared at her. Then one laughed, a forced laugh that sounded far too jovial.

“Fine. We’ll not lay hands on her. My promise, good mistress.”

“Great!”

Erin smiled and turned to go. As she did, the man reached out and slapped Erin on the butt.

The room fell silent. Ryoka knocked back her chair, but Erin moved first. She turned around and looked at the grinning adventurer in the eye. He smirked at her.

The fist that crunched into the man’s nose sent him flying backwards in his chair. He crashed to the floor as his buddies stared at Erin in shock. The entire inn was a frozen scene; Ryoka’s smile could have cured depression.

Then one of the men roared and pushed himself back from the table. He reached for Erin, but she grabbed a mug from the table and smashed it across his face. He staggered back and she raised a chair and smashed it across his chest.

Bar fighting. Erin kicked the table over and then punched another man hard enough to send him to the floor. Ryoka watched as customers fled, and then heard a voice.

Garia was sitting in her chair, staring at Erin as she took on all five men at once with a good deal of success. She stared at Ryoka, pale-faced.

“ That’s your friend, Ryoka? She’s even crazier than you are!”

“I know. Isn’t she great?”

Ryoka grinned. Then she turned, vaulted a table, and kicked a man in the back. He staggered into his buddy and Ryoka got to do a roundhouse kick on the man who’d slapped Erin on the butt. She saw Erin kicking one of the downed adventurers and grinned when she saw a plate of potatoes and meat mostly untouched.

She’d just managed to smash it across a man’s face when someone else tried to grab her. But Ryoka hit him with fast jabs and he missed as he swung at her clumsily. It was chaotic and messy, but Ryoka had been trained a lot better than a bunch of idiots with swords who were drunk. And she had Erin to watch her back.

Between the calls for the city watch and screams, Ryoka felt her blood pumping as she punched and kicked and dodged. The best part of the fight was when Garia seized one of the men and threw him into a wall hard enough to make him lose all his dinner. And that was before one of the regular customers decided to join in and help out Erin by laying one of the adventurers out with a punch.

It looked like it was going to be a good day after all.

2.48

Rags sat astride a huge Carn Wolf and saw a dream. It was one every Goblin had likely dreamed at some point in their lives. It was a wish, a vision for bad nights and when their bellies were swollen with hunger or the Goblins lay bleeding from their injuries, trying to sleep.

They dreamed of cities burning.

In Rags’ dream, the tall walls of the Human and Drake cities fell, masonry crumbling. Fire raged throughout the city, and the screams of the merciless monsters within echoed throughout the dark night. For once, those that had hunted her, hunted her people, were the ones trapped like rodents by blade and fire.

Smoke stung Rags’ eyes and she blinked. But the vision in front of her did not vanish. This was no dream.

It was a nightmare.

Humans ran and fled from her Goblins as they poured into the city. Rags watched them flood into houses. The surviving Humans ran as the Goblins approached. Those who fled were allowed to go untouched; she had made her orders clear. But anyone who raised a sword or weapon died. It was as simple as that.

Every Goblin in the small retinue following Rags was grinning at the sight. It was, after all, what they had dreamed of when they were small and hiding from Humans, or barely alive after an adventurer had cut them in battle or their lair had been burnt to the ground. But Rags could not smile.

This was all wrong.

The only other Goblin that wasn’t smiling was Garen Redfang. He rode up to Rags, letting his massive Carn Wolf lope up next to her. Rags’ own mount shied away from the larger wolf, but Garen dismounted so they would be at an equal level. He stood next to Rags and stared at the burning landscape.

He was not happy either. He had called her approach soft and weak, despite the victory it had earned them. He would have preferred to burn the entire city down, but Rags had overridden him. Now he folded his arms and spoke to her as he watched their tribes racing through the city.

“They will never forgive us for this. Even what you have done is not enough.”

Rags nodded. She stared at the burning wreckage and looked at the bodies on the ground. So few of her own, but too many.

And there were countless dead. Humans lay where they had fallen, bristling with arrows. Goblins shared their space too; they lay in clumps or in bits, where Garen’s elites had forced them into desperate clumps before hacking them apart.

Either way, there was too much death here. Too much, to too little point.

When had she started thinking like that? Rags didn’t know. But it was different, to think of things in terms of cost and gain rather than simply life and death.

There was still a large part of Rags that didn’t care if every Human died. But the rest of her, the part of her that had learned, knew that this would only make living here more difficult for her tribes. Moreover, it might mean the Humans would send armies against her tribe rather than the real enemy.

Rags’ eyes narrowed as she saw a cluster of her Goblins break off from the main stream and crash into what looked like a blacksmith’s shop. Good. She hoped they wouldn’t try to grab the anvil though; they already had one.

Her Goblins weren’t just looting randomly; they were trying to gather what she wanted, racing the flames. A few of her more daring Hobs even went into burning buildings, emerging burnt but with valuable goods in their hands.

More screaming. Rags could even hear words from her distant position. She saw a man cursing at a Hobgoblin before he lost a hand. Then he just screamed.

The family he was trying to protect ran as the Hobgoblin finished off the wounded Human. She saw one of the children lagging behind. So slow. Goblin children ran fast because if they were left behind they were trampled or dead. But this child fell.

The Hobgoblin ignored the child as the mother seized her and ran. They were not a threat; they were simply part of the frightened herd trying to flee the Goblins.

Thousands of Humans were fleeing, but countless more were dead. The city was gone for all intents and purposes. Soon other armies might come to reclaim it, and if what Garen had said was true, so would Gold-rank adventurer teams. But Rags and her Goblins would not be there.

Garen shifted besides Rags. He’d taken several deep cuts during the battle, but even the sharpest blades hadn’t managed to fully penetrate his thick skin. He truly was a Gold-rank adventurer in terms of strength. Rags envied him, even as she realized she would never be Garen. Her strength lay elsewhere.

And now the fire was engulfing the rest of the city. The Goblins kept away from the worst of the inferno as they completed their looting. Rags watched the fire begin to rage out of control. It wouldn’t devour all of the stone, but any Human in the city that was still in hiding would be dead.

Perhaps, if she had been at Erin’s inn, it would never have come to this. But Rags had been barred from entering. Kicked out.

The reasons made sense, but they still stung. She had seen the small Gnoll and the angry Human that Erin had pointed to and seen a reflection. She’d looked at the child Erin had called Mrsha and seen something familiar in her eyes. She had seen herself. It had thrown her into confusion. Rags wished she had had one more chance to sit there and be—

But it was too late. Too late, now. And it had taught Rags an important lesson. Goblins stood alone. In the end, there was no one who would stand by them but themselves.

Someone moved over to Rags’ left. She shifted, the black crossbow in her hands, but there was no reason to worry. Her Hob escort and Garen moved slightly to let one of the smaller Goblins approach. Rags watched as he talked to Garen and gave the Hobgoblin something.

Garen came back to Rags and offered her a rough piece of metal and wood. Rags stared at it. That was quick. But they had the wood and metal and with the Human equipment, their [Tinkerers] could do good work.

“They say they have found many parts in the city. Enough for hundreds such.”

The first finished crossbow shone in the light of the flames as Rags lifted it and stared down at the deadly weapon. Garen looked disapproving; he liked to fight up close and personal. He saw a cheap tool, but Rags saw something else in the crude crossbow.

Goblins were weak. Everyone knew that. Goblins knew that. To survive, they had to overwhelm, attack with trickery, cheat. If they could not be strong, they would build themselves strength.

“Where to next? To battle in Liscor?”

Garen grinned, showing bloody teeth. He was ready for a fight, and so were his warriors. But Rags surprised him and the other Goblins as she shook her head.

“No. North.”

The two words were rough and awkward on her tongue. But she’d said them right. Garen’s eyes narrowed and he tried to argue, but Rags glared.

War was coming. And Rags’ Goblins were not ready. Not yet. She looked north. Larger tribes ruled there, and more cities of Humans, and lands filled with more sights than she had ever seen before.

This Goblin Lord had an army of horrible things. An army that could crush her weaker tribes in a second. They couldn’t challenge them.

Not yet.

Within the hour, the Goblins in Rags’ tribe had formed up and the entire group was heading north at speed to rejoin the rest of the assembled tribes. Rags rode at the head of the army, riding slower so the Hobs could keep up.

As Rags bounced along on the wolf, she remembered a small Goblin sitting in an inn, playing chess. She wished, in her heart with words she would never dare to say, that she was back there.

But she was older now. She couldn’t go back to who she’d been. Her goals were what they had always been.

To be stronger. To learn the truth. To survive.

Behind her, Esthelm burned.

—-

“I should arrest you for this. Both of you.”

Ryoka stared at the [Guardsman] with the fuzzy lip who was speaking to her and Erin and wondered what he would do if she punched him in the face. Probably stab her.

It was a bad idea. She was still hyped up after the bar fight. Ryoka knew that. So she folded her hands behind her back, punched no one, and let Erin talk.

“But it wasn’t our fault, Fuzzy—Wesle.”

Erin pointed to the groaning adventurers, only half of whom were conscious, and waved her arms as the guardsman rubbed at his eyes and sighed.

It was late. The sun had already set, but the streets were full of fire, mainly from the torches the local City Watch was carrying. They were out in surprising force for a small bar fight; over ten [Guardsmen] and [Guardswomen] were on the streets, mainly clustered around the four Bronze-rank adventurers and one Silver-rank adventurer.

It was probably because they were nervous of the lone Silver-rank. But if that was their worry, they would have done better to be standing around Erin. Ryoka had seen her take down the Silver-rank and give all the others several good punches and she barely had a scratch on her.

Not that it had been an exactly fair barfight. After Ryoka and Garia had joined in, the entire inn had entered the fray on the side of the girls. As a result, the adventurers looked like someone had rolled a few beer barrels over them.

Most of the inn’s patrons were back inside, drinking and celebrating their victory. Only Agnes stood outside with Erin and Ryoka, looking understandably worried. What Ryoka couldn’t figure out though was what was going to happen next.

Celum’s City Watch was far different from Liscor’s. For one thing, their response time was a lot slower. They’d only shown up after the adventurers were being tossed outside in a heap, and they’d come all at once. Erin had described the Senior Guardsmen Klbkch and Relc to Ryoka, and by the sounds of it they could arrive in less than five minutes and break up fights single-handedly.

Not so here. And it was also apparently rare for the City Watch to be called in for matters where civilians fought adventurers. Erin had had to convince Wesle that they had been the ones to beat the adventurers into a pulp, which had now led to this interesting situation.

“Miss Erin, Miss Griffin. You can’t just start fights in this city.”

“But they were being jerks . One of them slapped my butt!”

Erin glared at Wesle. He looked like he wanted to tear out his peach fuzz.

“I understand. But that’s not a reason to start a brawl, surely.”

Ryoka’s eyes narrowed, but Erin just stared hard at the guardsman.

“So does that mean you’re okay if I grab your butt? What if a guy did that do you?”

He paused.

“That’s not—I’m not saying you were wrong, but—”

“I said not to. And he did it anyways. So what should I have done?”

“It’s not that bad, surely?”

The flat look Wesle got from both Erin and Ryoka was echoed by several of the female members of the Watch. To Wesle’s credit, he realized when continuing would be a bad idea and raised his hands in surrender.

“Fine, fine. I understand you had a good reason. But was there really a need to damage them this badly?”

Behind him, one of the [Guardsmen] was trying to wake up one of the adventurers. But the man didn’t want to wake up, wisely perhaps, because his face was closer to the color of a plum than actual flesh.

“I dunno. They tried to hit me. I just hit them back better. It was a fight. Would you say the same thing if they hit me that much? What’s the problem?”

“I—never mind.”

Behind him, one of the guardswomen gave Erin a thumbs up. She smiled and waved back. Wesle looked resigned.

“So, are you gonna arrest us?”

Wesle hesitated, and then shook his head.

“It was a brawl, but Miss Agnes only leveled a complaint against the adventurers, not you. Moreover, there are laws against adventurers fighting civilians. They’d get in a lot of trouble if they threw the first punch, but you say you started it?”

Erin nodded.

“But one of them did draw his sword, correct?”

“For about two seconds. Then Ryoka kicked him and he dropped it.”

Wesle shifted his attention to Ryoka and eyed her dubiously. She eyed him back.

“You’re a City Runner, aren’t you? I’ve seen you entering the city quite often. You know your Guild prohibits fighting with adventurers, don’t you?”

Ryoka shrugged, unconcerned.

“I’ve heard of that. I was defending a friend.”

There probably was a rule against picking fights with adventurers, but Ryoka doubted anyone in the Runner’s Guild would enforce it. They’d probably celebrate any news of adventurers getting beaten up. And both she and Wesle knew it.

He threw up his hands.

“Fine. But I’m warning both of you: don’t do it again.”

“I won’t if people stop slapping my butt.”

“After today, I doubt anyone will try to do that.”

Ryoka shifted idly from one foot to the other. Her feet were getting slightly cold on the frozen cobblestones. Wesle looked back at her again.

“Do you need shoes, uh, Miss Ryoka? We have several good [Shoemakers] that I’m sure are open even at this time of night.”

“What? I’m fine.”

She’d almost forgotten that she was outside in a t-shirt and shorts and without shoes. Ryoka grinned at Wesle’s reaction.

“She drank this magical soup that I made. That’s why she’s outside in the cold.”

The [Guardsman] eyed Erin, but she looked so honest he just nodded as if he understood.

“Well, uh, I guess that concludes our business here. We’ll lock up those adventurers for the night and file a complaint with their guild about the incident.”

“Aw. Are you sure you have to go? Why not have a drink in the inn first? And food. I’ve been making food and everyone loves it! Have you ever heard of a hamburger?”

Ryoka glared as Wesle hesitated, clearly torn by the idea of a quick bite to eat and something to drink. Whether or not he would have abandoned his post for a few minutes was never resolved though, as a Street Runner suddenly skidded around the corner, nearly running over one of the adventurers being dragged by two of the [Guardsmen].

“Urgent message for all [Guardsmen] in the city!”

Wesle frowned and he and two other members of the Watch went to listen to the young man. He was barely more than a teenager in actual fact; Ryoka vaguely recognized him as one of the faces at the Runner’s Guild here. She watched Wesle’s expression change, and then the man raised his voice and shouted at the other members of the Watch.

“Take them to the jail! Everyone else, get to the walls now!”

The two other [Guardsmen] ran off, and suddenly the Watch was buzzing with movement. The Street Runner dashed down another street as Wesle began to march off with the rest of the Watch.

“Wait! What’s happening?”

Erin caught at the man’s shoulder as he began to leave. He hesitated, torn, but then stopped while the others moved at a fast jog through the streets, armor jingling.

“We just got a mage [Message]. A Goblin army just attacked Esthelm and burned it to the ground! Every member of the Watch is going to the walls and we’re rousing the militia just in case. I’d advise you to stay indoors until we’re sure where the Goblin army’s gone.”

“What? Goblins? What happened?”

Ryoka grabbed Wesle. He blinked as she dragged him forwards, suddenly intent on his every word.

“What did the message say?”

He blinked at her, but her glare made him talk.

“The report’s confused. Apparently a Goblin army attacked Esthelm sometime in the evening. They overran the gates and started slaughtering everyone in the city. Then another Goblin army appeared and the two fought. In the confusion a lot of citizens got away, but the city is lost.”

A sharp dagger of fear and panic shot through Ryoka’s stomach. She let go of Wesle.

Goblins. The image of the Goblin Lord, of the army that had destroyed the Stone Spears camp flashed through her mind. Why were the Goblins so far north? Was it even the same army? And then, hot on the heels of that thought was another worry. What about Mrsha? How had they gone past Liscor? Over the mountains? Through the high passes? Or had they just gone around the city?

“All of the nearby cities are putting together a force to fight off the Goblins and retake the city, but it might be weeks before we root them out. And if this is a raiding force from that Goblin Lord we’ve heard about, then he’s got a bigger army than we thought.”

Wesle was talking anxiously with Erin. She looked worried, but she was probably only worrying about her Goblin friend, Rags. Ryoka wasn’t worried about a Goblin right now. She was imagining what would happen if that Goblin army came north.

They had hundreds of Hobgoblins. And dead Goblins that were living bombs. And their leader, the Goblin Lord, the one with the empty pupils—

His eyes. Ryoka shuddered and thought of the Necromancer. Not Pisces; the true lord of death. Az’kerash. He had the same kind of eyes.

She wondered what it meant. Behind her, Ryoka heard Erin sneeze as Wesle ran off. The night air was cold, and the clouded skies were so dark. With the absence of the guardspeople and their torches, the street was full of shadows, the only light coming from shuttered windows. Ryoka shivered, feeling the effects of the magical soup she’d had beginning to fade.

It was a cold, dark winter night. And it felt like the night was only going to get darker still.

Darker, and more dangerous.

—-

Venitra was at home with the darkness. She had been born of it, and in the castle of Az’kerash, the famous Necromancer of Izril, bright light was a forgotten memory.

The undead woman made of bone had not left the castle since the unforgivable incident that had occurred over a week ago. The strange Human girl had vanished from the castle so quickly that even she, Kerash, and Bea couldn’t catch her. And because they had orders not to leave the castle or its premises, they had merely collected the dead Drakes and Gnolls for their master to review later.

Now Venitra waited for her glorious creator to finish his work, half dreading what he would say when he learned of her failure, half exultant at the thought of hearing his voice and knowing his will again after so long.

It was Venitra’s worst nightmare to be found wanting in the eyes of her master. To disappoint him in any way was unthinkable; she would be betraying not only him, but the grand design he had made in her being.

Venitra was unlike Kerash or Bea. She had been designed by Az’kerash personally; she had been created from nothing by his perfect mind, not reanimated from the dead or self-forming like the other two. Even among the rest of Az’kerash’s servants she was unique, for she served their master and received his commands in person.

And now she would bear witness to one of his greatest creations yet. Venitra stared up as the massive creature of flesh and bone finished forming overhead. It was nothing like the horrible blend of parts that Ryoka had glimpsed; now that it had attained its true configuration, it was a creature of nightmarish grace and terror.

It hovered overhead, tens of thousands of pounds of obscene white flesh. Two gaping holes served as sockets for green flames which burned in them as the undead creation came to life. Massive…limbs struggled in the air, fleshy appendages that would propel the huge bulk of the creature around.

And at its head, a sunken spear of bone jutted outwards, half sunk into the undead monsters’ skull, surrounded by sinew. Venitra knew bone and muscle and so she could guess at part of what this behemoth had been designed for, but even still, the idea took her breath away, if she had any she could have given in the first place.

In front of her, the ancient man who she loved lowered his hand. The undead thing floated downwards, still and waiting for his command. He stared at it for a few seconds, and then nodded and turned to Venitra.

He was smiling. The wrinkles and silvery hair on his head took nothing away from the awe Venitra felt every time she beheld him. His black eyes and white pupils made her shudder as they fixed on her. But it was his smile she basked in.

“Is it not wonderful, Venitra? With this, my army nears completion. Even the Walled Cities will tremble to see this creature upon the battlefield.”

“It is magnificent, my master.”

Venitra said the words truthfully. Az’kerash nodded. He gazed at his creation with pride, and then looked back at Venitra.

“I will need more corpses, of course. I used all of our limited supply to create this one. We will need as many corpses as we can retrieve, but sending a group to the ocean without being detected will be difficult.”

“My lord, if you need more bodies. I volunteer to—”

The man known to very few as Perril Chandler waved a hand at Venitra as she placed her hand on her breast.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Venitra. Without enchantments you would sink to the bottom of the ocean. No, I believe I might send Bea. Her plague abilities would allow me to harvest entire pods without damaging their bodies.”

He regarded his monstrosity almost fondly.

“Yes, we will need at least six to complete our army. Fourteen would be ideal, but that would require far more harvesting than we have time for. Regardless I will test my new creation’s capabilities shortly. But for now, tell me my faithful servant, what has passed while I have been working.”

That was his only weakness, if Venitra would have admitted Az’kerash had any flaws at all. When he was focused on creating new undead, her master used his mind almost exclusively for that task, only devoting a small bit of it for other matters. Like that he could respond to basic questions and even defend himself if necessary, but he would be forced to awaken fully to use his full intellect on a problem. As a result, he was rather…single-minded during those times.

She bowed her head to him, prepared for the worst.

“My master. While you have slept, we your servants committed an unforgivable sin.”

“Really?”

Az’kerash’s eyebrows raised. He looked skeptically at the woman made of bones.

“I dislike theatrics Venitra. What did you fail to do?”

“We allowed an intruder into your personal quarters. A young woman.”

“Really? She made it past all of you?”

“She was not alone. A group of skilled Drake and Gnolls warriors followed her. They all died, but she eluded me and forced her way in here.”

“And did I kill her?”

Perril Chandler looked bored as he regarded his kneeling servant. Venitra hesitated, dreading this most of all.

“No. You let her go.”

The [Necromancer] froze.

“I did?”

Venitra looked miserably at the ground.

“In your wisdom, you must have seen something in her that I did not. She claimed to be a messenger…”

“Now I recall. Yes…I did talk with her.”

Az’kerash put his fingers on his temple and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his gaze was sharp.

“I recall now. Yes, she was a messenger. She delivered a gift from Teriarch.”

“The Dragon?”

Now worried, Venitra looked up. But Peril just smiled crookedly.

“It is of no significance. He gifted me a ring to celebrate my 200 th year of existence. It might even be useful, but that was all.”

That news distressed Venitra almost as much as her failure. She spread her arms.

“We should have prepared gifts for you as well my master. The Chosen will immediately—”

“No.”

Perril Chandler raised a hand, and his brows now snapped together with realization. He looked back at Venitra, suddenly worried.

“Did you slay her? The messenger? I let her go because I was focused, but she should never have been allowed to live. Is she dead?”

“No, lord. We—”

“She escaped? With knowledge of this location?”

Suddenly, Az’kerash’s face twisted with sudden fury. Venitra knelt in fear as he paced back and forth in front of her, magical robe bursting into fragments of shadow where it touched the ground.

“She could undo a decade of preparation! If she forces our hand—”

The mage’s hands glowed with dark purple light. Venitra feared the worst, but then Az’kerash paused. As soon as the anger had come, it was gone.

“…No. If she were going to use that information, it would be too late in any case. I will scry the leaders of various cities. If they are not moving towards our location then we are safe.”

He laughed shortly and tugged a lock of hair.

“What a blunder. But I was so confident. That any mortal could penetrate the illusory forest, let alone bypass all of my guards so easily…”

Peril shook his head.

“Arrogance is my flaw; even now, it seems. Of course Teriarch would not send anything less than a Courier to do his bidding. And that old fool would insist upon delivering me a gift, even if we were mortal enemies.”

Slowly, he turned back to his kneeling servant, and walked over to Venitra. The undead woman shuddered as he touched her.

“I have erred, Venitra. I fear I must call upon you to rectify my mistakes.”

“It is my purpose, lord.”

Az’kerash nodded slowly. He studied Venitra and nodded.

“Take one other of the Chosen and locate this Runner, this Human girl. You remember her face? Of course you do. Track her down; follow her trail. To that purpose, Ijvani or Oom would be best suited to accompany you.”

Venitra nodded and sprang to her feet. She was already considering the journey and all the variables, from where to start her search to the best way of killing the Human when they found her. Slowly and painfully of course, but in a way that would allow them to hide the body.

“Venitra.”

Her master stopped her with a word. He studied her and shook his head.

“I need not impress on you the importance of this mission, but I will do so anyways. The Runner must not speak of what she knows, but if she has truly kept my secret…Couriers are famous for taking no sides, or at least they were when I was young. It might be she can be bargained with.”

He closed his eyes, thinking. Venitra waited for his commands even as she longed to tear the Human girl’s head off with her bare hands.

“In that case, I will count on you to exercise your own judgment. I will look through your eyes if the need arises, but if I am preoccupied or my spells are blocked, you must decide whether you will be able to slay her or whether the cost will be too high. I place my trust in you, Venitra. Know that.”

Venitra nodded. She almost trembled with her master’s faith in her. She strode out the door as Az’kerash watched, her feet thundering down the stone hallway as she broke into a run.

“So eager. But at least she has the artifacts to aid in her stealth.”

Perril Chandler sighed and gritted his teeth, admonishing himself for his failure now that he was alone. But he quickly put his self-recriminations aside and considered the ramifications of this new information instead.

If it came to war, he was ready. It would be soon, but he could begin. If not…then he would have more time. The armies that could be brought to bear against him didn’t worry Az’kerash so much as one thought.

“Teriarch.”

The Dragon. His gift fit perfectly in line with his character and what Az’kerash knew of Dragons. And yet, the messenger had slipped past even his elite undead. Just for a delivery? And Peril dimly remembered that two armies had been engaged in combat in the forest near his home. And then they had gone and fought the Goblin Lord…

Was it all coincidence? It might be; stranger things had happened by pure chance. But what if it were not?

“If it were not mere happenstance that he sent her…Teriarch. Are you taking sides at last, old one? If so, whose?”

Az’kerash stood in the dark room, ignoring the lumbering beast by his side. His deathly eyes stared out into the darkness as he considered sending a message to his apprentice. But it would be more interesting to let that one run free a little while.

And yet, Teriarch was a true concern. Even more than the Hives. If he should act…

The Necromancer stood in his castle, sensing his minions as two left in search of a Human girl. He stood and stared into the darkness.

Pondering.

—-

The darkness of the cave was lit by the harsh glow that was practically unique in this world. The bright LED-illuminated screen of the copied iPhone made Teriarch’s ancient eyes hurt, but he had already learned to adjust the brightness. And he was too fascinated to worry about a little bit of pain.

“Hmm. Hm. And what does this button do?”

The old man that Teriarch used to disguise himself gingerly touched the screen of the iPhone. He hit the crossed arrows at the top of the screen marked ‘Shuffle’. Music immediately began playing.

Teriarch’s Human form raised his white eyebrows as fast drum beats began to echo throughout the cave. The Dragon blinked as a voice burst out of the iPhone.

“ You change your mind like a girl changes clothes… ”

For about five minutes Teriarch listened to the song in complete silence. Near the end he began tapping his claw against the marble floor. When the song was over he made his Human form stop the next song from playing.

“Fascinating. And what’s this song? Delightful that someone actually knows the word ‘bohemian’, but did a [Queen] truly sing this song? Perhaps I should have asked the Human to clarify…”

He was just about to play the next song when Teriarch looked up and scowled.

“Tamaroth’s beard! What now? ”

He didn’t wait. The instant the pink butterfly materialized around his head, the Dragon snapped it at irritably. He glared at the magical image that filled the air.

“Reinhart. I’m busy.”

The bright and inappropriately cheerful voice in Teriarch’s ears and mind had not a shred of guilt in it.

“I do apologize, Teriarch. But you see, I’ve had a bit of an incident here and I need a bit of help.”

“What? What do you—oh.”

Teriarch paused as, in the image of Magnolia’s private room in front of him, she moved aside and showed him something. He frowned.

“That is a problem. You are well, I trust? Not injured in any place? They coat their blades in poisons as I recall.”

Magnolia’s tone was overly-patient as she replied.

“Yes Teriarch, I am fine.”

“Did you breathe in around them? That is to say, a lot of them use airborne toxins which can be odorless and colorless—”

“I did breathe, but I am assured that this will not affect my health unduly. Unless I stop. I am well, old man. But I need you to make sure my mansion is secure.”

The flat look Teriarch gave Magnolia didn’t impress her. He glared, but since that wasn’t working he cleared his throat and replied in an acerbic tone.

“First of all, I am not a simple magical detector for you to call upon as you please, girl. I am a Dragon , and should be treated as such. Moreover, have you forgotten the basic courtesies of your station, let alone your Class? We have much that could be discussed in civilized discourse. In fact, I had a rather unusual encounter this day—”

“ Teriarch. ”

This time the stress in Magnolia’s tone made an impact. Teriarch hesitated, about to continue, but gave in.

“Oh very well. Let me see.”

He muttered a few words and slapped his tail. Magical symbols and flashes appeared around his vision in quick succession. Teriarch eyed the dizzying spectacle as if it were normal, and nodded.

“Nothing but the usual enchantments. Also, there’s one more right outside your door—”

“I am aware. Thank you, Teriarch. We may need to speak later.”

“Why not now? I’ve found this most delightful—”

The image disappeared as the Dragon was in midsentence. He stared at the empty air, indignant. For a few seconds Teriarch considered teleporting Magnolia Reinhart to his cave, but after remembering the distance and the protective spells around her he gave up and just lay back down in a huff.

His bad mood didn’t last long, though. In no time at all, Teriarch was staring back at the iPhone, fascinated. He mumbled to himself, contentedly swishing his tail back and forth.

“Hmm. Where was I? Oh yes. ‘Play’.”

—-

Magnolia closed the spell with a wave of the magical wand and tossed it back into the small ivory box she used to hold it. Then she sat back down on her resplendent couch and sighed noisily.

“Hmf. Talking with him is always an exercise in patience. Ressa, next time do you think I could get away with using one of those delightful ‘tablets’ while I talk?”

Standing beside Lady Magnolia, Ressa the [Maid] inclined her head gracefully and spoke with a dignified tone.

“I would not dare to question your bad judgment, milady. But if you wish for me to take one away from one of the young men or women, I will do so at once.”

“Mm, perhaps later. For now, show in our young [Assassin].”

Magnolia sat up on the couch and put on her most cheerful expression as Ressa went to the doors. They opened, and two silvery metal Golem let go of Theofore the [Assassin] as Ressa escorted him into the room.

The man’s dark clothing was mussed, and he had a bruise on one cheek. He also had the expression of someone who was convinced they were about to die, and only wanted less screaming before it was over. He looked at Lady Magnolia as if she were the executioner with a rusty axe, barely moving even when Ressa prodded him several times in the back.

“Oh let the boy stand there if he wants to, Ressa. I can shout and he’s got good ears.”

Lady Magnolia watched as Ressa walked back to her and smiled cheerfully at Theofore. His eyes flicked to her maid, to the window, and to her in quick succession. She reached for a teacup and drank from it as she spoke.

“Try not to be so obvious, won’t you? Theofore, let me speak clearly before you do something rash and fatal. I did not bring you here to kill you. That would be pointless; nor am I here to interrogate you, given your Guild’s magical wards that prevent you from speaking and all that. I am simply going to ask you a few questions, and then let you go. With that in mind, know that if you try to kill me Ressa will make you very dead, and if you try to run we will have this conversation again, sans my good natured attitude. Is that clear?”

Theofore looked at Lady Magnolia and licked his lips.

“What…what is the meaning of this, Lady Reinhart?”

Magnolia frowned at him, then looked at her maid.

“Ressa, the next time he asks a stupid question, have one of the Golems tear off his arm and beat him with it? Or do it yourself if you’re so inclined.”

Ressa nodded, and Theofore shuddered again. He clamped his lips shut.

Magnolia nodded. She tapped her tea cup with one finger.

“My intention is to send your Guild a message, but the messenger need not have all of his limbs. In fact, I find a severed head often speaks quite clearly as well.”

“And what message would that be?”

Magnolia tilted her head ever so slightly sideways, and Theofore flinched. But she didn’t order Ressa to tear off his limbs. Instead, she simply pointed with her pinkie finger to a corner of the room.

“First, explain that, if you would?”

Theofore turned. His pale face went even whiter. Lying in the corner of the room was a pile of black rags. That was what it seemed to be at first glance, until you realized the rags were in fact two [Assassins], or what remained of them. They were very, very dead and still smoking slightly.

“I am not aware that my contract with the Assassin’s Guild had expired. Oh, and it’s quite odd that you didn’t notice that when you came in. Aren’t [Assassins] supposed to be aware of everything in the room? I suppose you were just…preoccupied.”

Theofore didn’t reply immediately. He was still staring at his dead fellows. Magnolia lightly cleared her throat and he jumped and looked at her.

“Lady Reinhart—I have no idea why either of these two would make an attempt on your life. Please let me assure you I had no knowledge—”

He cut off as Lady Magnolia raised one of the fingers on her teacup. She shook her head slightly.

“The [Assassins] were not after me. They came for the young men and women under my protection. What, pray, do you know of that?”

Theofore’s face was the face of someone trying to be as open and honest as possible. He spread his hands.

“I know nothing of that, my lady. I am not highly ranked in the Guild.”

Lady Magnolia sighed. She frowned slightly.

“No, you are not, are you? Well then, as it stands I have two dead [Assassins] in my mansion, a bunch of frightened young men and women, and a mystery. I hate mysteries. So you will clear this up for me by delivering a message to your Guild: I require an immediate response. Until the Guild chooses to reveal to me why this occurred, all the [Assassins] your Guild has provided me will be sent back, and I will regard any of your number approaching me or any of my estates, servants, or allies as an enemy and deal with them as such.”

Licking his lips, Theofore looked from the [Assassins] back to Magnolia before replying carefully.

“I can assure you Lady Reinhart, the Guild would never seek to go to war with a member of the Five Families—”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t. But unless I receive a satisfactory answer, it is I who shall go to war with them. ”

What Theofore could have used at this moment was a handkerchief to mop up all the sweat running down his forehead and back. Lacking that, he used a dark sleeve.

“I hope you will not make any sudden decisions, Lady Reinhart. I am sure my Guild would not wish to engage in hostilities with you a second time. Once again, I can assure you—”

A brief wave cut him off. Lady Magnolia stood up suddenly, and Theofore flinched again. She stared down at him coldly.

“Enough. You have your message. Go back to your guild. Ressa, throw young Theofore out, please.”

Ressa did as instructed. Theofore had only a second to scream. Magnolia paused in the newfound silence of the room.

“I do believe you threw him out the window, Ressa, my dear. The door would have sufficed.”

“You didn’t specify, milady. And he is alive.”

“True. Oh, and he’s already running. Young people are so commendably quick, don’t you think?”

Lady Magnolia sighed as Ressa closed the window. She rubbed at her brows and drank more deeply of her sugary beverage.

“[Assassins]? In my mansion? And they knew about the children from the other world? How, Ressa?”

The [Maid] only shrugged as she stared at the window, following Theofore’s progress. Magnolia mumbled to herself as she poured herself another cup of tea.

“Is it the Circle of Thorns again? Please tell me it’s not. That nightmare took my great grandmother’s entire life to sort out and we can’t have it now. At least we know it isn’t Lord Tyrion’s doing.”

Ressa’s shoulders rose slightly.

“You never know. He might have found a potion that allowed him to grow another brain.”

Magnolia laughed at her friend.

“Even with two brains, Tyrion’s sense of honor wouldn’t allow him to use [Assassins]. No, this is something else and I don’t like it. And it’s come at the worst time too, almost as if someone knew what was about to happen.”

“Perhaps they did.”

“You’re not helping.”

Ressa shrugged.

“I like to think of the worst case scenario.”

“This is one of them. Right now, we have two major situations on our hands, Ressa. Even as we speak, that damnable Antinium group is converging on Liscor. Representatives from at least three Hives are there and we have no way of spying on them. Not in person, at least. Teriarch might be able to find them visually, but he won’t be able to scry them. I cannot trust any [Assassins] to report on them, and they just ate my best two [Scouts].”

“We have people in Liscor.”

“But no one who can follow them anywhere else.”

Magnolia drained her tea cup and scowled darkly.

“That’s one problem. The second is the same. The Antinium are about to unearth that dungeon, either now or in the next few days. The worst timing, Ressa. Do we know when the Gold-rank teams are going to open the doors?”

Ressa nodded. She had a smile on her face that Magnolia didn’t like.

“Now, I believe.”

Lady Magnolia’s tea cup smashed through one of the windows of her mansion. Theofore didn’t know it was a tea cup, but it did inspire him to run even faster. He was vaulting over the wall of the estate grounds before the last of the glass had even finished shattering on the ground.

—-

“Do we have to do this now?”

Halrac scowled; essentially his normal facial expression, but today’s scowl was special. It was pronounced.

“The entrance is right there . Why are you getting cold feet now?”

The stitch-mage visibly hesitated. She flicked her dark hair and glanced uneasily at the massive double doors in front of their team.

“I just feel nervous. You hear tales of what happens to the first groups that enter an unexplored dungeon. I’d like to keep all my cloth attached to my body, that’s all.”

Halrac scowled again and opened his mouth, but this time Ulrien nudged him. The huge man lowered his greatsword and looked at Typhenous. The older [Mage] seemed confident, but all the members of Griffin Hunt had learned long ago to work together. An adventurer who was less confident dragged down the group, so they had to address this before they went in.

They stood at the bottom of a massive ramp into the earth. Over two hundred feet of gently sloping dirt led down to a huge stone wall and a set of huge double doors. They looked like they were made of bronze, but golden inscriptions had been carved into the metal. The reliefs looked like twisting Dragons breathing fire.

Or…Drakes. Drakes casting magic. Halrac eyed the inscriptions distrustfully.

This was the entrance to the dungeon beneath Liscor. The true dungeon, according to the Antinium. They had completed the excavation this morning, and the Antinium named Klbkch had led Griffin Hunt to this location.

The Antinium stood off to the side with an escort of the huge Antinium Soldiers, calmly watching Griffin Hunt. Halrac didn’t like the Antinium presence and he gritted his teeth every time he saw them. Ulrien was clearly just as uncomfortable, but the big man had managed to deal with the Antinium. It had cost quite a lot of gold to hire them to dig, but now Griffin Hunt was at the entrance of the dungeon first.

All their efforts, all their long days of feuding with the Halfseekers and the other adventuring groups to deal with the Antinium and be the first into the dungeon had come to this. For a while it had truly felt like Halrac and the others were at the center of all the drama in Liscor as they bullied and bribed their way to this point. Halrac still had a bad taste in his mouth from dealing with the Antinium and that irritable Watch Captain every single day.

But it had paid off. Griffin Hunt was here, and the Halfseekers and other adventurers had grudgingly bowed out to let them claim the first crack at the dungeon. But they were wavering at the last moment, or Revi was.

“It’s just…can’t we deal with the Halfseekers? Or another Silver-rank group? If we formed an alliance and moved in, we might be better prepared, wouldn’t we?”

Revi looked uncertainly around the group. In terms of seniority, she was by far the most inexperienced Gold-rank adventurer, as well as the youngest.

This time it was Typhenous who argued against Revi. He normally took her side, but the mage was staring at the images of Drakes casting magic and he was clearly eager to enter the dungeon.

“You think there might be strength in numbers, Revi, but look what happened to the last group of adventurers that tried that. Unless we’re prepared to wait a week or two and practice tactics with another team, there’s no point.”

The stitch-girl didn’t look convinced.

“We could still send in a team to scout things out.”

“To die, you mean.”

Both Ulrien and Halrac’s faces showed what they thought about that. Revi held her hands up defensively.

“I didn’t mean it like that—”

“No.”

It was common practice for some Silver and Gold-rank teams to send in inexperienced adventurers to soften up monsters or clear out traps and assess a dungeon. As a [Scout], Halrac had been on the receiving end of that sort of assignment more than once, and Ulrien shared his sentiments. He was about to tell Revi this in no uncertain terms when Ulrien interrupted him, putting a hand on Halrac’s shoulder.

“No sacrifices. No one else goes in first. We go in, and if we find monsters or traps we deal with them. We have the equipment and the experience.”

“But can’t we wait and see—”

“ No. ”

Halrac couldn’t take it any longer. He broke in angrily, ignoring Ulrien’s sigh. He glared at Revi.

“If the Halfseekers or another Gold-rank team go in, they might be able to sweep through a huge amount of the dungeon by themselves. Any second we waste here, we could lose a fortune in artifacts.”

He stabbed a finger at the Antinium. Klbkch looked over at Halrac interestedly as the [Scout] raised his voice.

“Do you think they’ll just wait for us? No. They’ve got an army ready to go in and the instant this dungeon opens every adventuring group on the continent will want to get in there and raid the place. Remember the dungeon near First Landing? They’re still exploring parts of it, but the first adventurers that went in came out as Named Adventurers. That’s why we’re here.”

Typhenous nodded.

“We are on a time limit, Revi. If a Named Adventurer gets here, they might be able to clear parts of the dungeons by themselves. If a team does…I’m told there are even [Mages] from Wistram who are coming to look at the dungeon. If there’s any time, it’s now.”

Revi looked uncertain, but Ulrien put a hand on her shoulder. The normally taciturn Captain spoke reassuringly to her.

“You’ll be behind us all the way. You’ve got your summons and we don’t take risks.”

He nodded to Halrac and Typhenous. Both of the older adventurers nodded back.

“We are not Silver-rank adventurers. We go in, and retreat the instant we run into anything dangerous. If something follows us, we contain it. We’ve already set up enough traps to take down five Griffins.”

“Okay. Okay…”

Revi took a few deep breaths. Then she nodded at Ulrien. He let go of her shoulder and stepped away. She clenched her fists and nodded at Ulrien. He looked at the others.

“Ready?”

Halrac already had an arrow on his bowstring. He was ready for anything as their team approached the doors. But he looked back at the Antinium one last time.

It was odd. They’d been cooperative in helping Griffin Hunt locate the dungeon, and they’d excavated a huge amount of soil in no time at all. According to the Antinium, they’d found more than one entrance to the dungeon; collapsed parts of the ruins, and even what might have been a secret entranceway. But this was the main entrance, untouched by time.

It was suspicious. How had they known exactly where the dungeon was? And why was there such a huge escort of them waiting around the dungeon?

There weren’t just one or two Antinium Soldiers waiting with the unique Antinium named Klbkch. Halrac had counted fifty of the massive brutes standing at attention behind their leader. He’d never seen that many warriors outside of a battlefield.

Halrac knew what that many Soldiers could accomplish. They might not have been able to overwhelm Griffin Hunt in a fight, but they could take down several Wyverns or Griffins together. Why so many?

Fifty Antinium Soldiers. And their so-called Prognugator. Halrac slowly adjusted his quiver and began counting how many magical arrows he carried. He put the regular arrow back in the magical quiver and drew one with an arrowhead that crackled with electricity.

Ulrien looked at Halrac. The two adventurers had been together long enough to read each other. The Captain of Griffin Hunt looked at Revi and Typhenous.

“We’re going in. Revi, I want your strongest summons out at the first sign of danger. Typhenous, hang back and use your best spells; don’t worry about conserving anything.”

The two other adventurers reacted to his warning, visibly straightening and bracing themselves. Halrac looked at Ulrien. The big man stepped towards the double doors and cracked his fingers.

“Might be rusted. I’ll give it a shot before we use ropes.”

He grabbed the two door handles. Halrac saw the muscles on Ulrien’s arms bulge, and then he heard the doors groan and then something break.

Rust, dark and brownish-red flaked off from the doors. They moved a fraction as Ulrien grunted, and then the adventurers stepped back.

“I can open it. Get ready.”

Halrac took several steps back. Revi and Typhenous had already set up twenty paces away from the doors, ready for something to come out. Halrac sighted down his arrow and nodded at Ulrien.

The big man grabbed the door handles. Halrac’s heart was beating faster than normal, but he was ready. He’d faced down Griffins with nothing but a dagger. He’d open these doors and come out better. Stronger.

Ulrien counted down as he braced himself on the doors. His voice was steady and calm and echoed slightly in the excavation site.

“Five…four…three…two…”

His pulse slowed. The world slowed. Halrac saw Ulrien brace, and he drew back his arrow.

“One.”

The doors opened. Ulrien didn’t pull them open slowly; he threw them open and surged backwards, drawing his greatsword and bracing in an instant. Halrac’s eyes pierced the darkness, seeing a long corridor full of dark stone. But nothing else.

There were no monsters. No visible traps, and judging by the way Typhenous relaxed, no magic.

They were safe. And the dungeon was open.

For another second Halrac was tense, then he relaxed ever so slightly. Ulrien lowered his sword, and Revi and Typhenous walked forwards. They looked at each other and shared a smile. The tension wasn’t gone, but the worst was over.

Halrac had expected something to happen when the doors opened. He’d expected a monster or a warning spell or…something. But there was nothing. He nodded to Ulrien and walked towards the door. As a [Scout], he would go in first. His foot crossed the threshold of the dungeon. Ulrien felt something peculiar for a second, but then it was gone, like a bad memory.

He turned towards Typhenous, about to ask if anything magical had been triggered. And then he felt it.

Danger.

—-

Zel Shivertail stood in front of a jury of idiots. Technically, they were his peers, but he didn’t respect any of them.

They were the rulers of the Drake city-states, the Lords of the Wall who ruled the Walled Cities, and even Watch Captains of renown. He hated their guts.

They didn’t understand. They stood or sat as they preferred on the soft, elongated chairs that Drakes liked in the room they had chosen to judge his testimony. Wall Lord Ilvriss was standing next to him, but not with Zel. He had his own circle of authority and friends in this room.

Zel had precious few allies and more than a few enemies. But they had to hear his message. He glared around the room and raised his voice.

“As I’ve said, this Goblin Lord is the real threat. If we ignore him, he will become a Goblin King in time.”

A Lady of the Wall raised her voice. Her tail twitched irritably as she stood and spoke down to Zel.

“So you have said, Zel Shivertail. And we will create a coalition army to deal with the Goblin threat in due time. But I see no reason for our cities to form the grand alliance you suggest. We have and always will be independent bodies unto ourselves; Drakes do not hold hands like Humans.”

Several other leaders in the room sniggered at this. They fell silent as Zel glared at them. All of these powerful Drakes, and they acted like they were barely more than hatchlings at a playground.

“I don’t suggest that we ally just because of the Goblin Lord. But what about the Antinium? Are they any less of a threat? And Flos? Will you ignore his return or will you take my advice and do something before it is too late?”

“We have heard you make the same case every year, Zel Shivertail. Flos may have returned, but all reports claim he barely has an army, let alone a force powerful enough to threaten our lands.”

That came from a Watch Captain. Zel gritted his teeth and thrashed his tail on the stone floor. How would someone who defended a static wall understand the dangers of someone who moved armies around like Flos?

“His forces may be weak now, but give him time and he will be just as strong as before.”

Another dismissive voice.

“The Emperor of the Sands will crush him. The King of Destruction is a continent away, Zel Shivertail. He is not the threat.”

“That is what we said last time, right until his ships started landing on our shores!”

Zel raised his voice, but that did nothing. He controlled himself with effort.

“Then the Antinium. They grow stronger while we fight each other pointlessly. What about them?”

“If they dare to attack a third time, they will be destroyed. We have built our armies and cities, and we know how to fight them now. They may grow, but we will grow faster.”

The arrogance. Zel closed his eyes, and then raised his voice again.

“If you really think you can beat the Antinium in the long term, you are as blind as well as stupid. I am telling you, they are ready for war. If you would just put aside your cursed pride and consider—”

“Silence, Zel Shivertail.”

This time the censure was accompanied by a slap of the tail. Zel looked up and saw one of the rulers of the Walled Cities had spoken. The Serpentine Matriarch of Zeres stared down at him with icy disapproval, the gemstones around her neck and tail flashing as she spoke.

“This assembly has heard your voice since you are a hero of the Antinium Wars. But your conduct is disrespectful to those gathered here. Moreover, your defeat against a single Goblin Lord calls into question your abilities as of late. This conflict with the esteemed Wall Lord Ilvriss—”

“You mean the fool who lost a battle!”

That came from a lesser ruler of the city. Zel saw the Matriarch’s eyes flash and knew the beginnings of a new feud between the cites had been started. He watched, helplessly, and the assembly meant to combat a mutual threat fell into bickering and shouting. As it always did.

“Silence. A Lord of the Wall is the equivalent of any lesser city-state’s ruler and will be treated with—”

“This war isn’t over! Zel Shivertail won that battle, and put his tail on the line to defend a Gnoll tribe and take on a common threat. If you want a resolution to this conflict, we will discuss terms—”

“Terms? Hah! You’ve lost your grand army! We can put another one in the field in a second. Know your place!”

Zel looked around helplessly. There had to be someone willing to listen to reason. But all he saw were Drakes too caught in complacency to listen to reason. One last time. He had to try one last time, as he’d tried a hundred times before.

The General of the Line, the famous Tidebreaker of old took a deep breath. He was a hero to the people, but ignored in this room. But he could still shout. He took a deep breath, and then his eyes widened.

Someone in the room screamed. Two of the Watch Captains swore and reached for their weapons, and the guards at the door rushed in, armed and ready. Zel spun around and looked north. The feeling came from the north. It was the sensation of dread and danger, but it felt as if it came from far, far away. He had never felt anything like that with his [Dangersense].

“What happened? What is it?”

Those Drakes in the room without [Dangersense] looked confused and demanded explanations as Zel exchanged glances with Ilvriss. The Lord of the Wall had no [Dangersense] ability, but he understood what the reactions had meant.

“Danger?”

“Something. Something has happened far away. Something very dangerous. A monster, perhaps. Or something else.”

“What else?”

Zel had no answer. He looked towards the north. Something in the Human lands? What could be dangerous enough to affect him from so far away? He’d heard of sailors being warned of volcanic eruptions or people predicting an earthquake, but this wasn’t the same. Those warnings were sharp and urgent. This felt deeper, quieter, yet just as ominous.

He clenched one claw as he stared around the room. Already order, or rather, chaos that looked like order, was restoring itself. He doubted he could use this to persuade these rulers to give him any soldiers to investigate, let alone ally. He was wasting his time here.

Zel turned his attention back to the north. All he would receive here was censure and mockery. But north—

“What in the name of the Ancestors is happening right now?”

—-

Niers sat patiently on a small chair on top of his war room table in his tent. He eyed the cool fruit juice drink he’d poured for himself, but didn’t drink from it yet. It was an exercise in patience; a reward for a job well done.

In truth, there was something ironic about him waiting to drink what was really only a thimble’s worth of cooled juice given his immense personal wealth. Niers was nothing if not an economical person to feed even if he ate the most expensive dishes, but he made up for that thrift by spending his money lavishly elsewhere.

Right now he was waiting. Not waiting for something to happen, but waiting to receive word if something had indeed happened. He had been waiting patiently throughout the day, but now it seemed his patience would be rewarded.

Someone tapped at the canvas door of his tent. Niers looked up and raised his voice.

“Enter.”

The flaps parted and the two soldiers at his tent let in a Courier holding a bundle of messages. Niers touched the offered seal and then took the stack of parchment.

None of them were particularly long pieces; most were just scraps rather than proper sheets. The Courier didn’t even glance at them as he left, although Niers knew he had to have been burning with curiosity. He might even have read them, although Niers knew the Runner’s Guild had very strict rules against that for Couriers.

It didn’t matter. If anyone could put together what Niers was up to from these pieces of paper he would be quite impressed. Most would probably not even bother. He liked to send messages to himself or send coded missives with nothing in them of value to friends quite often, just to annoy people who spied on him.

It made getting the important information that much easier. Niers looked down at the pieces of parchment and tried to sort them out. Each one had a message written in plain and neat script. He’d used the mage messaging service to receive these short communiques; he hadn’t even bothered to pay the extra fee that would make the messages supposedly more secure. It was just a waste of money and it attracted attention.

There was nothing very special about these messages anyways. They were just status updates, the kind of thing any leader might receive in the field. The only difference was the place these messages came from.

The longest piece of paper was still small enough for Niers to hold up by himself. He folded the piece of paper and put it on the table, next to a large map of Izril he’d bought. Niers stepped back and looked at the missive. The message was short and simple. It read:

‘Dungeon in Liscor opened. [Dangersense] triggered across city.’

So. A new dungeon was open. Niers nodded to himself. There was nothing strange about that. But what was strange was the next message he read:

‘[Dangersense] activated. Wales.’

Now, who would care about someone’s [Dangersense] activating? They went off all the time; when people were about to step on a rotted floorboard, or when a horse had lost control of a wagon, a monster was nearby…it happened often.

But each message had come in at the same time, and had been reported according to Niers’ request. He put the first message down and looked at the next one.

‘[Dangersense] alarm. Zeres.’

More mage [Messages], all with the same content. [Dangersense] reported in cities across the continent, all at the same time. Niers noted down where each report came from, and then traced a slow circle with a compass around the map. He stared down at the point of origin.

“Roughly the same diameter as before. This one’s a bit bigger.”

He walked off the map and sat down with a sigh on a tiny stool.

“So, they’ve found another one, have they?”

It was only a matter of time. Niers smiled briefly; he loved being right. But what did it matter?

Everything? If they found the treasures within, perhaps. Maybe more of the puzzle? Doubtful. It just meant the ruins were old, and possibly had truly legendary guardians and rewards for those within. He wondered whether the city would survive the influx of treasure-seekers and monsters that would be attracted to the dungeon.

But did it matter to him? Niers wondered. He kicked aside the pieces of parchment and abandoned the map for the moment. He walked across the large war room table, and then stared at something that glittered in his vision.

It was a letter, an opened one. Niers had already read the contents of the letter, but he looked at it again. He couldn’t help it.

The envelope was a work of art in itself in truth. It smelled of lavender, and the gilded edges of the letter sparkled gold in the light of the tent. Niers glanced at it once, and then again. Then he looked at the chessboard sitting next to the map.

The ghostly pieces stood silent in the humid air of the tent. Niers sighed and went back to his fruit drink. He eyed the dripping sides of the glass and then drained half the drink in one go. He scowled and looked back at the chessboard.

The pieces didn’t move. They hadn’t moved for over two days now. That bothered Niers, although it shouldn’t have. He knew the other player had a life and duties. But having completed his latest set of battles, Niers had been looking forward to playing several games. Instead, the pieces had stopped moving one day, and though he’d waited hopefully, they hadn’t moved since.

They’d never been silent for this long. Niers didn’t know what it meant. Disaster? Or was the mysterious player bored of their game? Surely not. Were they hurt? Injured? Who were they?

He shook his head. But now Niers was irritated, and not even his cool drink was helping. A dungeon in Liscor. Adventure. A challenge. He couldn’t go there. That damnable letter he never should have opened, hinting, tantalizing. And the game, the one thing he wanted—silent.

Niers stomped over to the chessboard. He stroked his beard and scowled down at the pieces.

“Who are you? What piece of the puzzle am I missing?”

The pieces were silent. He wasn’t even in a good position in this game; he’d made a careless mistake and his opponent had happily punished him for it. But he’d been delighted because they were his equal. His better.

“Can you help me? Can I help you? Can I trust you? If we worked together—”

Niers broke off and shook his head. Speculation. That was all he had. If they returned to playing, he would know one thing.

If they returned. What if they were dying? He could find out who his opponent was. If he went—

But he had duties. Niers looked back at the map, then the letter, then the chess board.

He stared at the silent pieces, looked back again. Letter. Map. Chessboard. For once, the small [Strategist] was unsure of what to do.

—-

Erin sneezed. Once, and then twice. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and knew exactly what she had to do.

“I’m gonna get something else to eat. Ryoka, are you coming?”

The other girl looked up at Erin’s voice, but she didn’t respond right away. Erin shrugged and walked back into Agnes’ inn to get warm.

Inside, people greeted her with cheers and she was immediately bombarded with requests for more food. Erin smiled and chatted, but she didn’t go into the kitchen right away, even though Agnes was hinting at it strongly. She wanted to talk with Ryoka, but the other girl just stomped over to her table silently, a forbidding look on her face.

Maybe she was still upset about the news about the Goblins? Erin didn’t know what to think about that. She hoped Rags and her little tribe was safe; they were in Liscor, right? Hopefully they’d keep their heads down.

She felt really uneasy and upset for some reason. Maybe she was feeling guilty about beating up the adventurers? No. Maybe. A tiny bit.

Then the sensation was gone. Erin frowned and rubbed her nose on her sleeve again. Good thing she’d gotten out of the cold. It was messing with her head.

Ryoka was shaking her head when Erin came over. The big girl she’d been with was in the bathroom, and Erin was slightly relieved; she’d looked sort of scared when Erin had introduced herself after the fight.

“Something wrong Ryoka? Ryoka?”

The other girl just looked at Erin, slightly haunted.

“We’re screwed, Erin. This news—we’re in it deep now.”

Erin frowned.

“We are? I mean, how do you know?”

Ryoka just shook her head. She spread her hands on the table and clenched them into fists. Erin’s gaze was drawn to her missing fingers. Ryoka studied them, and then looked at Erin.

“If there are Goblin warbands roaming the countryside, getting you back to Liscor safely will be a hundred times more difficult. I can’t protect you from them, and there could be thousands of them. There might be war here soon, and if that’s the case, not even Celum is safe. Maybe not even Liscor.”

Erin scratched her head. That did sound bad.

“Okay. But what can we do about it? I mean, we can’t do anything right now, right? So relax, Ryoka. It’s been a long day.”

“We can’t just take this easy, Erin! We have to think. We’re both in danger. You’re in danger!”

“I know. But you need to relax, Ryoka. We need to relax. Okay? We’re safe here, for now. Let’s worry about this when we’re more awake and we haven’t just been in a fight.”

Slowly, Ryoka looked at Erin and nodded. She seemed surprised, but Erin just smiled.

“Great. I’ll make us more food.”

The Asian girl half-smiled at Erin. Then her eyes flicked towards the door.

“Fine. Get ready to make some more food though; looks like you’ve got a crowd.”

Erin saw people were coming into the inn, lured by the noise, heat, crowd, and the recent fight. She beamed and stood up, opening the door for a surprised couple.

“Welcome to The Wandering Inn! Come in, have a seat; don’t mind the bodies. Can I get you anything to drink?”

The man in front stared at Erin in confusion. He looked at the woman by his side and then at Erin.

“I thought this was the Frenzied Hare? Did we come to the wrong inn? Or has it been sold?”

Erin blinked at him. Then she remembered she wasn’t in Liscor, and this wasn’t her inn. She turned slightly red.

“Oh. Oops.”

She stared at the man and woman. They stared back. Slowly, Erin opened the door wider.

“I’m uh, helping out. Come on in if you’re hungry. We’ve got hamburgers!”

After a moment of hesitation, the two did exactly that. Erin closed the door, and let the warmth of the room wash over her.

On this cold night, she felt alive. Happy, even. She was far from home, and lost, but she wasn’t lost. Ryoka was with her, and she had found something special with Octavia, even if the other girl was sort of a jerk.

The Goblins were bad news, and Toren was gone, but Erin had hope. She’d been through worse. She could get through this. With Ryoka. Together.

Erin stood in her inn and breathed in. Slowly. The scents of spilled beer and cooked food filled her senses, along with the unpleasant odors of sweat and vomit. She stopped breathing so deeply. But she still felt good.

It wasn’t the right city; it wasn’t even the right inn. But she was there, and Ryoka was there. And so, just for a moment, it was home.

Inside the inn, Erin sneezed again.

End of Volume 2.

Author’s Note

About one year ago, Volume 1 of The Wandering Inn came out on e-book. Now, it’s been…well, about a year and a month. And uh, eleven days. Close enough! And since then, the story’s continued. This is Volume 2 of the e-book, but we’re currently in the second half of Volume 6. The web serial has passed 4 million words total, which makes it pretty long. And we’re still continuing.

It’s an odd feeling, then, to write an author’s note for Volume 2. To look back and see how far the story’s come and look ahead at how much there still is. To anyone who’s reading this, I thank you once again for the support!

Volume 2 was where I really started seeing people enjoying The Wandering Inn, and realized that yes, I could earn a living as an author. It’s also where I started bringing out the world I knew, taking the story out of Erin’s inn and Liscor. And it being here is the second step on a long road. A fun, exhausting, and sometimes tragic one. Sometimes glorious.

My hope is that I’ll be able to keep writing it for a while, and that people will continue to enjoy the journey as much as the beginning. Thank you again, and as always, thanks for reading!

--pirateaba

Table of Contents

- Interlude
- 2.00
- 2.01
- 2.02
- 2.03
- 2.04
- 2.05
- 2.06
- 2.07
- 2.08
- 2.09
- 2.10 T
- 2.11
- 2.12
- 2.13
- 2.14 G
- Side Story - Mating Rituals
- 2.15
- 2.16
- 2.17
- 2.18
- 2.19 G
- 2.20
- 2.21
- 2.22 K
- 2.23
- 2.24 T
- 2.25
- 2.26
- Side Story - [Clown] (Pt. 1)
- Side Story - [Clown] (Pt. 2)
- 2.27 G
- 2.28
- 2.29
- 2.30
- 2.31
- 2.32 H
- 2.33
- 2.34
- 2.35
- 2.36 G
- 2.37
- 2.38
- Interlude
- Side Story – The Antinium Wars (Pt.1)
- Side Story – The Antinium Wars (Pt.2)
- 2.39
- 2.40
- 2.41
- 2.42
- 2.43
- 2.44
- 2.45
- 2.46
- 2.47
- 2.48
- Author’s Note