Henrik Saetre

Riftside 2 - Chapter 35

I hit the ground hard, and the wind was knocked out of me. My cloak's protective cocoon absorbed most of the impact, but the force of the blow had still been enough to send me sprawling. 

As the cloak unwrapped, I gasped for air and looked around frantically, trying to find whoever it was that just attacked us.

"Ash!" Eryn cried from nearby where she lay on the ground in what could pass for a small ditch.

"Stay down!" I wheezed, twisting my body about and almost frog-leaping toward her and into the shallow ditch. It was barely deep enough to cover us, but unless the assailant was up on a hill, he wasn’t getting in a straight shot. 

Another arrow whistled through the air where I’d just been lying seconds before. "What's happening?" she asked, her eyes scanning ahead. “What just hit you? I couldn’t see!”"Arrow," I hissed, still feeling the sting in my back. "Archer. Somewhere behind us.” 

"It's the archer from the Domitius group!" Roq growled in my mind. "The lean one who came with Benedict! He's hiding behind those rocks about fifty yards back toward Dawnwatch. I just saw him poking his head out!"

I pulled my shield from my spatial storage and propped it against the edge of the ditch, between us and the direction of the attack. Eryn pressed close to me and tried to check on my back. "How bad is the hit?" she asked.

"Just bruised I think," I said, wincing as she pressed her hand against my back.. "My cloak took all of the damage, but if I hadn’t been wearing it, I’d probably be dead. That was one powerful attack.”

Even an Ironroot Golem's stomp hadn't done that much damage through the cloak.

An arrow slammed into my shield with enough force to partially pierce through. It pushed me back a bit, and I almost slipped ont he ground. Eryn flinched with a startled cry as the arrowhead stopped inches from her face.

"I have no idea how to fight a ranged adventurer," I said. "Those arrows hit way too hard. How is he even doing that?"

"What do we do?" Eryn asked. There was a hint of panic in her voice, but she seemed well-enough to fight.

"Roq, tell me if he moves," I said, then handed the shield to Eryn. "Hold it steady."

She nodded and took the shield, bracing it against the lip of the ditch. Another arrow struck with a metallic thud, embedding itself in the shield's center.

I inched back, swiped out my chest armor, and laid it flat, before crawling inside. I'd forego the armored pants, leaving my legs unprotected for now. There wasn't time for a full suit-up. The next arrow could already be fatal if I didn’t hurry up.

"He's not moving," Roq reported. "Just popping up to shoot. Coward."

I poked my head out once, just to see the general direction, and popped back down, donning my helmet. From what I could see, around us, the archer had positioned himself well between us and Dawnwatch, taking the only real piece of cover nearby. We were pinned down in shallow ditch with little room to maneuver, while he had a good chunk of rock that he could fully hide behind.

"We're trapped here," I said quietly to Eryn, taking the shield from her. "He's got the better cover."

As if to emphasize my point, an arrow whistled down from above, narrowly missing us as it plunged into the dirt beside my leg.

"He's trying to force us to leave the ditch," Eryn said, pulling her legs in and making herself small

"You should have detected him!" Roq accused. "What kind of predator gets ambushed?"

"He approached from behind while I was focused on the target," Arclight replied with icy disdain. "I watch forwards, always. Hunting for prey, not watching for cowards!"

"A real warrior expects danger from every direction!" Roq countered. “That is why you will never be superior, you damned cat!

"I am the danger," Arclight purred. "Not some human with a stick and string."

"You're a newborn who knows nothing of how this world works," Roq sneered. “If that stupid man had tried to kill your wielder instead? She would be dead now!”

"Enough!" I snapped. "We need a plan. We can't stay here—sooner or later, he'll either hit us or get backup. I’m sure of it. There’s no way he’s foolish enough to try and take us on by himself.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Anyone who goes up against me is foolish, Ash.”

“Not now. Look closer, can you see anyone else?”"Hold me up for a better view," Roq said, and I did.

An arrow pinged off his hammerhead.

"Cowardly bastard! Come over here and try that!"

"See anyone?" I asked, lowering my hammer.

"No. But I am going to enjoy feasting on his brains!" Roq said.

"I could try to hit him when he pops out," Eryn said. "But I'd have to expose myself. This ditch is too shallow for proper cover."

"Too risky. There has to be something else we can do," I said.

"What about Forge Anchor?" Roq asked. "Would it even work from here?" 

"No, not quite. You would have do expose yourself a bit first," Roq replied. "You need a clear line of sight, no obstacles. And Ironburst has a too short-range. You'd need to get much closer, but then again, you need to go around to get a clear view of the archer. What a conundrum."

I grimaced.

"If I charge him, it might give you a clean shot, but what if he decides to hit you instead?"

"Suicidal either way," Eryn protested. "If he's a level twenty or higher adventurer, one well-placed arrow could kill you."

"Better than you trying to take him on with nothing but your bow,," I said. "We don’t really have another option."

Eryn flinched as another arrow fell from the sky, blessedly missing us. 

"Arclight," she said, "What type of arrows can you make with Spatial Fletching? Anything that might help?"

"What carcasses do you have in your spatial storage, mate of my wielder?" Arclight asked.

"Those are MY carcasses," Roq hissed. “Get your own! I need them to fuel my skills and heal Ash when he's injured. Which, I might add, I am sure you are jealous of now that your wielder is moments from needing healing herself."

"Roq, grow up!" I snapped. "We're in combat!"

"Fine," Roq muttered. "We have a Steel Scuttler, two Claw Sprecks, and two Shardfangs."

"I require one of the Claw Sprecks," Arclight said. "Its flexible exoskeleton will allow me to craft a curving arrow."

"Are you serious?" I asked. "Can you do that?"

"Obviously," Arclight replied as if the mere question was an insult.

"I don't know how to curve arrows," Eryn said. "Never practiced."

"Worry not, my wielder. I will help you with the shot. It is unlikely to be a kill shot, unless he exposes his throat. We can't draw too hard or it won't hit. But our prey wears light armor. It will wound and distract him."

I nodded and transferred the Claw Spreck carcass to Eryn, who quickly stored it along with Arclight.

An arrow thudded into the ground right beside her leg, making her yelp again.

"Portal piss!" she cursed, her face flushing with anger. She withdrew Arclight again, along with an arrow that had the same yellow stripes as the Claw Sprecks had on their throats. Its fletching was slightly uneven and it had a wickedly barbed tip.

"Now," Arclight said, "Lay on your back and crawl backward slightly. We need a better angle to curve around the right side of the rock."

Eryn did as instructed, positioning herself carefully. I held the shield and looked out for more falling arrows.

"Nock the arrow high," Arclight continued. "A little higher. Good. Now, draw only partway, my power is too strong otherwise. Tilt the bow... further... further... nearly flat. There!"

"Ash, get ready," Arclight commanded.

"Shield! Eryn's stomach! Now!" Roq shouted.

I reacted instantly, moving my shield to cover Eryn's midsection. An arrow fell down, slamming into the shield. It’s tip partially pierced through again. Pa was going to get pissed…

"The prey grows impatient," Arclight growled.

"Thanks," Eryn said, swallowing and holding the arrow.

I rolled onto my side, preparing to move as Arclight helped Eryn re-adjust the shot.

"Now... loose!"

Eryn released the arrow, and it shot upward in a weird curved angle, something I’d never seen before, and  headed toward the assassin's position. Simultaneously, I stood and ran diagonally to the right, the fastest way to get a clear line of sight.

A sharp cry of pain and surprise came from behind the rocks, together with a crackling sound. Not only had the arrow found its mark, but Arclight's stun had triggered, causing the archer to dance in place.

I finally managed to get close enough to get a visual on our attacker. Roq was correct. It was the same lean man who had accompanied Benedict and Serona, now dressed in brown leathers that worked like camouflage. His face contorted in pain as electricity coursed through his body, but he still clutched onto his bow.

"Forge Anchor!"

I slammed Roq into the ground, and steelhusk roots erupted from the ground, snaking around the man's legs, anchoring him in place.

"Drop your bow!" I shouted as I ran at him as the stun effect wore off. Despite being rooted, the assassin's hands moved swiftly, drawing and nocking another arrow.

He drew, and I prepared to raise my shield. Then the bow started glowing, just like Wade's crossbow had when we fought the Titanfang.

He loosed and I cursed under my breath. I dropped to my right and raised my shield, angling it away from me, but the arrow came too fast. It struck the shield and exploded with a deafening boom. The shield shattered, the force of the blast throwing me rolling backward. I felt bones snap in my arm, and hot pain lanced through my legs as splinters tore through my cloth pants and buried into my flesh.

I hit the ground hard, dazed and gasping for air as I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to get a look at the archer."Get up!" Roq bellowed. "Get up and kill the bastard! I demand it! Don’t let the cat get the last hit!"

The Forge Anchor held the man upright, even though several had pierced his body. His head and part of his torso were exposed above the rocks.

Eryn, now standing on the edge of the ditch and bow in hand, was holding onto an arrow. It glowed just as viciously as the one that just struck me."Draw to full strength," Arclight instructed. "Aim for the top of the rock."

As Eryn drew Arclight to full extension, the assassin calmly nocked another arrow and pointed it right at me.

I placed Roq above my heart as I struggled to rise and protect myself with the splintered remains of my shield at the same time.

Aim for my head, you bastard.

Out of all my gear, except for Roq, I most trusted in the Bonebound Vigil, forged from the Platemaw's skull, to stop an arrow.

The assassin likely thought the same, and didn’t risk the arrow bouncing off my armor. His next arrow slammed into my right shoulder, knocking me back down and making my arm go limp. I released Roq, and he fell to the dirt alongside me.

My eyes landed on Eryn as I settled onto the ground, and her arrow finally reaching the same bright glow as the one that splintered my shield, lightning lightning crackling around the arrowhead. 

The assassin tried to shift his upper body away, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Eryn's arrow struck the top of the rock he was hiding behind and blasted right through it and the man’s head alike.

He was dead before even one of my steelhusk roots evaporated.

"NOOOO!" Roq screamed in outrage. "That was OUR kill! You glory-stealing, pompous feline!"

"I simply finished what you couldn't, warmonger," Arclight replied smugly.

“Roq, Arclight, you sense anyone else around?” I asked, barely managing to string together a coherent question.

“Not one,” Roq said. “She took the only kill!”

I slumped back, the adrenaline ebbing and pain flooding in. Eryn rushed to my side, her face pale as she examined my wounds.

"Ash! How bad is it?" Eryn asked. “Does it hurt?”

"Been worse," I mumbled. "Roq can heal me. Help me pick him up?”

"You're welcome," Arclight purred in our minds. "The prey has been dealt with. I feel my power growing already. The first human kill has strengthened me considerably."

"How strong?" Roq asked, his voice tight with suspicion.

"I am now level five," Arclight announced with an unhealthy dose of pride. "A significant advancement for such a short time of existence. I bet the speed of your own progress didn’t even come close to mine."

"Enough, Arclight. Ash, let me--it’s going to hurt a bit, okay? But everything’s going to be better soon,” Eryn whispered, taking my hand and placing it on Roq, then touched my  spatial tattoo with my left hand to activate it. 

I expected Roq to explode on Arclight, but to my shock, he replied in a strained, unnaturally calm voice.

"Thank you... for helping deal with the threat," Roq said, sounding as if he were chewing glass with every word. "And... congratulations on reaching level five."

"Your gratitude is noted, though unnecessary," Arclight replied dismissively. "I merely did what you could not."

Before Roq could respond, I willed him into my storage and I felt the familiar warmth of Blood Forge beginning to work on my damaged body. 

"Arclight," Eryn said sharply once Roq was stored away, "Play nice. We're all on the same side. And before you start, I know, you are much younger than him, so it will take time, and a lot of patience, but I do not wish to do the same thing as Ash does with Roq. If you misbehave, I will store you away."

“Not acceptable. He is your… pack mate,” Eryn said, likely to Arclight. “I don’t care if he’s crude,” she continued. “Then you do better. Be better. Show him proper behaviour,” Eryn said, standing and turning to stare at the dead archer. 

"Eryn?" I asked softly, getting to my feet without using my arms. "Are you okay?"

"I killed him," she said, swallowing hard. "A person. Not a monster."

"He was trying to kill us," I reminded her gently.

Eryn held up a hand, silencing me. “Arclight. Humans are not prey, alright? Even if he did try to kill us, he’s still a person. He had a life, a family maybe…”

Eryn's face contorted, and I nearly swiped Roq out to hear. 

"It's not the same," she said. “And no, of course not. We defend ourselves. But that doesn’t make this right. I want to help people, not kill them.”

My right arm healed just enough so I could move my fingers, and I took Eryn's hand. 

"It's okay to feel this way," I said. "It means you're human. You did what you had to do to protect us both."

“I did but…Ash, what is wrong with these people!?” Eryn said. “Sending a rift rotten assassin to try and kill us? Right after you helped save Dawnwatch?”

“Greed and madness for power, love. We will make them pay,” I said. “One way or another. They just told us that we’re fair game, so we will repay them in equal measure.”

She nodded shakily, squeezing my hand, and took a deep sigh. 

“What do we even do with him?"

“I’m not sure. Maybe check and see if he has anything on him about why he’d do this?”

“What, like orders from Serona?” Eryn asked. “Think they are that careless? Or that he’d be dumb enough to carry them outside his spatial storage?”

“No, but…” I shrugged, then winced from the pain. “Let’s check anyway. If he’s got mind gems we’re taking those, and his gear. If any of it is usable. It wouldn’t hurt to have a backup bow. And you can stay here if you want. I will do it. Just need to…recover a bit more.”

“No,” Eryn said. “I should be the one to do it, not you. Especially not wounded as you are.”

She helped me up and we made our way over to the body cautiously. The archer's face was frozen in a grimace, the top of his skull gone. His equipment was definitely of high quality but unmarked. There wasn’t so much as a hint of House Domitius markings.

"Nothing," Eryn said after we'd searched him thoroughly. "Just his weapons and gear."

"This is crazy," I said, shaking my head. “House Domitius just straight up tried to kill us in broad daylight. We should report this to Edwin in the very least, see what he can do to help.”

Eryn frowned. 

"If it was that simple, would they have risked sending an assassin? Serona doesn't strike me as stupid. No, she’s a cunning woman, Ash. There’s more to it, trust me."

"What do you mean?"

"What if..." Eryn sighed. "What if she has a backup plan? What if she wants us to accuse her without any proof?"

I considered her words. 

“If she knows about Ivan and how we banished the others, maybe there is a way to twist it back on us. Make us look like the murderers, even though it was self-defense."

“If we brought Edwin and Harold out here, could we prove it was self-defence?” Eryn asked. “And how do we explain killing a high-level adventurer without inviting scrutiny, especially with the guild officials here? They'd want to know everything about us, including how we killed someone many levels higher than us."

“Edwin might help, but we’ve seen how far Harold is willing to stick his neck out, and that ain’t far,” I said, nodding grimly. “If we bring the guild into this, it means questions about Roq, my stats, and Arclight."

"What if we just... don't tell anyone?” Eryn said. “Bury the body far from here, don't take anything from this bastard, and don't ever mention anything?"

"Just pretend nothing happened?"

"Exactly. We don't accuse Serona. Try not to even look angry around her. Wouldn't that mess with her head the most? She'll be waiting for us to make accusations or attack her in return, and when we don't..."

"She'll wonder if her assassin chickened out or if we're planning something," I finished. "It might protect us better than any accusation. That’s only if we’re on the right track."

"And it keeps us out of the spotlight, if nothing else," Eryn added.

"Right, let's do it. We'll bury him far enough that no one will find him," I said, pulling Roq back out. For some odd reason, I missed holding him in moments like these.

"We should move quickly," Arclight interjected. "If one prey was suicidal enough to attack us, others might be waiting to take their turn."

The thought chilled me. 

“Don’t worry, kitty, we will protect you if they show up,” Roq said, and I could feel the smugness radiating off him.

“She’s right, though. What if Benedict and the others are waiting to ambush us on the way back to Dawnwatch in case the archer failed?”

Eryn scanned the horizon. 

“Let’s take a long walk back, enter another gate. Maybe even wait until dark to sneak back in."

"Good idea," I agreed, wincing as I bent to grab the archer. Blood Forge had at least dulled the pain, but I was far from healed. “Sorry, buddy, I still need you in there,” I said and stored Roq again, then eyed the corpse.

Riftside 2 - Chapter 34

I eyed Eryn as she held on to Arclight, grinning proudly. The bow was truly a work of art, and merging with Arclight’s gem had only improved it further, the lightning globule glowing like a golden thunderstorm. The Woodweaver spikes at each end glowed faintly purple.

“Greetings, wielder. I am Arclight. How does your pack know you?” a smooth, feminine voice purred in my mind, catching me completely off guard.

“I’m Eryn,” Eryn said, smiling wide.

“Riftrot!” I cursed, my eyes widening.

“Oh, did you hear her too?" Eryn asked.

Before I could answer, chaos erupted in my mind.

"What? You dare invade our bond?" Roq's voice thundered. "Ash is MY wielder! Mine! How dare you intrude on my territory?"

"How predictable,” Arclight replied with silky disdain. "The loud hammer believes it has exclusive rights for racket. Tell me, Eryn, and may I say what a lovely name you have, but is he always this... loud?"

"Um, actually, I’ve never before—" Eryn began.

"Listen here, you glorified stick-thrower!" Roq bellowed. "I was here first! I am the superior weapon! Got it?"

“What’s going on, Ash?” Pa asked me.

"Roq, please—" I tried to interject, raising a hand to Pa.

"I am speaking with my wielder," Arclight cut in smoothly. "Do control your primitive tool, mate of my wielder. Ash was it? Eryn and I are trying to become acquainted, and your…pet is interrupting."

"Is this normal?" Eryn asked me, her voice rising slightly. "Having Roq talk over people like this?"

"P--pet? Primitive?” Roq sputtered. “I’ll show you primitive when I smash you into kindling!"

"You would need to catch me first, blunt object,” Arclight said. “Eryn, your mate's weapon lacks... finesse. How do you tolerate him?"

"Well, I’ve been led to understand he grew on Ash—" Eryn started.

"Nothing grows on me! I am perfection incarnate!" Roq screeched. “Show some respect, you welp!”

Knut and Nabeeh exchanged glances, shrugged, and approached Eryn.

"Congratulations!" Knut said, clapping her on the shoulder. "Soul weapon! Very powerful! And I can hear you two having… fun, no? Probably a lot yelling in here?" he pointed to his head.

"Yes, well done!" Nabeeh added. "This is incredible!"

Eryn didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on me as Roq and Arclight quarrelled. I could only stare back at her, feeling a strange mix of sympathy and amusement. I’d had Roq in my mind to practice with, and it had felt overwhelming to me just talking to a single monster soul. I could only imagine what this would be like for her having two endure two of them.

“Are you alright, Eryn?" Ma asked. “What’s going on? Talk to us.”

I shook my head. 

“I’ve had Roq talking in my head since we forged the hammer. Well, now there are two voices in there, and I have a feeling she’s experiencing the same thing."

Eryn burst into laughter, the sound slightly hysterical. 

"Yes! I can hear Arclight in my mind! This will definitely take some getting used to." She grinned and waved at my hammer. "Also, hi Roq! You're real! I mean, I believed you were, but hearing you is completely different!"

"Of course I'm real!" Roq huffed indignantly. "More real than that overgrown cat-stick, anyway! See, I have been alive for much longer, so I should definitely be the senior soul weapon."

"How good is bow?" Knut asked, eyeing Arclight with professional interest and ignoring the chatty parts.

"It has several abilities! The first—” Eryn stopped suddenly, shaking her head as the mental argument between Arclight and Roq continued unabated. “Please," she said, holding the bow out to me. “I can’t focus on so many conversations at once. Have a look and tell them.”

I took Arclight carefully, and checked its stats.

NAME: Arclight

WEAPON CLASS: Soul Weapon

LEVEL: 1

EXPERIENCE: [----------] 0%

WEAPON TYPE: Bow, Ranged, Piercing

ATTACK SPEED: Medium to Fast

RANGE: Long

SPECIAL:

NAME: Predator’s Patience

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: Increase damage dealt the longer the bow is held fully drawn, up to a maximum of three seconds. The extra damage modifier resets on release.

NAME: Static Arrow

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: Every arrow deals extra lightning elemental damage to target, and it has a chance to inflict stun upon impact.

NAME: Spatial Fletching

TYPE: Active

DESCRIPTION: Creates a single arrow from stored monster carcass materials every three seconds while the Soul Weapon is inside the user’s spatial storage. The number of arrows rises by one every time Arclight gains a level. Created arrows dissolve five minutes after leaving wielder’s spatial storage.

Suddenly, a painful jolt of electricity shot through my hands and up my arms. I yelped and dropped the bow, which clattered to the floor.

"That was merely a warning, considering you are my wielder's mate. Try again, and it will be worse,” Arclight said and I could hear the smugness in her voice.

"Break it!" Roq demanded furiously. "Smash it now, Ash! That thing is dangerous! See? I would never attack Eryn! That cat is vile, I tell you! Vile!"

Eryn just laughed and picked up Arclight, running a hand over it with obvious affection. 

“You are dangerous too, Roq,” she said. “Remember breaking Knut’s hand just because you thought it was funny?” 

“That was COMPLETELY different. That was a joke,” Roq sputtered in defense.

As I told the others of the bow’s abilities, Eryn walked over to Pa and held her arms out. At first, he shied away, clearly afraid of being zapped as well, but after a moment's hesitation, he gave her a warm hug.

"Thank you for the wonderful bow, Pa," she said, her voice thick with emotion. “I’ll definitely make you proud. I will also make sure to keep my man alive.”

“You are welcome, dear,” Pa said. “I know you’ll do good with it.”

"It's a shame Arclight doesn't have a healing ability like Roq does," I commented as Eryn gave Ma a hug of thanks.

"Why would I waste an ability on that?" Arclight scoffed. "If my wielder is wounded, then we have made a mistake. Who lives? The one who stores fat to survive lean days, or the one who builds strong muscles to never fail in a hunt?”

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Roq exploded. "Healing is essential! It's kept Ash alive countless times! But what would you know about loyalty and protection, you glorified lightning rod?"

Arclight ignored Roq completely and addressed Eryn. 

"I am pleased to be liberated from the Hive Mind, my wielder. Together, we shall show that crude hammer what a soul weapon can truly do."

I blinked, taken aback by Arclight's personality. She was nothing like Roq—calculating, cold, and precise where he was boisterous, hot-tempered, and chaotic.

"Arclight," I asked carefully, "Can you tell us more about the Hive Mind and how it works? I mean, only if you remember and feel like telling us?"

Silence followed.

Eryn frowned and repeated my question. 

"Arclight? What can you tell us about the Hive Mind?"

"I umm…" Arclight replied thoughtfully. "I can tell you how..." She trailed off again. "That's strange. My memories are... like an elders coat."

“Thick?” Eryn asked.

“Spotty,” Arclight replied, genuinely surprised by her own answer. “I know it all yet…I can’t…seem to put it to words.”

"Ha!" Roq crowed triumphantly. "The great Arclight doesn't even remember! Some superior weapon you are."

"Silence, you worthless lump of metal!" Arclight hissed. "How dare you mock me? I will destroy you!"

I caught Eryn's eye and made a quick gesture. In perfect synchronization, we both swiped our weapons into our spatial storages. 

I sighed in relief at the sudden silence, while Eryn started laughing again.

"What did Arclight say?" Knut asked.

Eryn took a good few seconds and wiped the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. 

"It seems she has some memory issues. And it didn't help that Roq immediately antagonized her."

"If Arclight can't handle that,” I said, “Your bow is going to be driven absolutely insane.”

Eryn looked at me with raised eyebrows. 

"Is Roq truly that poorly mannered?"

“Poorly mannered?” I said, and started laughing, then doubled over and tears filled my eyes, too, as I laughed, barely managing to stop. "Yeah! You have no idea what an arsehole he is!”

Eryn couldn’t resist my infectious laughter and joined in with a chuckle. 

"I might end up regretting getting a soul weapon."

When I was finally able to calm down, I wiped my eyes and took in a deep breath. 

“I think Eryn and I are going to need a moment. There are simply too many voices in our heads.”

Eryn chuckled.

"What will you do?" Nabeeh asked.

I took Eryn's hand. 

“We’re going to take a nice long walk, and then meet you all back home later."

*

Eryn and I walked hand in hand through Dawnwatch, heading home from the smithy.

"I wonder if all… you know, weapons talk in their wielders' heads," I said. 

"Maybe that's why they're so rare,” Eryn suggested. “The wielders are all driven insane." 

I laughed weakly.

"Despite his rudeness, I'm happy to finally hear Roq," Eryn said. “I’m surprised at how deep and gravelly his voice is though. It fits him."

"What did you imagine it to be like?" I asked.

She tilted her head thoughtfully. 

"I guess I thought he'd sound more... like the sound of metal on metal? Screechy? Like nails on a chalkboard?”

Eryn suddenly pulled me to a stop in the middle of the street and wrapped her arms around me. 

"I'm happy you're not crazy," she whispered against my chest. “There were times that I thought you’d lost it a bit. I’m sorry.”

I laughed at that, feeling slightly self-conscious about the public display of affection and I got the feeling we were being watched. 

"What if you're just crazy too?"

She ran a gentle hand across my face, her eyes soft. 

"That's fine too. Then we can be crazy together."

To hell with it. 

I leaned down and kissed her, not caring who saw. 

"I love you," I told her.

“I love you too,” Erin said, smiling up at me.

We continued walking, and I squeezed her hand. 

"Why did the voice say your fear is to be lonely?"

"Because that is my fear," she said simply. "I lost my family. Of course I'm afraid of being lonely." She smiled up at me. "But after meeting you, I haven't felt lonely even once." Her smile faltered. "No, that's not true."

"What? When?" I asked.

"I felt lonely twice," she admitted. "When you decided to fight the Platemaw that first time. It felt like you were shutting me out, not being yourself anymore."

"And the second?"

She gave me a meaningful look. "I think you know."

I nodded slowly. 

"In the crystal cave when I nearly lost control."

"Yes."

I forced a grin. 

"Well, now you've got a talking voice who might want to control you in your head, too! But at least we know how to keep you safe. Just got to keep you at a higher level than Arclight.”

"And I'll never be alone again!" Eryn laughed. "Though I wonder if there's a way to not hear Roq. If he's always as bloodthirsty and... Roq-y as you say, it might be… challenging.”

I squeezed her hand and laughed, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. 

"You have no idea how good it feels to have someone to share this all with! He is crazy, but he's also changing. For the better. It's like he's a small child, one that struggles to regulate and control his own emotions and wants and just lashes out at others." I paused as I said those words. "I wonder if Arclight will be the same."

"I hope not," Eryn said fervently.

"This has potential to be extra powerful, though," I pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

"Depending on the distance Arclight and Roq can communicate in our heads, you and I could use that to communicate as well."

"Hmm, you’re right. That is a truly powerful ability on its own.What's the longest distance you can hear Roq's thoughts?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. 

"I've actually never tried to find out. Like, I just carry him around wherever I go."

"Why not?"

"Don't laugh," I said, "But I haven't wanted to be separated from Roq. It kind of feels like having a pet, or a kid, that I'm responsible for. A bloodthirsty and murderous pet, but yeah. I never really wanted to be away from him.” Eryn nodded. 

"I can imagine you wanting to keep him around. Just in case, too."

"We should find out, though maybe it's not the first thing we ought to test,” I said.

"Agreed," Eryn said as we walked into the backyard of our home. "The first thing we need to test is how well I can shoot with Arclight and how much damage she does.”

I nodded and walked over to pick up the one archery target we had, swiping it into my storage. 

"I hope this is in one piece when I pull it back out," I muttered, worrying about Roq smashing it. I still didn’t fully understand everything about how spatial storages worked, especially when it came to soul weapons.

We hiked about thirty minutes through the dry and grassy land outside of Dawnwatch, chatting casually as we went. My mind wandered back to the night when we took care of the Domitius thugs, and how they’d been hiding just outside of town.

"What are you thinking?" Eryn asked, noticing my distraction.

"It's kind of strange how isolated we are here on the frontier,” I said. “How cut off from the rest of the world, yet this place feels like a world of its own.”

She gestured around us. 

"That's why it's called the frontier, isn't it?"

"True," I agreed, "But I mean that we barely ever leave Dawnwatch. Or, that's not true, but we only leave it to head Riftside."

Eryn waved her hands more emphatically at our surroundings. 

"There's not exactly a lot of interesting stuff around here, is there?"

"We have more fun Riftside, that’s for sure.”

“And it’s about to get a lot more fun if Arclight is even half as powerful as I hope she is,” Eryn said, grinning. Then suddenly, she stopped walking. "Do you think Arclight can help me have an outstanding breakthrough like you had?"

I considered it. 

"What made Roq able to help with my breakthrough was his healing ability, fixing parts of my body as the process went. And we already know Arclight’s perspective on that.”

"Maybe we could get Katherine to help by healing me?" Eryn said.

I nodded slowly. 

"I guess, but how? We'd have to tell her we have soul weapons, right? Or can we lie well enough to make her think we had another healer come by and perform the whole process on me?”

“No. I don’t see a way for us not to tell her at least something." She sighed. "I thought it was tough to keep Roq a secret, but now that I have my own soul weapon, it feels like it's about to get a lot harder."

"We'll figure something out," I assured her. "First thing first, which is to test out Arclight!"

"No," Eryn said firmly, stepping closer. "First is this." She pulled me down for a deep kiss that left me breathless.

"What was that for?" I asked when we finally broke apart.

"That was a thank you for getting me a soul weapon."

"It's not as if I did all the work.”"No, but I wouldn't have done it without you." Then she grinned like a cat and wiggled her eyebrows. "Now, run a hundred and fifty feet in that direction and set up the target! And then, hurry out of the way. I can't wait to try the bow!"

I did as she asked, returning to stand beside her as she took out Arclight. The bow was truly magnificent.

“You alright?" I asked after she stared at the bow for several seconds.

She looked at me in surprise. 

“You can’t hear her?"

I shook my head, realising she must be talking mentally with Arclight like I usually did with Roq. 

"It seems I can only hear her when we both have our weapons out. I wonder if the reason we can hear each other’s weapon is because we used a piece of the Woodweaver to forge Arclight, or if we can now hear every soul weapon that comes close.”

"Arclight thinks the forging might indeed be the case," Eryn relayed.

I chuckled and scratched my neck. 

"It's really weird being on this side of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Being on the side that doesn’t hear half the conversation. Makes me wonder how crazy I must have been looking."

Eryn laughed. 

"You've been looking completely crazy, but fortunately, you're attractive enough for it to be charming." She winked at me, then turned her attention back to Arclight. "Yes, I will."

She swiped out a quiver from her spatial storage and hooked it to her belt, then nocked an arrow, a regular one, drew the bow fully, and held it. A subtle humming sound emanated from Arclight while sparks began to appear at the arrow's tip, growing in intensity with each passing second. After about three seconds, the hum stabilized, and Eryn released.

The arrow flew through the air, trailing sparks like a miniature comet. It struck the target dead center with a crack of thunder, blasting straight through and leaving a charred, smoking fist-sized hole where the bullseye had been.

Eryn whooped in delight, and I laughed. 

"Roq is going to be so upset when he sees this."

"Let's find out," she said with a mischievous smile, nodding toward my wrist.

I swiped out Roq, who immediately started complaining. 

"Took you long enough to—dodge!"

Before I could react, my woodwoven mantle cloak wrapped around me in its protective cocoon.

An intense pain flared in my back as something slammed into me from the direction of Dawnwatch, sending me tumbling forward as if I’d been hit by a hammer.

Arclight's voice snarled in my mind, cold and predatory. 

“How dare the prey stalk us! I demand retribution!”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 33

The soul gem was warm in my hand, but nothing happened as I held it against the hammer. We just watched it for a long moment, half-expecting fireworks or something. When nothing happened, Roq began to strain mentally, at least I thought that was what he did, as he made strenuous noises directly in my mind. It sounded just…awful.

"Come to papa, you beautiful sparky bastard!" Roq growled. "Join with me! Become one with greatness and let me eat your soul! FUSE already, damn you!"

I struggled to keep a straight face as he tried different approaches, his voice growing increasingly frustrated.

"Merge! Combine! Assimilate! Absorb! Ammat! OBEY ME! Here kitty, kitty! Meow, meow, meow!" 

Roq also tried commanding in what he claimed was ‘the ancient tongue of soul gems,’ but sounded suspiciously like gibberish.

"Perhaps if I seduce it? Hello there, you gorgeous lightning ball. Come here often? I’ve got a nice personality for you to evolve with.”

"What's happening?" Eryn asked, watching me hold Roq against the gem.

"Roq's trying to draw the gem in," I said. "He's... getting creative with his approach."

"BY THE POWER OF BLOOD AND BREAKAGE, I COMMAND THEE!" Roq bellowed mentally. "SUBMIT TO MY MAGNIFICENCE OR I WILL ABUSE YOU IN WAYS UNIMAGINABLE!"

After several minutes of increasingly desperate attempts, Roq finally gave up.

"It's not working," he admitted, dejection heavy in his voice. "Stupid, stubborn, lightning-infused piece of crystallized cat piss! I hate it. I hate everything. I'm a failure. I'll never break through. I'll be stuck at level nine forever!”

"It's okay, Roq," I said, patting his head. “This just means you don’t need a soul gem, and in a way, isn’t that good? We just need to figure out what it is, but as long as it’s not a soul gem, it will be easy enough to help you break through.”

“How, exactly, do you figure? We have no idea!”

“If you needed a soul gem every tenth level, what’s the chance we’d find another? You’d be stuck at level nineteen instead of nine. I don’t know of anything more rare than a soul gem. So…”

“I’m still stuck.”

“We'll figure it out,” I said.

“And how about I bake you a new flavor of pie," Ma offered."I might also have spent some money I shouldn't on fabrics which should be here any day now."

"Is this true?" Roq gasped, forcing me to relay the question.

"Yes, it's true," Ma confirmed with a smile. "I'm working on a new pillow. Only the best for the good little hammer that helps keep my son safe, right?"

"Ma speaks the truth and has impeccable judgment," Roq declared. "I have always said this."

“Say thanks.”

“You tell her I said thanks.”

“You have to say it first.”

“Please tell Ma I said ‘thanks’.”

“He says thanks,” I said and smiled at Ma.

"So, what's the plan now?" Nabeeh asked, eyeing the gem.

"We'll forge a weapon for Knut or Eryn," I said.

“How we decide?" Knut asked. “Arm wrestling? Drinking contest? I am not pretty, so if we do that, I lose.”

“Dance-off?” Eryn joked, and Knut shuddered.

“Listen up,” Pa said, using his teacher voice. “When it comes to forging a soul weapon, there is only one expert here, and that is me. And I barely know anything. What we learned forging Roq is that the gem chooses its weapon, not the other way around, so it isn’t what either of you want, it is what the soul gem wants.”

“How do you know what it wants?” Nabeeh asked, her curiosity piqued.

“The gem vibrates near the weapon type it wants,” I said, smiling down at Roq as I remembered the excitement I’d felt as he vibrated above Pa’s steelhusk hammer.

“True,” Pa said. “Once we know the weapon type, we'll make the best possible weapon of that type, then push the gem against it, and it’ll absorb into the weapon.” Then he shrugged. “At least that's how it was with Roq, but it is as good a lead as any."

“Once the gem and weapon are combined, the one who will bind with the weapon picks it up," I said. “This part is…not easy. When I picked up Roq we had a mental struggle. Or, I guess I always thought it was with Roq. Maybe the struggle was with the Hive Mind?” 

I shrugged, unsure of what I was even talking about. All these things were so new and foreign that we could only guess.

“Do you remember the struggle, Roq?” Eryn asked.

"Not much," Roq admitted. “I do remember waking up, and I knew I was me, but I didn't know who 'me' was. And I’m not sure when this was. You swiped me into your sensory deprivation chamber right after. Which was really scary. I do remember fighting, feeling it was that or be consumed.”

I relayed his comments, before adding, “So we don't know what the 'real' process is, but we will go through the same steps because at least we know they worked. Fight the weapon for a while, then swipe it into storage and leave it there. Then take it out later and see if it will behave."

Eryn and Knut nodded their agreement.

A while later, Pa had pulled out his best stock and placed all the weapons on the tables along the wall in the smithy, just like we had when forging Roq. 

There were axes, one handed and two handed, mauls, bows, crossbows, slings, daggers, maces, and even Nabeeh’s staff. Just in case it really wanted to bond with a mage. 

“Ready?” I asked.

Pa shook his head and then took out Platemaw's Fury, gave it a quick kiss, and placed it at the end with a heavy sigh. 

“If it chooses my new hammer, I don’t know what I’ll do,” he muttered, stepping back.

"Worked out pretty well the first time," I said, giving him a wink. “Imagine me dual-wielding hammers. I’d be unstoppable.”

Pa gave me a mock-glare and we all chuckled.

I swiped out the gem and slowly passed it over a battleaxe.

Knut leaned forward excitedly. 

"Anything?" he asked.

The gem remained still in my hand, and I shook my head.

"Many melee left," Knut said to himself. “Maybe something else.”

And he wasn't wrong.

Next came mauls, warhammers, and maces that would suit his shieldbearer style. Still, even after going through a few more, we had nothing.

Knut exhaled through his nose but gave me an encouraging wave to continue.

For Eryn, I started with the bows, but got nothing. Eryn bit her lip, her fingers twitching as if wanting to reach out, but the soul gem showed no reaction. 

The gem showed an equal lack of interest in the crossbow, dagger, flail, sword, scimitar, two-handed sword, or spear. 

Pa placed his new dissecting blade down, but that too yielded nothing.

Then I passed it over Nabeeh's staff, and just like before, the soul gem remained inert in my hand, its inner lightning dancing lazily but showing no preference.

Only Pa's hammer remained. 

"Just do it already," Pa said, waving a hand and looking as if I was about to steal his firstborn. 

I moved my hand slowly across, and then I shouted and jumped, and shook my hand.

Pa shouted in surprise, and the others jerked too. I turned slowly, biting my lip, and Pa cursed up a storm as he figured it out right away. I was joking, and he knew it.

"Sorry, Pa," I said, grinning. "I just couldn't help myself. You have to admit that it would have been funny."

"I didn't find that entertaining at all," Roq said. 

It was his first comment since we started testing for a new soul weapon.

"You young whippersnapper, I ought to..." Pa said, grabbing Platemaw's Fury off the table, though I could have sworn his mouth twitched into a smile.

"Maybe not a soul gem?" Knut asked. "Or process different for each one?"

"Could be," I said, "But..." I looked around the room for other things to try.

"Guess it wants something else," Nabeeh said. "Try a cane like my uncle?"

"Not my first choice," I said. "Knut, would you pull out your shield, please."

His face lit up and he did so. I walked over with the gem to test it, but still nothing happened.

"What about that?" Eryn asked and nodded. 

"What?" I asked, turning to look. 

"Maybe Arclight's gem wants Arclight's bow?" she said, looking at Stormstrider where it stood propped up in the corner and out of the way. Pa had placed it there earlier via a quick trip through his spatial storage.

"I already tested a bow," I said. "And it might not be the best idea to bind the gem with a bow we don't even know can be used."

"Just check," Eryn said. "Please?"

I looked at Knut who nodded.

"Alright," I said, and held the gem out at arms reach, not overly keen on getting zapped, and moved closer.

Once the gem was within a few feet of the bow, it pulsed—once, twice—like a heartbeat. 

“I think—”

Before I could finish the sentence, jagged forks of lightning lanced out from Stormstrider and yanked the gem from my grip. The gem slammed into the bow’s riser with a sound like a thunderclap.

Sparks exploded from the bow and electricity arced across the forge in whip-like tendrils. A searing jolt hurled me backward, and for a terrifying second, my muscles locked rigid, every hair on my body standing on end.

Knut bellowed as a bolt grounded in the shield he was still holding out, driving him to a knee. Nabeeh yelped, her hair standing upright as if she’d been hit by a lightning strike. 

Pa and Ma were seemingly spared, standing behind the main anvil.

In the corner, Stormstrider floated, electricity crackling from it. The bow’s runes blazed purple-gold, so bright they seared afterimages into my vision. The air itself warped around it, shimmering like a heat haze.

Then—

Snap.

The electrical energy rushed back into the bow with a sound like a thousand shattering mirrors. The force of it sucked the air from my lungs, and for a heartbeat, the smithy was utterly silent.

Stormstrider clattered to the floor and just lay there like any other weapon.

“Bad kitty!”

Light moved along the runes along the bow’s limbs, all the way to the Woodweaver spikes, setting them glowing at their tips, and the Lightning Globule embedded in the riser shone with golden light.

Eryn, weirdly untouched by it all, stepped toward the bow. 

I reached out to stop her, but she pushed my hand away. "Why?" she asked, eyes never leaving the hovering weapon, but did hold back for a moment. “Look, it has chosen me.”

"This isn't some monster we've strategized for how to battle,” I said, straightening myself. “I know you can handle anything thrown at us as well as I can, but this... it’s magical, and we have no idea how it works. What are its rules?" I shook my head. "When I bonded with Roq, it nearly killed me, and Roq didn't have lightning shooting out of it."

“No offense.”

“Offense taken.”

Eryn turned to look at me. “You didn’t know what you were doing back then either, Ash. This is my path. I'm sure of it."

"What about doing your breakthrough first?" I asked, a genuine worry filling me. 

Eryn laughed. 

“And what? We’re just going to let a soul weapon lay there in the corner while I go through what you say is the worst experience of your life? Hoping nobody comes and takes it?" She shook her head. "No. This is mine. You all know it, and I know it deep in my bones. I'm going to claim it.”

"If she dies, I call dibs on her room," Nabeeh said, though her eyes betrayed her concern. "It gets better morning light."

"Nabeeh!" I protested.

"What? I'm being practical. Besides, she's not going to die," Nabeeh said. "Look at her face. That bow belongs to her and you can all see it. Have some faith in her."

"Eryn has warrior spirit," Knut declared. "Bow knows this. Recognizes her. I support, but be careful. Not like Roq. Is different.”

"I agree with the big man," Roq said. "That bow wants her. It's practically screaming her name. Can't you hear it?"

"You can hear it?"

"Not literally," Roq said. "I can feel it, b ut that might just be my imagination. Either way, some things are just meant to be. Like, if she dies, it was meant to be.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. 

“Fine. You are right. I get it. I'd do the same. I’m just…” I looked at Eryn. “If it starts cooking you like you've snorted powdered glowcaps, I'm knocking that damn thing out of your hands."

She walked over and gave me a quick kiss. 

"I love you too." Then she turned to Knut and said, "Hold Ash back.” 

The northerner put a hand on my shoulder as she strode over to the bow. I tried to shake it off as she reached for Stormstrider, but he held firm. The man had a grip.

The moment Eryn’s fingers closed around the bow, lightning arced up her arm and the veins beneath her skin glowed with purple blue light. Her back arched violently, every muscle locking. A scream tore from her throat, not just of pain, but of something deeper.

Eryn’s body shook, but her fingers moved as if adjusting their grip, and her voice cut off, replaced by a voice that was both Eryn's and not. It echoed through the forge. 

"You fear loneliness. I fear nothing. Together, we shall burn the world."

Then, like a storm passing, the energy receded. It didn’t dissipate, but instead flowed inward, absorbed into Eryn and the bow. 

Wisps of smoke curled from Eryn's clothing and hair as she just stood there, breathing heavily yet steady, despite the ordeal. Stormstrider seemed to rest comfortably in her grip as she turned to grin at me. 

"Told you it wanted me.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 32

We sat upstairs around the dining table where Ma had prepared venison stew for lunch. Knut and Pa shared a mug of ale, while Ma, Eryn, Nabeeh, and I stayed with tea. Lysander had begged his leave, heading to the Hollow Hearth for a rest, promising to return later and start working on the second bow.

Eryn stared at her bowl of stew, stirring at it with a spoon. I knew she was thinking of Stormstrider where it lay in the forge, crackling with lightning and just being a nasty piece of work even in death.

"I feel like it's mocking me," Eryn said, not having to specify what ‘it’ was. "All that work, all that hope..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And it bites like a rabid Shardfang. Maybe Arclight cursed us in death? ‘You may get my carcass, but you will never have me’, or something."

Nabeeh flicked a bread crust across the table, completely missing Eryn and wincing as Ma glared at her for littering. 

"Eat,” the fire mage said. “Pouting won't make the bow any less temperamental." Her tone softened slightly. "Besides, Lysander said he'd make you another. We saw what he and Pa are capable of, right? It will be just as good."

Eryn shook her head. 

“It won't be like this one, I know it."

“And good that is! You deserve better! Tell her, Ash. Arclight?” Roq scoffed. “I don’t know what you were thinking trying to make a weapon from that fleabag.”

Knut put his tankard down with enough force to make our bowls shift. 

"Good weapon fights back," he declared. “Conquer it, Eryn. Like Ash did.”

"Hey—" I protested through a mouthful of stew and Pa chuckled, reaching for the roll of bread, but Ma smacked his hand. 

"Thomas Tharen, you've already had three. Leave some for the youngsters, will you?” she said, giving him a mock glare.

Pa growled and lifted the basket instead. 

“Anyone?”

We all waved our surrender.

“See?” Pa said, and grabbed the roll with a grin, stuffing half into his mouth and standing before Ma could get a word in. “Ash, need help with something,” he said, his words muffled by the food.

"With what?" I asked.

"Don't talk back to your elders," Pa growled, though there was no real heat in his words.

I sighed and stood. 

"Fine. Coming, Pa."

I took Eryn’s hand and gave it a squeeze, but her fingers remained limp in my grasp. 

"If this is about destroying that bow to show Eryn how she’s not missing out on anything, then count me in!” Roq said as I followed Pa downstairs and into the smithy.

Pa closed the door behind us, and took a deep breath. I was about to ask what was wrong when he swiped a gem from his spatial storage.

“Class cursed monster balls," I hissed under my breath. “And you only tell me now?”

The gem resting in his calloused palm was unlike any other gem I’d seen before. No, that wasn’t true. I’d seen one like it in this very smithy.

“Bloody liver brains," Roq spat in my mind. “A soul gem. A SOUL GEM! And from Arclight? No. Ash. I refuse to believe it. Tell him to throw it into the fire!”

Electric blue light swirled with ribbons of golden yellow inside the gem, matching the crackling energy of Arclight's fur. Deep within, miniature lightning bolts danced and forked, creating patterns like veins of those seen in monster brains. I put my face as close as I dared, looking at the tiny storm clouds in its center.

Pa rotated the gem carefully, showing me the different sides. 

"Found it wrapped in sinew near Arclight’s heart," he said, his voice low. "Like the damn thing was hiding it from us even in death."

“Actually, I retract my previous comments. This is great!” Roq said. "Touch it to me, right now! Maybe this’ll get me my breakthrough!"

“Hold on. We can’t just take it.” 

"What about Lysander?" I asked.

“What!? Who cares about the bowyer! Touch it to me NOW! I demand it!”

“I mean if he knows, Roq.”

Pa's mouth quirked into a half-smile. 

"Managed to swipe it into spatial storage before Old Willow saw anything. Think I covered myself quite well with the gallbladder reveal." He shrugged one shoulder. "Lysander has no claim to the gem, so there's no point in letting him see it." He extended his hand, offering me the gem. “Here son. Your party killed Arclight, so you get to make the choice.”

"Thank you, Pa,” I said, accepting the king’s ransom.

“What will you do?" he asked, and I could see the eagerness on his face. He was dying to know.

I stared down at the gem, thinking back on the first time I’d seen one like it, and been faced with the choice of power or wealth. 

"Touch it to me now before you do something as stupid as telling the others we found a soul gem!" Roq insisted. "Think about it—I could become twice as powerful! We could be unstoppable! Don't you want that? Don't you want ME to have that power?"

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"What’s so funny?" Pa asked.

"Roq wants to keep it a secret and for me to use it to try and get him his breakthrough.”

Pa raised an eyebrow at that. 

"And what do you think?"

"Well, if Roq talks of keeping it secret, then the right thing is definitely to tell them,” I said and smiled.

"That is a GROSS mischaracterization of my position!" Roq yelled. "I merely insist we prioritize our partnership, no, our friendship, before making rash decisions about sharing priceless treasures of immeasurable power!"

“Will you?” Pa asked.

Eryn was family now. We’d bled for each other and if things went my way, I’d spend the rest of my life with her at my side. And Knut had become my brother in all but blood. Though, brothers had slit throats over far less wealth than a soul gem.

"We can't keep this for ourselves," I said, finally. "Firstly, it would be wrong. Secondly, I’d have to drop Knut and Eryn from my party, because we wouldn’t be able to keep this a secret." I shook my head firmly. "No. We're not keeping it for ourselves. Eryn and Knut fought Arclight with me, and I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t helped me kill it.”

“And me! Don’t forget I fought that fleabag as well. I have as strong a claim as…no, stronger claim than any! Remember when you promised I would have a share of the spoils? This is my share!”“Knut and Eryn deserve equal say in what to do with this,” I said. “Though I have an idea of what we should be doing.”

“And the fire mage?” Pa asked.

“I already planned to tell Nabeeh about Roq today. What's one more soul gem, right?"

Pa chuckled.

“Nabeeh’s a full member of the party now,” I muttered. “Though she has no claim to this soul gem, she gets to be in the room when we talk. I want to show that she’s one of us and that we trust her."

Pa studied me for a long moment, seemingly weighing my words. 

“That's spoken like a leader. I'm proud of you, son. Hell, I would have gone along with anything, but some decisions are better and more right than others."

“Be that as it may. I am HIGHLY disappointed in you!" Roq said. "You should take the gem for yourself and use it to upgrade me! Think of the possibilities! The power! The glory!”

Roq kept trying to convince me as we returned to the others, the gem safely stored in my spatial storage, but he silenced as I set him on Ma's dining table with a solid thunk. 

"Nabeeh,” I said. “There's something you should know.”

Nabeeh sipped her tea, utterly unimpressed. 

"That your hammer's a soul weapon named Roq?"

Silence fell over the room like an anvil. Knut's tankard slipped from his fingers, ale spilling on the table and soaking his trousers. Eryn's spoon clattered into her bowl, and Ma's eyebrows vanished into her hairline.

“She knew?!" Roq said. "All this time, she— Ash, I demand reparations in pie! This is betrayal! Humiliation! I…” he trailed off, sputtering some other nonsense that I couldn’t even understand.

I choked on a gasp of air and cleared my throat. 

"How long have you known?”

Nabeeh grinned. 

"Quite a while. Really, you all are terrible at subtlety. I mean, don’t get me wrong as I love you all like family, but I wouldn’t want any of you hiding any huge secrets of mine. You three are…just bad at lying." She continued, ticking off her fingers. “Firstly, when I mentioned my gem-sniffing uncle, Knut asked what weapon he used. Got me thinking." She pointed two fingers at Roq. “Second, this thing hits like a falling mountain. Three..." She smirked then. "You look at it, frequently, like it's insulted Ma or something. Which, frankly, it probably has, based on how you glare at it."

"I would NEVER insult Ma!" Roq protested, his mental voice loud enough to make my eye twitch. "Tell her, quick! And inform this lying sand-snipe she's risking my pie rations!"

Nabeeh leaned in, conspiratorial. 

"See? That right there. You treat it like a misbehaving cat." Her hand darted toward Roq—I intercepted, my eyes going wide, but it was a feint. 

She laughed. 

"Relax. I won’t touch it. But yeah, I’ve known for a while, and I've kept quiet. Figured it was your secret to share when, you know, it was time." 

I sighed and turned to Ma.

"Roq says he'd never insult you."

Ma regained her composure and patted Roq's haft. 

"Good boy. I will make you a new pie tonight."

“Thanks, Ash,” Nabeeh said. 

“For what?”

“For trusting me now.”

"So you're not... upset?" Eryn asked.

Nabeeh waved a hand. 

"Please. I fled a kingdom because I burned my fiancé at the altar after he tried taking over the kingdom. You think keeping a chatty soul weapon as a secret flusters me?"

"Chatty hammer killing better than most adventurers," Knut corrected, raising his refilled tankard. “But surprised I am. Must remember not to play cards with you.”

I sighed in relief and then just laughed, shaking my head.

"Guess that settles it,” I said. “Nabeeh's officially one of us."

Nabeeh toasted with her tea. 

"Took you long enough to get there."

"Do we truly have to share the soul gem?" Roq asked. "Next you'll suggest splitting my kills."

"Yes, we need to," I answered him, out loud. Then I stood and moved to pull up the stairs to the shop.

"What are you doing?" Eryn asked, frowning.

"Wait," I said, closing the shutters on the windows, plunging the room into darkness. It took a minute for our  eyes to adjust.

I returned to the table and sat down, meeting their eyes one by one.

“Now you all know about my first soul gem,” I said.

“Yes?” Nabeeh said, frowning.

“But what about the second soul gem?” I said, swiping Arclight’s gem out of my storage. 

The reaction was immediate and they all let out a unilateral gasp and Knut started cursing in his native tongue.

Eryn's eyes widened to perfect circles in the light thrown off by the gem, her hand flying to her mouth. 

Knut shook his head mid-sip, the ale forgotten. Nabeeh leaned forward, her usual composure cracking as she stared at the pulsing blue-gold gem.

"Is that...?" Eryn whispered.

“Improbable," Knut muttered, but his eyes never left the gem.

Nabeeh laughed and clapped her hands together. 

“A second one? Now this is a party!”

Ma showed no surprise. She caught my questioning glance and gave a small shrug. No secrets between her and Pa.

Pa crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. 

"Found it wrapped in Arclight's sinew near its heart. Like the damn thing was hiding it. Lysander didn't see. Swiped it into storage before he could lay eyes on it."

“Touch it to me, before they get any ideas. I’ll absorb it. I promise! I’ll break through. Maybe they can get the next one?”

I ignored him, watching the others. Knut licked his lips as he put down his tankard and buried his hands in his armpits, as if clamping down on them to keep them from doing anything stupid. 

Nabeeh leaned back and raised her arms. 

"Before anyone asks, yeah, we all know I have no claim. I wasn't a member yet for your Arclight fight, though I desperately wish I had been."

I nodded at her, grateful she wouldn't make a fuss. 

"It's beautiful," Eryn whispered, leaning closer but not touching. “I can’t believe I’m looking at an actual soul gem.”

Knut cleared his throat. 

“Big power. Dangerous in wrong hands. Like Domitius."

“We have a decision to make," I said, placing the gem in front of me on the table, close enough that I’d be able to snap it up, just in case.

“Wait,” Knut said. “First. Thank you. Being honest and sharing? Few good people in world. You? Best I have met. How many would share such treasure?”

Eryn nodded and slowly reached out to squeeze my hand, making no move for the gem. 

"He's right. Most would have kept it for themselves.”

"That said, what we do? What you have in mind?" Knut asked.

“I see three options," I said. “First is to sell it and use the money to pay down the smithy, take care of your brother and his family, and get us enough mind gems and class gems to hit level forty or so. But, that's trading long-term power for short-term gain."

Eryn nodded. 

"None of those things are out of reach even now given enough time. Look how far we’ve come with just Roq in such a short time. Imagine what we’d do with two soul weapons."

"That's correct," I said.

“Ash. Listen,” Roq said, his voice strangely calm. “Please ask them to consider giving up their claims and let me use it for my breakthrough. Think of how amazing I am now. What if I become twice as amazing with another soul gem? We know there are other people with soul weapons out there. They are a danger to you and your—our family. But how many have a soul weapon with TWO soul gems in it? Eh? Sell the gem and you can pay House Domitius back, but upgrade me and we’ll be so powerful no-one will never be able to threaten us ever again.”

I sighed and relayed Roq's suggestion to the others.

Knut and Eryn exchanged glances, and to my surprise, nodded.

"Roq speaks true,” Knut said, “Hurts to say, but is so. Maybe better to have one super strong weapon?”

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"Roq is party member," Knut said. "If he can use, he gets say too. Remember promise of sharing share loot with him.”

"An excellent observation!" Roq said. "I always said the big oaf was highly intelligent and I stand by it even more now!"

“I agree with Knut," Eryn said. “It's not half the things we've been able to do that is thanks to Roq—it's most of it. Without him, we'd still be scavengers. If using the soul gem on Roq will improve his power, then it might be the right use for it."

I shook my head. 

“I hadn’t looked at it like that. I thought the third option would be more realistic, which is to make a soul weapon for either of you considering I already have Roq.”

“Well. Fortunately your team members have been bonked less on the head. Listen to them.”

Knut and Eryn looked at each other and then shrugged. 

"Yeah, of course we would like that," Eryn admitted, Bbut we shouldn't be greedy. We're here because of you and Roq."

I struggled to accept their reasoning as it couldn’t just be about me and Roq. No matter how powerful, one person alone could never conquer the rift, but a group of equally strong people could. "Shut up and accept their gracious brilliance, you stupid biped! Why are you doing this to me? We made a deal, and you choose not to abide!”

"Fine," I said. "Hold your horses, Roq. Let’s try." Before anyone could object, I took the gem and touched it to Roq.

Riftside 2 - Chapter 31

I stood in the forge, looking down at the table where the bow’s parts had been carefully arranged. The morning’s breakfast was still warm in my stomach.

Pa yawned next to me, his jaw cracking and he winced, cursed under his breath, and let out a deep sigh. He took a deep sip of a tea so dark-red it was nearly black and shook his head.

The work table had been transformed into something between Ma’s product displays and Doctor Ridley’s surgical trays. 

A riser block from one of Arclight’s thigh bones lay at the center. Beside it lay limb blanks—spine slats stacked in precise layers, a mat of sinew stretched across them, and a thin veneer of steelhusk providing structural integrity.

Most eye-catching was one of the apple-sized Lightning Globules. It had been placed on one of the foot pads, which seemed to ground out the lightning. Next to it lay the last two remaining Woodweaver leg-tips, each one with a hole for mounting.

“I can’t believe this is going to be mine,” Eryn said and looked up at me with a grin. “I feel like it’s calling out to me already. Is that weird? No, don’t tell me. You think it’s weird. Right? No? I think it’s weird so--”

“Not half as weird as most of the stuff going on around here,” I said, giving her a gentle kiss. “I can’t wait to see you wield this thing and save our bacon.”

The forge’s smell mingled with tea and the faint scent of Arclight’s carcass. It reminded me of thunderstorms and battle, but also the calm before a storm. 

In the corner, not far from the coals, the master bowyer lay curled up on a cot, a pillow placed under his head and a blanket pulled over him. His snoring was so thunderous it sounded like a Platemaw with nasal issues had taken up residence in the smithy.

Knut leaned close to me, nodding toward the sleeping craftsman. 

“Self-defense for travelling alone," he whispered, his beard twitching with amusement. “What dare get close to snoring monster?”

"Truly a magnificent deterrent," Roq said. "Even I, the great destroyer of worlds to be, would think twice before disturbing it. My third thought would be to kill it, but you have to admit that me thinking twice before acting is quite unique, no?”

I chuckled at Roq's observation, and Knut grinned, clearly thinking I was laughing at his joke.

“You and Lysander really stayed up all night?" Eryn asked, trailing a hand across the components.

Pa nodded. I could see the dark circles under his eyes. 

"Lysander did. I had to give in a few hours after midnight.” Pa yawned again before smacking his lips. “I'm not built for those types of hours anymore. But joining an old friend in an almost all-nighter? That was good for my soul, if not the body.” He showed me a tired smile, but it was also a content one. “I presented Platemaw's Fury to him, you know. Even let him hold it for a moment. You should have seen his face! He admitted it was far superior to any hammer he had ever owned or even seen. Asked what it would take to separate me from it.”

“What did you tell him?” Eryn asked.

“That I might have a limp, but I’d still beat him in a fight,” Pa said and burst into laughter.

A swell of satisfaction warmed my chest. To him, receiving validation from a peer, especially one he clearly respected, meant more than any praise from a customer ever could.

"Sounds like it went better than you though it would? Did you learn anything from him?” Eryn teased.

Pa harrumphed. 

"Too much," he grumbled, though he could barely suppress a smile. "I've learned plenty these last years, but by the cracked anvil if this crafty old Willow didn’t manage to teach me a thing or two last night.”

"What next?" Knut asked. "Want to see final result."

“Just need to prepare a few more things and then we can start the assembly," Pa said and drained his cup. "But we'll let Lysander get some more rest. He’s exhausted, and in all honesty, so am I. Even after getting a few hours of sleep in."

"I doubt it will be spectacular," Roq commented dryly. "Considering the poor materials. I mean, Arclight's carcass? Please."

"If they were such poor materials, why did you struggle to slay him in your true form? Wouldn't that rather prove the material was good? Great, even?" 

I paused for dramatic effect. 

“And since you ultimately won, that should be proof enough of your outstandingness, would it not? And considering you still live, while Arclight does not..."

"You make an excellent point," Roq conceded after a moment. "I suppose it will be a magnificent bow after all. It might even be worthy of supporting my wielder in battle."

"That's a better attitude.” 

Just then, the bowyer jolted awake with a snort, blinking rapidly as he looked around the forge.

"Sleep well?" Nabeeh asked with a smile. She was seated near the furnace and playing with flames.

Lysander waved the question away dismissively. 

“Not sleeping, merely planning. A true artisan never rests until the work is complete."

"That's a load of monster crap," Pa said. "You were sawing logs loud enough to shake the rafters. I'm surprised the whole town didn't come running thinking we were under attack."

"The Bear mistakes meditation for slumber," Lysander replied with too much dignity, gratefully accepting a cup of tea as Ma brought one in. "The body may rest, but the mind shapes the bow even in stillness!"

"Is that what you call it?" Pa laughed. “Your stretching of the truth reminds me of that time in Milltown when you made the ‘ghost’ bow.”

"Ah, the one that ‘whispered’? How could I forget,” Lysander chuckled.

“Fooled half the town! They even sent for a guild official to exorcise it!” Pa said. 

“Magic?” Knut asked. 

“Correct;” Lysander said. “The magic of belief. All it took was a bit of Windwhisper reed glued inside the grip.”

"And then you charged extra for the 'spirit-bound' craftsmanship!" Pa laughed again. “Might have lynched you if I didn’t prove the bow could shoot hard enough to crack stone.” 

"The Bear always had my back," Lysander said, nodding. He sipped some more of his tea, and let out a content breath. "Even when I did not deserve it."

“The folly of youth,” Pa said as they shared a smile and handed their empty cups to Ma.

"Enough reminiscing,” Lysander said. “Time is moving. You have all been included in the plan for the assembly, ensuring it goes perfectly."

The bowyer stretched his limbs, and his spine cracked. For a moment, I panicked just a little bit. Then he chuckled, seeing the fear on my face. 

“Don’t worry. I am fine, youngster.”

He walked over to the work table and prepared for crafting. Pa and Lysander performed a brief ritual before they touched any of the parts, the bowyer placing his palms on the riser, silently nodding at Pa, who recited his forging prayer. 

"By the First Forge and Final Flame. Let our work echo through the ages."

My heart felt full, watching the two artisans syncing before work, like dancers finding their rhythm before a performance.

Then they began.

Pa carefully shaped the grip contours with Stormcutter, respecting the unfamiliar material as he made it to fit Eryn’s hand.

Lysander observed and instructed, hands folded behind his back. 

"Patience, Bear. The grain in this runs counter to its look. Carve with it, not through." 

His voice was calm, but his eyes tracked every stroke.

Pa grunted, adjusting his angle. 

"Like this, you old willow?"

"Better," Lysander muttered. "Now—feel the tension in the layers. They will tell you where to stop."

Nabeeh was in charge of heating the resin, but when she stirred too vigorously, Lysander's hand snapped out to still her wrist. 

"No haste. Heat must be even, like dawn spreading across desert sands. Stir thus." 

He guided her hand in slow, rhythmic circles.

I watched Knut twisting Arclight’s sinew cords on the stretching frame. He wasn ‘t spared from Lysander’s sharp tongue, either.

"Northern shield,” he said, “Your strength is your weakness here. Think of weaving a child's hair, not wringing a neck."

Knut growled but gentled his touch. 

“Maybe you are right, but if cord snaps so easy, I eat it."

"Then we shall all dine on failure," Lysander said dryly.

"Why curve the limbs backward before binding?" Eryn asked, following the bowyer closely. 

Lysander's stern expression softened at the question. 

"Ahh. She is no simpleton. That is good. The question of an archer, not a spectator." He lifted one of the bow’s limbs. "Wood remembers. Bend it too far, too fast, and it rebels—splinters. But coax it, and it will hold the shape of its destiny." He glanced at Pa. "Much like some smiths I know."

Pa snorted but didn't argue.

Once the pieces were done, Lysander inlaid crystals from a Resonant Weaver, one of the Crystalkin we’d killed what felt like ages ago. 

Nabeeh leaned in, eyeing the crystals. 

"Won't these dull the lightning's bite?"

"A storm ungrounded burns the hand that channels it," Lysander said. "These are not shackles, but guides. Like a riverbed for the current." He held a crystal closer to the lightning globule and tapped it with his fine blade. "Hear that? They are singing together already."

When Pa positioned the first Woodweaver spike, Lysander’s breath hitched. 

"Wait." He adjusted the angle by a hair's breadth. "The leg tip's edge must align with the rune channel or the energy will scatter like startled birds."

"I still say it is beneath me to be used this way," Roq said. “Like balls on a sow or horns on a horse.”

“Have you been studying animals again?”

“I know you are keeping pies from me.”

“What’s this got to do with the bow?”

“That spike could be used for my future upgrades!”

“Do you not want Eryn to have the best possible weapon?”

“Second best, because, let’s be realistic, but yes.”

“And what better way of ensuring that than by including some even more superior material than Arclight?”

Roq sighed theatrically. 

“Fine. You make an excellent point. Having a genius in your head must really be rubbing off. You are very much welcome, by the way.”

I sighed inwardly as the two master crafters continued with their work, and came to the last piece:the Lightning Globule. 

Lysander hesitated, palms hovering over the socket. 

"Once placed, the bond is irreversible. Are we certain?"

Pa wiped his brow. 

"You're the one who said it had to be whole, not sharded."

"And you agreed," Lysander shot back. Then he sighed and turned to Eryn. “What does the archer think? The bow, as is, will be an epic creation. Of that I am sure, even with a lesser power socketed.”

“But will Arclight’s globule give it an ability?” Eryn asked.

“Possibly,” Lysander said. “Or it could backfire and ruin the piece.”

“Legends are born of risk, not certainty,” Eryn said. “And I’ve been dreaming of the shot I made that day ever since. My luckiest, or best. This feels right. Do it.”

Lysander took a deep breath, then looked between Pa and me. 

“Is the bear sure he wants the cub to hammer the last piece?”

“I trust my son. He’s got this.”

“And will you grant him the use of your legendary hammer?” Lysander asked.

“No,” Pa laughed as he ran a hand across Platemaw’s Fury where it hung on his belt. “He’s got his own hammer.”

Lysander looked skeptical, but he must really have known Pa for a long time, because he didn’t object, and merely nodded for me to proceed.

I put the piece on top of the socket and covered it with the leather buffer. 

"Ready?"

“Make it scream as we beat it into submission. Not that it can, but imagine that it could. Hard! Wait, just imagine it is Benedict!”

The first tap was tentative, but the Globule didn't seat properly.

“Harder,” Roq said, but quickly added, “But only a bit. Remember how overwhelming my power is. Just…a tiny bit or that thing could explode in our faces!.”

"Firmness, not force," Lysander urged. "Let the materials speak to one another."

The second tap landed true, and the Globule slid home.

Orange light raced down the limbs, etching the runes into glowing lines and the Woodweaver spikes flared purple at the ends where they met Arclight’s sinew.

"Legendary," Pa said in reaction to the orange light. “Impossible.”

“By rift’s hairy arsehole!” Knut cursed.

Lysander's hands trembled as he reached for the bow. 

"It is... perfect,” he whispered, lifting it and handing it to Eryn with solemn reverence. "Stormstrider. May it carry your arrows true, and your enemies' souls to the abyss."

“It’s gorgeous,” Eryn said, running a hand along its limb. “Thank you, everyone.” She turned and gave a bow to Lysander and then one to Pa, before handing the bow to me. “Look at it!”

“Fine. That is a proper bow,” Roq said. “It will be a fine addition to setting up kills for us.”

The celebration was premature. A heartbeat after she handed me the bow, it began sparking wildly, and lightning shot up my arm. I yelped and dropped the bow, stepping back.

“Fire’s fury,” Nabeeh hissed. “Damn thing bites even after being carved into pieces. What a monster.”

The composite bow crackled on the ground. It was beautiful. A recurve design with elegant, flowing lines. The Arclight scutes looked like polished gold against the darker steelhusk veneer, and the silver runes resembled the veins on a living monster, full of energy. 

“A temperamental masterpiece," Lysander said, keeping a respectful distance to avoid being zapped.

“How in the rift am I supposed to use this if it keeps shocking everyone?” Eryn asked, a hint of despair creeping into her voice.

"Let me," Knut said, reaching down to pick up the bow. The moment his fingers touched the weapon, electricity surged up his arm and he grunted in pain. He grimaced and managed to lift it a few inches before dropping it with a grunt. 

“Felt that in beard!” he spat, shaking his hand. “Good. Pain means power. Power fits team. Little bird need to endure pain for us.”

Eryn shot him a mock glare as Nabeeh pushed past her. 

"Perhaps it responds differently to magical affinity?" She reached out, only to stumble back with a yelp when the bow shocked her, landing hard on her rump. “Nope!” she yelped, shaking her fingers. “Definitely not! At least not fire affinity.”

Pa tried next, using a leather glove. It didn't help either. Next, he tried to touch it with Stormcutter, but even that failed with the electricity jumping straight to him. "Stubborn little beast,” he grumbled.

Desperate to find a way for Eryn to handle the bow, I wrapped my hand in several layers of cloth, and made another attempt. It didn’t help.

Lysander eyed us all with apparent fascination but made no move to touch it himself. 

"Extraordinary. It seems this bow will choose its wielder, and has found us all wanting.”

“But it's so beautiful," Eryn said. "I can feel it... how it would sound to release the string. It wants to be used. But… not by my hands?”

Lysander placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

"Do not worry, young archer. I will craft another bow for you. It was a worthy attempt, and we have learned much of what does and doesn't work. We'll simply skip the globule next time."

"I want this bow," Eryn muttered, staring at it longingly. "It's perfect. It's calling out to me."

Pa stroked his beard thoughtfully. 

"Maybe I can forge you a set of armor with lightning resistance? Something to protect you from the shocks?"

I pulled Eryn close, feeling her disappointment as if it were my own. 

"It'll be fine. It is an amazing bow, but I’m sure the next one will be even better.”

“Not better than this. Shame its made with the rude and crude and brash materials of such an impulsive and hard to like cat. I told you it wouldn’t work, didn’t I? But no! Who listens to the genius? I am under-appreciated, I tell you. Severely so.”

I swiped Roq from my belt into my storage, unable to listen to him. We would find a way.

Riftside 2 - Chapter 30

My mind raced as Pa stood frozen with his hands deep inside Arclight’s carcass, his expression unreadable.

"What's happening? Did the old man finally realize how sub-standard this carcass of an overgrown cat truly is?" Roq asked. "I mean, I could have told him that. Nothing special about a lightning kitty compared to me!"

I shifted uncomfortably, uncertain how to read Pa's expression. Something was definitely off.

"I think Pa found something. And if it was a mind gem or even a class gem, he'd just tell us, which means..."

"WHAT? NO!" Roq's mental shout roared through my skull. "It is IMPOSSIBLE for that glorified alley cat to have a soul gem! IMPOSSIBLE! I would have sensed it! I would have known! There is only one soul gem here, and that's me! I am special.”

Lysander moved closer, trying to peer around Pa's broad shoulders. “What is the bear hiding? Have you uncovered treasure?”

Pa blocked him with a subtle shift of his body, his eyes never leaving mine. I watched his hands move carefully inside the carcass, manipulating something.

Then, with a move to make a street performer proud, Pa pulled out a glistening, purple-tinged organ the size of his fist.

“A perfectly intact gall bladder!" he said, his face splitting into a wide, if slightly forced grin. "And look at the size of it. Victor is going to lose his mind when he sees this beauty!"

“A gall bladder? A gall bladder!?" Roq sputtered. "All that drama for a sack of bile? I nearly had a hammer-attack for nothing!"

Everyone laughed at Pa's theatrics, but when our eyes met briefly, I couldn't shake the feeling that something else had happened.

By the time Pa finished, Arclight had been dissected more thoroughly than any carcass that had ever graced the smithy's tables. Every part catalogued, every potential use discussed and planned.

“As long as we get to mount the head on the wall above the fireplace, I don’t care,” Roq said, feigning a yawn. “Though I wouldn’t mind keeping one of those lightning globes on hand for when we figure out how to deal with my breakthrough, just in case, of course. And have Pa save me one of its thigh bones. I need to forge something from it, just to prove once and for all that I am superior to Arclight. Even in death, its materials must succumb to my awesomeness!"

Pa wiped his hands on a rag and turned to Lysander. “Let’s get started on that bow."

Lysander raised an eyebrow. "Such haste, Bear? The materials will not spoil."

"This town is under attack every day," Pa replied, his voice suddenly serious. "There is no time to rest when monsters are at our gates."

Understanding dawned on Lysander's face. “Sometimes I forget the need of the use behind the artistry of the creation,” he said and went to open his wooden case. Inside lay several bows of different designs, smaller wooden boxes likely containing his bowyer tools, and a handful of arrows.

"Young archer," he said, turning to Eryn. "Would you join me outside? I must observe your form before beginning this project."

"Of course," Eryn agreed, squeezing my hand once before heading out.

Knut, Nabeeh, and Ma followed them out back to watch, leaving Pa and me alone with the dissected carcass.

"Pa," I said quietly, "did you find something... else in there?"

He waved me away without meeting my eyes. "Nothing to discuss for now. Focus on your girlfriend, son. Make sure the bowyer makes her the best bow he possibly can.”

I hesitated, wanting to point out that there was no way Pa would let him do anything but, but Pa had already turned back to the carcass, and I decided to give him the space he clearly wanted.

*

The Timberline was bustling that evening, but our usual table in the corner waited for us with a note on top on which were written all our names in large letters.

Our behinds had barely graced the wood when Johan appeared with four tankards.

"On the house," he said with a wink, before his server arrived and handed him a steaming pie, which Johan took with great revery and placed directly in front of Roq, who was propped on the seat beside me.

"PIE! A glorious, beautiful pie!" Roq practically sang in my head. "Johan, you magnificent bastard! You've earned yourself a place in the hall of hammer heroes! I shall name a massacre in your honor!"

"Why the pie?" I asked, genuinely confused.

Johan looked at me like I'd asked why water was wet. "It's no secret you saved the gate, Ash. You and your signature hammer is starting to become a point of pride for us here."

“By the thundercat’s balls, they should be proud to be in the same town as me. Tell him I approve!” Roq preened.

"People say that if the gates had fallen, monsters would have made it through the rift to Noros," Johan continued. "And while First Steel is there waiting, we don't want to test that before we have to, do we?"

"What does that have to do with pie?" I pressed.

Johan just stared at me. "Everyone knows putting that hammer of yours into pie brings good luck. Don't ask me to explain why, but if it helps keep me alive, I'm happy to bake pies." He scratched his head. "Truth be told, more people are eating pies these days too. Wonder if there's a connection. Either way, I am alive, kicking, and making money hand over fist. So, your hammer gets a pie.” With that, he left us to our meal.

I looked at my three companions and their not at all concealed grins. “Just… alright?” I said, sighing as I picked up Roq, holding him before my face.

"Did you hear that?" Roq gloated. "Put me in pie and monsters die! It's practically science!"

I lowered him into the pie, letting go to let him crush through the crush under his own weight.

“Oh, yeah!”

I shuddered.

“Too close,” Knut said, nodding.

“What?” Eryn asked.

“Ash shudders. Thinking of fight, no?” Knut said, wiping foam from his mouth. “Hive Mind growing smarter. Looked at siege monster carcass. No accident to create such being. Was strategy."

"Exactly," Nabeeh agreed. "First the ambush at the caverns, then the coordinated attack on Sentinel Station."

“So, you think it’s adapting?” Eryn said.

“Ambush monsters dug deep,” Knut said. “Planned for base but died to us instead?”

Roq hummed to himself in satisfaction.

“If it keeps evolving, how do we counter it?” I asked.

"We evolve faster," Knut said simply. "Get stronger. Better gear. More levels."

"And we need to be unpredictable," Nabeeh suggested. "If it's studying us, we need to change our patterns too. Different routes, different tactics."

“Isn’t that just the short game?” I asked, rubbing my chin. “What about the long game? If it keeps throwing bigger, smarter monsters at us, how do we stop it, not just survive it?"

“Kill the Hive Mind?” Nabeeh said and shrugged.

“But if it's truly a hive, then cutting off the head might not be enough,” Eryn said. “We might need to dismantle the whole system. What if there are multiple nests? Could we destroy its communication? Starve it of resources?”

A heavy silence settled over the table. The scope of it all felt too big, like staring up at a mountain with no peak. And I hadn’t even gotten to tell them about how it had blocked Roq’s skills during the attack on Sentinel Station.

But then, Knut broke the quiet with a shrug. "Not our problem."

Eryn blinked. "What?"

“Now? We have simple job," he said, raising his tankard. “Get so strong we can matter. Until then, let guild worry of war. The kings of new rifts and invasions. Us? Focus on next hunt, next level, next breakthrough."

Nabeeh exhaled, then smirked. "Spoken like a true mercenary."

“Good brain mercenary," Knut corrected and winked.

I grinned and clinked my mug against his. "Then here's to getting stronger."

"And to more pie," Roq added, because of course he did.

"Speaking of threats," Eryn said, lowering her voice, "what about House Domitius? Do you think they'll try burning the forge again?"

“Doubtful. If so, why send the Earl's fiancée? A level thirty adventurer?" I replied. “No. That tells me they want to appear legitimate. Don’t mean they won’t try something else though.”

“May fight with paper,” Knut said, frowning. "Claim debt. Force sale." He spit on the floor. “Rusted nobles.”

“Offense taken,” Nabeeh said with a smile. “But, they might try to isolate us," Nabeeh said. "Turn the town against us somehow."

Eryn and I exchanged a glance, both having noticed her word choice. ‘Us’.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small pouch, emptying its contents, twelve mind gems, onto the table.

“Five as quest reward from the Glowroot Cavern quest," I explained. "We also have two large root samples, but I decided not to hand them in. Instead I say we give the largest to Pa for crafting, because I think there’s some potential use.”

Or, rather, Roq had thought so

"And the other sample?" Eryn asked.

“Was thinking we give it to Victor in exchange for a profit share on anything he creates from it," I suggested.

“Plan is good," Knut nodded.

“Of course it is. I came up with it.”

“Then we have the six mind gems Pa extracted today," I continued, "plus one extra Harold gave me as thanks for the siege monster. That's twelve total, or three each."

“A sand dune’s worth of wealth!” Nabeeh said. “We bled for these, but now I’ll be well on my way to level seventeen!"

Knut ran his fingers back and forth on the table.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“No wrong,” he answered. “Thinking of what next.” He looked to Eryn. "You get class gem from doctor, no? We still pool gems to pay back fast? Or..."

Eryn and I exchanged smiles.

"No," Eryn said warmly. "It's time to start working on getting your next class gem, Knut."

Knut straightened, and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he sighed in contentment. “Thank you. Means much. Long time stuck at breakthrough. But soon I protect even better."

“But,” I said, "I was thinking of using my three gems to hire security for the smithy until we know more about Serona's plans."

"Do you think they know what happened to Ivan and the others?" Eryn asked, her brow furrowing.

"Hard to say," I replied. "But I was thinking of hiring Richard's party to keep watch."

"Good choice," Nabeeh said. “I'll contribute a gem too. From everything I’ve seen, Ma and Pa deserves it.”

"Same," Knut nodded firmly.

"Count me in," Eryn added.

"Thank you," I said, genuinely moved. "This means a lot."

"Aww, look at your little family coming together," Roq cooed mockingly. "Almost brings a tear to my non-existent eye. You know, if we did things my way and just SMASH those Domitius snobs, we could spend those gems to level you up instead, and be that much closer to…whatever!”

"If it comes to a fight," Nabeeh said, as if reading my thoughts, "we need to be prepared. Benedict's ice magic is formidable, but I should be able to counter him, up to a point. But Serona's wind magic? Fire is not good against wind, so unless I get a jump on her, she’d crush me. And no, I’m not ashamed of saying so.”

"Then there's the two warriors and the archer," Eryn added. "It's not a good situation."

"First priority, avoid fight," Knut said firmly. "Second, change situation."

“No! First priority, Smash! Second, Armor Break!”

“I thought you had gotten more of a hold on your bloodthirstiness. What’s going on?”

“What if you need to break through to level twenty before I can break through to ten? You ever thought of that?”

“So? Keeping a good reputation in Dawnwatch, keep hunting, and staying alive would be the best way to get there.”

“I still say we slay Benedict and leech his power. And the woman too. Get you to twenty, guaranteed. Probably. Maybe higher, even!”

"Speaking of changing the situation," I said, “your new bow might help tip the scales. What do you think it'll be like?" I asked Eryn.

Eryn grinned. "I can't even imagine. But Lysander seems like the real deal. Talks funny, smells of wood, and he seemed as intense as Pa. If he’s not an artisan, then I don’t know if I’ve ever met one.”

"I bet he'll use one of those lightning globules," Nabeeh said excitedly. "Imagine shooting arrows that shock your enemies!"

“Maybe epic bow," Knut said, stroking his beer.

"With Arclight materials and Pa working with Lysander?" I shook my head. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's legendary."

“If it gives me the ability to shoot lightning like Arclight did, then I’ll be the happiest healer in Dawnwatch!”

“Actually, now that you're getting your class gem," Nabeeh said to Eryn, "what are your thoughts on bow versus staff? Most healers I've known prefer staves for the mana amplification."

"I still want to be a damage dear,” Eryn said. “You know what the best way to heal a wound is?"

“Mud,” Knut said. “Big wound? Magic mud.”

“Tell us,” I said, ignoring our tank.

“Prevent the wound from happening in the first place," Eryn said with a grin. “And the best way to prevent you being wounded is for me to kill the monsters first.”

"Tell them about your level up!" Roq urged. "Tell them about Ironburst! It was GLORIOUS!"

"I can’t. Not with Nabeeh here.”

“Why not? Do we need to keep it hidden in reserve in case of betrayal?”

“Of course not. But how am I supposed to explain reaching level twelve? That's twenty-three gems supposedly consumed, but Nabeeh knows I give all my mind gems to Eryn. The only time she heard me ask for gems was those four during the attack."

“This sounds like a YOU problem. So, you need to figure it out!" Roq demanded theatrically. “Because I am getting BORED of being left out of the conversation! The great and powerful Roq deserves recognition!"

“Sure.”

The tavern door swung open, and Harold entered with three people wearing the red and green colors of the Adventurer's Guild. The first was a tall, lean man with a monocle and a precisely trimmed silver goatee, carrying a leather-bound journal. Second came a muscular woman, large enough to rival Madeleine, with half her head shaved, except for a single long braid adorned with small metal rings. The third was a shorter man who waddled in looking as if he inspired to play the part of a rolling ball, with an unnaturally wide smile.

“That’s got to be the guild officials," Eryn said.

“I can’t wait to find out what they want,” I said, sarcastically.

“Look at monster attacks. Count weapons, touch gems, and demand knee bending” Knut said. "Or Edwin's hive mind theory."

"Or that,” Nabeeh said darkly. “Which leads to us.”

“Let’s not give them any reason to look at us then,” Eryn said.

Nabeeh stood up. “You get started on that. I’m answering nature’s call.”

As soon as she was out of earshot, I leaned in close to Eryn and Knut.

"I think we should tell Nabeeh about…you know how," I said quietly.

“Rhymes with stone and hits twice as hard?” Eryn asked.

“Breaker of hand,” Knut added.

“Yes. Him,” I said.

"FINALLY!" Roq exclaimed.

"I think by now we either decide to trust her, or kick her from the party," I continued. “It's getting hard to keep the secret, especially…” I paused, raising my beer and nodding to Knut. He didn’t need much push, and took a big gulp. “especially considering I'm level twelve now,” I said, finishing.

Knut choked on his beer, spraying it across the table. "Level twelve?!" he sputtered, wiping his beard. "When? How? Tell of new ability?"

I grinned. “You know, this is exactly why we need to tell Nabeeh. Too many people on the wall saw me use it. It's an area-of-effect attack called Ironburst. Summons steelhusk spears to impale enemies in a circle around me. Short range and medium damage, but can hit up to fifteen targets at once.”

"By northern winds," Knut breathed. "Area attack? Good. Better control of battlefield. Powerful."

Eryn squeezed my hand. "That's amazing, Ash. And you're right – we should tell Nabeeh. She's part of our family now."

"It's almost strange she hasn't figured it out yet," I admitted.

"She will be back soon," Knut noted. "We tell her tonight?"

“Tomorrow,” I said. “At Pa’s, once Lysander has left. It’s only fitting, considering that’s where Roq was made.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 29

I held Eryn close, taking in her scent and warmth as we leaned against the smithy's wall. Last night had been spent eating and drinking at home, with baths for us all, including Roq who'd spent longer in a small bucket of milk than I did in the tub. Then we'd chatted in front of the fireplace, foregoing the Timberline for a longer rest. We all retired early to get a good night's sleep. The world waited for no man or woman, including us.

Roq was quieter than usual, still complaining about a hammerhead-ache after having used a skill under the nose of the Hive Mind. He wasn’t openly saying it was my fault, but we both knew his true feelings even if they were left unspoken. Then again, it had been his wish and plan, so I was happy to let him sulk, giving me a rarer moment of mental quiet.

Pa carefully cleaned and sheathed Stormcutter, still eyeing it with great revery. He'd dissected six of the monsters from our recent haul, the ones Roq had indicated had Mind Gems. Two from Shadow Spiders, and four from Claw Sprecks. They were all gemmed, as we had expected.

The rest of the monsters, including the Rock Golems, the Cave Constrictor, Gnaw Hulks, and the rest of the Claw Sprecks and Shadow Spiders, had been stored away for a later time.

Pa glanced between us and then smiled like a cat who's gotten into the pantry. 

“I'll tackle the rest when I have more time. Just this once, mind you. Got bigger plans now.” 

His voice was filled with excitement, and so were we. He traced his fingers over the Stormcutter's handle at his belt. 

“Kitty still being bad,” Knut chuckled, prodding Arclight with his foot and yelped as a spark of lightning hit him. “Bad kitty!”

"Watch it, Knut. It still has a bite,” Pa said and the two laughed. “Been too long since I've had a proper challenge. And that Arclight carcass... by the split anvil, boy, I haven't been this excited to work with a carcass since I first got my hands on steelhusk."

He walked over to Arclight and stored it.

“I can only imagine, Pa. We’re just as excited, trust me,” I said and shot him a grin.

A melodic voice carried into the smithy, interrupting our conversation. 

“Greetings, Bear. Does the fire still welcome the Willow?”

We all turned to the doorway to see a wiry man standing in the entrance, roughly Pa's age but with a completely different build and bearing. Where Pa was broad-shouldered and solid, this man was lean and sinewy, with long fingers and a graceful posture. His salt-and-pepper hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and his face was weathered more by sun and wind than the heat of the forge. The man had deep laugh lines around his eyes, which made him look overly friendly. He wore simple traveling clothes of good quality, carried a backpack in one hand, and had a beautifully crafted wooden case slung across his back.

Pa's face broke into one of the broadest grins I’d seen on him in a long time. 

“Lysander! By the first forge, if it isn't the old willow branch! It’s been too long.”

The man—Lysander—bowed. 

"Journey long, but destination worthy. The Willow bends to greet the Bear."

Pa laughed, walking over to clap the man on the shoulder, and nearly knocked him over. 

"Still talking like you swallowed a book of poetry," he said and turned to us. "Everyone, this is Lysander Wilkens, finest bowyer this side of the Eastern Sea. Lysander, you remember my wife Helena?"

"Impossible to forget," the man said. "One day I hope to craft a bow half as beautiful as you, Miss Helena."

"Oh, stop it," Ma said, rolling her eyes, but unable to hide a smile. “You are just like I remember.”

"And this is my son, Ash," Pa said.

I nodded in greeting.

"These are Knut and Nabeeh, friends of the family," Pa added, motioning toward them.

Lysander bowed to each of us in turn. 

"Honor to meet family of old friend. Strong northern shield and bright desert flame, no?"

"True," Knut said. “Honor is ours, good man.”

"Lovely to meet you," Nabeeh said, giving a curtsy, but having to catch herself halfway. For some odd reason I couldn’t help but think she was being clumsy on purpose sometimes, and yet it just didn’t make any sense as she’d faceplant into the dirt. She sure was an odd one.

"And this is Eryn," Pa continued, gesturing to her. "She's the one we're making the bow for."

Lysander offered a graceful nod. 

"Well met, archer."

"Hey," Eryn said, giving a small wave. “It’s good to meet you, sir.”

Ma stepped forward. 

"Would you like some tea, Master Wilkens? You must be tired after your journey, only having arrived yesterday."

"Tea would be most welcome, kind Helena." He opened his backpack and produced a small ceramic jar sealed with wax. "Perhaps you would honor me by accepting a small gift? Green tea from home islands. Rare outside eastern shores."

Ma accepted the jar. 

"How thoughtful! I'll brew some of this right away."

"If I may..." Lysander said. "Water should boil first, then cool slightly. Add one part cold water to four parts boiled. Too hot and the leaves scald, bringing bitterness instead of clarity."

"You think I don't know how to prepare tea?" Ma said, mock scowling. 

"Even the finest flame dances best with a touch of guidance, do you not find?" he said, tipping his head.

"You silly old bugger," Ma muttered and headed in. “I’ve made this already a few times back in the days. Don’t you worry.”

"Hey! Who are you calling old?" Pa said. "He's younger than me, remember!"

"I stand by my words," Ma called back, and we all chuckled. 

Lysander walked over to Eryn and me. 

"With your permission, archer, may I examine the instruments?" he asked, gesturing toward her hands.

Eryn blinked, then offered her hands awkwardly with her palms-up.

Lysander took them delicately, as though holding something sacred rather than scarred. He turned them over and traced the line of her knuckles, the base of her thumbs, then he tested the stretch of her tendons. He didn’t press, didn’t pry—just felt, read, and absorbed. Like Pa would inspect ore for impurities before smelting it. 

“Color me impressed. This old man, he knows his stuff,” Roq said. “Just imagine what my shaft would look like if both him and Pa threw in their lot! Oh, the glory! It wouldn’t be just a monster massacre, it would be a symphony of death!”

“Right. Dream on. No way this guy is going to make a hammer pretty, buddy.”

“Calluses,” Lysander murmured, “Earned, and not grown. Fingers shaped by string and discipline.” His eyes flicked up to hers. “There is pain here. Recent. A wound closed with care… and magic.”

Eryn hesitated, but nodded.

He smiled faintly at that and traced her fingers again.

“Good healing. Precise. Do not worry. Whomever guided your recovery, they understood the hand’s purpose. Not just its form.” 

He let go, nodding to himself.

"Good to hear," Eryn said. “And yes, she is…a special woman definitely. The best doctor around.”

“They’ll do well,” he said, speaking to himself. “They’ll sing, with the right bow beneath them. Something light but sure. Swift and loyal.”

He stepped back, folding his hands behind his back. 

“Man speaks wisdom,” Knut said with an appreciative nod. “Knows to speak weapon tongue.”

“Yes… I believe I understand what this bow must be,” Lysander continued, ignoring his comment. It wasn’t so much in malice, as it was him just being lost in his own musings. 

“Can you imagine Pa being like that?”

“I think we would all go crazy if he was. No thanks.”

Pa rolled his eyes almost as if reading our inner speech. 

"And how was the trip? I heard it was an interesting caravan."

Lysander nodded, placing his case down gently next to his backpack. 

"Journey was interesting. Caravan filled with contrasts. Guild officials—very serious, very proper." He mimicked a stiff posture and stern expression, making Eryn giggle. "Noble party, imbalanced. Three men, dancing to one woman's breath. They served her with hands always busy, heads always bowed. A sight both humorous and sad.”

“Three men?” I asked, frowning. “Wasn’t there a fourth?”

Lysander’s brow rose. 

“Indeed. A fourth arrived late, awaiting to join the caravan only a day from Dawnwatch. Man of winter eyes and nearly a noble's bearing. I didn’t like him, either. Snobby.”

“Benedict,” Nabeeh muttered. “I should have burned him back when we fought the Titanfang.”.

Lysander nodded. 

“He did not wear the Domitius crest, but his presence curled close around the lady like smoke and flame. He watched her not as the others did, not with duty, but... longing. A quiet ache, poorly hidden. Very interesting indeed.”

Knut and I exchanged a glance.

"Woman he wants?" Knut asked.

“That can’t be,” I said slowly. “Serona is Earl Domitius’ fiancée. Benedict said so himself.”

“You sure in your observation, master bowyer?" Nabeeh asked.

"Like spring coming after winter," Lysander said.

“Working beside the woman you desire,” Eryn said, “But serving her betrothed? That can't be easy."

"Such a life is not filled with song, but lamentation," Lysander said, nodding.

“Serves him right, though,” I muttered. “He’s an asshole through and through.”

"Enough about that bastard," Pa grumbled, waving at me. "I've got something to show you that'll put the twist in your bowstrings."

"Indeed?" Lysander said, smiling as I helped Pa move three sturdy workbenches into the center of the smithy, forming a makeshift operating table large enough for Arclight.

Once finished, we all stepped away so we wouldn’t get caught in the lightning sparks, leaving Pastanding there alone and grinning.

With a dramatic flourish, Pa swiped Arclight's carcass out onto the table and hopped back. The massive, feline body crackled with residual electricity, blue-white sparks dancing across its yellow fur even this long after its death.

Lysander's eyes widened, and he sucked in a sharp breath. 

"Magnificent," he whispered, moving closer. "Beautiful." He reached out, but hissed and snapped his hand back when the electricity zapped him. He touched the side of his eye, activating a sigil so complex it had to be level four. "Arclight." He turned to look at us. "Tell me of the battle?"

"We got lucky," I said. "Eryn hit it in the back of the neck with an armor piercing arrow."

“It seems the luck is mine," Lysander said. "Crafting with variant monster material is the purest joy. Each variant unique. Each challenge different. Each moment a conversation with the material."

Pa cleared his throat, a mischievousness barely hidden. 

"So, Master Bowyer, how would you suggest we dissect this beauty? Been giving me fits with all the electricity still running through it."

Lysander stroked his chin thoughtfully. 

"Hmm. Challenge indeed. Perhaps insulated tools? Quartz-tipped instruments? Or grounding rod to draw electricity away?" He circled the table again. "Could attempt to drain power first—copper wire into salt water, perhaps? Or... specialized dissection tool might be needed."

Pa's mouth twitched as he fought to hide his smile. 

"Specialized tool, you say? What kind of tool would that be?"

"Something that can channel electricity away from wielder," Lysander mused, oblivious to Pa's game. "Perhaps quartz-infused metal with insulated handle? Would need master craftsman to create such—"

Pa couldn't contain himself any longer. With a flair worthy of a stage performer, he produced the Stormcutter from its sheath. 

"You mean something like this?"

Lysander laughed heartily, shaking his head in amusement. 

“Ah, the Bear hides his claws until the last moment. Clever as always!”

"Ash got it for me," Pa said, unable to hide his pride despite his attempt at nonchalance. "I have yet to test it on this beasty here, but it should do the job."

Ma returned with a tray of her best cups, each filled with a clear, golden-green liquid. "Tea is ready," she announced. “Dig in.”

Lysander accepted a cup with both hands and a respectful bow. 

"Most grateful, kind Helena. Perfect color and fragrance—sign of proper brewing."

We all took our cups, and Pa raised his in a toast. 

"To old friends, family, and new adventures."

After we'd all sipped the surprisingly complex and refreshing tea, Pa set his cup aside and turned back to the Arclight carcass. 

"Now then, shall we see what treasures this beast holds?"

Everyone gathered around as Pa positioned the Stormcutter above Arclight's chest. The moment held a ceremonial weight unlike any before, and I held my breath.

“Wanna bet he’s going to get zapped to death?” Roq mused. 

“Wait, what? Why would I bet if my Pa’s going to get killed by a carcass?”

“Oh, no reason. Just passing the time. Why are you in such a foul mood?” the hammer asked, and I could almost feel his mental eye roll.

Pa lowered the blade gently downward, and to everyone's relief, the electricity danced harmlessly along the blade, stopping just short from reaching Pa’s steady hand. He drew a clean line down the center of the chest, and then allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.

"It works," Pa said, sounding more surprised then he looked.

He started methodically carving in, narrating as he went, growing more excited by the second.

“Just look here," he said, pointing to a section of especially dense, yellow fur beneath the creature’s chest. "This outer coat will be perfect for insulation as a second layer in an armor. Could be used to protect against cold spells. Might not be the worst idea, considering Benedict being back in town and all.”

“Anything made from that should protect the wearer from electrical damage too,” I said, craning my neck for a better view without getting close enough to be zapped. I was still holding Eryn in my arms, so I couldn’t lean too far anyway.

Lysander nodded, hands behind his back. 

“Excellent for bowstring guard. Wonder how it will react to other materials.”

Pa continued his dissection, moving deeper into the creature's chest cavity. 

“And look at these beautiful tendons! Never seen their like. Lysander! Look at the size of them!”

“Hmmm… May bring powerful snap if treated correctly,” the bowyer said. He was starting to sound and look just as excited as Pa was.

As Pa worked deeper into the carcass, his expression suddenly changed. 

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He grinned up at us, letting his eyebrows dance.

“Mind gem?” I asked.

“Class gem?” Eryn asked. 

“Half-digested human hand?” Knut asked, and Nabeeh slapped his chest. “Or maybe baby pet kitty? We can raise to be world-destroying big kitty.”

“None of the above,” Pa said, carefully extracting two spherical objects from deep within Arclight's chest. Each was about the size of a small apple, glassy and translucent, with blue-white energy crackling inside them.

"Lightning globules!” Pa said, holding them up for all to see. “Finally, I got the bastard!”

Lysander made a sound of pure delight. 

"Extraordinary! Have seen such strong elemental power only once before. Crystallised ice in a hairy man monster.”

Pa swiped them both into his spatial storage, grinning the entire time. The moment they entered his storage, the rest of Arclight's carcass seemed to go inert, the dancing electricity fading away.

“Three bells,” Eryn said, walking over and carefully reaching out to run her hands through its fur. “I’ve never felt anything this…regal?”

“You sound like you are impressed by it,” Nabeeh said. 

“Aren’t you?” Eryn asked. “Not even a little bit? The monster is kind of majestic in its own right.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “The only thing that impressed me is a monster slaying weapon.”

“Archer is not wrong. There is beauty in some monsters,” Lysander said, but held up a finger forestalling Nabeeh’s comment, “When viewed as materials. Appreciate it for what it is, just like the perfect tree for a bow, or a branch for an arrow, a monster carcass is art.”

“True. Dead monster is good monster,” Knut said. “We like big, strong, dead monsters. Always. All day. Especially over good beer.” 

“One thing is for sure. We can now work more safely," Pa said. “That, and I am going to enjoy finding the right project for those lightning globules!”

“Perhaps a bow?” Lysander said, smiling.

“Perhaps,” Pa said, continuing the dissection. "Look at these shoulder plates," Pa muttered, tapping the dense, layered structure beneath the fur. "Natural insulation combined with conductivity. If we set them with a harder material on top, these would be perfect as pauldrons. My, my. What a nice little carcass you turned out to be."

"Or as the front pieces of a breastplate," I suggested. “Arclight shot lightning from its chest. I wouldn’t mind a chestplate that could do that.”

“Interesting possibility," Pa said. “What if we made a full cuirass with integrated channeling? Wearer takes a lightning strike, and instead of being fried, the energy could follow these natural pathways—" he traced along what looked like silvery veins in the tissue, "—and could be released through… something? I mean, it’s all just theory, but it should be possible. Swords catching fire, cloaks releasing spikes…”

“We’ve only faced one lightning monster, ever,” Eryn said, “And it’s lying there right in front of us. Dead, mind you.”

“Don’t mean there won’t be others,” Pa said. “Or, we could ask Ming to charge you up before you head out! Better yet, we can make the plate and sell it to Edwin. Turn his fire sword into a fire and lightning combo.”

We all chuckled at the imagery of Ming zapping the commander mid battle, and the latter shaking uncontrollably.

Lysander, meanwhile, circled to Arclights hind part, examining the powerful leg muscles. 

"These sinews... remarkable elasticity combined with tensile strength. Perfect for compound bow construction." He gestured to the thicker cords running along the spine. "And these dorsal tendons could be layered and treated to create bowstrings that would survive an electrical charge. What say you, Bear? One of those globules for the chance to deliver electrical charge by arrow?”

“You sneaky old Willow,” Pa said, clearly enjoying himself. “Trying to sweet talk yourself into forging with my treasures, eh?”

“If not to forge for treasures, why do I travel so far for an old friend?” Lysander said, wiggling his greying eyebrows.

Pa pretended to ignore him, not wanting to acknowledge the point scored.

Roq grunted.

"The whiskers," Eryn said, touching a finger to the long, sensitive-looking filaments around the creature's face. "They're like metal wires but flexible."

Pa nodded. 

"Good eye. My best guess, and my guesses tend to be great, is that they are sensory organs to detect or channel electrical fields. Could be worked into a helm, potentially.”

“Helmet? Why a helmet,” Roq yelled into my mind. “Tell him he has no idea what he is talking about. Those whiskers would best serve as the basis for a set of great arrows. Wait, no, don’t tell him. I want to see if can come up with that himself.”

"Or bowstring," Lysander added. “To further increase the potency of the electrical attack.”

Knut pointed to the massive paws. “Big feet. Not like normal cat. Think we can get head to mount on wall?"

Pa flipped one over, revealing crystalline structures embedded in the footpads. 

"You're right. These are like natural grounding points. You said it jumped from place to place. Must have used these to channel magic through the ground." He carefully carved around one, extracting it. "These could be set into boot soles. Very good observation, Knut. And yes, you can have the head. It is your carcass, after all.”

“Ahh, the Bear knows how to travel with magic now?” Lysander said. “Much you have learned since last we met.”

“No, you babbling buffoon. But we don’t know how a lightning empowered weapon will work, do we? If it shocks its wearer, then it’s not of much use, now is it?”

The bowyer simply smiled. 

“What about the fangs?” Nabeeh asked, pointing to the massive teeth. 

Pa extracted one carefully. 

"Incredible. They're not just sharp, they're conductive. See how the energy patterns flow through them? These could be fashioned into daggers, or even set into a gauntlet for close combat. Maybe they could deliver shocks upon impact? We will have to do some experimenting,” he said, eyeing me knowingly.

“No, I’m done being used like that. I’m not going along with whatever stupid ideas you all are cooking up. Ask me, and I will tell you everything.”

“Ask.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You said to ask, so I asked. I literally said ‘ask’.”

Roq remained quiet for a long moment as Pa continued.

“May I?” Lysander said, and Pa handed the fang to him. “Perfect arrowhead. Bring death from afar. Arrow strikes, electricity follows." He turned to Eryn. “Hit target and stun it. Crowd control is very important. You will find it can save your life and those of your friends.”

“Thank you for noticing,” Knut said, straightening. “Only best for healer. She keeps us alive.”

“You got that right!” Eryn exclaimed and gave him a thumbs up. “Keep it up and I just might save you again.”

Knut grinned at her and did a little flourish.

Pa moved on to the eyes, leaning down and putting his face so close to Arclight’s he’d get it bitten off it the thing was still alive. 

“We’ll have to bring the wand or staff makers into this. See what they can make.”

Pa stepped back, wiping his brow. 

"This single creature could probably produce two or three sets of exceptional armor, half a dozen weapons, and countless smaller items. Not to mention the alchemical components. It really is a treasure trove."

"And two masterwork bows," Lysander added with a smile. "One for our young archer here, and perhaps another as payment for services rendered?”

“Let’s see, old friend. Let’s see,” Pa said, elbow deep in the carcass, when suddenly, he froze. 

He slowly turned to stare at me, his expression unreadable.

I chuckled.

“What’s wrong Pa? Should I close the gates and lock up the shop?"

Riftside 2 - Chapter 28

By the time we finally made it back to our place in Dawnwatch, exhaustion had settled deep into my bones. The events of the past day—the monster attack, the battle with the Juggernaut, my injury and the consequent healing—all of it had taken a toll. All I wanted was to collapse into bed and sleep for a week. Or two…but that wasn’t going to happen, not with the newcomers to Dawnwatch.

I was surprised to see light spilling from the windows as we stopped in front of our home.

"Domitius thugs?" Knut asked, tensing beside me, materializing his weapon. 

I put a hand on his arm and smiled to myself, recognizing the silhouettes moving inside.

"It's Ma and Pa," I said. "Eryn gave them a set of keys in case of an emergency."

Knut visibly relaxed. 

"Good. Pretty doctor get angry if I fight tonight."

Ma and Pa bounced up from around our dining room table as I pushed open the door, their expressions shifting from deeply worried to relieved. 

Ma rushed over, enveloping me in a tight hug.

"Ma! I'm filthy!" I said.

"I don't care if you are covered in monster guts, as long as you're all right," she breathed, her voice thick with emotion. "And that's what you are. First you sent a message about being ambushed, and then we heard the alarm bells, and—" She pulled back, letting me step in and give space to the others only to notice my bandaged leg and the crutch I held by my side. "What happened?"

"A minor fracture is all," I assured her. "Already healing, see?" I did a little dance, not bothering to keep up the ruse as I was inside and away from prying eyes. "Doctor Ridley already took care of me. Of all of us."

Pa joined us and clasped my shoulder just as Knut walked in, nodding at Ma and Pa. 

"Rowan came by the smithy earlier," Pa said. "Told us you took down some new type of monster…what was it…a siege monster? All single-handed?"

"Not exactly single-handed," I said. "It was more of a team effort, but yeah, I blew the thing up and finished it."

"Don't let him downplay it," Nabeeh interjected as she walked in, yawning. "They say he stuffed a Glowcap into the thing's chest and blew it to pieces. Supposedly quite a spectacle at that."

Pa's eyes widened, then narrowed. 

"You did what?"

I found myself relaxing for the first time since the ambush by that rat being called Gnash.

"It made sense in the moment," I said and walked over to drop into a chair. Having made it safely home, the tension I'd been carrying finally began to ease. "It needed killing. No way I'd risk those things getting through to the portal."

“Nabeeh's right, you know. You’re far too humble. I mean, yes, you had help, but who crushed the monster’s ribcage open, hmm? Who screamed in your head the whole time? Hmm? Who told you how to finish it? Hmm?”

“You want credit?”

“I want a plaque. And a pie. Possibly a statue where you can place me for all world to see.”

"I'll see what we can do about the pie."

Pa's face meanwhile had darkened with fury.

"That damn Hive Mind’s tried to kill my boy for the last time," he growled, his hands clenching into fists. "I swear, with my new hammer I'm going to gear you all up so well that all you'll need to do is bump into the damn Hive Mind and it'll fall over dead!"

His vehemence made me smile despite everything. Pa's solution to most problems involved better equipment, and in this case, he might very well be right.

"You won't hear any complaints from me on that, Pa," I said. "And I think you'll find we've got a few goodies to share with you from this trip as well."

"Oh?" Pa asked, his mood brightening. "Like what?"

"You'll have to wait til the forge, Pa," Eryn said.

"What?" He looked taken aback." Why?"

"'All in good time' and 'patience is a blacksmith's best friend' and 'we don't check for mind gems first because we want to annoy the young ones'. Does any of that ring any bells?" she asked, shooting him a playful wink.

"Oh, you listen here, young miss! Do not use my own words against me!" Pa said, but it was pretty clear he knew he was sitting on a four legged stool missing three legs.

"Why ever not?" Eryn asked innocently. "Must we not learn from our elders?" She winked at Ma next.

"She got you there, my bear," Ma said, before insisting on making tea while Pa built up the fire, grumbling good naturedly to himself as we all relaxed around the dining room table.

I sat next to Eryn, holding her hand in mine while leaning in to trace the wooden carvings of the rift and the three circles of protection around it.

Once Ma brought us all tea, we recounted the events since we had left. How we had cleared out the Glowroot Caverns, the ambush outside, though I downplayed our injuries, not wanting to give Ma a heart attack, before I started telling of the assault on Sentinel Station.

"Skip the boring bits. Just tell them you rode the siege monster like a drunken god and blew its heart out with a glowing mushroom!" Roq said excitedly. "And don't forget the not so insignificant little detail of me managing to stick it to the Hive Mind and use Forge Anchor to claim the kill for us." Roq made a sound like a bellows clogging mid-pump. “Ugh. Bleeding monster was so big I can still feel it sloshing around inside me.”

“You don’t have a stomach."

I squeezed Eryn's hand twice, giving her a signal to cover for me, and she in turn took over the retelling, talking about what had been happening in the healer's tent, giving me mind-space to talk with Roq.

“And yet I’m bloated! Stuffed! Gorged on monster essence! I need… a nap. Or an exorcism. A larger body? Spikes? This feeling is killing me!”

“We just destroyed a monster the size of a small house. What exactly did you expect would happen when you insisted we get the last hit?”

“I expected a glorious flood of power large enough to break me through to level ten! Instead? This… indigestion. That core... That pulsing bastard? Went down my...for lack of better word, throat, and then just right back up again!"

“Oh no. And all the power went to me instead. Oh woe.”

“I guided the strike, I called the weak spot, I carried us through that. And the reward? I regurgitated power to you like an animal feeds its young. You leveled up and I got to feel like I swallowed a forge brick sideways!”

“Be honest."

"What?"

"Don't you wonder just a little bit what skill I'll get at level fifteen?"

“You’re lucky I can’t vomit, Ash. Because if I could, you’d be wearing siege monster essence right now.”

I chuckled and Eryn paused in the middle of her retelling and everyone looked at me.

"I..." I looked around. "That was funny?" I said, hoping it fit with what she’d been talking about.

“How exactly is Shay throwing up from watching Doctor Ridley heal Lydia's lung...funny?" Nabeeh asked.

"Hah!" Roq said. "You stepped in it now. That'll teach you."

I swiped my unruly hammer into my spatial storage.

"Maybe not 'haha' funny, but..." I trailed off.

"Anyway..." Eryn said, frowning at me before turning back to Ma and continuing excitedly. "Katherine told me about how our lungs function. They are like spongy, pinkish-gray, cone-shaped organs, and the right one has three sections and the left one two!”

"That is... fascinating, dear," Ma said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "It is kind of her to include you into the process."

"Not only that," Eryn said. "We've got exciting news to share." 

She smiled up at me.

"No!" Pa said, his eyes going wide.

"No, no, no!" I said, waving my other hand. "Not that. Just listen."

"Katherine offered to sponsor my healer class gem! She wants to train me as a healer!"

Ma clasped her hands together in delight. 

"That's wonderful news, dear! Though I wouldn’t mind getting…another type of news. We’re not getting any younger, you know?"

"Congratulations!" Pa said, fixing Ma with a stare. "This is cause for celebration! Knut? Got anything worthy of such a moment?"

"In room," Knut said and rose.

"I’ll have less time to spend with the party, but at least I’ll get to work alongside her," Eryn continued, "It will definitely be worth it as I’ll learn how to better take care of these three."

"Of course it is," I agreed. "We'll make it work. There is enough for us to do around town as well, especially with Knut's family coming."

"How long would you be working there?" Ma asked.

"Until I pay her back the gem’s value. About sixty mind gems, depending on the rate whenever we have spare gems. Since I’ll get my class, too, we should be able to hunt even faster, and she'll give me a decent hourly wage while I’m helping out."

"Sounds almost too good to be true," Pa said, frowning.

"It's worth it for her as well,” Eryn said quickly. "Even after paying back the gem I'll owe her five hundred hours of work."

"Oh," Pa said, looking at me. “You’d be down one person for quite a while.”

Nabeeh yawned loudly and nodded.

"It's not a bad deal," I said. We’d already discussed this on the way back and figured a month’s time for a lifetime of healing was worth the trade. "Eryn won't just be working, she'll be learning from the best healer in Dawnwatch. And it’s up to Eryn when she works, after paying back the gem, not Ridley. So in a way its Ridley teaching Eryn how to do her job better. There’s no real downside."

Pa nodded. 

"Guess that makes sense. Being an apprentice is a bit different when it ain't about hammering steel, right? I'd love to have someone owe me five hundred hours of work." He mock-glared at me. “Someone who doesn’t take off to Riftside at the first smell of monster blood."

"Want me to stop bringing back carcasses?" I asked, jokingly. "Because that type of talk is exactly what gets me to take my business to the guild or the royal bank!"

"You wouldn't dare," Pa growled, and I laughed, waving my hands.

"No. I definitely wouldn't. I owe you everything, Pa, you know that."

"Good. And don't you forget it," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Beer," Knut said, stomping back down the stairs with a keg underneath his arm. "Strong one. Forget bad things. Feel good things."

"Excellent!" Pa said, and hurried to the kitchen, bringing back glasses.

As Knut tapped the keg, Nabeeh stood, stretched, and yawned. 

"I will leave you to drink and claim the bath first, if you don't mind, Eryn?"

"Go ahead," Eryn said. "As long as you warm upsome water for me after!"

“What? Am I your personal heater?"

Eryn fluttered her eyes at the fire mage, who rolled hers.

"Fine," Nabeeh said. "I'll top it up for you. See you all later."

"Thanks, babe!" Eryn called after her as she headed upstairs.

Knut poured us all a glass of the amber liquid, and a rich aroma of hops and barley filled the air. I sighed, goosebumps running down my back at the sense of normalcy.

"To survival," Pa said, raising his glass once we were all served.

"And Eryn's future as a healer," I added, clinking my glass against hers.

“To us all,” Eryn said, before taking a big gulp. I noticed her fingers trembled slightly as she raised her glass. "I'm thinking I should wait a couple of days before attempting the breakthrough," she added. "Give myself time to fully recover. I’m not sure I want to go through it all in this state."

Though Doctor Ridley had reattached her fingers and healed the worst of the damage, her scavenger body needed more time to let the body knit itself back together completely. 

"That's wise," Ma said, patting Eryn's arm. "No need to rush into more pain when you're still healing from the last bout."

Eryn wiggled her fingers again. 

"I'm grateful for Katherine's healing, truly. But it's going to take a bit of time before everything feels... right again." She looked at her hand. “Even though it was only a short time, being without my fingers was horrible. Traumatising, to be honest.”

"There's no point rushing the breakthrough," I agreed, remembering my claustrophobic experience and how it had torn me apart and rebuilt me under Roq’s guidance. "With all our injuries, we should spend some time in town before our next hunt anyway."

Knut nodded solemnly. 

"Good plan. Rest. Heal. Then go back stronger."

A sharp knock at the door interrupted our conversation and I swiped Roq back out.

“Hey! At least put me on my pillow!”

“Someone’s at the door.”

“Fine. We’ll kill them. But then it’s STRAIGHT back to storage. I need my genius sleep.”

Pa set down his beer. 

"Who could it be at this hour?"

I rose to answer the door, and found Victor the alchemist standing there. His white hair was combed forward in the ever valiant but ultimately losing battle against baldness, and his spectacles were perched precariously on his nose. His right eyebrow was as smooth and hairless as a baby's cheek, contrasting strangely with the stubbornly green bush of hair above his left eye. But he was missing his customary stained apron, wearing only simple clothes.

"Ash!" he gasped, relief evident in his voice. "Thank the walls you're all right. I heard about the attack on Sentinel Station and wanted to make sure you and your friends were unharmed."

"We're a bit battered, but alive," I said, stepping aside to let him in. "Would you like to join us for a beer?"

"I wouldn't say no to that," Victor said, waving at everyone as he stepped inside, discreetly pressing a small package into my hand with his other. I quickly swiped it into my spatial storage before anyone could notice.

"Victor!" Pa called out. "Come, have a seat. Knut got us all some northern brew that'll bring your eyebrow back!"

"Or take off the other," Eryn muttered, eyeing her glass suspiciously.

Victor chuckled and settled at the table as Knut poured him a glass. 

"They say it was a nasty attack," he said after taking a long sip. "You all did well in the defense, yes?"

"We managed," I muttered. "Though no thanks to the guild officials. They delayed the reinforcements I heard."

Victor's face darkened. 

"Oh, those bloody bastards. Came in with the caravan, didn't they? Along with the Domitius party."

Pa choked on his beer, spraying a fine mist across the table. 

"What!?" he sputtered, eyes wide with alarm.

I grimaced. 

"Yeah, that's the other bit of news. Benedict is back, and he's brought friends. Four people from House Domitius."

"Rusted hammers and cracked anvils!" Pa cursed, slamming his fist on the table. "Those vultures have come to circle already?"

"Steaming pots of monster guts!" Ma added, her face flushing with anger. "I knew they'd be back. But this fast?"

Victor looked between us, confusion evident on his face. 

"What's wrong?"

Pa's face turned a dangerous shade of red as he spoke. 

"They're a noble family that specializes in preying on blacksmiths. They offer loans with terms that seem fair, then manipulate circumstances to force early collection. When you can't pay—and they make damn sure you can't—they take your forge."

"They can't do that," Victor protested. "It's not legal to change loan terms after they're agreed upon."

Pa laughed bitterly. 

"When do nobles care about legality? They've got the coin and power both."

Knut leaned forward, his massive frame casting a shadow across the table. 

"Woman named Serona is here. With two warriors and one archer. All are different than…previous group. Much stronger."

"Describe them," Pa said, leaning in closer.

"Warriors wear plate. Good plate," Knut said. "Stand right, move right. Not thugs. Professionals." He tapped his chest where his armor would normally sit. "Archer quiet. Watches everything. Seems dangerous. Should be fun."

"And this Serona?" Ma asked.

"Wind mage," I said. "Powerful one. Edwin told us she is probably close to level thirty. She's the fiancé of Earl Domitius. A real piece of work."

Ma and Pa shared a look. 

"Typical of the guild officials to travel with nobles. Damned bastards think they know better than everyone. Never listen to us regular folk. I came to the frontier to get away from the like of them."

Eryn tilted her head, studying the alchemist's sudden vehemence. 

"Why are you so upset about them, Victor? You're not an adventurer, so they have no power over you, right?"

Victor sighed heavily, staring into his drink. 

"My little sister, Gerda, was a guild adventurer. She took a fatal wound from a rare monster near Whiteraft Rift. When the guild healers couldn't fix it, I brewed a special potion. But in their infinite wisdom they commanded me to wait, said the potion had to be tested first. Portal piss and riftrot. I ignored them. Gave it to her anyway." He took a deep breath. "It worked. Or, rather, it was working. But the guild bastards, they confiscated my stock mid-treatment, declaring it 'unsafe'. As if their stagnant muck water is safe! Before I could make more, she died. My little sister choked on her own blood while they patted themselves on the back for following protocol. And me? I was blamed for her death. Marked as reckless. A danger to the very adventurers I was trying to help. Friends vanished like smoke, suppliers slammed their doors in my face, and I lost my shop. Ten years. Ten years of that stink clinging to me." He looked up, jaw set hard. "That's why I spat on the cities and came out here to the frontier."

A heavy silence fell over the room. The cheerful mood from before had completely evaporated.

"Joyful as a graveyard in here. You'd think we'd be the party who died today. And by we, I mean you. I'm immortal. Probably."

I looked around. Ma and Pa exchanged concerned glances, while Eryn's excitement had dimmed. Even Knut looked troubled.

This wasn't right. We'd survived. We'd won. This should be a celebration, not a wake. I wanted to do something to change the mood.

"Pa," I said suddenly, "Have you managed to dissect that Arclight carcass yet?"

Pa's expression shifted from concern to frustration in an instant. 

"Not yet," he grumbled. "Damned thing's still sparking. Singed my beard yesterday."

"Really?" I pushed, trying to rile him up a bit. "The great Thomas Tharen, master blacksmith, defeated by a dead cat? I thought you could handle anything."

Pa's eyes narrowed. 

"Watch yourself, boy. Just because you're some fancy adventurer now doesn't mean you know the first thing about proper dissection. It's delicate work."

"Delicate?" I scoffed, warming to my task. "You used to tell me dissection was all about having the right tools and a steady hand. What happened to that?"

"What happened," Pa growled, his temper rising predictably, "is that someone destroyed my best dissecting knife, didn't they? My old blade might have handled it. Probably. But no, someone had to go and pretend to be a blacksmith, didn't they? Destroying my finest blade?" His voice rose with each word. "And now that same someone has the nerve to sit at my table and talk trash?"

"Pa—" Ma began, trying to calm him down.

"No, Helena," Pa cut her off. "The boy wants to question my skills? After everything I've taught him? After I've spent days trying to figure out how to cut through that lightning-spitting carcass without electrocuting myself?"

I fought to keep the smile from my face as I reached into my spatial storage and retrieved the package Victor had slipped me earlier. Without a word, I placed it on the table and slid it toward Pa.

"What's this?" Pa asked, suspicion in his voice.

"Just open it," I said simply.

Pa clamped his jaw shut and eyed me suspiciously before untying the twine and unwrapping the package.

As the cloth fell away, his anger evaporated, only to be replaced by a stunned silence.

Inside lay a dissecting blade unlike any I'd seen before. The handle was wrapped in dark leather with copper wire inlaid in intricate patterns. The blade itself had an unusual blue-silver sheen, its edge impossibly thin and sharp. What made it truly remarkable, however, were the thin veins of some translucent material running through the metal, glowing faintly with a pale blue light.

"This is..." Pa's voice trailed off as he carefully lifted the knife.

"It's called the Stormcutter," Victor said, unable to contain his pride. "The metal is infused with powdered quartz crystal that absorbs and channels electrical energy away from the wielder. The handle is insulated with special treated leather and copper wire to ground any stray charge. You should find it more than capable of cutting through electrified hides without transmitting the shock to your hand."

"This is magnificent," Pa whispered, testing the edge on the back of his thumb nail. "Who forged it?"

"I had Victor get it made," I said. "To replace the one I broke. I'm sorry about that, Pa. I hope this makes up for it."

Pa looked up at me, his eyes suspiciously bright. Without warning, he stood and pulled me into a fierce one-armed hug, the knife carefully held away from both of us.

"You foolish, wonderful boy," he muttered gruffly. "Of course it does."

When he released me, the mood in the room had transformed completely. The tension had dissolved, and was replaced by a genuine warmth and excitement as Pa showed off the blade to everyone, explaining how it would revolutionize his work with monster dissection.

"This is amazing," Pa said, still admiring the knife. "I wanted to surprise you all later, but now I just have to share—the master bowyer is here!"

Eryn gasped. 

"What? In Dawnwatch?"

"He came with the caravan," Pa confirmed with a grin. "We'll start working on your new bow tomorrow, Eryn. And with this knife," he held up the blade reverently, "We'll be able to use part of Arclight for it!"

"Really?" Eryn said.

"We'll have him make you the finest damned bow in Dawnwatch," Pa promised. "Maybe in all of Noros."

Victor cleared his throat. 

"Speaking of Arclight, don't forget our deal, Ash. I need a piece of its skin for testing, plus any gall bladder the monster might have." He paused, a mischievous glint sparkling in his eye. "And its balls, if it has any."

"You want monster balls?" Eryn sputtered. "Why on earth would you want those?"

Victor shrugged, completely unabashed. 

"Lightning-infused reproductive organs from a variant monster? If the potions I make with them are half as potent as the monster they came from, they'll sell for a small fortune!"

Riftside 2 - Chapter 27

Sometime later I sat on a cot in the medical tent, with Roq hanging from my belt, and Doctor Katherine sitting in front of me while frowning at my leg. A few guards with less serious wounds were splayed out across the other cots, waiting for their turn. 

With the death of the siege monster and the arrival of the unwanted reinforcements, the battle had turned to a 'normal' attack, if monsters crawling up our walls to tear our guts out could be called that. But as far as I knew, there had been no further casualties and the adventurers and guards had methodically, and as safely as possible, put down the rest of the monsters. Despite that piece of news, my guts churned at all those that had died because we’d been undermanned. How many people back in Dawnwatch would cry for their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons?

"Stop moving," Doctor Ridley ordered, not even bothering to look as she examined  my leg. "Your kneecap is broken in two. It is a somewhat clean-ish break. Nasty stuff, but nothing life threatening."

Eryn stood beside her, eyes focused intently on Ridley's hands as the doctor worked. Her expression was a mixture of concern and professional curiosity. There was definitely more of the second than the former, I could see it clearly. She was wondering how to go about fixing a broken knee.

"Sounds bad," I said, trying to fill the awkwardness with random banter as I glanced over at Eryn.

"Could be worse," Doctor Ridley replied matter-of-factly. "You're lucky it isn't shattered. It's nearly impossible to align all the pieces then. But two pieces? I can work with that."

"You could just let me fix it," Roq said with a drawn-out groan.

"It's too suspicious if I never have any injuries. Besides, I really need the rest. I’m tired as hell, Roq."

"I don't care. My head hurts, Ash. For once I want you to store me and you REFUSE to do so. Do you know how annoying that is?"

"You'll just have to be patient."

"Fine. Suffer like a mortal. But at least be quiet. Did I mention that my head hurts? Besides, you do know that you can store me even if you don’t want me to heal you?"

"Yeah, I do. I’ll store you in a bit, hold on."

He'd been in a huff even since we managed to use Forge Anchor despite the Hive Mind's mental pressure on Roq’s mind, complaining about the steelhusk of his hammer being too tight for his being. To be honest, he just sounded like a grumpy and hungover soldier.

The piece of cloak which had wrapped around my leg lay inert on the cot next to me. Once the fighting was done and over with, and I had managed to sit down, the magical cast had fallen away, and my broken knee was useless once more. With the battle finished, I figured this was as good an opportunity to let Doctor Katherine know I could be wounded as well as anyone else. I'd shown up without scratches a bit too often for her taste, and she’d told me as much. Now she would be less suspicious. 

“I will count to five and then you need to--”

She never finished her sentence, and instead her hands snapped to opposite sides as she adjusted my leg. I felt a stab of pain rolling up from my knee to my skull. "Jumping onto a siege monster? Really?" Eryn muttered, her eyes focusing on mine. "That's both the stupidest and bravest thing I've heard. Well, since you jumped on top of that Titanfang. Which was also very stupid. And brave. You need to stop doing stupid stuff, Ash."

"It… umm… worked, didn't it?" I replied more as a question to Eryn than a statement.

"From what I hear, it is only due to Alex, Ming, and Isaac that I still have a boyfriend. A living one, I mean, not a heap of flesh and bone" she replied, but I could see the pride behind her exasperation.

Knut sat on a nearby stool, resting and watching Doctor Ridley work. 

"Boy has heart of northern berserker," he said proudly. "No sense in head, but much courage. Makes up for being dumb."

"Courage and stupidity often look remarkably similar," Nabeeh said from where she stood by the tent entrance. "Though I wish I could have seen the explosion myself. Isaac told me it was quite decent. The whole jumping down on the monster and blowing it up part. I’m proud of you, boss."

Doctor Ridley cleared her throat. 

"If you're all quite finished critiquing my patient's battle tactics, I'd like to concentrate on getting him better so you all can get the hell out of here."

"Yes, beautiful mountain rose," Knut said, making a zipping motion over his lips.

Doctor Ridley ignored him, turning back to Eryn. 

"And you are to watch carefully. It is not every day we get to realign a split patella."

As the doctor worked, she narrated each step to Eryn, almost like Roq had done with my breakthrough, though this was far less painful. 

"First, we clean the area thoroughly to prevent infection. As healers it is tempting to use magic as a crutch, but just like veteran warriors pace themselves, so does a healer. I don't want to see you waste mana on what can be done easily by hand, or you might run out in the worst possible moment. Next, we apply a numbing agent. This one is derived from Bromavine sap, very effective but expensive." She glanced at me. "You're getting the good stuff because you got wounded saving people. Don’t get used to it, though."

"I appreciate it," I said, wincing as she manipulated my knee. Even though the pain was muted, it still felt… wrong, almost like the dull ache of a bad tooth but only amplified.

"Mess up your knee this bad doing something stupid and all you get is a stick to bite on. Now," Doctor Ridley continued, her voice taking on a teaching cadence, "I'm going to use a basic spell. Typically you'd receive this or something similar after your first breakthrough. Not as powerful as those usually gained at a higher level, but it heals the bone to keep it from slipping." She looked at Eryn. "And why am I not using a more powerful heal?"

"Two thoughts strike me," Eryn said, frowning. "First, it could be because you want to show me what is possible just after breakthrough, but more likely it is in case the bone is incorrectly set."

"Excuse me?" I said. "Incorrectly set?"

"In case she needs to break your knee apart again," Eryn said with a barely contained smirk. "Easier if its not fully healed. Then she might risk giving it a different break and making a complete mess of your knee."

"Erh..." I said, looking at the doctor. 

"And who's the idiot now? Have fun."

"Excellent analysis," Doctor Ridley said. "It is indeed the second. Now, the key is to visualize the bone as a whole while channeling the energy. You're not forcing it together; you're reminding it of its proper shape."

Eryn nodded, absorbing every word, and I could even imagine her making mental notes on non-existent paper.

"A deserter's hoard of nonsense," Knut said. "Slap on mud and walk it off. You big boy, no?" 

Knut shot me a wink.

"Yes, because mud is known for its remarkable healing properties," Nabeeh said, rolling her eyes. "Perhaps we should just set his leg on fire? That would certainly distract from the pain."

"If we find a way to put a soul into a weapon, like a human soul, I'd like it to be Nabeeh. I like her style. She'd be a fitting girlfriend for me. Make her an anvil. Or maybe a slightly smaller hammer. No, wait, a two-handed warhammer to go with her explosive personality."

"I thought you had a headache and wanted me to shut up?"

"Only when there's nothing important or useful to add. This seemed rather important, mind you. Just in case she gets in an… accident or something."

Doctor Ridley ignored them all, focusing on her work. Finally, she seemed satisfied with how my knee was aligned and her hands glowed with a soft golden light. 

"This spell creates a framework for the body's natural healing to follow," she explained to Eryn. "Like providing a map for the body's own resources. Much simpler and less costly than trying to brute force the healing."

A strange tingling sensation ran through my leg, followed by a warm rush. Then the pain subsided, swept away by an invisible hand. The relief was nearly immediate and substantial, and I sighed in relief.

"There," Doctor Ridley said, sitting back. "The bone is knitted together now, but it'll take time to set. Keep your weight off it for at least a day, and no strenuous activity for three days after." She fixed me with a stern look. "And that means no monster hunting, no heroics, and definitely no jumping onto siege monsters, no matter how tempting."

"Yes, ma'am," I said. "Thank you, ma'am. Promise I’ll behave."

"Good." She stood, wiping her hands on her white apron. "Eryn, you've done well assisting today. You have a natural talent for this. I can’t wait to have you among our ranks."

Eryn's face lit up at the praise. 

"Thank you, Katherine."

"Welcome," Doctor Ridley said, turning to address all of us. "Stay for a while and rest. You've all earned it, but once you feel rested, get the hell out of here so I can treat the others."

"Roq, youre up! Fix my knee, please."

"Fine."

I swiped him in and sighed as the telltale sign of Blood Forge ran through me, sending heat down into my knee. I really should have done it right away. Just went to show I wasn’t all that smart when it came time to decide on stupid things like getting healed. 

  *

A few hours and a power-nap later, my knee still bandaged but completely fine, I pretended to hobble outside the medical tent, leaning on a wooden crutch Doctor Ridley had provided. With the sun already rising, it was time for us to head back. Since I’d already had my fill of Mind Gems earlier, and the level up, I felt no tiredness. But fatigue still hung over me like a blanket. It was a result of so many things having happened at once, and not having time to properly process it all. 

The aftermath of the battle was evident everywhere I looked. The gate stood half-broken, and blood marred both the walls and the courtyard. Crews were already back at work, but it would take them a lot of time. The ground outside the walls was littered with monster carcasses, which teams of scavengers were collecting one by one, sorting, and bringing them back to Dawnwatch for processing. 

I'd considered trying to swap out carcasses for some with gems, but with my injury and the gems going to rebuilding and strengthening Sentinel Station, I held back, feeling that since this was a team effort, I needed to let it go. At least this time. Then there were the widows and families that would need providing. They would be paid out of the guild’s coffers, too.

I made my way to a quiet corner of the yard and leaned against a wall, pretending to take the weight off my injured leg.

"Not bad for a day's work," Roq said, his voice unusually subdued. "Hitting level thirteen, filling your spatial storage, and tasting a plethora of new monsters. That means a lot of something, in case you were wondering." 

"I know what it means. And yes, hitting level thirteen was--"

"Worth the risk? Proof of my superior tactical and strategic mind?"

"You are incurable."

"Oh, absolutely. There is no cure for genius!"

I chuckled. 

"A genius at finding ways of being a pain in my butt, maybe." I was about to add something stupid, but decided on a different approach. “Among many other things, mind you.”

"Speaking of pain, that was some explosion. Almost as good as the one in the fungal forest. We should try to recreate that sometime... but bigger. We’ll have to get Nabeeh on board so I can direct her how to go about blowing shit up!"

"Yeah... I don't think so. A controlled and tactical explosion here and there, explicitly to avoid greater danger? Yes. Trying to put the world on fire because you think it looks cool? Nope. We’re not going there, Roq."

"You need to find a way to tell Nabeeh about me. She understands the beauty of destruction, and I deserve the company of equally great minds. Unless you want to slay her and see if we can… carve a soul gem out of her."

"All in good time, my friend…wait, no. Carve her up? Come on, stop talking nonsense, or I’ll store you for the next three days."

The sound of approaching footsteps made me look up, only to find Knut and Nabeeh making their way over. The big northerner looked tired, while Nabeeh yawned and looked exhausted to a level where I thought she might fall over like she sometimes did due to her clumsiness.

"Time to go home," Nabeeh said, before cracking her jaw on a yawn. "Tired now."

"You sound like Knut," I said. 

Knut nodded approvingly. 

"True. Smart to sleep. Must look handsome for doctor."

"How serious are you about her?" I asked Knut.

"Very."

"Care to expand?" I asked.

"No."

"Fine," I said.

"So," Nabeeh muttered. "Benedict, eh?"

I frowned, the name alone souring my mood. 

"Yeah. Benedict. Back like a bad rash."

"And with friends," Knut added. "Bad friends."

Nabeeh leaned against the wall beside me, crossing her arms. 

"That woman, Serona? She's from House Domitius, right? The one you told me wanted your smithy?"

"Correct."

"Well, she's seen me with you now, so it seems I've joined what my uncle would call your 'blood feud with expensive hats' with them now."

"Thanks?" I said, not quite getting what she meant.

She shrugged. 

"Like I said, I've found a good party. I'm in it for the long haul. Or, until I get strong enough to return home and... you know. Or until we all die. Considering how things are shaping up, that might happen, too."

I mulled that over for a moment. She was right, and I hated it. That is why I took the risk, and that is why I would have to take greater risks: so we could get ahead and protect what we loved.

"Yeah. You might want to rethink about staying around now. Her wind spells?" I said, remembering how effortlessly she'd torn through the flyers. "She barely moved and those monsters were just... gone."

"Bad sign. Very bad," Knut said, nodding solemnly. "And plated warriors? Not thugs. Professionals." He tapped his chest where his own armor would normally sit. "Right stance. Eyes move fast. Either good pretending to be dangerous, or really dangerous men. I would like to fight. Maybe? No, definitely. Good brawl."

"The latter," Nabeeh said, stifling another yawn. "I asked around about her archer. He's at least level eighteen."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"One of the guards sang his praises as if he'd single handedly saved the base and not arrived barely in time for the cleanup. But a quadruple shot with perfect accuracy? Level eighteen ability." She brushed a strand of hair from her face as she yawned again. "Damn it. I need my bed, Ash."

"Soon sleep," Knut said, gently slapping her back and sending her stumbling.

She glared at him, but continued. 

"And the bitch witch? At least around twenty-five, maybe even twenty-eight based on her spells. If they move on Pa and Ma's smithy while we’re gone?" She hesitated but we all knew what she meant. 

"It'll be ugly," I finished.

"Let them try," Roq said. "I'll show them what a REAL weapon can do. Those pampered nobles with their shiny toys have never faced ANYTHING like me. I'll crack their fancy armor like eggshells and paint the smithy with their insides!"

"Let them try," I said, echoing Roq and looking around. "I've already taken one life to keep it safe. I'll do it again if I have to."

Though I really didn’t want to.

"Must be smart," Knut said, patting my shoulder. "Dumb to fight bear with bare hands. We make plan. Then catch thugs."

"Why is Benedict with them, anyway?" Nabeeh asked. "As big of a monster crap he is, I wouldn't have taken him for a noble's lackey."

"Nothing good," I replied, shifting my weight on the fake-injured leg. "Benedict's not the type to do something that doesn’t benefit him directly. Besides, we took it all from him, so he might as well want to pay us back. It wouldn’t surprise me."

"Ash!" Commander Edwin called out. I turned to see him striding toward us, his armor dented and splattered with blood and guts, but he seemed fit as ever.

Knut raised a fist in salute, and Edwin nodded at him. 

"Commander," I greeted him. "How is everyone?"

"Nabeeh," Edwin nodded at her before addressing me. "Thanks to you and the other defenders, the base stands. But we lost good people today. It could have been much worse, but... even one is too much." Then he looked at me and grinned. "Quite a feat you pulled off. You drew a lot of monsters off my back at a critical moment, so I might even have to thank you for saving my life? Or something?"

"Thanks," I chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that far, but if you don't mind me asking, sir. Why did it take so long for reinforcements to arrive? The alarm bells rang, but..."

Edwin's expression darkened. 

"Guild officials arrived with a caravan not long before the attack began. They insisted on meeting the adventurers at once. Was in the middle of a useless talk on jurisdiction and protocol when the bells rang. Took us a good minute to get out there."

"Officials same everywhere," Knut muttered. "Always bad for everything and everyone. Petty fools with much rules. Should send out to fight monsters."

"Most mean well," Edwin said. "But you are not wrong, Knut. Enough about that. For now, anyway. I came to tell you personally, Ash, that you are to receive a third of the Juggernaut carcass as special compensation."

My eyes widened. 

"Really? I thought all carcasses from attacks went to the guild and the bank."

"Usually, yes," Edwin nodded. "And there'll be a mind gem with your name on it. The standard special compensation. But we can make exceptions for acts of exceptional courage. What you did saved lives and possibly the entire station. That deserves recognition. Also, when you compare the price of the gates you saved to what just a third of that monster might be worth, well…it’s not even close. The gates could buy you twenty of those."

I felt a flush of pride wash through me, but it was quickly followed by concern. 

"I wasn't exactly laying low, was I?"

Edwin laughed, a genuine sound that seemed to release some of the tension he'd been carrying. 

"No, you certainly weren't but when the alternative was letting the base be overrun, you chose correctly." His expression grew serious. "I promise you, Ash, I will do everything in my power not to let anything happen to you or your friends. Some things are worth the risk. I perceive you chose well."

Before I could respond, Eryn approached, her face glowing with excitement. 

"Ash! You won't believe what just happened!"

"What is it?" I asked, caught off guard by her enthusiasm.

"Doctor Ridley offered me a healer gem!" she exclaimed. "She said she keeps one handy for when she finds someone with talent. She means me! I've got talent!"

"That's wonderful!" I said, genuinely happy for her.

"Good doctor," Knut said.

"There's a condition, though," Eryn continued. "I need to work shifts at the medical tent to pay it back, plus a payment in mind gems, but, it's still worth it, right?"

"Of course," Nabeeh said. "You'll make an excellent healer, Eryn. And God knows we need your heals more than ever. These two are just insane. It’s as if they’re trying to outdo one another with stupid things."

"Great! Then we can fight even more monsters, stay in the field longer, and gain more mind gems! And do crazier things!" Roq said cheerfully.

Edwin smiled. 

"Congratulations, Eryn. Doctor Ridley doesn't offer that to just anyone. She must see great potential in you."

Eryn's cheeks flushed with pride. 

"Thank you, Commander. I’ll finally be one of you guys."

I pulled her into a one-armed hug, careful to keep up my ruse. 

"You always were, love. I'm proud of you," I whispered. “And from now on, you’ll be one of us in name, too.”

She squeezed me back. 

"And I'm proud of you, too, even if you are a reckless idiot sometimes. Now, Commander, think you could tell us anything about Benedict and his entourage?"

Riftside 2 - Chapter 26

“Oh, this is really good,” I said, reading the new skill’s description. 

NAME: Ironburst

TYPE: Active / Area Attack

DESCRIPTION: Slam the ground to summon a burst of steelhusk spears, impaling up to 15 enemies within range. Can focus all strikes on a single target, or divide strikes among multiple foes. 

Mana cost: 40

"Worth the pain, wasn't it?" Roq said smugly. "A little suffering for a lot of power. Say you would do it again. I dare you!"

“We'll have to see it in action first, buddy, but yes, I would do it again. I promise as long as this can help save us.” 

Though internally I couldn't help but feel a thrill of anticipation. If Roq could truly guide the skills I received, without having to stop my heart every time, the possibilities were fantastic. Even if it could just gently nudge the skills in a certain direction…

I headed for the wall right next to the gate, grabbing a rope ladder since all the elevators were at the top, hauling myself up at super-human speed.

Ming stood at the top surrounded by Alex and six guards which were frantically loosing arrows and jabbing spears at monsters trying to scale the walls.

"Where in the thundering cloud have you been, Ash?” Ming demanded.

"I had an idea," I said, catching my breath. “Just trust me for once.”

"Is your idea about helping Edwin?" Ming asked.

I looked down over the wall and my stomach dropped. Edwin was barely holding. His flaming sword cut wide arcs through the smaller creatures, but he was clearly struggling to keep going.

“Alex, Isaac, and I are supporting him, but there’s too many for him to keep up any longer. The monsters are spending their lives like water to quench a fire, just to keep him from the siege monster,” Ming hissed, frustration evident in her voice. “And my spells barely affect it. The plating it has just channels my spells into the ground."

"My idea is about stopping the siege monster," I said. "If it's anything like the Ironroot Golems, we need to get through the plating and damage its insides or that thing is coming through and we’re dead anyway.”

“You’ve got your hammer,” Alex said. “But how exactly are you going to damage its insides? Its colossal.”

I touched my wrist. "I've got a glowcap carcass with the siege monster's name on it. Just need to figure out the best way to use it."

"Good luck," Alex said, turning his focus back on Edwin. “I can’t keep you both alive, Ash. I’m sorry.”

Ming looked at him in surprise. 

"You're not going to talk him out of it?"

Alex shook his head. 

"We need to do something about that siege monster. If Ash has an idea, let him try, but he’ll have to risk his life to do it. Today is the day to do or die, Ming."

“Get me a fire starter,” I called to one of the guards and he ran over with the same device they’d used to light fire arrows, pressing it into my palm.

"Roq. Is the Hive Mind controlling the siege monster?"

"No," Roq replied. "It just wants to prove its strength by destroying the gate. It is as single minded as Knut when he spots beer. But there is a group of flyers heading straight for us."

"Ming," I said, moving to the edge of the wall where it met the gate, storing my shield. “We’ve got flyers incoming. Try to help me out here.”The siege monster was right below the wall, and even then, I could almost touch it.The top of its back was only a few feet below the wall, its four legs rooted to the ground as it leaned back, preparing to ram the gate again. 

"Can we use Armor Break?"

"No," Roq said with a hint of disappointment. “It sure would be nice to see it crack.”

“Monster Muck.”

I took a deep breath,  bracing myself as Ming's chain lightning crackled through the sky, passing between the Riftwings. The siege monster struck the gate and slowly started retreating again. I took a deep breath and leapt.

"WOOHOO!" Roq whooped in delight. “Again! Let’s do it again!”

The jump only seemed to last for a heartbeat before I landed on its neck. It was as wide as the trunk of a hundred-year-old steelhusk, the surface a complex latticework of wood layered above armor-like plates of bark. At least it was easy to get a good grip.

I hurried forward, scrambling up onto its body. The surface beneath me felt like a living and moving fortress. It was rigid yet somehow organic, with the bark plates shifting slightly with each movement. I struggled to maintain my balance even though my boots had traction on the mesh mesh of wood, and my gloves managed to get between the plates so I could hold on.

"What's the plan? Call it names until you hurt its feelings and make it run away?"

"No, you fool. Look, you keep telling me how monsters taste. Use that crazy brain of yours to find me a way to kill this thing!”

I hammered the monster's back with rapid strikes, not going for power but speed so I could stack a few debuffs. 

"Find me a weak spot!"

"Hmm," Roq mused. "It's like asking me to know a strawberry pie, but you only let me lick the crust before answering. I need more... contact. Keep hammering, oh Hammer Lord!"

Stagger triggered, and the monster's movements slowed suddenly. That meant its defences were reduced, too.

“Fine! Here goes!”

I raised Roq and hit as hard as I could, but he just bounced back, the strike reverberating up and into my arm, the monster’s plating holding firm.

"So far, no weak spots," Roq admitted. "I'm used to us making our own weak spots. This is rather…disappointing."

“Would the new skill work?”

"The spears won't hit high enough," Roq said. "They come from the ground, not from the spot that you strike.”

I hit the monster again, and suddenly Roq's voice brightened. 

"Wait! The resonance! The crust is talking to me. There's space inside the plates! Just make a hole in the plate, drop the glowcap in, and blow it up! Easy as pie!”

“Sure, smartass! What do you think I’ve been trying to do?"

“You asked for a plan, and this is me giving you a plan.”

"Will Smash get through?"

"Worth a shot? We can try and be disappointed afterward.”

I activated Smash, channeling mana into Roq, and slammed him down hard. 

The armor held. Something inside made the plates extremely resistant to blunt damage.

"Well, it was worth a try," Roq sighed. "If only you had my armor break ability."

"Yes, I know, you're awesome when you work," I growled. “But right now you don't, so use that brain of yours and find me a way in."

“Strike some more. Make the plates sing for me," Roq requested.

I continued hitting the siege monster as it prepared to strike once more, each blow sending jarring impacts up my arms.

“Oh, there it is!" Roq suddenly said. “The forks in the crust!"

"What in the rotten rift are you talking about?"

"There are ballista bolts stuck in its chest," Roq clarified. "Underneath. They've weakened the armor!"

"Underneath?"

"Yes, underneath!”

"Cracked steel! Do you want me to get eaten or something?” 

I hung Roq from my belt and moved to the edge of the monster’s shoulder-like growth. I had no idea what it even was, as most of what made up the monster’s body was just an amalgamation of monster parts. I kneltand grabbed onto the branches, climbing down its side, and using the thicker branches as hand and foot holds.

The monster struck the gate once more, and a sickening crack resounded from behind me. the impact sent me swinging wildly, but my grip held. The gate fared less well and I could only imagine we had a few more minutes at best. Steelhusk was extremely strong, but so was this monster’s head.

Below me, the ground crawled with monsters. As I reached the belly of the beast, my legs hanging down, a Shimmerscale leaped upward, its scythe-like limb carving through my armor and cutting a long gash in my leg.

“You really didn’t think this through, did you?" Roq observed not so helpfully. “Maybe we should have a strategy session next time. See if we can come up with a better approach?

I stayed quiet, not wanting to waste a breath on his stupid jabs. The air suddenly hummed, and I looked to see the monsters shaking, sparks running between them. 

Ming had cast a lightning field on the ground, buying me precious seconds.

"Hurry!" she called from above. “It’s not going to last long!”

Warm wetness ran into my boot as I climbed hand over hand toward the nearest ballista bolt protruding from the monster's chest. Once there, I hung from one arm, grabbed Roq with the other, and struck right where the bolt had pierced the armor. On the second strike the armor buckled and the bolt slid out. I hammered again, and chunks of armor fell away, widening the hole until it was larger than my fist.

Purple light spilled from inside, reminding me of the red veins I'd seen inside the Ironroot Golems. And just as Roq had said, there was space inside the armor. Or more accurately, there was plenty of space between the mass of branches running from the plates and inwards. It was as if the bark-like plating was the canopy at the end of branches.

“So that’s what stopped my awesomeness from breaking through. A natural shock absorber. Rude but effective. We need to replicate this with your armor. Tell Pa to stick you full of thick branches and--oh, wait, that won’t work. You’re as dense as dirt.”

Acutely aware of the seconds Ming had bought me, I hung Roq back on my belt and put one hand into the opening, totally ignoring him yet again. With the other hand I touched my spatial tattoo and willed the Glowcap to appear inside, but nothing happened. There wasn't enough space. I tried further in—still no luck. Then I tried to the side of the opening, towards the second ballista bolt protruding from the chest, and suddenly the carcass left my storage.

Thank the bells.

"Die, you bastard!" I yelled, in case the Hive Mind was listening, and took the fire starter, lit it, and shoved it into the hole just as I let go and pushed off with all my power.

My stomach lurched as I dropped and a blastwave hit me as the juggernaut golem exploded, slamming me into the wall with bone-jarring force. Metallic bark pinged off my helmet as I fell, and a piece embedded itself in my left shoulder, just between the shoulder guard and armor. 

Monster balls!

I fell back to the ground at a bad angle, and a crack resounded from my left leg. Another second later, and electricity from Ming’s spell shot up through my body, locking my muscles in agony. I spasmed, my body shaking on its own as if I was being manhandled by a giant gorilla. I struck my head several times and finally landed on the ground. The gate came into view as my vision focused.

It was still standing, though the top half was bent inward, and cracks ran down the right side. Or was it the left? I couldn’t quite tell as I had no idea what was where.

"Get up!" Roq urged. "The siege monster is toppling toward you. It's not dead!"

“I can't move! Electricity!” 

"Suck it up and get moving, or die!" Roq said. "The cloak cocoon is on cooldown, so it won't save you now!"

Then the lightning field disappeared, running out of time. Mybody hurt so badly that I just wanted to curl up and lay there, but I couldn’t. Even if the giant was done for, there were still hundreds of smaller monsters.

Steel scuttlers, rotfangs, and shardfangs rushed me as one. I grabbed Roq from my belt, pushing myself into a half kneeling position.

"Time to test this bad boy.” 

I activated Ironburst, my new skill, and felt a great tug at my mana. Power ripped through me, originating from the well in my chest and blasting down my arm, flooding into Roq.

The hammer’s head hit the dirt and the energy released.

A low thrum vibrated up my back from the ground, before fifteen steelhusk spears, each about five or six feet long, burst from the ground, each one appearing beneath a monster.

The spears weren’t clean or forged, but rather brutally organic, like branches ripped from a steelhusk tree and filed to a sharp point. They shot up in the blink of an eye, a forest of impalement blooming around me in an instant, saving me from immediate death and serving as a makeshift wall. At least for the time being.

One took a Shardfang through the throat mid-lunge, the monster’s momentum ripping the wound wide before it slid down the spear, dead. A Steel Scuttler was sent tumbling through the air, bouncing off the spear's point. Several Rotfangs had their undersides punctured, collapsing to crawl uselessly on the ground.

While some monsters were merely wounded, spears tearing through limbs or non-vitals, others were struck through the head or chest, bodies going still in immediate death.

It was brutal, messy, and delightfully effective.

"Blood and breakage! Again! Do it again! Oh, wait, you can’t, but we need to do this again! I love it! It’s like drinking a cocktail of mixed milks and pies!"

I wondered if it had been a lucky hit, but no, this wasn’t luck. This was power. For the first time, I felt distance open up between me and these lesser monsters, not because of Roq, but because of my own abilities. Sure, it was his guidance that got me this power, but it had been my hard work and perseverance that got me there.

And while this had bought me a moment, I was now out of mana, and the number of monsters would still bury me unless I did something.

I pushed myself up on my one good leg, my left refusing to work. Something was clearly wrong with my knee, but I didn’t know what.

More monsters charged toward me, but arrows and spells ripped into them from the walls. A wooden elevator dropped to the side of the gate where Alex and Ming stood, and they screamed for me to move.

I hopped one step forward, swiping out my shield, but I couldn't put any weight on my left leg. Suddenly, a piece of my cloak elongated, stretching out to wrap around my leg, from thigh to foot, going rigid, and forcing the leg to stand straight.

I screamed at the pain and fell sideways, but to my surprise, my wounded leg caught me, now moving as if it were normal, though it hurt like crazy and seemed to have a mind of its own. 

Not wanting to question my good luck, I limped toward the wooden elevator.

"Get to the siege monster and finish it!" Roq demanded.

"No.”

A Rotfang lunged for me. I hit it with Roq, killing it instantly, but another was right behind it, its claws cutting at my neck. My armor held, and I pushed it away with my shield.

"Look at the siege monster!" Roq insisted. “How succulent it looks! Do it! Or I’ll never forgive you!”

I glanced over, seeing a wound wide enough to walk through where I had thrown in the glowcap. Inside, hanging by a few remaining branches, was a glowing purple globe.

“We simply MUST destroy it,” Roq said excitedly. “The power! Just imagine how much gems worth of experience you will get! And the fame! Don’t you want it?”

“It’d be suicide," I replied, pushing for the elevator, knocking away a Shardfang.

“Fine. But, I have an idea," Roq said. "Store me and then bring me back out in the middle of a strike. I'll try activating Forge Anchor. It might work, but you MUST store me immediately after."

“But—"

"Trust me and just do it!"

Suddenly, a golden globe of light surrounded me, and a Bonepicker's claw slid harmlessly off it.

A protection buff from Alex. I made a note to treat the man to a good meal later on as a thank you.

I limped toward the elevator and was about to hop on, but hesitated. Might as well try to do what Roq had proposed. It wasn’t something I’d admit every day, but I needed power. Now more than ever. I decided to risk it.

I swiped him in and out of my spatial storage while throwing myself at the elevator, and immediately struck the ground as I landed on the planks and on top of my shield.

"Forge Anchor!” 

I mentally targeted the siege monster, or rather the spot he’d indicated. Roq screamed in pain in my head, his voice warping unnaturally, but I felt his ability activate, and Steelhusk roots pushed up just in front of the siege monster, crawling along its armored bark and feeling their way around.

The elevator started rising with me laying inside, and I watched as several tendrils found their way into the gaping hole I'd blown in the siege monster. I held my breath, hissing and cursing at my bad luck. But then, one of the tendrils pierced the purple globe even as Roq continued screaming.

A loud moan, like the world’s largest cow taking a painful dump, erupted from the siege monster, and I jerked in surprise on plank.

The purple light just faded, and an energy I'd only felt once before in the Glowroot Caverns, rushed through me. 

“I just leveled up again!” I said in surprise as I swiped Roq back into my spatial storage, cutting off his screams.

Strong hands grasped me as the elevator reached the top of the palisade, hauling me over the wall and unceremoniously dropping me to the walkway. 

As the breath whooshed from my lungs, relief flooded me, a dizzying wave that would have me chuckle, if my chest wasn’t heaving so much, and my limbs trembling. 

I was alive. 

I’d actually done it. 

For a moment, the roar of battle seemed to fade, only to be replaced by the pounding of my own heart in my ears.The rest was cut short by a voice, smooth and laced with ice. 

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the fake hero sprawled out like he’s sunbathing.”

My head snapped up and I swiped Roq from the storage on reflex. 

Benedict. 

Of course it was bloody Benedict. 

The frost mage stood a few feet away, leaning against the steelhusk battlement with an almost theatrical air of nonchalance. He casually flicked his staff, sending off an Ice Bolt.

“Riftrot and deserter’s balls,” Roq snarled, “I thought it was eating and regurgitating the siege monster that had me feeling sick and bloated. This is even worse. Hurry up! Hit him and say it was an accident!”

Benedict turned towards a woman that stood nearby. She was undeniably striking, but in the way a poisonous snake was beautiful. Silver hair sat coiled elaborately atop her head, completely out of place out here on the frontier. It framed a face of sharp angles and a pair of glacial eyes. Her lips were painted a deep crimson and her pale skin looked as if it hadn’t seen the sun for decades. Most likely it hadn’t, as her black gown was so high-necked she couldn’t have seen her toes. 

Behind her stood two men clad head-to-toe in plate armor, and of high quality to boot. Their faces were hidden behind visors. A lean archer, loosing arrows with surprising grace, rounded out the entourage.

“Honestly, Serona,” Benedict drawled, gesturing towards the chaos below with a dismissive wave of his hand, “One would think Commander Edwin could handle a simple siege, but alas, no. Commoners always need us to clean up their mess, do they not?”

The silver-haired woman, Serona, scoffed, her voice haught. 

“Indeed, Benedict. It is always so with the…common stock. They are enthusiastic, I grant them that, but ultimately… they are inefficient and fall short.” 

Her gaze flickered over to me for a split second dismissive and utterly uninterested, before returning to Benedict.

Ming snapped at her. 

“Inefficient?!” she spat, stepping forward and raising a sparking finger towards the woman. “Listen up, frostwhite. Either start helping or get lost! We’re busy slaying monsters!”

“Ash! Problem!”

Serena looked down her nose at Ming. 

“What is it?” I asked Roq.

“The Hive Mind is pissed. Like, royally pissed. Just heard it screaming in my head. Told all the flyers to come kill us. All of them.”

My blood ran cold. 

“Take cover!” I yelled, pushing myself up, ignoring the white-hot lance of pain that shot up my leg. “Flying monsters incoming! Now! Ming! Get down!”

Serona sighed dramatically, a theatrical sound that grated on my nerves even in the midst of the chaos. 

“Very well. If it will shut you up, I will show you enthusiastic types what true power looks like.” 

With a flourish that would have been comical if not for the deadly seriousness of the situation, she drew a slender, intricately carved wand from within the folds of her gown as aseries of high-pitched shrieks and the flapping of wings filled the air. 

Serona raised her wand in the monsters’ direction and cast a spell. 

“Wind Shear!” she said, and a deafening roar ripped through the air above us. An arc of wind sliced through the sky like a sharp blade, carving a swathe through the approaching Riftwings. Those caught head on simply disintegrated into puffs of gore, while others rained down on the battlement, with many missing pieces.

“Show-off pretty bird,” Roq grumbled, though even he sounded grudgingly impressed. “Waste of mana. Could have just smashed them. Hmm, I take my word back. Smash her instead!”

Ming stood, biting her lip under Serona’s mocking gaze.

“Exquisite,” Benedict said. “Let us bring Edwin back as well. It would be awfully droll having to replace him. Can’t hold on to an old grudge, after all, as we are far above that kind of petty.” 

He raised his staff and cast a spell, making his wall of ice erupt from the ground below Edwin, lifting him above the monsters. The wall was angled towards the wall, and Edwin didn’t waste a moment in running and climbing along it toward the wall. Guards threw down a rope ladder as he hurried away from the monster tide, and hurriedly grabbed on just before they hauled it back up. Serona, meanwhile, pointed her wand again, this time towards larger flying monsters heading for us.  

“Gust Lance!” she said, and two concentrated spears of what I assumed was compressed air, invisible missiles of pure force, shot from her wand. I only figured that was the spell from the impact they had on the larger flyers, as something pierced their bodies and sent them plummeting to the ground.

Two more spells, and dead fliers littered the ground and walkway around us. 

Serona lowered her wand, a smug smile playing on her lips. 

“Benedict, you stay here and ensure this camp survives. I have more pressing matters.” 

With that, she turned and strode towards one of the elevators, her two armored guards and the archer falling into step behind her.

I stared after her, dumbfounded. 

“Who the hell was that?” I asked Benedict, my voice still rough.

Benedict smirked, a knowing look in his eyes. 

“That, Ash, is Serona. Fiancée of Earl Domitius. Which,” he added with a hint of self-importance creeping into his tone, “Happens to be my new employer.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 25

What did he just say? That he could hear the instructions of the Hive Mind? If that was true…then maybe we had a chance.

"Hey, you serious? Don’t screw with me now, buddy. Is that true?”Hope bloomed inside my chest, and I felt a surge of energy. “Mhm. I’m not…screwing with you.”

"What is it planning?”

The siege monster hammered into the gate, and the sound that the gate made was a terrifying, resonant crack worse than anything I’d heard in Pa's forge. The steelhusk gates shook along with the entire battlement above, but they held.

An explosion hit the huge monster’s chest, burning away at the branches outside, and showing the metalli-like hard bark plates covering the monsters’s insides. Unfortunately, the attack didn’t go through.

"Planning?" Roq snarled. "I have no idea! I can only hear the commands, not its thoughts. It feels like hot spikes are pressing into my brain! But yes, it's useful."

"What does it want?"

"Same as always—to get me back and to kill every human here," Roq spat bitterly in my mind. "Be specific!"

I glanced along the wall to my right. Guards fought desperately as more monsters popped up, scaling the walls and climbing up onto the battlements.

"Ohh! Got more info! Run right," Roq instructed sharply. “If you won’t jump down and help Edwin, you can at least keep the walls clear and grind yourself some experience!”

Ignoring Roq’s jab, I just listened and broke into a run, my hammer ready as Roq shouted directions.

"Bonepicker coming up right now! Ruptureborn climbing, too. Will be somewhere behind us in a moment.! Two Shimmerscales are about to hop up next to that guard!"

With Roq's guidance, it became much easier to move between the spots where monsters would appear, giving me a real chance to save people’s lives. I struck on his command, crushing skulls, breaking limbs, and sending monsters tumbling lifeless from the walls. It became an exhilarating, brutal dance—me the instrument, Roq the conductor.

My arms arched, and my stamina was mostly spent, but we cleared the wall to the ballista, where Richard’s party held their section grimly, their faces pale with exertion. They didn’t have Roq, nor his ability to predict where the monster would be, and that took a toll on people. The ‘not knowing’ part.

"Thanks bud, I owe you for this. Maybe I can ask Ma to bake you a full pie once this is over?” 

I breathed heavily from the exertion, but kept my shield and hammer up.

"Don't get cocky," Roq warned. "I can't keep this up forever. It's like trying to forge with the strikes of a dozen blacksmiths all at once!"

"Understood. What next?”

“Back to the gate," Roq said. "Edwin is in trouble."

I ran back the way I'd come, drawing curious glances, but no one bothered to stop or question me as they’d seen what I’d done over the last minutes alone.

"I'm not sure what I can do to help, even if you can hear commands."

"Begrudgingly, I agree. There might be too many for you.”

I looked down to see Edwin being slowly overwhelmed. He fought hard, each strike slashing multiple monsters and his shield holding a dozen at bay—but the horde pressed him back step by step, and away from the siege monster. Even his flaming sword couldn’t overcome their sheer numbers.

"This is what happens when you're overconfident and refuse to let people help you," Roq commented. "You get overwhelmed and then you die."

A sudden explosion erupted in front of Edwin, blowing apart a group of monsters, and I realised Isaac was using his ranged skills to support the commander.

"Edwin knows what he's doing," I insisted, though doubt twisted my gut. “And even if he were to fall, I’m sure that he won’t have any regrets, Roq. He’s doing it to protect people.”

"Even the best steel shatters if struck too often," Roq countered. “And his shield is being battered.”

The siege monster punched the gate again, and the steelhusk groaned beneath the strike. Even dust fell from above, and I could swear I heard a cracking sound.

"You're the most overconfident entity I've ever met," I pointed out. "How can you be accusing Edwin of the same?"

"True," Roq admitted smugly. "But I know I'm the best. Edwin merely thinks he is."

Below us, a Glimmerscale managed to jump onto Edwin’s back. It swiftly died to the fiery blade, but he paid for the strike with a step back, and soon another. 

"I know you want to jump down and help.”

"I can’t. It’s suicide.”

Though every instinct screamed at me to do exactly that. I turned desperately to Alex, who was in deep concentration and didn’t even seem to focus on anything but Edwin. 

"What can we do?"

Alex shook his head, face grim. 

"Too many monsters. Rowan would die if he jumped down. Ming is supporting Edwin, but it isn’t nearly enough. We have to find a way to stop the siege beast, or we’re all dead.”

On cue, the monster struck the gate again, and this time I heard the distinct sound of wood splitting.

Splitting. 

To stop the monster we had to split its plates and get at its insides, just like we had done for the Ironroot Golems. A wild thought struck me. But it'd be suicide. Unless...

I checked where I was at level-wise and my eyebrows rose at the climb. 

LEVEL: 11 (8/12)

At level twelve I'd get a new skill. With Roq's abilities off the table, could this possibly do anything to help me kill or at least push back the siege monster?"Alex! Do you have four mind gems?" I asked.

The healer stared at me as if I’d asked him to resurrect the dead. 

"No—why?"

“Blasted monster balls.”

“Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

I scanned the chaos around us. 

With the adventurers on the walls, they would hold for now. They had to.

“I’ll be back,” I said, making a swift decision and grabbing a rope, sliding rapidly down from the walkway and into Sentinel Station. 

My heart hammered as I raced toward the medical tent, desperately hoping Eryn and Knut were still there.

I burst inside, removing my helmet as I entered. Nabeeh stood arguing with Eryn, who was helping one of Doctor Ridley's assistants triage the wounded. Knut was in the middle of helping an injured guard settle into a cot. Enar sat inside the tent, half his face bandaged, his one good eye resolute.

“Why didn’t you come to the wall?” I said, staring at Nabeeh.

She left Eryn to join me at the entrance. “Plenty of people for the walls. Nobody thought of guarding the wounded. There might be a royal feast's worth of flying enemies waiting to descend and rip these people apart. Knut and Eryn refused to leave, and now that I’ve found a good party, I'm going to do my best to keep them alive."

“Fine,” I said, deflating a little bit. "I need four mind gems. Immediately.”

“One second,” Eryn said. 

“I need a Glowcap as well,” I added. “Anyone know where they are stored?"

"Now this sounds promising!" Roq cackled gleefully. “We can blow up Edwin by accident and loot his gear!"

“Not funny.”

"It's just a joke!" he protested. "Unless you're up for it, of course. I’m pretty sure we’d hit level 20 at least."

Enar spoke up. 

"Captain Cooper might still have a few.”

"I need one," I said. "Where is Walt? Is he still alive?"

Enar pushed himself up with a grimace. 

"I'll go find the captain. I fought near him earlier."

"You don't need to," I said. "Just tell me where he is."

“I need to do this," Enar said. "If I don't dare step out there while the walls still stand, will I ever be able to look these people in the eye again?"

The sound of the siege monster punching into the gate echoed through the camp, and Enar flinched.

I nodded. 

“Hurry. Go find him.”

Enar grabbed a spear, and just as he was about to step out, Nabeeh touched his shoulder and suddenly the spear's tip burst into flame.

Enar nearly dropped the weapon in shock. 

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Fire buff," Nabeeh said with a shrug. "Makes pointy things pointier and burny-er, but be careful around the glowcap or you will go boom and splat at the same time."

Enar stared at the flaming spear for a moment, then nodded. 

"I could get used to working with mages,” he said and rushed out into the chaos.

"Nabeeh!" Doctor Ridley called from across the tent. “Get moving and disinfect the next batch!" 

She pointed at a tray of bloody instruments. Nabeeh grabbed it and headed outside while Eryn made her way to me, wiping blood from her hands on a cloth. I glanced at her recently reattached fingers, and she noticed my concern.

"I'm being careful," she assured me. "No heavy lifting. Promise."

I nodded and pulled her into a quick hug, kissing the top of her head. When I released her, she poured four mind gems into my palm without comment.

I popped one into my mouth despite knowing there would be a backlash of power if I absorbed another one too quickly after.. 

"What are you doing?" Eryn asked.

“I’m leveling up," I said, low enough for only her to hear. "I'm only four mind gems away from level twelve, and I want to see what skill I’ll get. If it’s anything good, I might hurt the siege monster. It’s coming in one way or another if we don’t stop it."

She looked up at me for a moment and then nodded. 

"Just be careful. Don't damage yourself with the mind gems, or it won’t matter if you stop that thing."

“Of course,” I said, though I already felt uncomfortably full of energy as I swallowed the second mind gem right after. "Roq, is there anything you can do about the mind gem energy? To speed things up?"

Roq was silent for a moment. 

"I might be able to speed up the absorption into your cells. Might hurt, though."

I chuckled grimly. 

“Can't be worse than the breakthrough."

“Probably not, but I’ll try to in any case. For science and all that stuff.”

The sound of the siege monster punching the gate crashed through the camp yet again, and everyone inside the tent winced.

Thinking of what Edwin must be facing, I decided to go for it. Hell or high water."Do it.” 

Pain lanced through my entire body right away. I stumbled, momentarily losing my sight as every nerve ending seemed to ignite simultaneously. With the loss of my sight, I could suddenly hear every sound in the entire camp all at once – conversations, clashing weapons, moans of the wounded, all amplified to an unbearable degree.

Then it blessedly passed, my sight and hearing returned to normal, leaving me gasping for air.

Eryn grabbed my arm, steadying me. 

I tried to push her away, but she held on, pressing her fingers to my neck to check my pulse.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Quiet,” I said, not wanting the attention. “I’m fine. Just… hammer stuff.”

She scowled, but let go.

"That was surprisingly easy! Maybe I can make it hurt even more next time," Roq declared cheerfully. "Eat more. Let's do the last one this time!"

"No way. That was horrible!" 

I ate the third mind gem next. 

"Just digest this one."

Roq grumbled but complied. 

"You're no fun. Gem-eating is a science, and we need to study it so other people know what not to do."

The sensation was different this time – I became hyper-aware of every inch of my skin, feeling the weight of my armor, the pressure of my boots against the soles of my feet, and even the feel of air on my nostrils as I inhaled.

Eryn pulled me into a kiss, and I savored the sensation.

“Too much tenderness. There are monsters to slay! And gems to absorb. DO IT!”

"Focus on your work and then berate me.”

“Eat more gems then!”

"Be careful," Eryn whispered. "I need you alive.”

I nodded and swallowed the last gem, my fourth.

Just then, Enar came rushing back, his flaming spear held high, nearly catching the tent.

"I got one Glowcap carcass!" he said.

I felt my eye twitch as I realized the potential danger of sending someone with a fire-buffed weapon to retrieve a highly explosive fungal carcass.

Enar followed my gaze and quickly added, "I stored the spear before accepting the carcass."

"That's... good thinking," I said, relieved that he’d heeded Nabeeh’s word earlier.

I stepped outside the tent with Enar to avoid the spores contaminating the medical area. He stored his spear before swiping out the Glowcap carcass, which I immediately stored in my own spatial.

"Be careful, all of you," I said and equipped my helmet.

“I love you,” Eryn called after me as I ran back toward the gate just as the siege monster hit it again. Time was running out.

“Ready?” Roq asked.

“Do it.”

The energy that was overflowing my entire body coalesced as he gathered it in one point, making my skin tingle and my vision sharpen.

"This is really interesting," Roq mused as I ran. "It IS a bit like the breakthrough, but also completely different. I wonder what happens if I do… this.”

Suddenly, my body locked up completely and I face-planted onto the ground.

"Fascinating!" Roq exclaimed. "I was incorrect earlier. I CAN impact your abilities!"

"Stop!” 

Agony surged through me as he did, well, whatever he was doing.

"I'll work fast," Roq promised. "I'm trying to figure this out. Ooh! What does this button do?”

The pain intensified in my legs, making them feel like they were on fire.

"That'll be a boring skill for sure," Roq commented dismissively.

"What in the rift-rotting monster balls are you doing!?”

“Maybe this would be more interesting.”

My sight vanished completely, and I screamed silently in my head.

"Whoops! Sorry about that," Roq apologized.

"Narrate what you're doing!" I commanded. "Remember how we did it with the breakthrough? Do it that way or I'll store you in the spatial storage forever!"

Roq laughed. 

"That's such a funny joke. As if you'd be willing to give up the power now. But you have a point – the breakthrough did go well."

“Don’t push your luck!”

His voice became more focused after that. 

"I'm trying to figure out how to design and control the skill creation. I think I've almost got it. I've figured out the mind and body part. Now I just need to figure out the classed part. Hold on."

"Wait—" I began, but Roq was already doing... something, because I felt strange. As if I was falling asleep and slowly descending into darkness.

When I came to with a start, I realized I must have fainted. I still couldn't move, and nausea washed over me in waves. 

“Ash! ASH!”

"What happened?" 

My thoughts were sluggish.

“I… I’m sorry," Roq said, sounding genuinely contrite. "I was working on figuring out your internal workings, the mana part, and I kind of... stopped your heart for a little bit."

"You what!?”

"I restarted it almost immediately!" Roq defended himself. "No harm done!"

"No harm? You stopped my heart, you monster!"

"Don't call me names," Roq said. "That's rude and hurtful. Besides, now I know how to give you awesome skills. Do you want it or not?"

The sound of the siege monster hitting the gate again made my decision for me. There’s no way the gate was going to hold much longer.

"Fine.”

I pushed down my rage. 

He is just a child. A stupid and impulsive child, but one that also means well. Don’t hate him for doing what he does best.

“I want the skill."

"Excellent! We’ve got two options. Area of effect, or single target higher damage?"

"Area of effect," I said without hesitation, as my worst weakness was getting swamped and bogged down by large numbers of weaker monsters. It would also be especially useful for the current battle.

"Good choice," Roq agreed. "More damage or more targets?"

"A balance?”

"Range versus damage?"

"Damage. We fight best in close combat anyway."

"Alright then," Roq said. "Hold onto your helmet, boys and girls,  and watch me create magic!" 

“How? I can’t move!”

He laughed. 

"Oh wait, yeah, that’s right. Sorry!"

More energy surged through me, starting from the center of my chest and rushing up to my head. My eyes felt like they would pop out from their sockets. Then the energy flowed down to my feet before rushing to my right hand and back near my heart once again. Finally, the energy dissipated, taking the pain with it, and I could move once more, letting out  gasp of relief.

The siege monster hit the gate again, and I heard the steelhusk warping under the strain. 

That put the fire back under me, and I scrambled to my feet while throwing a glance toward the gate. Not good. It was dented inwards at the very spot the monster had been hitting.I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and ran for the wall while bringing up my stat sheet to check my new skill.

Riftside 2 - Chapter 24

I licked my lips, feeling my breath on my face inside the helmet as the guards fired on the second wave of monsters. They didn’t even exist at this point as my eyes were fully glued to the gigantic siege monster.

"I know what you're going to say," Roq said. "But I have to say it anyway. We NEED to kill that monster. Like, kill it so dead, that even the hive mind won’t want it back"

The Rootwrought Juggernaut stomped across the killing field surrounding Sentinel station, and it shrugged anything the guards and adventurers threw at it. Projectile-wise at least. The monster seemed about as annoyed at the attacks as if they were mosquito bites.

“Oh, let me guess. Maybe it'll get you your breakthrough, right? Is that it? Not that I’d say no, mind you, if this was a less dangerous situation, but going out there? Come on, even you have to know that’s suicide.”

"Not only my breakthrough, but!" Roq exclaimed. “Well, yes, finally getting my breakthrough would be definitely nice. Good. Great, actually. But think about what would happen if it didn’t lead to my breakthrough. Imagine the power YOU would get when we kill it. Think about it, Ash! A monster that size? The experience alone would be worth it! Hell, I’m pretty sure it would give you a level or two on its own!"

The experience such a kill would grant me through Roq was truly mind boggling. If he was right, of course. How many mind gems worth? Two? Four? Ten? Fifty if it had a class or soul gem inside? The temptation was undeniable. But I shook my head.

"It would be insane to try and kill that thing, Roq. Complete and utter madness. And do let me remind you, that if we died down there, a monster would take you from me only to leave you in its lair for all eternity. Do you want to risk it?"

He was quiet for a long moment, which only made sense considering the gravity of what he had suggested. 

"I don't care about any other monster out there," Roq insisted. "Just get the last hit on that beautiful monstrosity, and I won't ask you for anything else for like..." he paused dramatically, "A day or something!"

"A day? What are you even--look, it's too dangerous, so shut it, buddy. I’m not suicidal.” 

The now-familiar snapping sound of ballista bolts loosing echoed out from the front side of Sentinel Station, and two massive bolts  flew straight at the siege monster, one right after the other. Both bolts struck the creature square in the chest, piercing its plating, but no blood whatsoever gushed out from the wounds. It more resembled like stabbing a thick thornbush with a spear – there was damage, certainly, but it seemed minor at best. The monster never even seemed to notice it.

What remained of the first wave finally reached the wall beneath us. I leaned over to see dozens of creatures – Shardfangs, Rotmasks, Steel Scuttlers – clawing ineffectively at the steelhusk-reinforced palisade, their attacks barely even scratching it.

"You worthless piles of walking compost!" Roq screamed and I winced. “Useless distractions! Fodder! Pathetic sacrifices to waste our precious defenses!"

And he was right. The first wave had accomplished exactly what the Hive Mind intended – put our spells on cooldown, drain our resources, and use up precious ammunition. They were never meant to breach the walls.

No, that was where the big ones came in.

The second wave was already halfway to the wall, arrows and the occasional spell lancing out from the station, killing several monsters at best. A Saprotic Lurker collapsed as three arrows pierced its head. A Bonepicker tumbled forward, its spine shattered by a well-placed bolt. A Shimmerscale cartwheeled through the air as it stepped on a Fire Trap. A Ruptureborn dug a furrow in the ground, an arrow sticking out of its head.

"I wish there was something I could do," I muttered, watching the slaughter unfold before us.

"There IS something you can do!" Roq exclaimed. “Jump down and slay them all! Re-baptize me in blood and guts! Be the Hammerlord you are supposed to be, damn it! Show some guts! I mean figuratively, not like…you know, rip your stomach open and show them your guts."

"I know, Roq. What I meant was to thin out their ranks before they arrive at the wall. I’m not jumping down.” 

"Oh! Well, you could throw a few rocks?” Roq suggested. "Just don't throw the wrong Roq! Haha! I’m loving this more and more every day. Speaking to you really broadens the horizon."

I felt sick to the stomach as the Bonepickers, Shimmerscales, and Ruptureborn reached the base of the wall and began climbing on top of each other as they were unable to scale the slick vertical surface. Around me, the defenders tried to pick them off with arrows, bolts, and rocks. Some even attacked with oversized spears.

Those quickly had to retreat as anyone who leaned over was targeted by the Saprotic Lurkers. The ogre-sized slugs began spitting balls of acidic bile. One struck a guard standing near me square in the face. The man screamed and dropped his crossbow, fingers prying at the acid, but it burnt through so quickly that the flesh on his hands just disappeared before my eyes, leaving only bone behind. He stumbled backward, losing his footing and tumbling down from the wall.

"Keep that acidic bile away from me!" Roq demanded. "It can't be good for my perfect finish. I'll stick to my blueberry pie facials, thank you very much. Oh…my…lewdness. That is so naughty. And milk…what could we say about being dipped in milk?"

“Wonder if this is the type of monster that gave Edwin his scar,”I said, ignoring his idiocy in the face of such danger. 

I took a deep breath and readied myself as the monsters started getting halfway up the wall, climbing ever further and crushing each other under their claws and weight. The first Shimmerscale crested the wall, popping up directly in front of me. I swung Roq at its triangular head, crushing it with little effort. The monster fell back over the wall, dead before it even reached the ground. But not everyone had a soul weapon designed to crush monsters popping their heads up like playing whack-a-mole, and the guards around me were struggling to stop the monsters from climbing the wall.

“Oh, good. They are saving them for us!”

“Don’t be crass.”

Another Shimmerscale pulled itself up to my left, blocking the guard’s strike. I rushed over and smashed its head in, then pushed it back away from the wall.

“Help him,” I said, nodding past him to the next guard. “I’ve got this stretch here.”

A Ruptureborn followed to my right, its scythe-like claws pulling itself up on the wall. The moment it had a foothold, one of the scythes swept right for me. I caught it on my shield, before striking its neck, nearly severing its head. 

Not two steps further, a Bonepicker cut a guard’s arm off at the elbow, but before it could finish the kill I drove Roq through its side with enough force to send it flying off the wall.

"Blergh! That one tasted like old leather and spoiled meat," Roq commented. "The Shimmerscales are much better – like fish wrapped in metal foil. And the Ruptureborn? Pure muscle tissue with a hint of something spicy. Not bad, actually! Too bad I don’t have the time to properly enjoy it all,"

“Healer!” a guard shouted, grabbing the wounded man by the back of his armor and hauling him towards the elevator. 

I hoped Eryn and Knut had gotten back to Dawnwatch safely, but there was no way for me to check on them now. I had to trust in them and that the rest of the adventurers and guards would arrive soon.

Two more guards cried out almost in unison as more acidic bile hung from their shoulder and arm. A Bonepicker climbed onto the walkway and lunged at me. I sidestepped and brought the hammer down, letting Roq’s magic do the work. The crunching sound as my weapon connected to the monster mid-lunge was, as Roq would put it, delicious. Despite the little power behind my strike, Roq hit it hard enough to crack its spine, sending it crashing to the walkway. I finished it with a quick tap to the head.

“Shield right!” 

I didn’t even bother looking and brought the shield up, trusting Roq fully, and a ball of bile splashed me a heartbeat later. The acid slid down the shield, either through luck, or maybe Pa had done something special to the shield, but whatever it was, I appreciated it greatly. I was a sitting duck without my shield. 

I looked down and searched for the slug, but my eyes were immediately drawn to the Siege monster as it stomped through the killing ground unopposed, with nearly all the defenders engaged on the walls. The monster headed straight for the gate, and there wasn’t a single powerful adventurer nearby.

A Ruptureborn crested the wall and made to leap at me.

Roq warned me again and I swept my hammer sideways, connecting with its chest, breaking ribs, and sending it tumbling back down. 

“So, umm…just because I know how much it would annoy you if these people died...  you might want to clear the right side again.”

I turned to see the guards fighting for dear life, and about to be overrun by a Bonepicker and four Ruptureborn. One guard lay dying, his throat slashed. Another was seized and thrown from the wall into the mass of monsters on the other side of the wall. He barely managed to cry out as monsters swarmed over him, ripping him to pieces. Three spear-wielding guards stood further along the wall, trying to hold the monsters back but they weren’t having a lot of luck. 

Two Ruptureborn went for them while the two others went for me. I braced my shield and pulled Roq back. The first came into striking range.“Armor Break.”

Nothing happened. 

“Roq? What is--”

"AAAAGH! The pain! Make it stop!" he cried, startling me.

The sound stabbed through my mind and I stumbled. The Bonepicker struck, hooking its claw on my helmet and pulling me past it, sending me stumbling to the floor. 

"Portal-pissing, rift-rotted bastards!" Roq cursed in my mind, his voice strained as if locked in a mental arm-wrestling contest.

“Impale!”

Trapped between four monsters, and lying flat on the floor, my cloak’s ability did what it was supposed to do. I felt the heavy thuds slamming into my back as the steelhusk spikes shot outward.

The wet sound of three impacts reverberated around me as I tried to push myself back up. The spikes withdrew a moment later, and I found two of the Ruptureborn were gone, while the Bonepicker was staggering toward me with a hole in its chest. 

“Skull-stacked monster balls!”

I pushed back up and raised my hammer in the same movement, then brought it down on the monster’s head, cracking its skull. A cheering sound came from behind me. I looked around quickly and found the other guards had killed the last monster. “Thank you, adventurer,” one of them said and nodded.

“Anytime,” I shot back, distracted by Roq’s continued cursing in my head.

"What in the rotten rift is going on, Roq?"

"That... that... THING is in my head!" he snarled, his voice distorted with rage and pain.

I looked around frantically. The walkway was now clear for over fifteenfeet in both directions. Further to my left, towards the gate, two guards were fighting a Ruptureborn, using their spears to keep it at bay. To my right, two of the three guards were running to help another guard fight several Shimmerscales that had just appeared on the top of the wall.

With no monsters actively trying to kill me, I swiped Roq into my spatial storage.

A blissful second of mental silence followed, and I glanced toward the siege monster. It was close enough to see more details. It had a fungal mesh beneath bark-like armor plates, and within that, slithering trees, like muscle. 

Then I swiped Roq back out again as I went to help the guards on my right kill the Shimmerscales. 

"What's going on, Roq?" I asked as I fought.

"Thank you for helping," he gasped. "I was – or am – under mental assault. I think it's the Hive Mind. It's trying to break into my consciousness, and I can't use my abilities!"

The guards and I finished off the monsters, with them pushing the monsters toward me, and me crushing them like the bugs they were. 

"When you swiped me into storage, it stopped," Roq continued. “I was hidden there somehow. The Hive Mind couldn’t find me, yet I could still feel that it actively searched for me. It was creepy..”

The guards nodded their thanks to me. Again. 

"Stay alive," I said, and returned to my previous position on the wall, crushing the skull of one monster on the way as it tried to crest the wall.

“So can we use your skills now?"

"I don't think so," he replied. "It might be that trying to use my skills allowed the Hive Mind to pinpoint me specifically."

Further ahead, the siege monster reached the gate and stopped right in front of it. Then it started rooting itself into place, slamming down thick legs like tree trunks into the ground, from which thick vines growed and dug into the soil."Damn, that thing really is big."

A deep groan rumbled from somewhere inside it as more roots, thick as my leg, shot down from its lower body. They bored into the ground with wet, crunching sounds, anchoring it further into place.

"A living battering ram. I like it. Or, I'll like devouring it. I might throw up after, but that's fine. It'll be worth it."

My stomach dropped.

I thought back to when we had left for the Twisted Titan the first time, and Garret had kissed the gate. I wouldn’t mind a bit of his luck right about now.

The two guards between me and the gate had defeated the Ruptureborn and now picked up crossbows, loosing bolts at the siege monster. Their projectiles did absolutely nothing to harm it.

"Maybe we should burn it," Roq suggested. "It's a wood-ish monster, after all. Fire tends to work wonders on things that can burn."

"I know, but that should be too obvious, no? Actually, never mind. Good idea.” 

“Everyone!” I yelled. “Use fire arrows!" I called to the men. “Try to shoot as deep inside the monster as you can! Burn it up from within!”

The guards and a few adventurers to my sides began preparing rags for their bolts, while others still kept their spears, maces, swords, shields, and hammers up, blocking monsters and knocking them off the wall. Just beyond the guards, a Bonepicker had climbed one of the steelhusk trees used as anchors for the wall. It pounced on the single mage who was stationed there, the man desperately trying to fend it off with his staff, but his spells had to be on cooldown. Two guards stabbed the monsters, bashed its head in, and tried to push it off the mage, but the monster ignored them totally, throwing its life away to kill the spellcaster.

The ballista crews were frantically working to reload their massive weapon.

"I miss Wade," Roq said. "He was quite good with those things."

“Me too. I’d love a few exploding bolts into that siege monster right about now.”

I looked down at the wall's base and felt my stomach drop. 

There had to be over a hundred monsters from the first wave now gathered around the siege monster as it finished rooting itself into the ground. 

If it succeeded in breaching the gates, Sentinel Station would be lost. We couldn’t hold off that many, not once they got inside, and we’d have to retreat to First Steel. No, we probably wouldn’t even get the chance to.

“We’ve got reinforcements!" Roq said. “So kill more, faster, before they steal all the experience! I see Edwin and his party. And there's Shay's party, and Richard's too!"

“Thank the bells,” I gasped as a wave of relief flooded over me. Why had it taken them so long, anyway? “And don’t worry. There are plenty of monsters to go around.”

"Fine," Roq agreed begrudgingly. “As long as we get the killing blow on the siege monster, I am happy to share the others.”

“We’ll leave that one for the higher level adventurers. How’s your… head, anyway?"

"It feels... how to even describe it?" Roq said. "Like Knut's mother is standing on it.”

"Why Knut's mother?"

"Have you seen the size of Knut?" Roq retorted. "Now imagine big his mother would be!"

"Be serious, Roq.”

"I can't be serious! I'm rift-rotting scared!" Roq snapped. “This is how I deal with emotion, alright! This and pie! And as far as I can tell, THERE IS NO PIE!”

I killed another Ruptureborn as it scaled the wall and tried to get at me. More bile acid flew upward, and one of the blobs narrowly missed me. 

“Alright, fine, of course you can joke. Just as long as you tell me what's going on."

"I'm trying to distract myself so I don't feel the pressure of the Hive Mind,” Roq admitted.

"Why? Is it that bad?"

"What if it succeeds in whatever it’s trying to do and I lose myself?" The vulnerability in his voice surprised me. "What if it takes me over?"

"I promise to store you in my spatial inventory if you start screaming or if I feel anything weird happening," I assured him. “I got you.”

“What if I’m not the same hammer when you pull me back out?”

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

“Ha. Ha, and a very big, ha!”

“Come on, Roq. Feel it. We need to understand what we're dealing with and get your skills back at least. I can’t do crap against that big thing if you can’t focus.”

"Fine," Roq agreed reluctantly. “I will…do my best.”

Down below, Edwin arrived at the gate just as the siege monster struck it for the first time. The impact was devastating – not fast, but incredibly powerful, like forging with a maul. The entire gate shook, and the steelhusk groaned.

Edwin immediately began barking orders, looking up and spotting me on the wall. He gave me a quick nod of acknowledgment before turning to his party.

"Isaac, Rowan – defend the left side of the wall! Ming, join Ash. Alex, heal the wounded!"

One of the guards loosing fire bolts at the siege monster cried out as a Shimmerscale appeared behind him and cut his arm off. I rushed over and killed the monster before it could finish the man off. Arms could be set again, though the man would be out of action for a while, but death was permanent. 

Edwin, Ming, and Alex arrived on the wall via the elevator, and Alex moved to help the wounded guard while Edwin cursed at the sight of the siege monster below.

"What can we do? Open the gate and funnel them through? Kill them as they come in?" I yelled, my voice laced with a bit of panic and a lot of urgency.“You stay there and hold the wall," he shot back. “I got this.”

"And you?"

"I'm going to deal with that thing out there." Edwin pulled out and donned a fully enclosed helmet. Armored completely from head-to-toe, he drew his flaming sword and swiped his shield out of storage. “Reserve your spells,” he told Ming, before running up to the top of the wall, giving us one last look, and jumping over the palisade. I leaned over to see him landing as gracefully as possible in full plate armor, and he charged for the siege monster, his flaming sword splitting monsters in two as he tried to get at them. 

The monsters that had gathered around the siege monsters threw themselves at him, but Edwin was no slouch or a low-level adventurer with thoughts of grandeur. “Expand!” he shouted, and his shield suddenly grew to the size of a door, taller, and way wider than him. Yet he moved it as if it weighed no more than a normal shield.

“I love it when he uses that ability,” Ming said, fingers drumming on her staff. With Edwin on the ground, the pressure on the wall around us already lessened considerably. 

“How long does it last?” I asked, watching him knock monsters aside like toys as he pushed for the siege monster.

“Hopefully long enough,” Alex said, stepping up next to her. “Guardian!” Alex said, casting a spell, and a silver glow surrounded Edwin.

"Jump down and join the fight!" Roq urged me. "This is our chance!"

"We'll die if we go down there. We can't even use your skills right now."

"Fine," Roq grumbled. Then, his voice suddenly strained. “Here’s that bastard again! Trying to squeeze into my mind again, as if there’s any space left in there with how awesome I already am!”

“Scream if you want a trip to the spatial.”

I watched Edwin carve through the monsters as Roq struggled in my mind, fighting against the hive mind’s invasion. 

Then, unexpectedly, Roq laughed in a manic way.

“Are you alright?"

“Head right! Run along the wall!” Roq snapped. "Now!"

I trusted him implicitly, running away from Alex and Ming without hesitation.

"Strike left!" Roq suddenly commanded.

I did as he said, and connected with a Shimmerscale just as it poked its head over the wall. The creature's skull shattered under the impact and it dropped dead.

“By the bells, what was that?" I asked, staring at my hammer.

"The Hive Mind is trying to take over my mind," he explained, his voice strained but excited. “But it has already taken over several of these monsters! When it pushes against my mind I can hear some of the commands, Ash! I know where some of the monsters are and what they're doing!"

Riftside 2 - Chapter 23

“Rift rot,” I cursed, touching my sigil and peering across the killing fields as the bells rang out, three times, and then kept on ringing. Monsters swarmed from the treeline, spreading out and pushing in like a tidal wave, throwing themselves at the stake walls, the water pits, and going for the station’s walls. A glowcap exploded somewhere ahead of me as a fire arrow struck it, killing a bunch of monsters that were passing by. Another detonated right after, and another, and each detonation casting an eerie blue-green light over patches of the battlefield, offering us glimpses of the enemy.

"Shardfangs? I thought they never left the Ironclad Ravine?”

“Kind of them to deliver themselves unto us for slaughter! My wishes and dreams have been answered,” Roq said. “Let us do this, Ash. Let us fulfill our destiny!”

“I’m not so sure this is a good thing, Roq. And no, I’m not going outside. No way. Screw destiny.” 

Around me, guards were pushing onto the walls, and those already present took up their defensive positions, preparing bows and crossbows. There were even a few larger contraptions I’d been told were called ballistae, that shot bolts the size of my leg. They were exclusively reserved for larger monsters, and we only had a few at the front of the fort.

I focused on the Shardfangs as they hit the first line of pits, impaling themselves on sharpened stakes concealed within. The beasts howled, their momentum driving the wooden spikes into their bodies along with the weight of others that fell on top of them. Some of them thrashed, while others died right away. Even more of the Shardfangs just bounded past and evaded most of the first trap line. I glanced toward the medical tent, wondering if I should go to the others, but they should be safe near the rift. And it wasn’t like they could do much. Eryn couldn’t draw her bow, and Knut was out. Nabeeh? Maybe…

The watch commander shouted orders, his voice carrying even over the ringing bell and the general ruckus. More guards and adventurers rushed for the walls, and I spotted Richard, the party leader, and Ming, Edwin’s lightning mage rushing to join. 

A runner dashed toward the rift, his feet carrying him with even greater speed than the monsters. He was probably calling for reinforcements and warning Dawnwatch. Good. If any of these got past us, the second line would be ready.

With the station working as intended, the best thing I could do was stay on the wall and help as needed, maybe even rack up some experience if it came to that. While the carcasses killed in the defense of Sentinel Station would go to the adventuring guild and guards, that didn’t stop me from leveling. Not with Roq’s weird state of being stuck at level 9.

"This is not a normal attack," Roq suddenly said,  his voice serious.

"Why?" 

I scanned the mass of monsters, looking for what he might have spotted, but I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

"Look at the rift. Hive Mind’s eyes are up in the sky.”

I turned just in time to see five monsters descend from the dark sky, leathery wings barely visible in the darkness. Riftwings, the sigil informed me, and they were a green threat level. Each was the size of a large eagle, and they plummeted silently at the runner, catching him before he could make it into the rift. The first monster dove into the back of the man’s head and he collapsed with a thud.

“Commander!” I shouted, pointing at the fallen man. “Monsters inside the walls! Up in the sky!”

Several guards who had been racing toward the walls pivoted, their boots skidding in the dirt as they looked to the fallen runner. They hesitated, clearly torn between defending the walls and helping their comrade.

The watch commander ended their indecision with a bellow that cut through the chaos. 

“To the walls, you bastards!" he yelled, drawing his sword and swiping out a shield, running to the downed runner. 

"Portal piss! The hive mind is trying to stop us from calling for reinforcements. This isn’t good, Roq. It has changed tactics."

"Smart," Roq growled in my mind. "Cut off help before the real slaughter begins. That makes me wonder what the hive mind is going to throw at us. Another lightning kitty? More of those mole monsters? Oh, oh, oh! Maybe the rat?"

I was about to move for the rift to make sure we could call for reinforcements when the medical tent flap flew open. Nabeeh emerged from inside, her dark hair whipping around her. She spotted the Riftwings and  eyed them, her robes billowing in the sudden gust of wind that passed through the station.

“Back off!” she shouted to the approaching commander.

The commander halted as Nabeeh thrust her palms and cast Flame Breath into the air, fire erupting from her outstretched hands, forming into a roaring cone that engulfed three of the Riftwings. Their leathery bodies ignited instantly, their screeches cutting off as they were reduced to charred husks that dropped to the ground like chunks of coal.

The remaining two Riftwings backed off, screeching, their wings beating frantically as they retreated from the heat. The commander rushed toward him, checking the back of the man’s head, and then he shook him awake, yelling something I couldn’t hear over another glowcap explosion. The runner got to his feet with the commander’s help, and stumbled toward the rift under Nabeeh’s watchful eye. She scanned the sky, but no more flying monsters attacked. The commander nodded grimly to Nabeeh, then called for two guards. 

"You, secure the rift. You, head through and make sure reinforcements are coming!" The guards ran for the portal, following orders. I looked back out onto the walls. Around me, guards and adventurers were firing at the monsters, with bows twanging and crossbows clicking, magic fizzing in and out. Stacks of spare arrows and bolts lined the wall beside piles of heavy rocks ready to be dropped on any monsters that reached the base.

“Are they attacking every side?” I called out to a guard that was further up ahead and could see the other side of the wall.

“Yes!  And the west gate?” he called back.

“Yes, sir! I’m on it!” I shot back and made my way over.

I looked to Nabeeh to see what she was doing, only to find her heading toward me. I waved her back. 

"Don’t! Nabeeh! Get Knut and Eryn to Dawnwatch first!"

She nodded, holding up a hand in acknowledgment before heading back toward the tents.

“They even brought out the Steel Scuttlers,” Roq said. “How cute. Like little bite-sized snacks. Too bad I won’t get any experience for them, and neither will you.” 

Light shone off the metallic shells of the dozens of crab-like monsters.

“Pathetic little tin-cans,” Roq scoffed. “Hardly worth the effort to crush. But, decent forging material, so I will allow it. Store a few for Pa.”

“How magnanimous of you, oh mighty hammer.”

“I know, right?”

Three Scuttlers ran up to a Glowcap and it exploded. They could have easily bypassed it, but they didn’t. Even stranger was how the caps blew up without being set aflame.

“Are they trying to free them or blow them up? And how are they even doing it?”

“Does it matter? They are dead either way.”

Several shambling forms emerged from the shadows. Ironroot Golems, lumbering in pairs, their bodies a mass of petrified wood and gnarled roots.

“Oh, I have missed these. I wonder how easily we can kill them now. Hope a few make it here so I can feel them splinter beneath my striking surface!”

Another explosion rocked the field as an Ironroot Golem stepped on a Glowcap trap and the defenders around me cheered. The blast caught several head-sized Riftcrowns scrambling among the Golem’s legs, ripping them apart, just like Nabeeh and Benedict had done in the Twisted Titan. 

The Ironroot Golem fell sideways, half its upper body torn away and flames eating away at its body. It thrashed wildly, and its partner, too slow to get out of the way, was set on fire. 

“Beautiful,” Roq said. “But they're still coming, and rightly so. I am the grand prize, after all.”

“Yes, they are.”

The Glowcaps helped, but they only blew holes in the approaching force. Riftcrowns were following the Shardfangs, more Ironroot Golems plodded into the killing fields, and beetle-like Rotmasks charged headlong for the wall.

"How thoughtful of the hive mind to deliver my dinner right to our doorstep," Roq commented, but I sensed an unusual tension beneath his bloodthirsty bravado. “Okay, now I am being just dramatic. But I like it!”

A thought suddenly struck me.

“Why did you say the Hive Mind’s eyes were in the sky?” 

“Because they are?”

“You mean hypothetically?”

Roq hesitated, before saying, “I’m not sure.”

“How did you know the Riftwings were attacking?”

“I… heard it?”

“Their wings?”

“No. I think… I think I heard the command.”

“Is the Hive Mind speaking to you like it did in the dungeon?”

My hands were suddenly sweaty.

“Hey! You sack of plant crap! We sent your rat running, cleaned out your cave, and now we’re about to bash the face in of your entire army! And I bet you don’t have the guts to show yourself!”

I held my breath, eyes going wide at the possibility of the hive mind being somewhere close by.

“Well. It’s either ignoring me or it can’t hear,” Roq said after a while, and I exhaled in relief. 

“But you can hear it?”

“More like I can sense some of its… it’s not speech but more like commands?” Roq said. “And not clear. It’s weak. Soft. Like a whisper on the wind.”

“How poetic.”

I swallowed, trying to gauge the size of the attacking force. How many monsters were out there? What types were we facing? The darkness between Glowcap explosions made it impossible to tell.

"There are so many of them," I said, more to myself than to Roq.

"Like ants spilling from a shattered hill. But this is not an assault they can win. The walls are too sturdy, the defenders too many.”

The twangs of arrows being loosed, almost startled me as I was lost in thought and conversation with Roq. Guards and adventurers all around me 

"Haven't seen this many since before the Twisted Titan run," a guard next to me said with a hint of worry in his voice. "Reckon they've been saving them up." He smiled as yet another Glowcap explosion took out a cluster of charging Shardfangs. “It’ll be good for the economy, though. Fresh gems and materials coming our way. If we survive the night."

I stared at him. 

"Aren't you nervous?"

He shrugged, nocking another arrow. 

"Course I am. But this is the job." He loosed the projectile and I saw a monster drop. "You adventurers go out and face the darkness, but we? We do this day in and day out, holding the monsters back from the walls. Not glamorous, but by the rift am I glad we’ve got the walls between us and those monsters. And just listen to those mushroom blasts! There might not even be any left for us!” He chuckled. “Heard it was some adventurer who came up with the trick. If I ever find out who, I'm buying them an ale!"

“Yeah, clever,” I said as he continued firing. "Are they usually this suicidal?" I asked as creatures threw themselves at Glowcaps, triggering fiery explosions. Others sprinted headlong at us, only to be peppered with arrows and bolts, while others crashed into spikes with such force they impaled themselves.

"Pretty common, yeah," the guard replied, selecting another arrow. "Monsters are dumb as rocks."

"The man is right," Roq said, "But he's also dangerously wrong."

“What do you mean?” 

I frowned, watching how quickly the defenders were expending ammunition and mana. Further down the wall, a rotund man I’d seen in the guild a few times held his staff outward. 

“Inferno Sphere!” 

A ball of flame the size of a wagon wheel streaked across the killing field, leaving a trail of fire on the ground in its wake. It crashed into an Ironroot Golem, detonating to engulf over a dozen more monsters.

To my left, Ming held her staff to the sky. 

"Lightning bolt!"

A jagged spear of electricity split the night with blinding white light, stabbing down at yet another Ironroot Golem hitting it square in the chest, blasting a smoking hole through its wooden body. The creature collapsed like a felled log.

“These monsters seem to share a single brain cell,” Roq said. “To kill us. But that’s not dumb. It’s pretty smart.”

"Field discharge!" Ming yelled, and a circle of crackling energy appeared on the ground around a dozen Scuttlers. Their metallic shells conducted the electricity perfectly, sparks flying as they cooked from the inside out to collapse in twitching heaps.

“Smart to die?”

Ming raised her hands once more. 

"Chain lightning!"

A bolt of electricity shot from her fingertips, striking a Shardfang at the front of an advancing pack. The lightning jumped from the first monster to the next, then the next, forming a deadly web that connected seven beasts in rapid succession. Each one convulsed violently before dropping dead.

"Cooldown!" Ming called, her voice hoarse, stepping back. "Need to recharge!"

After a Fire Trap blew beneath a group of Rotfangs, the crimson-robed fire mage called out the same and both mages backed away from the wall.

"Heading to the rift!" Ming called to everyone. "Back in a few!"

"Make it quick!” Richard called back. “We need your spells!”

There were a few other mages doing the same further up, but they were stretched thin along the walls.

One the greatest advantages of fighting at Sentinel Station was its proximity to the rift, allowing mages to step through to Dawnwatch, physically removing themselves from combat to start their mana regeneration. 

I frowned, taking in how quickly we were using up all our ammo and mana.What was the Hive Mind trying? Overwhelm us with monsters? But they were all ordinary and something we found out in the wild or in dungeons. There’s no way that--Suddenly it clicked. 

"These are all expendable monsters," I muttered. "Ones that can't do any real damage against the walls. Fodder that could be picked off at leisure." I turned, trying to catch the watch commander's attention. 

"Commander! This is a—"

“Flier!” Roq shouted. 

I set my legs and raised my shield just as a flock of Riftwings dive-bombed the defenders. One smacked into my shield, breaking its neck and dying , but the others raked at archers’ faces and even knocked several guards off the wall. 

The aerial attack momentarily stopped the guards from loosing arrows at the flying creatures, but. I rushed to help, hammering a monster in the face, and then another. A few other adventurers were doing the same. Shriekers like those we’d faced climbing to the mesa swooped down after the Riftwings, unleashing their sonic attacks along the wall. 

"Help!" a guard cried nearby as three Riftwings descended on him. He was well-armored, but also a sitting duck as he just flailed his arms.

“Platemaw move!”

I thought back to the first time I’d fought the armorer beast, and how we’d blinded it, and grabbed a stone from the pile by the wall and tossed it up before hitting it with Roq like a bat. The rock shattered, sending deadly shards spraying at the flying attackers. 

I repeated the move again, beating some of the flying monsters away and killing others, until they were either all gone or dead. My arms ached as hitting rock even with a tempered body like mine wasn’t nothing.“Thanks!” one of the nearby guards shouted. “We got it!” 

“Alright! I’ll stay here for a bit longer!” I shot back and kept an eye to the sky.

“So, that was why.”

“What?”

“Look. Up ahead.”

I looked back out across the killing fields, and suddenly felt a chill running down my  body. The first wave of monsters was nearly at the walls, but they weren't what worried me. Behind them came a second wave, larger and more dangerous than the first, with several types of monsters I didn’t even recognise. 

I touched my sigil. There were plenty of green, yellow, and—my heart sank further—even some orange creatures lumbering forward.

“What the hell are Saprotic Lurkers,” I muttered, squinting at the orange-rated slug-like monsters oozing their way forward. Yellow-rated Bonepickers and Shimmerscales darted across the field, while green-rated Ruptureborn seemed to be forming the bulk of the second wave.

Most of the Glowcaps were already detonated, the spikes blunted by the carcasses of the first wave, and I didn’t see a single mage firing off spells. That only left the ranged defenders and some melee fighters spread out along the wall to protect them.

"Ignore the closer monsters!" the commander shouted from atop of the wall. “Mann the ballistae and target the bigger monsters!”A loud crack resounded from the steelhusk treeline and it was followed by a loud, mushy thud, one loud enough to draw our attention away from the more immediate danger.

“Rift-rotten, breech born, monster balls,” I muttered.

The monster was just…big. No, colossal. Like a walking siege engine of twisted bark and root-vein muscle, easily twenty feet tall, maybe more. It looked as if the Hive Mind had taken ten Ironroot Golems and squashed them together to make one giant monster. It was outlined in red and something called a Rootwrought Juggernaut.

"Deserter's balls," I whispered, the curse barely audible even to myself.

"Ahh… now that is a monster. It doesn’t just hate, doesn’t just rage, but it obeys. I almost admire that. Almost."

“Not now, Roq. Leave your admiration for when we survive this portal piss.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 22

I sat on a cot next to Eryn when Commander Edwin entered the medical tent. We’d gotten the entire tent to ourselves as Knut’s leg and arm had been set and was being healed. While he could technically move, he was under the doctor’s strict orders not to even get up or he’d face some…repercussions.

"How are you all doing?” Edwin asked, and Nabeeh stirred, yawning as she sat up, waving at the commander.

"Alive," I said. “Broken arm and leg for Knut, Eryn’s fingers were reattached, and Nabeeh’s quick thinking in playing dead saved her from more than a stomach wound.”

“And despite my quick thinking, I’m the only one who will end up with a permanent scar,” Nabeeh said, grumbling, but we all knew it was good natured. 

“And you?” Edwin asked. 

“I'm mostly unharmed,” I said. “Got lucky. Really lucky.”

Edwin nodded. 

“Good to hear. Now, the doctor only let me inside.” He pulled up a stool and settled next to me. “I need a full debrief. Also, why do you keep doing this? Giving me a headache and drawing attention to yourself when you least should?”

I shrugged, unable to  really give him a real answer, then proceeded to describe the ambush in detail, including how the monsters had erupted from the ground, how they had surrounded us, their threat levels, appearance, and abilities. 

"And you say this Gnash monster was orange-rated?" Edwin asked at the end.

"Yes," I confirmed. "It was different from any other monster we’ve fought. Well, except Arclight, the lightning kitty. Though, this didn’t feel similar to it. Just, smarter and stronger than normal monsters. It even used a dagger and had some kind of empowered attack that shattered my shield and… stunned my arm in one hit."

"And it retreated rather than fought to the death," Edwin mused, stroking his chin. "That suggests strategic thinking."

“Strategic thinking? Bah! Cowardice! It should have fought to the death and let us kill it. I wanted to taste it. I needed to…no, I still need to!. Revenge is a dish well made with rat.”

"The whole attack felt planned," Nabeeh added, sitting up on her cot. "They weren't just random monsters. I’ve never seen creatures like that waiting for adventurers before. If they knew we were in the cavern, they should have charged inside to attack us. They should have thrown themselves at us. When did monsters start waiting for adventurers to get out of tricky situations to attack them? It’s wrong on so many levels.”

“This is a count in favor of your Hive Mind theory being correct,” Edwin said, his frown deepening. “It sounds tactical. But why would they go after you?”

Eryn and Knut both glanced at me. Edwin hadn’t mentioned anything about his mentor being targeted by monsters, only humans.

“Perhaps it was an ambush of opportunity?” I said, shrugging. “That it had monsters nearby and sent them once we went down into the cave?”

“We both know that isn’t true.”

“Could it want revenge?” Edwin asked. “You told me you harmed it in your fight. If it can strategize, then it can long for revenge, too.”

“Revenge,” Roq said. “Yes. He is right, but only partially.  It is WE who needs revenge. On that oversized sewer rat!” 

“There must be more valuable targets than me, I mean, us,” I said to Edwin, trying to focus.

“Are you listening? We need to train, Ash! Now! There must be mind gems here. Maybe Edwin has some on him? Eat them like they’re Ma’s blueberry pie! Reach level twelve and let’s see what new ability you gain. I bet it’s going to be magnificent. It’s based on me, after all, you leech!”

“Your party. Better target than us, no?” Knut said to Edwin.

“True,” the commander said. “Makes me fear the worst for Ilya’s party. If the monsters have started ambushing adventurers, the war between the monsters and us just entered a new phase. A bad one at that.”

“Roq, calm down. I need to focus.”

“Ilya has yet to return?” Eryn asked, and Edwin nodded.

"Could it be a preparation for a larger attack?” I asked. “Try to weaken us by picking us off when we go outside?”

"A plausible theory, and concerning one." Edwin sighed and looked towards the tent’s exit. 

“Calm down? That… that thing dared to wound my wielder! We need to learn from them. We need to set our own ambush! Do cheese pies exist here? Put one out, lure that bastard rat to the pie, and when it’s close – BOOM! We blow it up! Mix rat brain and cheese pie, sweep it up, bake a new pie, and put me in it. Yes! This is the way! Listen to me, and we will achieve glorious success, Ash!”

“Roq, we nearly died. You need to calm down, or we risk making even more mistakes. Think of the forge for a moment. We don’t simply work with hot metal, do we?”

“What?”

“Tell me, Roq, what does quenching do?”

“You know perfectly well what it does. What’s your point, you dullard?”

“Say it.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you know?”

“Of course I know!”

“Prove it then.”

“Fine! We cool the metal rapidly to increase its hardness and strength. Happy now?”

“Good. Being healed and going through this debrief? That is us quenching. Without it, we will become brittle and more likely to crack under the pressure of fighting for our lives. So cool it, alright?”

“Why do you always have to be so… complicated?”

“Just be glad I’m not a woman.”

“What in the abyss does that even mean?”

“Never mind or I won’t get a word in with Edwin for the next few days.”

We spent the next hour discussing various scenarios and potential countermeasures. Edwin was particularly interested in what we’d seen of the Gnaw Hulks' burrowing abilities and Gnash's empowered attacks.

Finally, Edwin leaned back, his expression somber. 

"From what you've described, there doesn’t seem anything you could have done to avoid this ambush, short of avoiding Riftside altogether."

“Not going to happen,” I said.

“You have to be careful now,” he continued. “More than ever before.”

“No. Be stronger,” Knut said. “Get stronger, kill all monsters.”

“I didn’t mean in combat. Too many promising adventuring parties break after near-death experiences like this," Edwin said. "I'd hate to see that happen to you. You've made rapid progress, and I have high hopes for your future. We all do, here in Dawnwatch."

I pulled Eryn close while smiling at Knut and Nabeeh. 

"With all due respect, Commander," I said, "We knew what we were signing up for. Things won’t always go our way, but we learn from it."

"If it were that easy," Eryn added, leaning on me, "The war would already be over, wouldn’t it?”

"Good fight make strong warriors,” Knut grunted, flexing his shield arm. “Wounds not kill. Only make stronger.”

"Besides," Nabeeh said with a dramatic sigh, "Where else would I get such exciting scars to show off at parties?"

Edwin looked dumbstruck, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well," he said finally, trying to put up as much of an honest smile as he could "Your resilience is commendable. Thank you for taking the mission, despite the outcome. I look forward to seeing what comes from the roots you brought back, though it doesn’t sound like we should set up any larger production there for now.”

"What's it like?" I asked suddenly. "Fighting in rifts where the monsters are stronger?”

Edwin went quiet, his expression distant. And when he spoke, his voice was forcedly calm. 

"In one way, it's much the same." He glanced at Eryn. "Has Ash shared the information I gave him about how monsters seem to match the power of adventurers at a rift?"

Eryn nodded, and Edwin continued.

“So in a way it feels much the same. It's never easy. When I’ve fought in rifts where I am the weakest adventurer and not the strongest, it reminds me of when I started out. What you are experiencing now is what I experience when fighting stronger monsters. With the main difference being that the more powerful the monsters are, the more abilities and surprises they bring, like the empowered attack of this Gnash. I’m surprised you faced it here already.”

“So are we. It looked just as sentient as the hive mind,” I said and let out a sigh.

Edwin leaned forward, his voice dropping. 

"This is part of why we don't just hand out gems to scavengers. It was tried. They flooded Riftside with adventurers, sending out hundreds of parties." He shook his head. "But the monsters responded, increasing their numbers in kind. Too many of the boosted adventurers couldn't handle the pressure and combat. Many fell. Too many. But even more quit. It caused a lot of trouble—trouble the guild has worked hard to keep quiet."

“My father told me stories,” Nabeeh said. "In Azbara, they had to kill a lot of the boosted adventurers."

“Kill them?” Eryn gasped. "Why?"

Edwin and Nabeeh exchanged a glance, and at the commander’s nod, she continued.

"They weren't strong enough to fight Riftside, but on Noros, they were suddenly powerful. Really powerful. A party of four classed adventurers setting themselves up as roaming bandits? Several parties banding together to challenge the king?" She shook her head. "Lots of blood was spilled. You might not have realised this yet, but adventurers do not fit into Noros' society.”

Edwin nodded. 

"That's correct. Adventurers who are focused on the war effort and push themselves to grow and beat back the monsters have an outlet and a purpose. But not those who give up. And few are willing to live quiet lives as farmers, merchants, or craftsmen. Instead, they attempt to seize power on the basis of their classed strength. It never ends well."

“I guess I never thought about that,” I said, feeling a sudden dread form within me. “Just how many people lost their lives like that? It’s rather unsettling.”. 

“We do our best to make sure you never have to,” Edwin said. “And this is why the guild doesn't actively help scavengers reach classed status. We don't stop them either, of course. The war effort is dependent on getting adventurers. But the period as a scavenger works wonders to filter out those unable to handle the pressure, danger, and rise in power."

"Like the Domitius thugs," I said, thinking of Ivan. “Power was given to them, and they had no idea what to do with it other than bully those weaker than themselves.”

Edwin nodded. 

"Classic example of what happens when peoples' mind gems are sponsored and not earned. That is why we let people struggle their way up to become classed. Once people pass that threshold, they already know how to fight."

"Why were they allowed then?" Eryn asked, her brow furrowed.

"I can't be sure about them specifically," Edwin replied, "But from my understanding, it's small scale. Domitius doesn't have an army of classed adventurers. They might have a few parties, leveled up under guise of becoming adventurers, but then 'change their mind’ and do their best not to capture attention.  But if a house ever attempted to do it on a larger scale, the guild would destroy them. So they make sure to keep it just on the right side of what is  tolerated."

Edwin made a motion as if to spit on the floor in disgust, then seemed to remember where he was and stopped himself, instead muttering a curse about nobles.

"Such offense has been taken!" Nabeeh exclaimed, placing a hand over her heart in mock outrage.

Edwin looked taken aback for a moment before Nabeeh winked at him. He sighed and muttered something more under his breath about nobility.

"Before I forget," Edwin said, straightening, "Helena and Thomas told me to tell you they are relieved you're safe, thank you for your message, chastise you severely for getting injured, and demand and or request, depending on whether you are talking to your mother or father, your presence at the Steel & Scale immediately upon getting back to Noros.” Edwin sucked in a deep breath. “Wow! That was a mouthful.”

I laughed. 

“Thank you, commander. We'll head there as soon as Knut is released by the doctor."

Edwin gave a small smile, chuckling as he glanced at Knut. 

"Rest up. You'll be needed again soon."

As he turned to leave, Nabeeh suddenly asked, 

"Commander? Your scar, how did you get it?” As Edwin's hand twitched toward his face, Nabeeh hastily added, "Just curious because I got my first scar today." 

She opened her robe slightly to show the red mark on her stomach.

Edwin smiled sadly. 

"Congratulations on surviving and earning it. As for mine… It’s a story for another time. Focus on resting now. I’ve got to go increase the watch and get people to check for diggers. We don’t want monsters popping up inside the station, do we?” 

With that, he departed, leaving us to our recovery.

  *

Late at night, I left Eryn and the others sleeping in the tent and went for a walk. The quiet of the camp did nothing to calm my restless mind, and sleep wouldn’t take. Every time I closed my eyes, my mind started spinning back to the battle. What I could have done different, how close I came to losing Eryn and the others, the power surrounding Gnash's gleaming dagger as he stabbed at my chest... 

I pulled my cloak forward and ran a hand over it. Knut and Pa weren’t wrong. It was ugly, but damn if it hadn’t saved my life twice already. Least it could do after nearly killing Eryn during the forging. 

I chuckled, thinking back to the mess we’d made and the berating afterwards.

Extra guards patrolled the walls, careful of keeping their eyes outward so as not to affect their night vision. I nodded to the closest as I climbed the wooden ladder to the walkway atop the wall, not wanting to trouble them with resetting a lift.

"Can't sleep?" Roq asked when I pulled him from my inventory, gazing out over the killing field surrounding the station.

“Does your mind ever just spin on stuff? Stupid things you’ve said, a wrong decision, an embarrassing…whatever?”

“Nope. Never experienced any of that.”

“Ha ha. Funny.”

“What are you laughing at, wielder? I never say stupid things, I do not make wrong decisions, and just look at me.”

“What?”

“Hold me up.”

I did.

“Look closer.”

With a sigh, I did as he said.

“Is my form not perfect? What could I ever have to be embarrassed about?”

“You say stupid crap constantly!”

But I couldn’t help chuckling to myself. Whether he was joking or truly delusional, he pulled me from my negative thoughts.

“I do not. You might find it stupid, but I do not. That is the key. And I make no wrong decisions, nor am I embarrassed, because I have no regrets.”

“Not even letting the rat get away, failing to kill the Hive Mind, and not convincing me to let you taste our friendly neighbourhood frost mage’s blood?”

“Not even a little bit, because those are all your fault as my wielder.”

“Not the Hive Mind?”

I grinned at Roq.

“You changed into your form and you failed to kill it!”

“Nice hammer,” a guard said, passing me by, and my cheeks heated, realising how I looked, staring intensely at Roq in the middle of the night.

“Thanks?” I said as Roq laughed in my head.

“Damn you.”

“You are welcome.”

I looked out at the shapes of the defensive fortifications I could see in the moonlight. The cleared area around the station had been expanded, and enough spike stakes had been driven into the ground to make a porcupine feel inadequate. Glowcaps, some living and some dead, were chained to posts spread out. They made their hissing noises, but none of them could get free or blow up before they had to.

"Everyone’s been busy.”

“I do think we should take the fight to the enemy, but not just because it’s the right thing to do and I want to feel them break beneath my magnificence. You know these defenses won’t stop a determined attack. Not if the Hive Mind has an army the size of what we saw in the breeding chamber.”

I nodded. 

“If the Hive Mind fights smart, then you are right. If monsters keep charging straight for the rift? Our fort should hold.”

"I'm sorry, Ash," Roq said suddenly, his voice a bit subdued.

"For what?"

"For not being able to help during the attack. For not transforming when you needed me to."

I leaned against the palisade, staring out into the darkness. 

“Don’t worry, Roq. It’s not your fault.”

"But I should have been able to destroy them all. Fast. To protect you. And Eryn, Knut, and the fiery fire mage. I don’t want to leave like Edwin said.”

The genuine remorse in his voice surprised me. 

"We survived. That's what matters. And we learned some valuable lessons."

“Oh, really?"

"We'll bring more glowcaps next time," I began, recounting the plans we'd discussed on the way back and in the tent when he worked on healing me from the spatial storage. "Nabeeh's agreed to help Eryn get her class gem. We'll get Knut the new weapons Pa's making. We won't take missions that involve going somewhere we could be trapped, at least until we know the hive mind isn't actively hunting us."

I paused, thinking of our other priorities. 

“And?”"

“And we need to get Knut his breakthrough, too. With Eryn classed and Knut into the twenties, we'll be much stronger. A strong knut means we have a better chance to get out of battles alive. If he can take the abuse, then we don’t have to. It may sound a bit…brutal, but that’s his class’s purpose. Besides, it's not long until I'm level—"

A sudden explosion of light and sound from the field below cut me off mid-sentence. One of the glowcaps had detonated, its blue-green glow erupting into a blinding flash.

The warning bells rang.

Riftside 2 - Chapter 21

The gates of Sentinel Station slammed shut behind us with a loud thud.  I closed my eyes, thanking the bells for our luck. Any longer, and who knows what would have happened to us outside.

The watch commander sent out a group of guards as soon as we had been spotted, with three men taking Knut from me, lifting the warrior onto their shoulders and helping him stand. 

"I can walk," Knut protested, but the words came out as a pained rasp. We all knew he was too proud to admit it, so they let him have his moment.

"Sure you can," one of the guards replied, “But Ridley’ll have our hides if she finds we let you walk with a foot looking like that.”

“Hmm. Good idea. Carry me to doctor,” he said, and everyone smiled at that.

With Knut taken care of, I shifted my focus to Eryn, wrapping my arm around her waist in support. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she clutched her mangled hand against her chest. I hated the sight of her like that, but didn’t dare voice any concern as I knew she’d just berate me. None of this was my fault directly, so it wasn’t even possibly for me to try and take responsibility.

“Is this what it feels like? Helplessness?” she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Almost there," I replied, guiding her through the crowd gathering around us. “Just a bit more.”

“I always imagined it would bequieter.”

“She’ll be fine,” Roq said, and his own voice was just as subdued.

“She has to, Roq. They all have to.”

The watch commander pointed to a younger guard and snapped an order. 

“You! Run and fetch Commander Edwin!"

We headed straight for doctor Ridley’s medical tent, the one I'd woken up in after the Twisted Titan dungeon run. There were several of the big green tents under the care of multiple classed doctors, but somehow we always ended up in the same tent.

The sharp tang of antiseptic hit me as we entered. Cots lined both sides of the tent, but none were occupied thanks to the break in daily attacks.

“Too sterile. I prefer the smithy. Creation of something into something new.”

“I don’t want Eryn or Knut to become something new. I want them to be themselves.”

“I just wish there was something I could do.”

“Me too.”

Doctor Ridley stood near the back of the tent, inspecting a lumberjack’s bandaged arm. She glanced our way when she noticed us walk in, her professional demeanor instantly shifting and she frowned. 

"Everyone who isn't wounded or part of my medical team, out!” she commanded, clapping her hands. Her voice cut through their murmurs, and she clapped her hands again. “Out! Now!"

The watch commander, who had followed us inside, immediately began ushering our long tail of curious onlookers back outside. 

"You heard the doctor. Back to work! All of you!"

It took a good minute, but once the tent cleared, Ridley hurried over to us. "Sit," she ordered, pointing to empty cots. "All of you.”

“Tell me your injuries,” she said, starting with Knut.

“Only scratch, snow rose. Nothing to worry—"

"If you don't stop this macho crap and give me accurate information about your injuries," Ridley interrupted the big northerner, her voice deceptively sweet, "I will cancel our next date and amputate your left leg. Understood?"

Knut's mouth snapped shut, then opened again. 

"Arm useless. Leg broken below knee. Many wounds. Pain, no danger.”

"Better," Ridley nodded, then turned to one of her assistants. "Stabilize him, but no healing magic. I'll handle him personally."

“Make suffer longer?" Knut joked weakly. “I thought you care about me, doctor.”

Ridley's stern expression softened momentarily. 

“I’m going to set your leg properly, with my own hands, before healing you, or you’ll risk ending up with a limp." She placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "Can't have my favorite man hobbling around, can I?"

A pang shot through my chest at her words, thinking of Pa’s limp.

Ridley gave Knut's cheek a playful slap that was just a bit too hard, drawing a wince from him, before her professional mask slid back into place as she turned to Eryn.

“I see now why she’s a healer and not a warrior. That was a terrible blow.”

“Not the time for jokes.”

“Sorry.”

“Let me see that hand," doctor Ridley said, her tone gentler as she took Eryn's injured hand.

The doctor carefully unwrapped the blood-soaked cloth and winced. 

"Good job with the pressure bandage," she commented, revealing the inner layer soaked in healing salve. “Healing ointment’s already working. Fine if you don’t want to keep your fingers, but saving them is going to make my job a bit harder now."

Eryn winced.

“Sorry about that. We were in a bit of…a hurry.”

Ridley examined the hand closer, dictating to another assistant. 

"Two fingers missing, with two more barely attached. Significant bone fragmentation. Needs cleaning. Thumb’s unharmed." 

"It's the gloves Pa made for me," Eryn said. “Protected my thumb. And hand. It would have been gone all the way if not for the glove.”

Ridley raised an eyebrow as she examined the damaged digits. 

"I thought you were an orphan?"

Eryn blinked, taken aback by the bluntness. 

"I... I mean Ash's father. The smith. He’s…Pa. To all of us."

"Ahh," Ridley said before looking up. "Pa indeed. So, where are the severed digits?"

Nabeeh pulled them from her spatial storage. 

"Here.”

"Good," Ridley nodded, unwrapping them carefully. “Looks as if you got them all. That improves our chances."

I watched anxiously, my stomach knotting with worry. Eryn's hands were essential for her archery, for her healing work, too. Hell, for everything she did. The thought of her losing function in those fingers made me sick.

“Could you heal her hand?”

“I can’t,” Roq replied, his mental voice unusually subdued. “I’m sorry. My abilities only work with you.”

“What if I gave you to her temporarily? Just long enough to heal her?”

“You what? Give me up? To heal her fingers?”

“Of course. I mean, I’d trust her to hand you back after being healed and you to return. You’d come back, wouldn’t you?”

“It won't work,” Roq said after a moment of silence. “Not getting rid of me so easily. I can't be given up. Only death can break our bond.”

“I figured.”

Ridley began the healing process, first cleaning the wound thoroughly, drawing hisses from Eryn as she scraped the bones smooth.

“Easier for the healing to set clean breaks, even if there’s less original material to work with," Ridley said, her movements precise and confident. "Now for the difficult part."

With delicate motions, she manipulated one of Eryn's fingers back into its proper position, aligning the severed digit with its stump. She covered it with her other hand, closed her eyes, and Golden light bloomed from her hand, enveloping the wound.

"I'm reconnecting nerves and muscles first," she muttered, concentration evident in her furrowed brow. "The bones will follow, but this will take time to fully settle." She glanced up at Eryn as she finished setting the first finger. "Look, Eryn, as a scavenger, your healing will be slower than an adventurer's. You'll be out of combat for a while. You do know that, right?"

"Will I..." Eryn swallowed hard. "Will I regain full use of my hand?"

"Yes," Ridley confirmed with a confident nod. “You received good first aid, and the wound is fresh. Even if the fingers had been brought in later, I might have saved them, though you might have experienced stiffness or reduced sensation."

After the delicate work on Eryn's hand was complete, Ridley turned her attention to the still-bleeding gash on Eryn's arm. This wound closed almost instantly under the golden glow of her healing magic, but I could see the strain it put on the doctor. You always had to give something up when using any kind of ability or spell. Particularly when it came to healing.

“I love me some minor damage,” Ridley said before moving on to Nabeeh.

She examined the cauterized stomach wound. “Rough. Barbaric. Amateurish,” she noted, her fingers probing the charred flesh. “Not worth cauterising the wound when it was skin and fat only. It didn’t even enter your abdominal cavity."

Golden light flowed from her hands, and the burn healed, leaving behind a red scar.

"That will be permanent," Ridley said. “My healing can’t rearrange the skin and re-heal it.” "I know," Nabeeh said. “But we didn’t know if more monsters were nearby or were coming for us,, doctor, and I didn’t exactly feel like fighting with a wide open wound in my belly.”

Ridley nodded. 

“Which is why I won't scold you for injuring yourself." Her lips quivered into a small smile. "Besides, a scar like that will only enhance your beauty."

Nabeeh rolled her eyes and chuckled, her anger dissipating almost immediately. She glanced at Knut. 

"Now I understand why you keep insisting on taking on dozens of monsters by yourself, hoping to get injured so you can spend time with the doctor."

Ridley shot Knut a look, and he wisely remained silent.

Finally, she turned to me, one eyebrow raised. 

"And you? What wounds are you hiding?"

“I’ll be fine," I said, shifting my butt on the cot. I was as fresh as a daisy.

Her skepticism at my truthfulness was evident. 

"Given the severity of your companions' injuries, I find that hard to believe." Her eyes narrowed. “It’s not like you let the others fight for you, is it? And I don’t think you are the type to run away.”

I chuckled uncomfortably. 

"Just got lucky."

"He couldn't walk initially," Nabeeh interjected, drawing Ridley's interest.

"I was hit in the head," I clarified, swiping the helmet out of my inventory where I’d stored it as we closed on Sentinel Station, and showed the shallow gouge in the metal where Gnash had hit me. “It saved me from death, but I got stunned pretty badly. My legs only recovered on the way back."

Ridley's gaze dropped to the hole in my chest armor.

"And this?"

"I was stabbed, but the armor held.”

“Doesn’t look like it held,” she said.

“Was a wide blade. It didn't penetrate my skin."

Ridley narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious of all my explanations. Before she could press further, Knut let out a loud groan, and she immediately turned her attention to him. He gave me a long look, letting me know he’d distracted her for me.

Together with the two assistants, Ridley carefully removed Knut's armor, revealing his injuries. 

Ridley sighed. Knut’s mace arm hung at an unnatural angle, his ankle was grotesquely swollen, and he had enough cuts and gashes to provide training for a dozen junior healers.

Before she began healing him, Eryn stood up from her cot.

"May I watch?" she asked hesitantly. “I feel this could be valuable.”

Ridley looked about to snap at her.

“What are you--this isn’t the time to--”

“Please, Katherine?”

She softened and nodded, gesturing Eryn closer. "I'll explain as I go. It might be educational for you."

As Ridley began narrating the healing process to Eryn, I moved to sit beside Nabeeh, listening to the doctor's detailed explanations as she worked on mending Knut's broken bones and torn muscles. The mix of medical terminology and how healing magic interacted with the different tissues made me understand why Eryn’s eyes sometimes went blank in the forge if Pa or I went too deep on the specifics.

My mind drifted to our near-defeat as I sat there on the cot. We were only at level eleven, and we'd barely survived. When I imagined just how far away level sixty was, it all seemed impossibly long.

  *

Rage flared.

Flickering. Gnawing. Shame wrapped in fury.

The Hive Mind trembled.

Roots scraped deep grooves in the chamber floor. The bark-armor along its trunk-body cracked under the strain of restrained violence.

Fragment had been within reach. Again.

Again, denied.

Again, escaped.

Unacceptable.

Direct control better? Perhaps. But risk. Strain. Delay. Must be another way. A better way.

“Gnash!”

The word detonated through the chamber, layered in a thousand voices. Minions scattered, new spiders, flyers, burrowlings, and the old, seeking refuge in cracks and crevices. Even some breeding sacs ruptured.

Moments later, Gnash crawled into view on three legs.

Pathetic.

His once-stable gait had turned to a jerky stagger. Blood clotted in his matted fur, one hand ending in a mess. His tail dragged across the floor. Yet still the rat-creature smiled. He was , always smiling, and had way too many teeth. And they were too long.

“Great--mighty mass,” Gnash said, lowering his head in a bow and even scraping his snout on the floor. “Gnash returns victorious--failing. Not success. Not failure. Close-call! Yes-yes!”

The Hive Mind’s core dimmed with restraint.

“Explain.”

Gnash twitched, his injured paw pressed to his chest. 

“Gnash wounded them! All of them! Hammer-human thief has a broken arm and useless legs. Shield shattered! Horrible fire-witch has stomach torn! Other -girl’s hand mangled! No shooting projectiles now, no-no. Big man with shield? Arm and leg broken!” Gnash chittered eagerly. “They crawl. Bleeding. Screaming. Retreating. Back to wood-wall nest. Weak. Crippled. Ripest fruit for harvest, yes-yes!”

The Hive Mind stilled.

Wounded. Acceptable. Potential. Opportunity.

“Why no pursuit?” it asked. 

Gnash paused. Insultingly long. The overgrown rat’s whiskers twitched. “Bring news. Human walls too close. Spikes. Glowcaps. Danger. Risk of failure… too high?”

Another pause.

The Hive Mind did not speak. It sent its attention outward.

In the distance, a signal brushed its perception, and a Riftwing veered off its path to scout the human base.

The Hive Mind reached outward, sliding into the creature's limited mind.

Flight.

Cold air. Thirst. Rage. Hunger.

Four humans. Staggering. One carried another. Slow. Bloodied.

Yes.

Almost at wooden walls. 

Metal reinforcements. Glowcaps chained. Strange. Guards with bows and crossbows. Alert. Watching. Dangerous.

Ready to die.

Closer inspection. The Riftwing swooping down for a lower pass.

There.

The hammer-human. The fragment-carrier.

Walking.

Moving his arm.

Unbroken.

Unwounded.

Deceiver.

The Hive Mind withdrew, leaving the Riftwing’s brain to collapse.

The cost was meaningless.

The hive mind’s gaze returned to its body. Back to Gnash.

Still cowering. Still bleeding. Still lying.

“Deception.”

Gnash squeaked. 

“No-no-no! Gnash saw! Broke it, self! Smash-smash! Human must heal! Secret magic! Trickery!”

Lies. Except… Gnash’s report. Recovery speed. Magic output. Inference chains.

Probability.

No known healing magic was that efficient. There was no healer-class present with suitable capability.

Then…

Fragment.

Vannash healed.

Impossible. And yet—possibility nested within impossibility. Fragment adapting. Fragment changing. Fragment strengthening the host. A weapon… always evolving.

Gnash had failed.

And yet—

Gnash had spoken true things, once. Stronger minions. Selective design. Hybridization. Cannibalized evolution.

The Hive Mind felt joy in its memories.

“Your suggestion was valid.”

Gnash perked up. 

“Yes-yes? Gnash helpful?”

“You will be rewarded.”

“No-no-no-no. Not reward. Not improvement. Just rest. Just sleep. Just leg from comparable minion, then try again. Gnash still good!”

“You will be improved.”

“Gnash declines. Gratefully declines. Not needed!”

A shadow of thought summoned the workers.

Hundreds of skittering forms poured in. Pale chitin and gleaming mandibles.

Gnash swiped, sending dozens flying. It mattered not. 

“No! Gnash is tool, not clay! Gnash already useful!”

“Failed tools are improved. Or useless.”

The workers seized Gnash, and he screamed.

But the voice didn’t reach the collective mind. The Hive Mind moved on.

It spread outward, through root and rot and darkness.

Find the fragment. Bring it home.

Gnash would be reborn, whether he wished it or not.

This was not defeat.

This was just an adjustment.

This was perfection and refinement.

Nothing escaped the collective. Not even its broken pieces.

Riftside book 1 live on Amazon

Launchday!

Riftside 1 is now live on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited!

If you've enjoyed the story so far, would you please consider sharing it with a friend or dropping a review on Amazon, because it would help us tremendously?

We've also got a post over on r/litrpg, and a thumbs up could really help too!

Here is the link to the book on Amazon if you think of anyone who might like it: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DX7H7HHX

Here is link to the reddit thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1jo2hs9/riftside_a_litrpg_fantsy_adventure_200k_words_out/

Thank you so much for reading, and hope you are enjoying book 2!

Attached is a fun image of Ash vs a rock golem :)

Riftside 2 - Chapter 20

“By the smith’s own hammer,” I muttered as I opened my stat sheet, the numbers appearing before me.  I pretended to look up at the glowing root as I went over the numbers.

NAME: Ash Aldrich

CLASS: Hammerlord

LEVEL: 11 (0/12)

STRENGTH: 44 (+1)

AGILITY: 23 (+1)

VITALITY: 32 (+1)

MIND: 18

TOTAL STATS: 115

“Rift spawned monster balls! I leveled up!”

"Congratulations!" Roq said. "Your officially a step closer to the 'slightly less likely to die horribly' stage of your career! Should we throw a party? Perhaps invite some monsters? I bet Claw Sprecks are excellent dancers, though they do surely tend to stab their partners."

“We’ve saved a fortune. Eleven mind gems! It’d take us three or four trips to get that, unless we funnelled everything to me.”

“Correct. And I am really very pleased for you. Proud that my wielder is growing stronger and more worthy of carrying me into combat.”

“Sarcasm?”

“Only some of it. I’m really trying, Ash. And I am happy for you. It’s just, you know.”

“I know. And thank you for the experience gain, buddy. It is appreciated. Even more so since we won’t always be low level. Once we become strong enough, all these monsters will stop giving us mind gems, so being able to siphon directly off them…yeah.”

“I bet it is very tasty, no? Using my own ability against me.”

I chuckled and shook my head as I headed to the massive root, and stopped to stare up in awe as I was close enough. It was even more impressive than it’d seemed earlier, with an uncountable amount of roots grown together. Maybe the entire pine-ish forest had a root attached here.

“I’d like a taste," Roq said. “For science. Break off a piece."

I tapped him gently against the root, careful not to damage it too much as Roq hummed to himself and mimicked eating sounds. It sounded…horrible.

A small chunk broke off, and I held it up for inspection.

“Unique. It's like I could feel what it's like to be a tree,” Roq said, his voice taking on an almost reverent quality. “It is clearly inferior to my Steelhusk body, but the slow pull of nutrients from the soil, the gradual reaching toward light… There is a simple delight to it, but more than that, there's something in these roots. It has potential. Forging potential. I believe it would work excellently with steelhusk. The juice from these roots… I won’t say more for now. I need to ponder this, but make sure  to bring back enough. Pa will appreciate it.”

“You are too considerate.”

Eryn joined me, her eyes wide as she gazed at the root. 

"It's beautiful," she said and even let out a sigh. "Almost like something out of a fever dream."

I leaned close to her ear. 

"I leveled up," I whispered. “One of the Sprecks pushed me over."

Her face lit up in that gorgeous smile of hers and I smiled back. "That's wonderful! Thank you, Roq, for helping him."

"Tell her I wish I wasn't stuck like this," Roq said. "But at least some good comes from my misery."

I relayed his message, and Eryn's eyebrows rose in surprise.

“That is mighty considerate of him. Is he trying to be a better… person?" she asked, sounding equally sarcastic.

"Entity," he said. "The term you're looking for is 'entity.' And no. I am merely. Adapting to your fragile egos.”

“Right, entity,” I relayed. 

“Of course he is,” Eryn said, rolling her eyes at me.

“I saw that. Also, there are four gems among these.”

After looting, we cleared the chamber, and finding no other exits, we grabbed a few other samples of the main root and then started heading back. The return journey felt lighter somehow, despite our wounds and fatigue. 

I kept Roq in storage for a while, healing my minor wounds.

"Unless monsters start crawling out of the pits of infinite depth," Nabeeh joked as we retraced our steps, "I'd say this quest was a complete success."

"An adventure to remember," Eryn agreed. “So we never go into the dark again.”

"Good fight. Good team. Good loot,” Knut said.

Thanks to Knut's markings, we made our way back toward the exit without getting lost, filling the two backpacks we’d brought with root samples on the way, and our spatial storages were loaded with Rock Golems, Shadow Spiders, the Cave Constrictor, and enough Claw Sprecks to outfit a minor party.

As we approached the cave entrance, Roq's voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. He even sounded weird.

"Something's off, I think."

I held up a hand, stopping the group, and stared out of the exit. 

"Wait. Something doesn’t quite…”

“What’s wrong?"

"The dirt doesn't look right," he replied. "It's been disturbed."

“The ground. Does it look different?” I asked, exchanging glances with the others, and I set down my backpack, activating my sigil. 

Nothing lit up.

Knut leaned forward and eyed it for a moment, then shrugged. 

“Is ground. Looks like ground.”

Eryn shook her head. 

“No idea what to even look for. What do you see, Ash?”

“That piece of ground, it looks… weird.”

"Nabeeh, can you cast Immolation on anything out there? For example, there,” I asked, pointing.

Nabeeh dropped her backpack and extended her staff, frowning, before shaking her head. 

"The spell won't catch. There's nothing visible to target."

“Knut, let’s check it out.”

The big northerner knew not to doubt me, so he readied himself and the two of us emerged from the cave entrance. I scanned the ground, trying to see what Roq was picking up on. It was just as the others said: the dirt looked… like dirt.

“See anything?” Knut asked, his voice low.

I shook my head. 

“No. Roq says it’s disturbed. But I don’t see it.”

“It’s subtle,” Roq said. “But trust me, something has been digging here.”

“You sure it was after we entered?”

“No?”

“Well. Doesn’t look like anything’s here now,” I said, stomping at the ground. “But something’s nearby, so we should get back to base.”

Nabeeh walked out with Eryn following right behind her, an arrow already nocked. 

“Jumpy, eh?” Nabeeh asked. 

“A little bit. After the whole snake and spider thing, I’m not sure--”

 The ground suddenly exploded around us, dirt, rocks, and debris flying in all directions and peppering us. Before any of us could react, eight grotesque figures rose from the ground. They were covered in fresh dirt and roots.

The closest of the creatures to me was something called Gnash, a monster marked in dark orange. A rat-like creature, if a rat had dedicated its life to hammering metal and eating too much chicken, growing large as the trolls we’d faced in the Twisted Titan. Its hands ended in claws the size of knives, and it glared at me as if I’d been the one putting the cheese in the trap which had killed its mother and three first wives. The seven other monsters were yellow, named Gnaw Hulks, and were different from most monsters I’d seen before. They looked designed in a way no other creature had, like something nature would never produce. They stood on two legs, were about my height, but bulky as prize winning breeding oxen mixed with moles, except their faces which had a scaled up version of the Blightpedes’ maws. Their skin was a patchwork of scales, fur, and exposed muscle, with strange growths protruding from their shoulders and backs.

“I thought I smelled a rat.”

The monsters had us perfectly encircled, two on each side, blocking both escape and retreat into the cave. Knut reacted without waiting for orders. 

"Break left!" he shouted, charging in the same direction, and pointing to two Gnaw Hulks on our flank. “Middle bad!" 

They moved to meet him and he leaped into the air and crashed down with his ground-slam ability. The impact staggered both monsters.

"Girls, follow Knut!" I shouted, heading for the Gnaw Hulk beside the ones Knut had staggered, next to Gnash. "I'll hold these!"

Eryn loosed her nocked arrow, the projectile punching through the skull of one of the staggered Gnaw Hulks. 

Nabeeh reacted with impressive speed, casting a Flame Trap at the feet of the monsters closest to the cave entrance. One of the monsters trying to get at the girls from inside the cave, stepped on the magical sigil and howled as fire erupted from beneath, knocking it backward and into the other Gnaw Hulk.

Nabeeh pivoted and cast Flame Breath at the entangled Gnaw Hulks. The monsters staggered back even further, their patchwork hides smoking and blistering from the searing flames.           .

I reached the Gnaw Hulks on Knut’s right and activated Smash. Trusting in my weapon, I ran straight in and brought Roq down on its skull, caving the creature's head in before it could get a swipe in. 

I flew through the air the next moment, Gnash  slamming into me. His fist glowed with sickly green energy as he struck. I twisted around and put my shield up, blocking the attack, but the impact was worse than the Platemaw’s charge. It wasn’t just physical force, but an ability that amplified its attack.

The shield exploded in my grip, and something in my arm snapped. Pain flared like a burning fire along the bone, sharp enough to make my vision blur for a moment. My forearm hung there, useless and already swelling, the remains of the shield slipping from it to the ground. 

I gritted my teeth and then cried out, anger erupting from within me. I swung Roq, parrying his next attack. The creature’s hand exploded as it met my hammer. . The Gnash screeched and hopped back, pulling its hand close to its mouth.

The two Gnaw Hulks that’d accompanied the rat monster charged me.  Not even five steps in, the one to the Gnash’s left suddenly stumbled and screamed as flames burst out from beneath its skin.

Immolation. 

With Gnash yet to recover, I glance over my shoulder to see Knut hammering at the staggered Gnaw Hulks. They were proving surprisingly resilient to normal blunt damage.

I had no time to help him. He would have to do with Eryn and Nabeeh’s help.

Gnash drew himself up to his full height and roared, spittle flying everywhere. I prepared for its attack, not wanting to get anywhere close to it as my left arm was useless.  The creature spun its body around, and the tail whipped along the ground, wrapped around my leg, and yanked me off my feet. Pain lanced through my damaged arm as I hit the ground.  My right acted on instinct, and I hammered down on the tail with Roq. The spot where I connected just turned flat like a pancake. 

Gnash cried out, squealing like a wounded pig, and backed away once more.

I scrambled to my feet and looked around frantically. I spotted Eryn on the ground with a charred Gnaw Hulk on top of her, likely the one who’d been hit by the Fire Trap. She had jammed her bracer into its mouth, preventing it from reaching her face or throat, but its claws were slashing downward, trying to get a good angle at her armor and flesh.

Nabeeh yelled something in her native language and cast a Fireball that struck the monster's skull, exploding it all over Eryn. 

“I’m on cooldowns!” she yelled. “Help!”

Knut roared, swinging his mace around him wildly and kicked the one hulk off him, then charged the  two monsters Nabeeh had hit with Flame Breath earlier. They were dangerously close to the girls.

“This isn’t going to end good. Fight smarter!” Roq yelled in my mind.

It was easier said than done as I couldn’t even get a bit of breathing room from the giant rat monster. It swept its claw at me, and I dodged, activating Armor Break. With Roq glowing red, Gnash pulled his arm back and stepped away from me, chittering something unintelligible. The burning Gnaw Hulk hit by Nabeeh's Immolation, finally fell dead to the forest floor. Gnash seized it by the neck, hurling the creature at me.

I swung Roq, knocking it to the ground and killing it if it hadn’t been dead already, but the monster was way too big for me to dodge in time. It clipped me as I tried to duck, throwing me off balance. I fell to the side and caught myself on Roq, but Gnash was already there, his fist connecting with my helmet and the world went sideways. 

A hot pulse shot through my skull, and my legs folded beneath me. I collapsed onto my side, and rolled to my back where I tried to stand. Nothing. I could still move my one good arm, but my legs were like rubber. Useless for the moment.

Gnash approached, drawing a long, wicked-looking dagger from behind its back. It snarled and a red glow sprang up along the blade. As he came close, I swung Roq, but what remained of his tail slapped my wrist away. 

The rat raised his dagger and stabbed straight for my heart.

“Cocoon!”

My cloak’s protective bark-like shell materialized, wrapping around me just in time to absorb his empowered attack.

The rat hissed as my cloak's protection faded, and the rat stabbed again, this time with a normal attack. The tip pierced my chest armor but stopped against my rib, barely inches away from my heart.

He pulled the dagger out again and prepared for a third strike, his tail still pressing Roq away. Knut barreled into him with a roar, knocking the rat off me, its tail tugging at my arm but slipping away.The northerner positioned himself protectively between me and the rat as he rolled to a halt, facing off against Gnash and one of the burned Gnaw Hulks that had followed him.

I looked around frantically. The other burned monster stumbled toward Eryn, who sat on the ground cradling her right arm, her left fumbling to draw her dagger. Nabeeh lay on her back, staring up at the sky, a red patch growing on her stomach, her staff just beyond her open hand. I couldn't tell if she was breathing.

"Forge Anchor!" 

I struck Roq on the ground, focusing on the Gnaw Hulk heading towards Eryn. Roots erupted from the ground, digging into its legs and wrapping around the monster. Wounded by the fire and Knut’s attacks, it collapsed under the constricting roots and lay there, struggling to get free.

Gnash attacked Knut with a flurry of blows, dagger in one hand and the wounded hand too, seemingly wanting to overwhelm the northerner, but each attack met only with his shield, and with every blow, the Thornwall drew more blood, infuriating the rat.

I lifted Roq, hoping to land a strike on Gnash, but they were too far away, as was the Gnaw Hulk as it threw itself at Knut’s legs. Despite Knut’s mace slamming down on its head, it managed to latch onto the armor. 

“Can you transform? Like you did with Arclight?

"No," Roq replied, his voice heavy with regret. "I can't. I'm sorry, Ash. Help yourself. No one’s going to save us this time!”

"Then heal me, quick.” 

I stored him and immediately felt the healing process starting on undoing the damage. I just hoped he could do anything in time for me to make a difference.

Unable to move freely, Knut failed to dodge as Gnash stabbed at his mace arm, the rat’s dagger piercing between two plates and drawing a furious cry from my friend. 

Knut screamed in pain as the mace dropped from his limp grip. The rat left the dagger inside, putting its wounded hand on Knut’s shield, and stabbing its claws at his face. 

Despite the extra pressure on his shield and the monster gnawing on his leg, Knut blocked twice, ducking behind his shield and bashing it into the rat monster, drawing more blood. 

Gnash seemed to lose patience and it grabbed Knut’s limp arm, and leaned down to bite at his neck, only for Knut to snap his head forward in a vicious headbutt. The impact stunned both of them, with the rat letting go and Knut barely remaining on his feet. 

Gnash recovered first and hissed, shaking its now-glowing fist.

A Fireball blasted away a huge chunk of its leg, eliciting warbled cries of pain from the rat monster as it fell backwards to the ground. Before anyone had the time to try and finish Gnash, he scurried into the hole he'd emerged from, dragging his ruined leg behind him, and then disappeared as the hole closed shut.

“Immo—” I looked over to see Nabeeh lying on her side, staff gripped tightly and pointed at where the rat had stood. She turned the staff towards Knut, who was bashing the monster’s head in with his shield, knocking it off his leg and into the ground until its skull was crushed.

As the monster stopped moving, Knut staggered in a circle, shaking his bloody shield, screaming from battle lust.

“Come! Face me!" Nabeeh sat up slowly, one hand pressed to her bleeding stomach. Eryn crawled toward me, her right hand still cradled to her body.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Just stunned," I lied, not wanting to worry her. "I'll be fine. Help the others."

She hesitated, but I mouthed ‘Roq,’ and she glanced down at my empty hand. She nodded and moved to assist Nabeeh and Knut.

  *

The forest around us was silent except for our wheezing and grunts of pain. We had survived, but barely, and the journey back to Sentinel Station had seemed impossibly far. Not only because we were badly wounded, but it was far. Physically.

Knut and Eryn had helped me at first, until Roq's healing allowed me to walk on my own. The relief I felt as my toes started tingling was akin to the time I’d seen my parents on the hill after the monster surge. The day Samuel had passed.

Now I supported Knut, his arm draped across my shoulders as I bore most of his weight. His mace arm was lame and one leg clearly broken. Only adrenaline and his warrior’s abilities and stats had kept him fighting for as long as he did.

Nabeeh clutched her stomach where a Gnaw Hulk had torn through her robes. She’d heated a knife and pressed it to the wound as we walked, cauterizing it with a hiss of pain and a string of curses about the damage to her favorite robes. A desperate attempt at masking her suffering.

Eryn walked in the front, her right hand mangled and useless from where a Gnaw Hulk had bit it, but she’d wrapped it in a bandage and brought the detached finger. A deep gash ran along her other arm, and blood had soaked through her tunic.

"I'm sorry," Roq said quietly in my mind. The first thing he’d said since I took him out. "I should have seen them earlier. I should have smelled them, or felt them, or...but I just froze and wasn’t of any use. Something was off about that rat monster. It was different, almost like the hive mind. It dampened my abilities."

"Your warning was enough. We were as prepared as we could have been. That was no random attack. They were waiting for us. If we had retreated to the cave, would the Hive Mind not have sent more monsters until we’d been overrun and dead?"

Roq went silent again. 

“And I'm sorry I couldn't change," he added after a short while. "Into my other form. My failure to do so nearly led to our…your deaths.”

“But we survived, buddy. With healing, they should be fine. Also, I know you are, so don’t worry. I believe you'll figure it out eventually, and once you do, you’ll be our greatest ace. Nothing's going to stop you from stabbing things to death, right?"

"Damn straight," he agreed, with a hint of his usual bravado returning. “I’m going to make that overgrown shrubbery pay for messing with my humans.”

At last we emerged from the trees, the extended killing grounds around Sentinel Station spreading before us. A team of Steelhusk lumberjacks were the first to spot us, their eyes widening in shock. They dropped their tools and hurried toward the station, shouting for help.

Never before had the sound of ringing bells felt so good.

Riftside 2 - Chapter 19

We headed deeper into the cave system, through narrow and wide passages, our footsteps at moments silent and sometimes echoing. The only constant was the glowing roots dotting the roof. We’d passed several seemingly bottomless pits when we came to a larger room and I decided to stop at a particularly large hole.

"Look at this one,” I said, nodding to the dark hole in the floor. "Nabeeh, can you give us some light?"

She dropped in a Fireball and we all leaned in to watch the orange glow descend... and descend... and continue descending until it vanished from sight, never even revealing a bottom.

"That's... unsettling," Eryn whispered, instinctively stepping back from the edge.

"This is what adventure is supposed to feel like," Nabeeh said, her voice hushed but excited. "Beautiful and deadly in equal measure. Never knowing what’s around the next dune.”

"Adventure also... cold feet. Wet socks. Monster guts in beard," Knut grunted, still peering down the pit. "Hope roots are valuable."

“I’m not worried about the roots," Nabeeh said. "We've already got three mind gems, and five more from the reward. That's already two each!" She glanced at me. "And that's not including what..." she hesitated, then asked, "May I call him Pa?"

I nodded, smiling at her.

“Of course you can. We’re all family here. One way or another.”

"Right, that. What Pa will get from the carcasses," she finished, smiling back.

Knut grunted and continued, but before he had taken more than two steps, movement flashed above him.

A snake, thick as my arm and long as the chain for First Steel’s portcullis, dropped from the ceiling. Its scales mimicked the patterns and colors of the glowing roots and it had been camouflaged so perfectly among the luminescent vegetation that it might as well have been invisible until it struck. 

“Cave Constrictor!” Eryn said as she raised her bow. “Yellow!”

The snake was over fifteen feet long, and coiled itself around Knut's shoulders and neck in one fluid motion, and for a second I thought he’d stumble into the pit, but Knut stepped away, grunting as the snake tightened its grip. His mace arm was pinned to his side, and he struggled to free it as the snake's powerful muscles constricted. The creature's tail lashed out, catching me in the chest when I moved to strike, sending me stumbling backward.

Eryn had an arrow nocked, but hesitated. 

"I can't get a clear shot!"

"Move aside," Nabeeh commanded, positioning herself at an angle to Knut and cast Flame Breath.

The cone of fire poured from her hands, angled to engulf the snake's head while mostly avoiding Knut. The scales on the serpent's head crackled and blackened, and after thrashing once, twice, it went limp, its coils loosening around Knut.

The northerner shrugged off the dead snake, his beard slightly singed where it stuck out below his helmet, but he was otherwise unharmed. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.

"Northern snakes bigger," he said flatly, as if he hadn't just nearly been squeezed to death. He kicked the smoking remains of the snake's head. "This? Barely belt for squirrel."

Eryn slowly let out a breath, lowering her bow, and glancing at the pit. 

“Yeah. Adventuring. Such fun. I could do without dark caverns, that’s for sure.”

“Why didn't you warn us about that thing? Didn’t you see it?”

"I really wanted to see Knut's reaction," Roq said. “Wasn’t it funny? His grunt when that thing dropped on him? Priceless."

"That's not funny. He could have been killed."

"Oh, please," Roq scoffed. "There was no way that overgrown worm could kill Knut before you three killed it. Besides, now you'll all be even more careful! I've done you a favor, really."

I shook my head, turning my attention back to Knut. 

"You alright?"

He nodded, already moving forward again. "Fine. Keep going."

We continued deeper, even more alert now, checking the ceiling as much as the path ahead. 

“If someone ends up stepping into a pit because they are too busy checking the ceiling, I’m tossing you in after them.”

“You wouldn’t dare. I’m too useful.”

“Watch me, you little monster. Our lives come first, then your amusement.”

The tunnel gradually widened until we emerged into an enormous chamber.

The cavern was vast, stretching upward and outward until it could have held half the keep. But what dominated the space was a colossal root structure. This wasn’t the thin, glowing tendrils we'd seen before, but a massive central taproot made of hundreds of roots as thick as a house, plunging from the ceiling in a perfect cone before disappearing into the ground below. Countless smaller roots branched from it, creating a complex, glowing web that filled the chamber with bright light.

We stood at the entrance, our mouths agape at the view.

"By the blessed bloodbath," Roq whispered in my mind. "That's magnificent. Great job picking quests.”

“This is the type of beauty which leaves scars if you stare too long," Eryn said.

“Well spoken. This is where songs should start,” Nabeeh said. “Never mind bringing the roots back. We should charge for bringing minstrels, authors, and poets here. They’d leave with a lifetime of inspiration from a single look.”

Knut whistled, the sound echoing through the chamber. 

"Pretty, even by northern standard."

“Damn,” Roq said. “Monsters.”

What I’d thought were growths on the root structure detached, dropping to the ground.

"Incoming!" I said, activating my sigil.

The Claw Sprecks, yellow monsters, landed with unnerving grace. They were dog-sized insectoid creatures with segmented bodies and yellow-striped throats. Their forelimbs ended in wickedly sharp, scythe-like appendages that clicked against the stone floor as they oriented themselves toward us.

“Many!” Knut called out, shield already raised and him pushing us backward steadily.

"Nabeeh, Eryn, get back!" I ordered, but Nabeeh was already casting a spell.

"In a second," she replied. "I want to thin them out first."

Around thirty Claw Sprecks started toward us as one, moving with unsettling speed, their bodies low to the ground, and scythes raised.

“Too many to block in opening,” Knut said, positioning himself a ways from the entrance , banging his mace against his shield. “I tank here," he shouted. “Draw them to me. Big boom. Kill others quick!" He swiped out the Glowcap Carcass he’d brought, and with a grunt threw it as far in front of himself as he could.

“Nabeeh, focus on our flanks! Eryn, fire an arrow on the Glowcap!” I ordered, wanting the mage not to waste mana on blowing it up.

“Got it!” Eryn said as Nabeeh’s Flame Trap lit up beneath a Spreck, sending it tumbling into the air, burning. Eryn's arrow took down a second, piercing its head. Nabeeh followed with Immolation on a third while Eryn dropped a fourth with another well-placed shot, both women focusing on the creatures attempting to flank us, leaving those heading for Knut and the Glowcap alone.

Then, right as the first monsters passed the carcass, Eryn’s fire arrow sank into the Glowcap, sending a burst of spores into the air, which promptly ignited. The carcass exploded, killing and wounding about ten of the Sprecks. Half a scythe limb whizzed at me, and I raised my shield just in time to block it.

“Impressive fireworks. Seven out of ten. Good area of effect, but not filling the Glowcap with iron nails is a wasted opportunity."

“Interesting. You want the glowcap to kill us when the nails fly off in all directions, don’t you?”

“Eryn, Nabeeh," I said. "Into the tunnel, now."

The girls retreated into the passage behind us, the mage casting a Fireball at an incoming monster, and killing it.

“Ranged spells on cooldown,” Nabeeh said as I positioned myself just inside the opening, with several feet of empty room on either side of me. Knut stood a fair distance inside the chamber, feet set and shield ready, still banging mace on shield to draw the attention of the monsters that hadn’t been caught in the explosion.

“As soon as we’ve thinned their numbers I’m coming for you!” I called. 

He glanced back at me and nodded. "Wish had new two-handed sword," he called. “Would be joy!”

The first Claw Spreck launched itself at him, and Knut accepted the charge on his shield, bonking it on the head with his mace. The blow barely stunned it before another crashed into him, its scythes scraping against his armor with a sound like nails screeching on slate.

He had been right. If he didn’t draw some of them away, the chance they’d push past us and slaughter the girls would be much higher. But that didn’t make it any easier to watch him face so many of them alone.

Then the first Spreck reached me, leaping with its scythes extended like a praying mantis. I blocked it with my shield and struck its neck with Roq, killing it instantly. But another was there immediately, its forearms slamming against my helmet with a deafening clang. I activated Smash and crushed its face with a back swing.

A third went for my leg, the tip of its weapon punching through my armor, piercing my skin. I was about to strike when an arrow pierced its head from behind me. It collapsed, twitching its limbs and then grew still.

"Their lower backs," Roq observed as I prepared to face the next monster. "The segments don't overlap properly there. Structural weakness."

"I'll make my own damn weak spot," I growled, swinging him at another approaching monster, spinning it around, arm broken, before cracking its skull from behind.

"That's the spirit! We forge our own destiny, or in this case, weak spots. I fully approve!"

I glanced at Knut. He was surrounded by five Claw Sprecks, the creatures striking at him from every side. He was holding his own, dancing around his shield as much as he moved it, catching most attacks while some glanced off his armor. I wished I had my cloak's ability ready as I struck at a monster trying to slip past me toward the girls. I hit its back as Roq had suggested, and  its carapace cracked under the blow. A casual strike bashed its skull in. 

One of Eryn’s arrows zipped past me. 

“Behind!” 

I turned just in time to raise my shield against another charging Spreck, an arrow already sticking from its shoulder. 

But my feet hadn’t been set, and the impact bowled me over. I hit the ground, the monster falling on top of me, its scythes poking like a seamstress, trying to find its way past my shield to reach my throat. I heard Eryn's bow twang and Nabeeh shouting.

"Back up, Eryn!"

I struggled to kill the creature pinning me, but another Spreck attacked from the side, seizing my sword arm and pinning it to the ground. Its mandibles worked furiously, trying to pierce the Crackenmail and Crawler Bracers to get at my forearm.

Suddenly, intense heat washed over me and the monsters screeched.

“Wheeee!”

My gear protected me from the worst of it, but it got painfully hot as Nabeeh's Flame Breath filled the tunnel. It wasn’t quite established if I could take a flame breath on and survive, but I guessed this was as good of a time as ever to at least try it out.

I seized the opportunity, shoving the two dead monsters off me and scrambling to my feet. Another fire-damaged Spreck staggered toward me, and I crushed its head with a single blow. 

As the monster died, a surge of energy rushed through me unlike anything I'd felt before. It was like consuming a mind gem, but ten times more powerful. A wave of heat to rival that of Nabeeh’s spell filled me, washing away all fatigue. My knees went weak, and I stumbled as if drunk, barely catching myself before collapsing.

"What in the rift's green backside was that?" Roq demanded, sounding as surprised as I felt. “Did you…evacuate your bowels or something? Like, really?”

"I don't know, and you know I didn’t, you class cursed monster rift!” 

I steadied myself and charged the monsters surrounding Knut, killing another on my way while an arrow from Eryn flashed past me, hitting a Spreck in the leg and sending it crashing to the ground. It thrashed around on its back, stabbing out with its scythe-like arms.

Knut was still holding out well, but he was definitely in trouble. The monsters rained blows on him from all sides, and though he kept his shield tightly against his side, shoulder tucked as he swung his mace to ward them off, the monsters had scored several hits. 

Blood seeped down his right side and his back from where the Sprecks had found or made gaps. I practically launched myself at him, barreling into one of the monsters and cracking it beneath my armor while hitting another. 

Knut kicked one toward me. I brought my hammer down, splattering it against the cavern floor while hauling myself up as Knut slammed the edge of his shield down on the last monster’s throat repeatedly until its head detached from the body. 

We stood there, wheezing for breath, surrounded by dead monsters on all sides. 

Blood trickled down Knut’s armor, and I looked down to see the same from my leg. 

"How bad is it?" I asked.

The northerner growled, and through his helmet I saw his eyes still holding the feral gleam of battle rage, but he nodded. 

“Scratches. Nothing deep. I live."

I patted his shoulder, and he flinched slightly but grunted in acknowledgment.

Nabeeh and Eryn joined us, Eryn checking me for injuries before moving to Knut, correctly classifying the wound on my leg as not urgent. Nabeeh kept her eyes on the chamber, alert for any remaining threats.

"Girls, stick close to Knut," I said. "I'm going to check out that root."

Riftside 2 - Chapter 18

I stepped in behind Knut as we entered the Glowroot Caverns through the gaping hole in the ground and proceeded into a narrow passage. The air cooled and had a subtle dampness to it that clung to my skin, seeping right through my armor. Above and around us, pale blue-green roots hung from the ceiling and stuck from the walls, emitting a soft glow that allowed us to see just enough not to stumble over our own feet.

The cavern was a mix of rough stone walls and dirt, seeming to have formed naturally. The sounds echoing and thrumming all around us were subtle, with a strange, almost imperceptible hum that seemed to come from the glowing roots themselves.

“Imagine what we could forge with these roots," Roq said. “A sword that glows in darkness, revealing itself only when drawn from its sheath. Think of the terror on a House Domitius thug's face when you pull out a blade made of pure light in a darkened room. The way that light bounces off the grin on your face and when he knows that death is near…ohh, the joy! It’s almost as good as watching a glowcap explode!"

"Are you suggesting I need a backup weapon?"

"Backup weapon? Pah!" Roq scoffed. "I'm merely providing an example of creative application. Swords are the only weapons drawn dramatically from sheaths, thus creating the most impressive light-revealing effect. I'm thinking tactically about intimidation, not suggesting you'd ever need anything but me."

"Daggers can be drawn from sheaths, too. Arrows from quivers, same with bolts. Spears, too, and--”

"Please. A dagger is about as intimidating as a toothless Shardfang. You might as well threaten someone with a butter knife, as for the rest, come on, now you’re just trying to annoy me."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"What's so funny?" Nabeeh asked where she walked behind me, her voice carrying over our breathing and footsteps in the quiet passage.

"Just thinking about how someone's definitely going to make drinks and dishes from these roots once we bring them back," I said, covering for my conversation with Roq. "People love consuming weird stuff. Might as well capitalize on it, right?"

Nabeeh laughed. 

"Oh, absolutely. Remember the merchant who tried brewing tea from Glowcap spores? Alex told me he had to heal him five times in two days and he’s still afraid of using the outhouse. We humans will ingest literally anything on a dare. Or because we’re too curious for our own good."

The tunnel sloped downward, and Knut led the way. His shield occasionally scraped against the wall, sending small showers of stone dust falling to the floor. We remained quiet after that for a few good minutes, listening for any sounds.

The cavern began to branch, with smaller tunnels splitting off from the main passage. Some were barely large enough for a person to crawl through, while others were wide enough for us to walk two abreast. Each was illuminated to varying degrees by the glowing roots, some brighter than others.

We cleared each as we went, finding nothing in any of them.

“That side tunnel is empty," Roq commented as we came to yet another opening. "No monsters lurking in the shadows there."

"You sure about that?" I asked, eyeing the dimly lit chamber which contained only a few small roots.

"Of course I'm sure. What do you take me for? An asshole that wants to get you all killed?”

We continued forward, and despite the tall ceilings, the tunnels narrowed even further, forcing us to proceed in a single line with Knut holding his shield out in front of him. Just as he was about to step into an especially tight section, Roq's voice suddenly rang out in my mind.

"STOP!"

"Hold up, Knut,” I said immediately, leaning forward to hook his armored shoulder with Roq.

Knut turned, eyebrows raised. 

"Problem?"

"I'm... not sure," I replied. 

"What is it, Roq?"

"Let me get a better look. Hold me out past Knut."

I stepped forward and extended Roq past Knut's shoulder, pointing him toward the narrowing passage ahead.

"The rock formation looks wrong, up ahead on the right,” Roq said. "And I know rock. I am Roq, after all. I am the Roq. Well, metal, but my name sounds like rock. Get it?”

“Of course. I got it at once.”

"Eryn," I said, turning to look back at her, "Can you put an armor-piercing arrow into that rock formation up ahead? Something about it doesn't feel right."

She nodded without hesitation, nocking an arrow and drawing her bow. We all leaned left and made room for her. She stepped aside to have a better aim, and then loosed the projectile. It hit the stone and ricocheted off, sparks flying in all directions.

"Huh," I shrugged. "Maybe it's nothing. Let's—"

"Wait," Nabeeh interrupted, stepping forward. "I want to try something too. Just in case.” She raised her staff. "Immolation.”

Fire lit up along the suspicious rock formation, outlining a distinctly humanoid shape and illuminating the entire passage in harsh orange light. The monster had been perfectly camouflaged against the cavern wall and hidden from our eyes.

With a sound that resembled grinding stone, the golem detached itself from the wall, its burning form filling the narrow passage. It let out a humming rumble and took a step toward Knut.

"Rock Golem!" Knutsaid, raising his shield and taking a step forward to create more space. 

"Rather on-the-nose naming, I must say,” Nabeeh chuckled. “But damn, it’s a yellow threat!"

The golem was a jagged, rough-hewn approximation of a human, with mineral growths jutting out from its stony body. Small segments of now burned glowing roots and sections of thick brush were smoking. Small tree-like growths stuck out  from its shoulders and head, with even more glowing roots poking through cracks in its rocky exterior. Behind it, three similar figures slowly detached from the walls. We could barely see them as the first golem took up most of the space.

"My arrows won't penetrate that," Eryn said with a hint of panic. "I'll back up and hold off unless I see a weak spot."

"Fire doesn't seem to be doing much damage either," Nabeeh observed as the flames on the first golem began to sputter out. "It's barely damaged. Not even the glowing roots managed to catch fire.”

"Looks like it's up to you two," Eryn said.

Knut grinned, shaking his shield. 

"Roq versus rock. Good match." He looked back at me. "I tank, you break. When I move, you strike."

I nodded. 

“Good a plan as any. Let’s go.”

The narrow tunnel worked in our favor, forcing the golems to approach one at a time. The lead golem lumbered closer, the ground trembling slightly between each of its steps. It raised one massive arm, stone grinding against stone as it tried to strike but its arm barely had enough room to move.

Knut darted in, cracking his mace at the golem’s arm, chipping away at the rock. Then he raised his shield, and the fist came down with tremendous force. It knocked him sideways, his shoulder hitting the wall, but he’d deflected most of the power. 

"Ha! Good hit!" Knut laughed, seemingly enjoying the challenge. 

He swung again, knocking away chunks of stone from the golem's midsection. The golem punched out, and Knut ducked below its strike, snapping his mace into the same spot. 

“Tough. Need hammer,” Knut said. “Prepare.” 

When the golem struck again, Knut deflected the blow to the side, putting his entire weight to trap the arm  between his shield and the wall, leaning against it.

It opened him up for attack by the golem’s other fist, but I darted into the space behind him. 

“Armor Break.”

Roq glowed red and we obliterated the golem’s arm as it prepared to punch for Knut. The monster stumbled backwards, colliding with the golem behind it, and I retreated, giving Knut the space to defend. 

"Trying a Fire Trap,” Nabeeh said. 

A column of fire erupted at the feet of the second golem, but when the flames cleared, it still stood there, glaring, and unaffected aside from a slight layer of soot on its front.

"Save your mana," I called back to her. "We've got this."

After Knut created another opening, I activated Smash and went low, attacking the golem's knee, shattering it and sending cracks spiderwebbing up the leg. The creature stumbled down to its knees, and I retreated. 

With Knut and the golem equally tall, the battle fell into a rhythm with Knut tanking the golem's still powerful but slowing attacks, occasionally striking back to keep its attention, then creating an opening for me to dart in and deliver a powerful blow before retreating. I hit its head, shoulder, and neck, each without destroying it.

"Aim for its chest next time. I sensed something in there. Like a quartz deposit," Roq advised as Knut attacked. "I want to test their structural integrity for future creative endeavors.”

“Future endeavors? What are you--” I was about to say when he cut me off.

 “For science, if you will."

I stored my shield to get more power, and the next time Knut stepped aside, I slammed Roq into its chest, and cracks shot outwards from the impact point. This time, instead of stepping back, I hammered again, and stone fell from its chest to reveal white crystals. I hurriedly jammed Roq into it, and it was like cutting the threads on a doll, with the golem going limp, slowly falling forward. 

“You may thank me in pounds of pie.”

Knut and I both jumped away, nearly stumbling into each other.

“Good strike!” he said as I scrambled back to give him the space. 

As the second golem approached, Knut's mace began to glow. He swung his empowered attack into the monster’s chest, just as it was about to try and climb over the other golem, and the chest cracked apart, revealing white geodes. 

The monster reached for Knut and managed to grab his mace arm. Metal groaned as its fist tightened around his armor, and Knut struggled to remain standing as it pulled down.

“Your left!” I said, and Knut shifted, leaving just enough space for me to squeeze in and hammer the Golem in the center of its chest, smashing it to pieces, and killing it. 

“Thanks,” Knut said as he shook off its limp arm, and we retreated a few steps, resetting. 

We settled into a rhythm, and though the golems landed the occasional blow, Knut weathered them, laughing when a particularly powerful hit sent him staggering.

"Hit it on the hip where the red iron ore is visible," Roq directed as we faced the third golem. "I want to see if it breaks under impact or if it can withstand a blow."

I followed his instruction, and the golem split impressively, revealing a core of crystalline structures that shattered under Roq's impact.

"Fascinating! The crystalline matrix has unusual resonance properties. We should collect samples. Many of them, preferably."

Finally, the last golem fell to Knut’s mace, crumbling into a pile of rubble as he smashed through its chest, and we stood facing a pile of stone debris, catching our breath.

“You okay?" I asked Knut before looking back at Eryn and Nabeeh.

“Fun,” Knut said, removing his helmet and grinning as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

"Fine, just feeling a bit useless," Eryn admitted with a rueful smile. "My arrows might as well have been toothpicks against those things."

"Same with my fire," Nabeeh sighed. "Not every monster can be susceptible to every attack type, I suppose. Not that it makes me any less awesome, but you know? Make things go boom is fun."

“Hah! Exactly! That’s my girl!” Roq cackled in my mind. “Make things go boom. Good choice of words.”

Knut bent and swiped a golem into his spatial storage. 

"Good teamwork. Went well because face one at time. If many attack at once, different story. They looting us instead."

I nodded, understanding his point. 

"If they try to swarm us, we’ll retreat. We’re not taking any risks here today.” “True.” Knut's expression softened as he glanced at the girls and then me. "Good spotting, golden bird. Ambush would be bad." He nodded at Eryn and Nabeeh. "If they grabbed girls, might make soup--”

“We’d get to see just how fast you two can move,” Nabeeh said with a confident smile, “As I’m sure you’d have gallantly rescued us before they could squeeze us to death.”

Knut nodded, but his eyes remained serious. 

"Even so, good teamwork." He looked down on Roq and winked. 

“I do so love being appreciated for my talents, of which there are too many to even count. You may inform him at your earliest convenience that he may pay me back in milk. Any type will do. I have yet to try goat, horse, and well… anything but cow really.” 

“I will inform him thusly. Though, I’m not dipping you in anything but cow milk.”

“Fine. There are some interesting ore deposits inside these golems," Roq said as I swiped in a carcass. "We should have Pa chisel them out and melt them down. I believe they could be used in elemental forging."

“Noted.”

We continued deeper into the cave system, the glowing roots providing just enough illumination to navigate without too much hassle. The caverns twisted and turned, occasionally opening into small chambers before narrowing again into tight passages. Twice more we encountered groups of Rock Golems, but thanks to Roq's uncanny ability to spot them before they could get us, we were able to dispatch them efficiently and with minimal risk.

"There!" Roq alerted me as we approached a bend in the tunnel. “Three. Near perfectly camouflaged against that wall."

I signaled to the others, and we set up a quick trap of our own, with me walking in first, pretending not to have seen them. Once within striking distance, I activated Smash, cracked open the first’s chest, and hammered Roq in again, killing it. Then I flattened myself against the other wall, letting Knut charge in and repeat the same with the second in line, leaving us with only the third golem, which had oddly seemed a bit confused by our attacks.

The second time, it was Knut who spotted the danger, catching the subtle shift of stone against stone just before we would have walked into another trap. He lunged forward, slamming his mace into what appeared to be just another part of the cavern wall. The "wall" shuddered and broke away, revealing a Rock Golem that Knut immediately engaged.

"Impressive," I said after we'd defeated it. "How’d you spot that one?"

Knut shrugged. 

"Shadows wrong, too perfect."

"I would have seen it too," Roq insisted in my head. "I was just... thinking about something else. Distracted by science if you will. Coming up with ways to give you all a better chance at a long adventuring life."

"Umm…okay. That’s rather specific. Anything else?" I asked, curious about what could distract him from his usual vigilance.

"I was contemplating whether we need to add more mass to my hammerhead," Roq said. "Perhaps that's what's needed for the breakthrough. Maybe I am simply too awesome to be contained in my current shape."

"That seems doubtful," I thought as we continued walking. "Think about Edwin's mentor. He used a spear, and there's much less mass to that."

“Maybe not if you count the haft,” Roq countered. “Depending on the length, it might be more total mass than me? Might be worth a shot. Add some ten pounds here, and then ten there.”

"Are you seriously suggesting a wooden haft has more potential to store awesomeness than your current form?" I asked, amused.

There was a pause. 

"It's... a stretch," Roq admitted reluctantly.

He grew quiet after that, and we continued our exploration. The narrow tunnel opened into a much larger chamber, and we paused at the entrance, taking a moment to survey the area. The space was well-lit by numerous large root clusters hanging down from the ceiling, casting a soft blue-green glow across the expanse. 

“Pretty,” Knut said. “Dangerous, too. Big room. Lair for big bad monsters?”

“Imagine having a party down here,” Nabeeh said, slowly waving an arm in front of her. “A series of round tables set around a central firepit.”

The chamber was roughly circular, perhaps a hundred feet across, with a high domed ceiling from which the luminous roots descended like strange chandeliers.

“Fire in a cave?” Eryn asked. “Sounds bad for breathing.”

The floor was relatively flat but dotted with small stalagmites and pools of water that reflected the roots’ light. Several smaller tunnels branched off from the chamber, dark mouths leading deeper into the earth.

“Wish-wash. In caves this large there are always drafts. And it could be a small fire. More coals than wood. The point is to have heat, so we can wear fancy dresses. And cook meat.”

“More than a party, this would be a perfect place to set up harvesting operations," Eryn said. "Look at how many root clusters there are. This definitely goes in the report."

“Fine,” Nabeeh said, her eyes scanning the chamber. “We’ll find another gorgeous cave to have our parties in. After making sure this one’s safe. No more golems hiding around." She turned to me. "Ash? See anything suspicious?"

I shrugged, squinting into the chamber. 

"I don't see any golems from here."

“Roq? You’re awfully quiet? Care to chime in?”

"I was testing you," Roq said. "Don't you see the spiders?"

"What spiders?" 

My eyes darted in every direction as adrenaline rushed through my system, setting me to high alert.

"There," Roq directed my attention. "Those pools of shadow. They're not just areas the roots don't illuminate."

I looked more carefully at what I had assumed were simply darker patches where the light didn't reach. From our position, they looked like ordinary shadows cast by the stalagmites and uneven ceiling.

"Nabeeh," I said, “Care to toss a Fireball into that shadow patch up there?" I pointed to one of the darker areas in the ceiling near the left edge of the chamber.

She raised an eyebrow but didn't question me, raising her hands and summoning a ball of flame. With a quick gesture, she sent it hurtling toward the spot I'd indicated.

The Fireball disappeared into the "shadow" and immediately, the darkness seemed to dissolve as a creature the size of a grown pig with an uncomfortable amount of legs fell from the ceiling, flames covering its body. It hit the ground with a thud and lay still, eight legs curling inward.

"Deserter's balls!" Nabeeh cursed, her eyes wide. "A Darkweb Spider! How did you know?"

"I didn't," I admitted. "Just a guess."

"Thank you.”

"You're welcome," he replied smugly. "They're stupidly easy to see when you're not affected by darkness."

"What exactly do you mean by 'they'?" I asked.

"Oh, did I not mention? There are about a dozen more in there. All hanging from the ceiling, waiting to drop down on unsuspecting prey. That's us, by the way, in case you were wondering."

“Three bells! There’s more spiders!” I snapped and got into my fighting stance. "Nabeeh, fire enchant Eryn. Knut, step out into the chamber to take their aggro!" I pointed rapidly at various spots on the ceiling. “There, there, and there. Groups of them. About a dozen or so.”Nabeeh's eyes widened, but she quickly cast her enchantment on Eryn's bow as Knut took up his position at the front, shield nearly raised to his chin.

I stared up at the ceiling, following Roq's directions. Now that I knew what to look for, I could just barely make out the subtle movements of the shadow patches along the ceiling. They were shifting position, converging toward us, but I would never have noticed them without Roq's warning. The darkness was just, well, too dark to see anything.

"Eryn, Nabeeh—there, there, and there!" I pointed out three of the closest shadows. "They're moving along the ceiling."

Eryn nocked an arrow and it burst into flame as she drew and released, the fiery projectile striking one of the shadow patches. The darkness dissipated, and another spider screeched as it fell.

“Hurry,” Knut said, and there was an uncharacteristic tension to his voice.

"Fire Trap,” Nabeeh said, and a glowing sigil appeared on the stone above. As one of the shadow patches moved over it, the trap triggered, and a column of flames blasted the spider down onto the ground, where its body lay charred and smoking.

“That one fell funny,” Roq said as the shadows sped up, hurrying across the cavern. 

Eryn continued drawing arrows and hitting spiders, killing two more while Nabeeh cast Immolation on one. The spider ignited like a torch, falling from the ceiling with a shriek and twitching its body. 

Thick webbing shot out from the darkness above, striking Knut’s shield and legs. He struggled against the sticky restraints as one of the spiders dropped directly onto him, its eight legs scrabbling for purchase.

The massive northerner grunted, fighting both the webbing and the spider. 

"Keep... killing spider!" he managed, letting go of his shield and grabbing the monster by a leg.

The five remaining spiders dropped down around us in pools of shadow.

“Trigger the cloak!" 

“With delight.”

I grabbed it and spun in a circle as the Woodwoven Mantle's Impale ability activated, three poisonous steelhusk spikes shooting from the cloak, each one pushing against me with tremendous force. One struck a spider directly, piercing its body and killing it instantly. The other two spikes found partial marks, wounding two spiders and causing their shadows to flicker and fade.

Nabeeh cast Flame Breath on the remaining two unwounded ones. They curled up and died, legs crackling in the heat after the cone of fire engulfed them entirely.

Eryn loosed an arrow at one wounded spider, and I ran over and ended the other with a downward swing.

“Slightly cannibalistic, but I’ll allow it,” Roq said.

Meanwhile, Knut had managed to get a grip on the spider attacking him. With a roar of effort, he ripped its head clean off, threw it to the ground, and spat on the twitching corpse.

"Hate spiders," he growled and struggled against the webbing that still bound him to the floor.

Nabeeh approached cautiously, the small flame she usually played with held steady in her palm. 

"Hold still," she said, and went on to carefully burn away the webbing. The material sizzled and melted away under the controlled heat, freeing Knut from his bonds.

“Gratitude,” he said gruffly, flexing his arms once they were free before stepping away and giving a big shiver like a dog shaking off a bath.

Eryn and I moved among the spider carcasses, storing them in our spatial storage.

"That one and that one have gems," Roq informed me, directing my attention to two of the larger specimens.

“Two gems,” I said, moving to those carcasses first, making sure to be the one to store them so they wouldn’t be swapped out for other loot later.

"Smash me into that one," Roq said, indicating one of the gemmed spiders.

I obliged, bringing him down on the creature's body when no one was looking directly at me. The carapace cracked under the impact.

"Fascinating," Roq said. "The chitin is dense but flexible. And there's some kind of light-absorbing substance in their outer layer. That's what creates the shadow effect. I wonder if we could replicate that ourselves. Maybe coat some of our gear in the stuff.”

“Stealth? You? And are these new monsters like the Screechers were?”

"No, these are familiar," he said. "That's why I was able to spot them so easily. But I've never gotten to taste them before. Delicious, actually. Crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside. The stone chunks, not so much."

"Will you be able to… change into your… awesome shape anytime soon?” I asked, thinking about his slightly arachnid other self after seeing these spiders.

"I don't think so," Roq said, sounding slightly disappointed. "I've been trying to figure it out, but nothing is even remotely close to working. It's not as if the ability is locked. It’s more as if I don’t know how to do it.”

“But you have done it?”

“Sure, and Nabeeh has tried teaching you how to say ‘I love you’ in Azbaran ten times so you can surprise Eryn, and you still can’t get it right. Just because you’ve done something once doesn’t mean you can replicate it.” 

“Fine. I hope you figure it out soon, though. A bit of freedom would probably do you good.”

“Me too. I have yet to kill something in my shape, which is a bit embarrassing.”

We spent the next hour thoroughly clearing the rest of the large chamber and several side passages, finding no more enemies but plenty of glowing roots. I took the opportunity to hammer through a particularly large root cluster with Roq, who had expressed a desire to "taste" it.

"Store this piece," he requested after I'd broken off a substantial segment.

"We have the backpacks to fill after," Nabeeh reminded me, noticing me storing the root piece.

I just shrugged. 

"I want one, just in case."

After confirming the area was secure, we went to the one opening in the chamber that seemed to run deeper into the cave system. The passage was narrow and winding, forcing us to proceed in single file. Knut led the way, carving markings on the walls with the butt of his mace to help us find our way back.

The deeper we went, the more complex and disorienting the cave became. Tunnels split and rejoined, creating a labyrinthine network that would have been impossible to navigate without Knut's markings and Roq’s sense of direction. The sense of the cavern system expanding into a vast, unknown labyrinth was both exciting and unnerving.

Despite the danger, there was an undeniable thrill to exploring this uncharted territory. The soft glow of the roots turned it from a damp underground cave to subterraneous chambers of adventure.

"This is what I signed up for when I became an adventurer," Nabeeh said as we entered yet another root-illuminated chamber. "The unknown. The thrill of discovery."

"And slaying the monsters trying to kill us and everyone we know,” Eryn added dryly, but I saw she was smiling too.

"How are we supposed to clear out all dangers here?" I asked, peering cautiously into a dark pit we'd nearly fallen into. "This place is massive, and these hidden drops are everywhere."

"We take our time," Nabeeh said. "Go slow, be methodical. I'm full on mana, we've all got mind gems, food, and plenty of spatial storage space for more gems." She grinned, her teeth gleaming in the blue-green light. "I'm happy to keep killing spiders as long as they give us gems.”“Prefer golems,” Knut said. “Spiders? Yuck.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 17

I stood before the quest board in the guild hall with Knut and Nabeeh to my sides, scanning the various parchments pinned to its surface.

"What about this one?" I asked, pointing to a yellow-coded quest near the center of the board.

Knut leaned in, casting a shadow over the parchment. 

"Yellow difficulty. Not too dangerous, not too easy. "

Nabeeh peered around his shoulder, scanning the text. 

"Glowroot Caverns... interesting. I've never encountered those before. Not that I’ve been here long enough, but still. It’s a new region, right?"

I pulled the parchment from the board to read it more carefully.

[Glowroot Cavern Clearing]

Difficulty: Yellow

Objective: Clear monsters from Glowroot Caverns to enable safe harvesting of root segments.

Location: West of Sentinel Station

Details: Monster filled cave. The glowing roots found within have significant alchemical and engineering applications. 

Secondary objective: retrieve samples of the roots for study.

Reward: 5 Mind Gems

“Five gems is decent," I said, “And I’d prefer a yellow quest to a green, making sure we get a fair drop of gems, too.”

"Good fit for group. I tank, you damage, Nabeeh mages. Tight space keep Eryn safe."

"And don't forget the roots themselves,” Nabeeh said. “If they are valuable enough for a quest, it might be worth it to bring some back for the open market. See if we can capitalize on our run." She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Plus, a clearing quest means more monsters, which means more carcasses. More carcasses means more chances for mind gems. And we get to offload those carcasses, too."

I nodded, appreciating her discretion.

"Let's get more details," I suggested, and turned to make my way toward Madeleine's desk.

The guild administrator looked up as I approached and smiled. 

"Ash. It’s good to see you’re going out again already. What can I help you with today?"

I placed the quest notice on her desk. 

“Any more info on the Glowroot Caverns? We haven’t been there yet."

Madeleine nodded, pulling out a small ledger. 

"The caverns were discovered about two weeks ago by a scouting party. We are unsure how deep they are, as there were quite a few monsters.” She flipped a page. “They named the cave for the glowing roots, and managed to bring back a sample from near the opening. Both the alchemists and engineers were interested in them, so with the reduced attacks on the station, Harold would like a closer look.” She closed the book. “Which means you’re up. If you want to head out there with your party, that is.”

“Monster types?" Knut asked. “What to fight? Want to prepare. Bring a glowcap or two. Big boom good for monster health.”

“Report mentions Rock Golems and some type of spiders,” she replied, chuckling. “Their sigils confirmed both as yellow for a balanced party in the teens. But keep in mind they didn’t go further than the entrance, so the information at hand is very limited. That is where you come in.”

I nodded. With the loan, Eryn's breakthrough, and Knut's brother coming to Dawnwatch, we needed the funds. This quest seemed like a good balance of risk and reward, even though it was a bit of an unknown.

"We'll take it," I said firmly. “If there’s a bonus to be had if we almost die. Again.”

Madeleine tagged us on the quest with a half-cocked smile.

“Of course. We take care of our own.”

"Finally, some action! I was beginning to think you'd forgotten how delicious monster blood tastes."

“I’ll have to take your word for it. But yeah, we need gems.”

And I need to level up.

"But there will be blood, yes? And these roots... I wonder what energy they contain. Could be useful for forging. And maybe…we can find a lady hammer for myself? What do you think? Would she like pie and milk, too?"

“That’s… what we’re going to find out, and no, I don’t think so. You’re just weird, buddy.”

I signed the quest acceptance form. Yes, there were risks in taking quests while Edwin had warned us to lay low, but risk was inherent to our life now. We couldn't just hide in Dawnwatch and avoid Riftside entirely. That wasn’t the life we had signed up for. And just as Edwin talked of how it would be impossible to win the war through focusing on not being defeated, I knew the only way for us to deal with the challenges coming our way was to become stronger. Besides, who knew just how long the guild officials would stay in town? A week? A month? A year? We couldn’t go that long without doing any work. That’d be suspicious in another way.

With the paperwork complete, Nabeeh accepted the information package while I hung the quest note back up and headed outside to find Eryn waiting by the guild hall steps. Isaac stood beside her, his ranger's bow slung casually over one shoulder.

"—ready for your breakthrough then?" I heard Isaac asking as I approached.

Eryn nodded. 

"Level nine, ten out of ten. Just need a class gem now."

Isaac went silent for a moment, his expression conflicted. Then he forced a smile. 

"Well, congratulations. Good luck with it. I know how much it meant to me to get my first breakthrough."

I understood his hesitation immediately. He knew the pain of breaking through, the agony of transformation that the guild kept secret from those who hadn't experienced it. But he didn't know that I'd already told Eryn everything and just wanted to come over friendly.

"Ready to go?" I asked, joining them with Knut and Nabeeh following right behind.

Eryn's face brightened. 

"All set. Find something good?"

Nabeeh dramatically unfurled the papers. 

"Glowroot Caverns, my darling! A mysterious underground realm filled with glowing roots of possibly magical properties, not to mention a delightful variety of monsters just waiting to be introduced to my fire spells." 

She grinned and even wiggled her eyebrows. 

“Five mind gems,” Knut said.

"And the roots themselves could be valuable," Nabeeh added. "Secondary objective is to bring back samples."

“Tight space. Little movement,” Knut grumbled. “Slow but strong Rock Golems. Fast and yucky Spiders. Not sure about quest. Hate spiders."

"Sounds like a typical Tuesday for us," Eryn said, though I could see the slight tension in her shoulders.

"We'll be careful," I said, holding out a hand. “Knut and I will handle the heavy lifting.”

We gathered our gear and headed for the rift. 

  *

The journey from Sentinel Station was eerily peaceful. The Steelhusk trees’ trunks stretched upward like ancient pillars supporting a palatial ceiling of dense foliage. Little grew in their shadow, with the forest floor nearly barren, and only the occasional patch of hardy ferns or twisted undergrowth managed to survive in the perpetual twilight.

"It's so quiet," Eryn said, her voice carrying in the stillness.

She was right. As with most of our trip to the mesa, we had yet to encounter a single monster since leaving Sentinel Station. Despite us being stronger than anything usually found here, it felt like walking through a predator's territory while it was temporarily away.

"Did I ever tell you about the Flying Dragon Caves back in Azbara?" Nabeeh asked.

"No,” Knut said.

"Well!" Nabeeh chirped. "Picture this. Three noble-born youths, myself included, sneaking away from our tutors to explore the forbidden caves beneath the royal palace. The caves were said to be haunted by the spirits of executed criminals."

"Were they?" Eryn asked.

Nabeeh waved her hand dismissively. 

"Of course not. But what we did find was far more terrifying. The king’s secret wine cellar!" She laughed. "We were fifteen, had never tasted alcohol before, and decided that sampling the royal vintage was an excellent idea."

Knut snorted. "Bad decision. Am right?"

"Catastrophic," Nabeeh agreed with a grin. "We emerged from those caves barely able to walk, singing songs we’d picked up from sailors, of which we barely understood a word, and were reeking of wine. We stumbled directly into a diplomatic reception for the ambassador of Tharungia."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the image. 

"What happened?"

"My father nearly had an apoplexy on the spot," Nabeeh laughed, her smile turning wistful. "But the Tharungian ambassador thought it was hilarious. Said we showed 'spirited initiative' and that he'd 'done worse at our age.' I was confined to my quarters for a month, but they didn’t block my secret passage, so it didn’t really matter. The hangover, though? I’d never felt so bad before in my life. Still worth it.”

“Do you know what ability I'll get at level 12?"

"How would I know that?" Roq replied. "I guided you to the Hammerlord path generally, but I don't have a catalog of every possible skill at every level."

"I just thought... well, you seem to know a lot about combat and abilities. Could you influence what skills I get?"

Roq's laughter echoed in my mind. 

"Of course I could! I am the master forger, the shaper of steel and flesh! I—" He paused. "Actually, no. I don't think so. What I did with your body and the healing was discovered by chance if I am honest, and I usually am. Except when I am not. Or am I?. Anyway, that’s beside the point. Skills? Why don’t you tell me where they even come from? Any idea?"

It was a good question. 

“They should be coming from the class gems, right? Since they only unlock once we have our breakthrough."

"Perhaps," Roq mused. "Or perhaps they come from somewhere else entirely. All I know is I want to kill something soon. This peaceful walk is making me hungry.”

After about an hour of hiking, the forest changed. The massive Steelhusks gave way to shorter, needle-bearing trees. Sunlight filtered through, dappling the ground with warm patches of light.

"Look at that," Eryn said, pointing ahead. “Haven’t seen these trees before.”

I nodded. The needle trees had somehow managed to hold off the encroaching Steelhusks, creating a distinct boundary. 

"It's like they've carved out their own territory."

We walked to the first needle tree and Eryn knelt, examining the ground where the two forest types met. "I bet it's the roots," she said thoughtfully. "The glowing roots must secrete something that stops the Steelhusks from growing here."

It didn’t take us long to find the cave entrance, and I could see she was right. The opening was a big hole in the ground beneath one of the trees, and the cave was lit by the faint glow of roots hanging from the ceiling.

"I smell death on my breath,” Roq said eagerly. “New monsters. New flavors. New crushing sensations!”

The cavern descended at a gentle slope, and there was just enough light to see the passage continuing deeper underground. There was less light inside than in the Crystalkin cave in general, but here and there, larger root clusters created pools of brighter light, like natural lanterns guiding the way.

"It's beautiful," Eryn said, "But also kind of creepy. I’m not sure yet how I feel about it all."

Knut unhooked his mace and readied his shield. 

“Beauty often hides danger. Stay close."

  *

The Hive Mind sifted through the thousands of impulses coming from its territory, sending ripples of commands back out, carefully selecting where to focus and what to work on. Thousands of living beings, digging, breeding, evolving, and all in the service of the collective.

Stronger minions rise. Weaker forms fall.

A distant sensation tugged at the edge of its awareness. A plea. Desperate. Insistent. 

One of the Gnash’s flying scouts. 

Importance?

The collective consciousness paused, considering whether to grant attention to the insignificant minion. Resources were precious. Focus was power. Yet the urgency in the plea suggested value.

“Show the mass.” 

The Hive Mind extended its awareness outward with magnanimous condescension, flowing into the simple creature's mind like a tide of liquid darkness, and sensations flooded its focus. Cool air slid beneath stretched membranes, the updrafts lifting the Riftwing higher, the angry hunger to devour those not of the collective gnawing at its belly. The Hive Mind experienced it all.

Through the Riftwing's compound eyes, the hive mind looked down through a canopy of needle trees. Four humans stood at the mouth of a cavern. Two stronger males, a noteworthy female, and one beneath notice. 

Insignificant creatures. All of them. None would be worthy of direct attention.

The minion's primitive consciousness strained under the weight of the connection, its desperation for the hive mind's acknowledgment overriding its survival instinct.

“Worthless. Foolish. Waste of—”

But then the hive mind saw him. The human wielding Vannash.

Fragment. Found. Within reach.

Rage filled the Hive Mind, causing the Riftwing's body to spasm mid-flight. It remembered the sensation of pain when the steelhusk roots had pierced its body, the humiliation of prey escaping, the loss of its breeding chamber. And there stood the cause. The one who had turned a fragment of the collective against itself. 

Reclaim fragment. Reunite with mass. Eliminate humans.

The hive mind directed the Riftwing to fly a short distance away, knowing that when it returned its focus to its body within the Titan, the minion would drop from the sky. Its nervous system, too weak to contain even this fraction of the Hive Mind's consciousness, would be burned out, and the creature would die.

With its consciousness returned home, it acted immediately, expanding its awareness, reaching out across the territory to locate a more suitable servant. It found Gnash, the rat-like minion, deep within a tunnel. The creature was supervising a group of diggers. The sleek, powerful monsters had clawed limbs and teeth designed for burrowing through anything.

"Gnash.”

The Hive Mind’s thoughts slammed into the rat creature's mind like a physical blow.

Gnash shrieked in pain, curling into itself as the hive mind's presence brushed its consciousness. The diggers dropped to their bellies.

“Vannash has been found. Four humans. Near glowing roots. Bring diggers. Intercept. Eliminate."

"Yes-yes, great one!" Gnash chittered frantically, claws ripping tears in the fur and skin of its skull, desperate for the mental invasion to end. “Kill human-thing! Retrieve fragment! Gnash promises, yes-yes!"

The Hive Mind withdrew its presence without further communication, avoiding permanent damage to its servant. Even though the rat creature was old, probably older than the hive mind, it was weak, and unable to withstand its vast cosmic powers.

Back in its true form, the Hive Mind allowed a flicker of anticipation. The loss of Vannash and Arclight had reduced its information flow. Fragments which should have grown into warriors had been stolen. It was time for them to come home.

It distracted itself from the anger by focusing on its mission.

Gather information. Eliminate human warriors. Prepare. Strike. Absorb human biomass. Strengthen hive. Perfect the cycle. Demonstrate.

Riftside 2 - Chapter 16

I tossed Karl a silver coin, which he caught with wide eyes. Before he could dash off, his gaze locked onto Pa's newly forged hammer resting in his lap.

"What's that?" he asked, voice filled with wonder. “It’s really cool. Are you also going out to adventure with Ash?”

Pa smiled. 

“This, young man, is a legendary blacksmith's hammer,” Pa said with an almost sultry voice. It just sounded so…wrong.

Karl's mouth fell open.

"What's legendary mean?"

I laughed. 

"It's the second highest quality an item can be. Most people live their entire lives without ever seeing one, let alone owning one."

“One day,” Pa added, leaning forward, swirling his drink, “If you work hard and become a strong adventurer, I might even use it to forge something for you. So be good and grow up to be a fine young lad."

The boy's eyes somehow grew even wider. 

"Whoa..." He clutched the coin tightly, backing toward the door. “Thanks, Mr. Tharen, Ash, Mr. Coinshield. I gotta tell Madeleine I delivered the message and saw a legendary hammer!" And with that, he was gone, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Hey, wait! Karl!” I yelled, running after him. “Don’t tell anyone about the hammer, you twerp! It’s a secret!”

He stopped mid-run, eyes widening even further. 

“Yes, sir! Thank you for trusting me!”

I chuckled and made my way back inside, turning my attention to Knut, who sat on his stool, the unopened message held carefully between two fingers. He turned it over and over, the paper crinkling softly. A low sigh escaped him, barely audible.

"Why is he hesitating?" Roq asked in my mind. "He's faced down trolls without blinking, ran headlong toward a throng of exploding monsters, but he struggles with a letter? Pathetic."

"It might be bad news.”

"So what if it is?" Roq scoffed. "Will it change if he doesn't open it? Will the words rearrange themselves into something more pleasant?"

"As long as he doesn't open it, life hasn't changed yet. People aren't always great at dealing with change, buddy. I sure would rather live in a lie a bit longer if something had happened to someone I cared about."

"People aren't great at a lot of things," Roq replied. "Violence, greed, and the baking of certain pies excepted, of course."

Pa remained quiet, but reached out and patted Knut's knee. "Could be good news?” he offered, though his tone suggested he didn't believe it either. “And good catch with Karl, son. We shouldn’t be telling people about the hammer so readily. I’d like to blame the booze, but…yeah. I’m sorry.”

Knut shook his head. 

"Brother never waste money. Gem-grams expensive. Only send if I ask for news. And pay.” He stared at the folded paper. "Money tight for him. Always."

I set my drink down. 

"Want me to read it for you?"

Knut nodded, relief flashing across his face as he handed me the message. He grabbed his glass and drained what remained in a single gulp.

The message was brief, as gem-grams typically were—every word cost money. I cleared my throat and read.

“Knut,” I began, reading Torsten’s clipped words. “Lost job. Noble house bought smithy. Let me go. Applied everywhere. Market poor. Need help. Hope you well. Meet again. It’s signed Torsten Steelwall.”

Pa and I exchanged glances, and I saw the same realization dawn on his face.

“Rift rotted gemless carcass," Pa cursed.

"House Domitius," I added, the name tasting bitter on my tongue.

  *

The mood at our house that evening was  tense. We’d invited Ma and Pa over for dinner, and though Eryn and Nabeeh were cooking up something that smelled amazing, Knut's dark cloud seemed to fill the entire room. He sat at our new dining table, staring into his mug as if it contained answers instead of ale.

I'd shared the news with Eryn and Nabeeh earlier, but when they'd tried to talk to Knut about it, he'd only grunted, "Thinking," and gone silent again.

Ma was doing her best to lighten the mood, chatting with the women in the kitchen.

"You've done wonders with this place," she said, admiring the copper pots hanging from the rack Knut had installed. "Those curtains are lovely—did you make them yourselves?"

"Nabeeh picked them out," Eryn replied, stirring something in a pot. "She has quite the eye for color."

"Noble upbringing," Nabeeh said. "One of the few useful things it gave me."

In the common room, Pa, Knut, and I sat with our drinks, attempting conversation, but everything felt forced.

"Got three orders for daggers from Shay's party," Pa said, counting on his fingers. "Richard wants a new breastplate, and Commander Edwin asked about repairing or upgrading that shield of his. The man's hard on his gear. Has to be."

“Good defender," Knut muttered, his first words in nearly an hour.

"That he is,” Pa agreed, seemingly relieved at the response. "Oh, and that scruffy adventurer, the one with the short hair?”

“Jordan?” I asked.

“Yes. She's interested in a sword. Said she heard about your hammer,” Pa said.

I tried to keep the conversation going. 

“Heard she’s tough. Richard mentioned she took down a Solid Snake by herself last week, before the dungeon run.”

Knut just nodded, his eyes distant.

"Wish I cook," he finally said, breaking another long silence. "Stew. Easy to think when cooking."

"You can cook tomorrow?” I offered. "We've got plenty of supplies."

Another nod. Nothing more.

When dinner was ready, the girls joined us around the table. The food was excellent, with a hearty roast and vegetables in brown sauce, but Knut barely seemed to notice what he was eating.

"This house has come together beautifully," Ma said, looking around the common room. “And I like your chests.”

"And I like your hammer’s pedestal. Suits him,” Pa said, looking over at where Roq rested on his satin pillow.

“Thank the man.” 

“Not in front of Nabeeh.”

Ma sighed a little. 

"The house feels empty now that you've moved out, Ash, but I'm happy to see you with such good people."

"This is the best I've ever lived," Eryn said, smiling. "By far."

“Any part of you miss traveling with a caravan?" I asked.

She shook her head. "We get to go Riftside, where almost no one has been before. I'm getting plenty of travel, thank you very much."

"Been thinking," Knut suddenly announced, his deep voice cutting through the conversation.

Nabeeh raised an eyebrow. "That's kind of obvious, big man."

Knut ignored her, focusing on Pa. 

"Want bring brother here. To Dawnwatch." He hesitated. "Would you... hire? At smithy?"

Pa didn't hesitate. 

“Of course, Knut. I owe you a lot. Now, I can't promise permanent employment, as that depends on him, his skill and work ethic. But of course I’ll give him a shot." He nodded firmly. “I need the help, and Ash already mentioned to me he’s a smith so I’ve been keeping it in mind.”

The tension seemed to drain from Knut's massive frame, his shoulders sagging with relief. 

"Thank you. Hard worker. Skilled. Won't regret. Will make him work hard. Promise.”

"They'll need a place to live," Ma pointed out. "A family needs a proper home."

“I pay rent,” Knut said. “And if stay, will buy plot of land. Soon.”

Pa nodded thoughtfully. "Ma and I have been thinking of expanding the smithy. With all the materials you lot keep bringing in, we could use more space. In time, we'd like to build a new house separate from the shop, a warehouse, and a larger forge. All monster-proofed, of course." He sighed. "But we have to deal with the Domitius loan first. Get them off our backs so we can truly think of the future."

“But don’t worry, Knut. We will help find room for your brother and his family," Ma said. "I have an idea about a place across the street. The widow Gordon's house."

“Why’s it available? That’s on the first ring road?" Nabeeh asked, surprised. "That's prime real estate."

Ma's expression sobered. 

"Gordon was one of the guards who died defending Sentinel Station during the monster surge a while back. Fried by the monster’s lightning. The monster you killed.”

“Arclight,” I said.

A heavy silence fell over the table.

"Might not be the best omen for the house,” Eryn finally said, "But damned if we'll let monsters dictate how we live."

"The widow's been looking to sell," Ma continued. "Wants to move with her daughter to her brother's place out east."

"Ooooh, a haunted house! Perfect for the northerner's family. Maybe one of the kids will be special like you and can hear my wise voice and I can convince them I’m a ghost. Think of everything I could teach them!”

“Isn’t it enough to torture me?”

“No.”

Knut nodded solemnly. 

"Not afraid of omens. Poor fighters." He took a drink. "But hunger? Long road? Challenge for children.”

"How many kids does your brother have?" Eryn asked.

"Don't know," Knut said. "Last visit, five. More now? Wife not ugly.”

"By the blessed bloodbath, five tiny northerners? And potentially more? Is this how you and Eryn will reproduce? Like a breeding chamber?” Roq sounded genuinely horrified.

“Seems so, and no, and no.”

"The road here isn't safe for children," I said, after dealing with Roq.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“I leave," Knut said, putting his cutlery down. "Escort here." His brow furrowed. "Not just normal danger. If House Domitius involved... more danger. Maybe Ivan send message of me standing with Tharens.”

"Wouldn't be below them to retaliate against your family,” Pa said. "Nothing is."

"A slaughter's heap of coincidences if it isn't them," Roq commented. "Though hopefully they do come and I finally get a chance to taste noble blood. See if it’s as different as they claim. Do you think it tastes like wine and entitlement?”

"It sounds like a stretch," I said, "But Pa's right. If they think they can hurt you to get to us, they would."

"We could all go," Nabeeh suggested. "Make a trip of it."

I sighed. 

"I don't feel comfortable leaving Ma and Pa alone here without knowing House Domitius' next move. What if it is them and this is a ploy to get us away? And skipping town might not be the best way to lay low."

"Ash is right," Eryn said. "It might make us all look like we have something to hide from the guild inspectors.”

"Or something to protect," Roq added. "Either way, it shows weakness. Though I wouldn't mind a road trip. Might find new things to kill along the way and pretty sunsets.”

Pa cleared his throat. 

"I have a suggestion. Take some of those gems you just gained, send them to your brother. Have him hire adventurers to escort him and the family here."

Before Knut could reply, Eryn spoke up. 

"We should absolutely do that, using the gems we just earned. This is more important than getting my class gem. That can wait."

Knut looked at her with surprise. 

"What to say? Can only thank. So thank you”

She smiled warmly. 

"Family comes first," she said, glancing around the table. "Besides, we can make more money, can't we? With our golden bird and everything!"

This time it was my turn to roll my eyes.

“Settled. Tomorrow, royal bank,” Knut said, determination replacing his earlier gloom. "Send money and gem-gram." He looked around the table. "Thank you. All."

“Wait, maybe it would be a better idea for us to hire adventurers directly?” I said. “Depost the gems here as collateral and have them get it as pay upon mission completion. I don’t think we can trust everyone to just keep their word like we do.”

“True. We do that,” Knut replied. “Forget most people are bad. Worried. Almost make mistake. Good to have friends and family.”

“It’s only understandable,” Eryn said, putting a hand on his and squeezing. “Everything’s going to be well, big guy. You’re family now, and you better make sure we will watch out for you the same way you’ve done for us.”

“Ugh. I think I’m going to throw up the milk and pie from earlier if you keep going like this.”

“Hush, you dolt. Let us enjoy our moment.”

"Well, with that settled," Nabeeh said, leaning forward with a mischievous glint in her eye, "I have some gossip to share. You'll never believe who I saw walking alone together yesterday. Ming and Finn! And let me tell you, there was definitely something between them!"

I leaned back in my chair, exchanging exasperated glances with Pa and Knut, while Eryn and Ma eagerly leaned in, asking for more details.

"Tell me," Ma said, suddenly animated. "And don't leave anything out!"

As Nabeeh launched into her story, I helped myself to seconds, enjoying the company of family and friends.

“In the meantime, we can do another quest or two,” I said, raising my glass to Knut. “Make sure the new extended family gets a warm welcome and has somewhere to stay.”

“Totally,” Nabeeh said excitedly, halting the retelling of what she’d seen to Ma and Eryn. “I want to blow some stuff up.”

“Explosions! Spikes! Blood! Hmm, maybe we should hire some musicians to write a song with a lot drums and heavy screaming. What do you think? Sounds good, huh?”

“Yeah, sure. Maybe once we beat the hivemind, buddy.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 15

I awoke with a smile on my face. The double bed, delivered late last night, was better than I even imagined. It was quite possibly the best and most luxurious sleep I'd ever had. Sometimes, monster hunting wasn't all bad. Especially when that hunting helped you afford luxuries beyond your wildest dreams.

I stretched and slipped out of bed. Today was forge day, and I was eager to see what Pa had planned for the monster carcasses we'd collected.

"About time you woke up," Roq said. "Knut's already down here, and I've been waiting for hours. There's forging to be done! Why did you sleep so long? Why! The sun has already been out for…ages!"

"Good morning to you too, princess."

"Morning is only good when spent hammering something into submission. Preferably monster skulls, but I'll settle for crafting today."

I chuckled softly and made my way downstairs, where Knut was indeed already awake, doing morning stretches in his regular clothes.

"Golden bird rises," he said with a nod. "Sleep good?"

"Like a Roq," I said, winking. "How was your evening with Doctor Ridley? Had fun last night?"

Knut smiled. 

"Interesting woman. Many stories of battlefield. Talked for hours."

Just then, Eryn and Nabeeh came down the stairs together, Nabeeh wrapped in a colorful robe, her dark hair tousled from sleep. Eryn was already fully dressed.

"Spill the details, big man," Nabeeh said, making her way to the kitchen. “And screw this. You people really need to stop waking so early.”

"Was good," Knut said with a nod.

Nabeeh rolled her eyes and started making breakfast, while Eryn tried, and failed, to get more details from Knut.

We quickly ate a simple breakfast of bread, cheese, some cuts of meat, and dried fruit. The big guy had even squeezed out some fresh oranges.

"So, you forge today?" Eryn asked, helping herself to a slice of bread.

I nodded. 

"Pa's expecting Knut and I. We'll work through the latest carcasses, and then we'll see what else he has in store for us."

"New weapon?" Knut said.

"Maybe. You and Nabeeh will be sorting the house, right?" I asked.

"Yep," Eryn said. "Lots to do, and there’s a few things that will be delivered during the day."

After breakfast, we made our way to the Steel & Scale. The scent of coal, hot metal, and leather put a warmth in my belly, as did the rhythmic clang of Pa's hammer. Even though it was this early, he was already out and about.

"There you are!" Pa called as we entered. "About rift rotting time! What took you so long?"

"Sorry," I said. "Had to eat something first, and play house with the ladies. We’re getting some deliveries and…yeah, never mind. We’re here now, Pa."

"Bah! All of that can wait. Forging can't." He wiped his hands on a rag and gestured for us to follow him into the shop and out the back. "Got the Glowcaps out here. Didn't want to risk blowing up the smithy if I nicked one the wrong way and the spores got into the fires.”

Pa unlocked the storage shed behind the smithy, swiped out a few carcasses, and put them on a wooden table he’d set up. He cursed under his breath as he pulled out his dissecting knife. 

"Damn thing’s duller than a butter knife."

“Sorry about that, Pa,” I said, though this time I only felt excitement, thinking of his surprise when he got the new one I’d ordered through Victor.

Pa dissected the Glowcaps one by one, pulling out gem after gem.

“You know this is ridiculous,” he said, as he walked to the shed and swapped carcasses to work on the latest. 

“We have Roq to thank for these,” I said. 

“Also Nabeeh,” Knut added. 

“True. She did do the blowing up part. It was a…magnificent explosion in a way.”

“Sounds like you’ve found a decent addition to the party,” Pa said, pulling out the latest gem and tossing it to me. “Here.”

“Thanks, Pa. Would you have Ma facilitate the sale to the guild? I’m sure they’re still looking for more to put around the killing field.”

“Will do,” he said, and stored the carcass, locking the shed back up. Then he sighed. “It’ll be good to get these out. Too damn explosive for my taste.”

Afterwards we headed inside the smithy where Pa had a Treeshaker waiting.

“With this one being new, I figured we’d take a proper look,” he said.

Pa started with a careful cut into the creature's flank. 

“Never seen a hairy hide covered in resin before.”

“Tell him of how wonderful they burned and the smell of barbecue!”

"Petra was the one we did the quest for. They need it for healing salves," I said. “She failed to mention that it was extremely flammable..”

Pa raised an eyebrow. 

“Explosive?”

“Unfortunately not. But if we could cover a Glowcap carcass in this resin…” Roq chuckled evilly in my mind.

Knut shook his head.

“Good,” Pa said and carefully collected some of the flammable resin in a small jar. “I’ll take it over to Victor later and see if he’ll pay more than the guild. I’ll also do some careful experimentation. Best case it could be used for an elemental infusion, or a binding agent for layered armor, if we can control the flammability.”

He moved to the massive fangs, tapping one several times with his knife before getting out a hammer and chisel, doing some post-mortem dentistry. 

“These are uniquely dense,” he said, inspecting the now removed fang. “Could make excellent handles for weapons, or maybe the protection for a set of gloves.”

Pa continued his examination, peeling back a section of hide to reveal the muscle structure. 

"Look at this," he said, pointing to the dense, layered fibers. "Strong as the Bramblebacks’, but denser. These sinews seem exceptionally strong. I’ll save some for bowstrings, and we could even look at weaving them into a flexible, impact-resistant layer for armor."

"Strong like mountain bear," Knut said. "But faster." He poked at the hook-like claws on the Treeshaker's arms. “Daggers? Climbing gear?”

“Speaking of bows,” Pa said, “I almost forgot to tell you. The bowyer I mentioned? He's on his way."

"The one you worked with back in Milltown?" I asked, surprised. “So quickly?”

Pa nodded. 

“Figured I owed it to Eryn to at least send a few gem grams around. Didn’t expect any to reach him if I’m honest, but got word yesterday he’s on his way. Once he’s here, we'll start working on Eryn's new weapon."

Knut frowned slightly. 

"Not happy? Good news, no?”

Pa sighed, wiping a hand on his apron.

"It's good news, sure. Just... I like to be in control of my craft. Bringing in an outside expert disrupts my usual process, and then there’s our little friend."

"But you worked with him before," I said.

"Aye, but I was a different man back then. Earlier in my craft.” He held the knife paused inside the Treeshaker’s lower abdomen. “With the current bowyer in town, I'm the expert on everything but the bowmaking itself. But this fellow..." Pa grumbled, shaking his head. "I might have to learn a thing or two from him."

Knut and I exchanged glances, trying not to smile.

"Terrible fate," Knut said solemnly. "Learning. Awful."

Pa shot him a glare, but his lips twitched. 

"Watch it, northerner, or I'll make your axe handle from balsa wood."

“Gemless monster, mercy!” Knut said, waving his hands, making Pa laugh and smile before continuing his dissection.

“Long as you behave, Coinshield,” Pa said, working his way down to the bone of one of the four legs. “Look at these leg bones," he added, tapping a massive femur. "Thick and solid. Could be carved into clubs, or maybe even used as structural supports for… something? I’ll have a think and see what we can do with them."

Then he looked over at us and winked, finally cutting into the chest cavity. 

“Well look what the adventurers dragged in!” He pulled out a mind gem. “Beautiful.” 

I helped move the carcasses to and fro storage as Pa dissected the others, until we stood in the forge and looked at a veritable mountain of gems.

"Twenty-one mind gems," Pa said, shaking his head. “Closer to monster farming than hunting, isn't it?"

“I’ve been lucky with my team,” I said, before swiftly adding, “And my hammer,” beating Roq to it.

“Team lucky, too,” Knut said, patting me on the back, before looking to Pa. “Know how to dissect lightning cat?”

Pa shook his head, a frustrated look on his face. 

"Not yet. The damned fur is still sparking so much I can’t make a single cut. I'll need to find a way to neutralize the lightning, or… These days life ain’t boring, that’s for sure.”

We both laughed, and Pa smiled, patting the pile of wealth.

"There, there,” he said, before stepping back and clapping his hands together.

I put the gems in my pouch. 

“Thank you, Pa.”

“You are welcome, son.”

“Gratitude,” Knut said, and Pa waved it away.

“With what you have given me, it is the least I can do! Speaking of which,it is time for the exciting part!” He led us to another workbench, one covered in a dark tarp. "I've been hard at work on my new hammer," he announced, gripping the edge of the tarp. "All I need is a little bit of 'magic' to finalize it."

"Magic?" Knut raised an eyebrow, stroking his beard.

Pa winked at me. 

"I mean Roq's help in assembling it, and hopefully infusing it with some unique traits. Once I got it, I'll start working on your axe and two-handed sword."

“About bloody time. And here I was wondering if no one needed me. Travesty!”

"What kind of help do you need?" I asked.

“Normally I’d ask to borrow your hammer, but I know that’s not an option, so I need your strong arm and Roq's magic and knowledge," Pa said and revealed his work in progress.

The hammer’s head, even incomplete, was magnificent. I could imagine Pa’s vision of what the Platemaw’s skull would look like in the end, retaining part of its appearance after being reshaped into a functional tool.

"The goal," Pa explained, "Is to create a hammer that retains heat, has an impact force multiplier, and opens the possibility of elemental infusion.” 

“Respectable ambitions. I approve! Though, even with my absolute awesomeness, I can’t guarantee even one of those…”

"Elemental infusion?" I asked, before adding, “And Roq approves of the difficulty of the project, which is probably a bad sign. Maybe we should try and aim for at just one of the traits?”

“Oh, wish wash. It’ll be fine, as long as you don’t make any mistakes. This hammer has been in my mind for years. I just didn’t have the materials until you brought me the Platemaw, and I didn’t have the tools until we made Roq. And you should be more excited about this. The elemental infusion should allow me to forge items with elemental properties going forward. It’s the Platemaw’s high metallic content which will allow us to shape it into the right, you know, shape.”

Pa gestured to the various components laid out on his workbench. 

"I've prepared steelhusk bands to go around the head. They'll help retain heat and increase striking power. Made them using Resonant Weaver powder infused into melted steelhusk. Took me all of yesterday. If my estimates are correct, it should make the hammer capable of channeling elemental properties."

"And the cavity?" I asked, lifting the skull and examining the hollow interior and its eye sockets.

"That's where things get real interesting," Pa said. “We’re going to fill it with a mixture of Ironroot Golem fragments mixed with Steel Scuttler shavings, hide of Moss Troll, and melted steelhusk. The Ironroot should help the metal retain heat, reducing time wasted reheating the metal, while the troll hide mixed with scuttler makes the hammer self-repairing."

"Self-repairing?" Knut's eyes widened. “Impossible.”

“Not with the right materials," Pa said, and lifted a piece the length of his forearm. "The haft is made with a core of steelhusk with shavings of Tangle-Elk antlers around, and the grip is fitted with Shardfang leather."

"Why not Gloomstalk fur?" Knut asked, running a finger along the rough leather grip. “Big kitty, very soft.”

Pa scoffed. 

"I didn't work for decades to forge my hands into the hardened tools of creation they are just to go all soft on them now. You got to feel the blows through the skin, northerner. Fur would dampen it far too much for my taste."

“Not tired?" Knut pressed.

"Sure, for mass production of repetitive goods, it'd be great. Allow craftsmen to work longer hours without their hands turning to mincemeat. But for an artisan like me?" Pa shook his head firmly. "Unhelpful."

He turned to me, his expression serious. 

"I've prepared the bands and the haft. What I need your help with is shaping the metallic skull into the right shape and then assembling the core, the bands, and finally, the haft."

“I—no, we, would be honored," I said, feeling a surge of pride that Pa would ask for our help with such an important project.

“Yeah, totally,” Roq added. “Let’s get hammering!”

"We'll use my experimental forge," Pa said, gesturing to the smaller, more specialized forge in the corner. "I've fueled it with coal and a fair bit of Ironroot Golem for extra heat. We'll need it for the steelhusk.”

As Pa stoked the forge to life, Knut discreetly moved over to the not-so-secret barrel in which Pa kept his good liquor, and, covering the wooden creaking with a cough, helped himself to a glass. He then winked at me and settled on a stool to watch the process.

"This is going to be spectacular," Roq said. "I can feel the potential in those materials. Do not fail me. Listen to my guidance, and we'll forge something legendary!"

“I’ve been forging since before I forged you,” I muttered, but knew he was right.

“Something tells me that is further from the truth than you think. If it was, how come I know so much about smithing? How do I know spikes are the most superior combination of function and form? Why do I know fire as if it was my own steelhusk?”

“Delusions of grandeur?”

The forge roared to life, flames tinged with green from the Ironroot Golem fragments. Pa handed me a pair of heavy tongs and positioned the Platemaw skull at the edge of the fire.

"We'll heat it gradually," he instructed. "Too fast, and it might crack. Too slow, and it’ll turn brittle."

I nodded, carefully maneuvering the skull deeper into the flames as Pa directed. The metallic and bone-like material began to glow a dull red.

"By the First Forge and Final Flame," Pa started.

"Let our work echo through the ages," Knut and I finished.

"Now," Pa said after several minutes as the material turned bright orange, "Take it to the anvil. Gentle taps at first, just to shape it."

I withdrew the glowing skull from the forge and placed it on the anvil.

"Careful," Roq cautioned. “It is unstable at this temperature. Strike too hard, and I’ll shatter it again. You know, like I did the first time I hit it? But too soft, and we’ll have to reheat it too many times, risking damage.”

“I know,” I said.

“Know what?” Pa asked.

I relayed Roq’s words, and Pa nodded in agreement. 

"Listen to your hammer. He shows wisdom."

“Of course,” I said. “Now, let me forge, you two.”

With Roq's too in-depth guidance, I began to tap the skull, careful of Roq’s power. The material yielded slowly, reshaping according to Pa's design. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I worked.

"Something's wrong," Pa said after the second reheating, frowning. "It's not retaining heat as it should."

I paused, examining the skull. The glow was indeed fading faster than expected, the material cooling rapidly.

"The Platemaw skull isn't holding temperature," Roq confirmed. "It's dissipating heat through those natural channels in the bone structure. It must be why it was surrounded by steam all the time.”

"What do we do?" I asked, holding Roq up to make it clear who I was asking.

"We need to adjust," Roq said. "Increase the forge temperature by adding more Ironroot, and change your hammering technique. Strike in a spiral pattern from the center outward, sealing the channels as we go."

I relayed Roq's advice to Pa, who quickly added more Ironroot to the forge. The flames leapt higher, now burning with an intense emerald light.

"Spiral pattern," Pa muttered, nodding. "Makes sense. The bone's natural structure follows a similar pattern. Working against it was our mistake."

We returned the skull to the forge, heating it until it glowed a bright yellow-orange. This time, when I brought it to the anvil, I worked in a spiral pattern from the center outward. The material responded beautifully, retaining its heat and reshaping more readily.

"That's it,” Pa said after the third reheating. “The perfect shape. Now for the bands."

He retrieved the prepared steelhusk bands, which had been heating in another section of the forge. Using tongs, he carefully positioned the first band around the hammer head.

"Strike here," he directed, pointing to the join. "Need to fuse it seamlessly."

I raised Roq, but just as I was about to strike, Roq's voice cut through my mind.

"Wait! The Resonant Weaver powder in the bands is reacting with the skull’s material. Look at the shimmer.”

I paused, bending to look close, and indeed, there, along the metal danced tiny sparks of blue-white light.

"Pa, Roq says the bands are unstable," I warned. "The Resonant Weaver powder is reacting with the skull."

Pa cursed under his breath. 

“Damned Crystalkin. I should have known the elemental properties would fight each other.”

“Problem?” Knut asked, hiding the glass behind his back.

“If we hammer it in like this, the bands will be useless. Might as well have glued on some steel.”

"We need to stabilize the magical energies," Roq said. "A mind gem infusion would do it. Crush one into powder and work it into the bands before fusing them."

I relayed this to Pa, who hesitated only briefly before nodding. 

“Never done that before, but worth a try. A mind gem is a small price to pay if it can save the damn project."

I gave him one of the mind gems we'd extracted earlier, and he placed it in a small stone mortar, grinding it to a fine powder. With a small brush, he carefully applied the powder to the inner surface of the bands.

"This should act as a buffer between the materials," Roq said. “It won’t make them harmonise, but it’ll stop their conflict.”

When the bands were prepared, we heated them again, and this time, when Pa positioned the first one around the hammer head, the shimmer was steady and controlled.

Strike by strike, it fused with the skull, the seam disappearing as if it had never existed. We repeated the process with each band, working methodically until the hammer head was fully encircled by three bands.

I took a steadying breath as I held up the prepared hammerhead. 

“Good job,” I said, holding up Roq and nodding to him.

“You didn’t mess it up. It is…adequate, my disciple.”

"Time for the core," Pa announced, retrieving a crucible from the forge. Inside was the molten mixture of Ironroot Golem, Steel Scuttler shavings, Moss Troll hide, and steelhusk.

After I re-heated the now hammer-shaped skull, Pa poured the mixture into its cavity, filling it. The bone hissed and steamed where the liquid contacted it.

"Quick now," Pa urged. "We need to seal it before it cools."

With firm taps, I closed the last opening, before positioning one last band over the opening and striking it flat, sealing the core inside. The hammer head was now complete—a fearsome blend of monster materials shaped into a masterful tool.

"Just the haft left," Pa said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Let’s make sure this fits like a well-set rivet.”

He retrieved the prepared haft and positioned it against the hammerhead where I’d just sealed the core.

"One solid strike should do it," he said. "Put everything you've…on second thought, be careful. But make sure it penetrates through to the core and inside, so it’ll set properly.”

I took a deep breath, feeling Roq's energy surging through me. This was the moment when everything came together.

“Hold on,” Roq said.

“Yes, Roq?”

“If we finish it as is, the hammer will be great, but it could be magnificent. If we infuse the hammer with a mind gem, not powdered, but an entire gem, melted into the material, right as we join the pieces, it will facilitate the magic. Like we did with the cloak.”

"Is that safe?" I asked aloud.

Pa looked at me questioningly, and I explained Roq's suggestion.

"Never heard of such a thing," Pa admitted. "But then again, I've never worked with a soul weapon before. If Roq thinks it will help..."

"It will," Roq insisted. "Trust me on this. And safe? Who cares. Knut can take it and you can always store me and I’ll heal your wounds. Except if they are egregious.”

“You might want to wait outside, Pa. Roq doesn’t know what’ll happen,” I said as I took out another mind gem, placing it between the haft and the head.

“Not on your life, son. If I die forging a magical hammer, it is a death worthy of a blacksmith. Now get on with it.”

“Fine, but if Ma kills me because you got hurt, you’re to blame..”

I brought Roq down on the haft, and the mind gem cracked, but instead of turning to fragments, it ran like wax. With each blow, I drove the haft deeper into the head, and the skull absorbed the liquified gem.

“The core is hardening. Give the haft one last hit. Hard. Just imagine it’s Benedict.”

The final, powerful strike felt as if I’d hammered an immovable objecte, and I roared as a surge of energy erupted from the hammer, made its way into Roq, and then entered me. 

Orange light streamed from the newly forged hammer, and for a moment I thought it was about to explode.

"YESSSS!" Roq screamed in delight, his voice echoing through my mind. “We have achieved PERFECTION!"

Pa stumbled back, his eyes wide with disbelief. 

“By the smith's own hammer,” he said, raising a shaking hand.

The hammer on the anvil glowed, the orange light slowly fading.

But the tool itself, it was magnificent. The Platemaw skull had been transformed into a blacksmith’s wet dream.

"What... what happened?" Knut asked, stepping closer, and his eyes blinking. 

“It’s legendary," I said, my body shaking with the aftershocks of the power that had coursed through me.

Pa approached, reaching out to touch our creation. 

"I've never... in all my years..." 

I picked up the hammer to hand it to him, surprised at its lightness, if not its perfect balance. Unable to help myself, I touched my wrist to check its stats.

Name: Platemaw's Fury

Type: Forging Hammer

Rarity: Legendary

+5 Strength

+3 Vitality

Abilities:

1. Heat Retention: Maintains optimal forging temperature 200% longer than standard hammers.

2. Impact Amplification: Striking force is multiplied by 150%.

3. Elemental Channeling: Can infuse crafted items with elemental properties when used with appropriate materials.

4. Self-Restoration: Slowly repairs sustained damage over time.

I handed it wordlessly to Pa who checked its stats.

“This is beyond anything I ever dreamed of creating."

He wiped at his suddenly misty eyes.

Knut, who had been watching silently, now approached with Pa’s good liquor and three cups, likely no longer seeing cause to hide. 

"Celebration," he declared, pouring some out for himself, Pa, and me. "Great achievement."

Pa accepted the cup with a trembling hand, his gaze never leaving the hammer in his hand. 

"A legendary," he whispered. "My own legendary."

"No alcohol for me," Roq declared, when Knut offered to pour some on him. "Despite its rarity, it's no fit for my material. It would merely dilute the blood. I wouldn’t pass on a bowl of milk, though.”

A minute later we raised our drinks, Roq resting in a bowl of milk on Pa’s largest anvil. 

"To Platemaw's Fury," Pa toasted, his voice thick with emotion. "And to my son and Roq, his remarkable hammer, without whom this wouldn't have been possible."

We drank deeply, the liquor burning pleasantly down my throat. Pa put away his glass, threw a glance at Knut who was halfway through pouring himself another finger, chose to ignore it, and focus on his hammer. 

"With this," Pa said, "I can forge items I never thought possible. Elemental weapons, self-repairing armor..." He looked to Roq. "Your hammer knows his craft, son. In all my years of smithing I’ve never even heard of some of the things we did today."

"He's full of surprises," I agreed.

"I am indeed exceptional," Roq said smugly. "Though I must admit, your father's skill is fine, for a human. And you listened to instructions in a satisfactory-adjacent way. Together, we created something truly worthy of carrying my mark of creation.”

“To Roq,” I said, lifting my glass. 

Sometime later, Pa having forged a horseshoe that bounced when dropped and was mid-forge on a hopefully fire-imbued dagger, a flurry of knocks came from the smithy door.

"Who's there?" Pa called, his new hammer raised.

"Karl!" Karl said. "Is Mr. Coinshield here?"

We looked at Knut.

"Aye," Knut said.

"Can I come in?" Karl asked.

"Go ahead," Pa called, and the smithy door opened, Karl bursting in, out of breath and wide-eyed.

"Been looking all over for you!" he said to Knut.

"Why, little man?" Knut set down his latest drink, barely slurring his words.

Karl held out a small piece of paper. "Message came for you at the guild. It's from your brother!"

Riftside 2 - Chapter 14

The artisan district sat in deep shadow between the second and third ring road. It was packed with vendors hawking their wares both from their shops and the stalls lining the streets. All the scents mingled to what I could only call ‘humanity’.

I walked in front of Eryn, clearing a path as more than ever people tended to step out of my way after my breakthrough. The extra head or so of height added to my previous above average left me looking down at most.

"I've never seen it this busy," she said, squeezing my hand, and I looked back.

Nabeeh, walking behind her, nodded in agreement, her colorful headscarf making her stand out even in the crowd. 

"It's positively vibrant. Reminds me of home!"

"More people than monsters," Knut observed from the back, the throng I’d opened closing behind him.

A nearby vendor overheard and leaned across his table of carved wooden cups and bowls. 

"Aye, no attacks on Sentinel Station for three days now. Good for trade, bad for prices." He gestured broadly at the market. "No monster parts flowing in means fewer mind gems circulating. Now every bastard's undercutting each other to make sales."

“Supply and demand," Nabeeh said with a knowing nod. "Basic economics."

The vendor spat to the side. 

"Call it what you want, my lady. I call it a pain in my arse."

"Let's start with beds," Eryn suggested, standing on her tiptoes and pointing me towards a carpenter's stall. Behind him, on a loosely fenced-in plot, stood various pieces of furniture, and among them, bed frames. 

The carpenter, a burly man with sawdust in his beard, grinned. “Two beds, eh?”

“Four,” Eryn said, glaring at him.

“Everyone needs their own? Lovely,” the man said, seeing his potential revenue double.

Knut nudged me with his elbow, a mischievous glint in his eye. 

"Maybe lovebirds only one bed, eh? Save gold?"

I smiled at him, and looked at Eryn who glared at Knut. 

"You know what? I think I will get a double bed," I said, surprising everyone. "Not for now, but... for a possible future."

Eryn's face softened, and she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

After picking out the bed frames and arranging their delivery, a double for my room and singles for the others, we moved on to furnishing the common areas at another furniture carpenter.

"We need a proper dining table," Nabeeh insisted, pointing to an ornate piece with carved legs. "Something that makes a statement."

"Too fancy," Eryn countered, indicating a simpler, round table. "This one's more practical and seats more people."

"But it lacks elegance!" Nabeeh protested.

“We’re not nobles, and our home is not a palace,” I said.

Knut, meanwhile, wandered over to the plainest, most utilitarian table in the entire place. It was a rectangular slab of wood on four legs which had seen about as much sandpaper as Benedict had guts.

"Sturdy," he declared, pounding the top with his fist. "Last forever."

“That, is the ugliest thing I've ever seen," Nabeeh said, before turning to the owner, and added, “No offence,” making Eryn snort with laughter.

As the women continued debating tables, Roq spoke up in my mind. 

"I have only three demands."

“Oh? Only three demands, is it? And what exactly might they be?”

"First, I need a column for my pillow so I have a good place to rest.” 

“But you got the mantle?”

“Which brings me to my second. We should start mounting heads of each monster type we defeat. We need a trophy room, and until we have a castle or keep or mansion, our current common room will have to do. It is not fair to the world that we keep our awesomeness completely to ourselves. The least we should do is celebrate it in our own home. And besides, our common room is several times larger than most. There’s enough space.”

I liked the idea of looking up and seeing the decapitated heads of our enemies. Though I doubted the women would be equally enthusiastic. I discreetly pulled Knut aside. 

"What do you think about mounting monster trophies on the wall behind the fireplace?"

Knut's eyes lit up. 

"Excellent idea! Show strength, tell stories." He glanced at the women, still debating table choices. “But pretty girls? Make trouble.”

I grinned. "I might just have a plan." We headed over to Eryn and Nabeeh and I cleared my throat. "I have a proposal to speed things up. Why don't you two handle the decoration of the common room and the kitchen, while Knut and I take full responsibility for the fireplace and the wall behind it? We'll do the training yard together another time."

The women exchanged a look before nodding eagerly. 

"Deal!" they said in unison, immediately turning back to their table discussion with renewed vigor.

Knut and I exchanged a conspiratorial grin.

“Clever. I am sure this will not come back to bite you in any way.”

“I’ll just blame you.”

“You would, wouldn’t you…”

“What’s the point of having a talking hammer if I can’t use it as a scape goat?”

“Education? Intellectually stimulating conversations? Spike and flame advice?”

Our next stop was a stall overflowing with cooking implements. The copper pots were clean and polished enough to see myself in. Iron skillets hung from hooks, and there were ceramic vessels of every shape and size.

Nabeeh immediately gravitated toward an elaborate set of copper cookware. 

"These are perfect," she declared, running her fingers along the polished rim of a saucepan. "In Azbara, the finest chefs use copper. It distributes heat evenly."

“Are you a good chef?” I asked.

“No. We had the best chef though,” she said, smiling. “Made the most wonderful camel stew.”

Knut scoffed, picking up a heavy cast iron pot. 

"One pot. Cook everything in one go. Simple."

"That's barbaric," Nabeeh protested. "How would you make a proper sauce in that monstrosity?"

"Sauce?" Knut looked genuinely confused. "Food is food."

Eryn sided with Nabeeh, shaking her head. 

“We already agreed you’d let us choose. And I can imagine the meals we could prepare with proper equipment. Ma has several recipes I’d love to try.”

"We need at least three different sized pots," Nabeeh insisted, "Plus a skillet, a griddle, and proper knives."

"And a pie tin," I added, thinking of Roq's constant demands for pie.

"Yes!" Eryn agreed enthusiastically. "For berry pies in summer and meat pies in winter."

"Waste of gold," Knut grumbled, but he was outnumbered.

As we continued on our way through the market, Eryn and Nabeeh disappeared into a seamstress shop, their heads close together in animated conversation.

"Women and clothes," Knut observed with a knowing nod. "Takes forever."

"Let's look at storage chests in the meantime," I said, and we spent the next forty-five minutes examining various chests and trunks, debating the merits of different woods and lock mechanisms. Unsurprisingly, Knut favored functionality over form, while I found myself drawn to a chest with the drawing of the Twisted Titan on its lid. All Roq wanted was to test them all for strength, hammer versus chest, as he kept saying.

When we finally spotted the women emerging from the seamstress shop, I had a sudden idea.

"Knut, would you distract them for a few minutes? I need to do something."

The big man grinned. 

"Ah, secret mission.” He stroked his beard and wiggled his eyebrows. "Will talk of northern storage methods. Very interesting. Buy time."

As Knut lumbered over to intercept the women, I slipped into the seamstress shop behind them. The interior was cool and smelled of clean fabric and lavender. A middle-aged woman with pins stuck in her collar looked up from her work.

"Can I help you, young man?"

"The blonde beauty who was just in here, would you have her measurements?"

The seamstress smiled knowingly. "Ah, the pretty one with green eyes? Yes, she ordered some clothes. Do you know her?”

“She’s my girlfriend,” I said, smiling. “I wanted to get her something nice."

"A wise man," she said approvingly, and set aside her work. "What did you have in mind?"

My eyes were drawn to a stunning gown displayed on a mannequin, made of deep blue fabric that puffed out, and was covered in silver embroidery.

“That’s pretty. How much for something similar?” I asked, pointing.

The seamstress followed my gaze. "That? Ten gold pieces."

I nearly choked. "Ten gold? That's an entire mind gem!"

She shrugged, unapologetic. 

"Fine silk from across the sea, hand embroidery, multiple layers. Quality costs." The seamstress raised an eyebrow at me. "Isn’t she worth it?"

"She's worth every coin," I said, "But she'd also kill me if I spent that much on a gown for her." I glanced around desperately and pointed to a simpler but still gorgeous dress hanging nearby. "What about that one?"

“Ten silver," the seamstress replied. “The one hanging there is good quality wool with a linen trim. Practical but pretty."

"I'll take it," I said with relief. I peeked out the window to make sure Eryn wasn't nearby. "Which color would suit her best?"

"Blood red! No, bone white! No, no, no, go with bone marrow yellow! I love that. It’s so delicious.”

“Not a snowball’s chance in the forge.”

The seamstress tapped her chin thoughtfully. 

"With her blonde hair and green eyes, burgundy would be gorgeous. I do have a lovely piece with silk trim that would complement her coloring beautifully."

"Burgundy?" I said, confused. "What's—" I started to ask, then waved my hand dismissively. "Never mind. If you think it will look good on her, I trust your judgment."

I quickly counted out the coins, handed them over, and hurried out of the shop just as I saw the others approaching, Knut barely managing to hold their attention. I spun around and pretended to be examining the nearest stall’s wares, feigning intense interest in its goods, while looking at the three of them.

"Shopping for something special?" Nabeeh teased as they joined me. As she winked suggestively, I realised I was staring at a display of silver and gold rings.

I felt my face heat up. 

"What? No! I was just—I mean—"

Eryn slapped Nabeeh lightly on the arm. 

"Behave," she scolded, but she smiled happily at me.

“What use is jewellery in combat?”

“What did you get?” I said, trying to change the topic and ignore my hammer.

“The chest you stared at,” Eryn said, taking my arm. “And a bunch of other stuff. You’ll see when we get home.”

“Looking forward to it,” I said, kissing the top of her head.

"You forgot my third demand," Roq reminded me as we started heading back.

“Oh, what is it?"

"I want to buy Pa a new dissecting knife as an apology for you clumsily destroying his good one."

I was momentarily taken aback by Roq's consideration for someone else. 

"That's... surprisingly thoughtful of you."

"I can't have my blacksmith dealing with subpar materials," Roq replied haughtily. "It's purely practical. He could end up harming my goods, robbing me of the chance to forge something spectacular!”

"I need to get Pa a new dissecting knife," I said, halting the group. “I… kind of owe him one from, well… Let’s just say he deserves a new one.”

"That's a wonderful idea," Eryn said warmly. "How much do you think it will be?"

“We should get the best available," I replied, running a hand through my hair. “So probably around a mind gem's worth."

Knut nodded. 

"Good investment. Better tools, better crafting. We all benefit."

"Agreed," Eryn said. "Pa deserves it."

"Couldn't he just forge himself a new one?" Nabeeh asked.

"He could," I said, "But it takes time away from his other work. His current knife works, it's just not as good. He doesn’t seem to find quite the same joy in dissecting as he used to. This is to try and give him back that, but it’s also a gift of the time it would take him to make one. Besides, a good dissecting knife is something I should be able to find outside of Steel and Scale. Actually, I think I know just the place."

  *

That evening, Eryn and I sat at the new round wooden table in the common room. Large enough to host for eight people, the dark wooden surface featured a circle carved in the middle to represent the rift, with three concentric lines around it symbolizing First, Second, and Third Steel. We perched on wooden stools topped with colorful cushions, enjoying spicy meat skewers, butter-fried vegetables, and beer brought back from the Timberline. Knut was out with Doctor Ridley, and Nabeeh had joined Nina, Alex, and the others.

“So, when did you first realize you liked me?" Eryn asked, ripping a piece off the wooden skewer, a drop of fat running down her chin. 

I smiled, taking a sip of my ale. 

"The first time I saw you in the street. You were coming out of Victor's shop."

"When was that?" she asked, surprised with my reply.

"Not long after you moved to Dawnwatch."

"How do you know I just moved here then?”

I grinned sheepishly. 

"I asked around about you."

Eryn laughed, her voice a delight. 

"So you were interested that early? Is a pretty face all it takes to catch your attention?"

"It wasn't just that," I protested. “The way you carried yourself, the way you walked—"

"Oh, so my butt, is that it?" she teased.

I threw up my hands in fake frustration. 

“Hey, if you don't want to know, just say so.”

She reached across the table to swat at my hand. 

"I'm teasing. Please, continue. But I will have you know that my butt is mighty fine, thank you very much."

"I--yeah, I agree with that statement. Just for…research,” I said with a wink, and she chuckled. “That's when I became interested," I said more seriously. "I didn't know if it would turn into something more of course, but I always knew I wasn't interested in being just a friend."

“You don’t think men and women can be friends?" she asked, her head tilted.

"Sure, of course they can. But when you're as attracted to someone as I am to you, it wouldn't be a fair friendship to either of us."

She nodded, understanding.

“Then you’re one lucky man,” she said, looking at me over her long lashes.

“What about you?” I asked.

"I mean, you were always attractive. Your chest and your, well, anyway…” She waved a hand. “The moment I realized I was truly interested was when I saw you play-fighting with Karl."

“She’s lying. I’m pretty sure it was when she saw you smash a Scuttler with me in one blow," Roq interrupted from his place in a metal bowl, half-covered in rhubarb pie. "That's when she knew she’d found a proper mate. Seeing you wield my superior strength and combat prowess. Saving her life was only a bonus."

I groaned, and Eryn forced me to relay Roq’s comment, making her burst out in laughter.

"That's not true at all," she said, waving her skewer around. "I already knew you were a solid scavenger from the stories I'd heard, but when I saw how you interacted with the kids, I knew you had a kind heart, too." Her expression softened. "You can look quite intimidating, you know? With your ridiculous shoulders and serious face. But when you played with Karl, the smile that graced your face? It melted my heart. I knew I was in trouble right then and there."

"So all I had to do was smile?"

"Not quite," she said, rolling her eyes. "You know, I was a bit lost when I came to Dawnwatch. Scavenging earned me just enough to survive and still keep leveling up. And my goal since the day my parents, you know…” she waved a hand, “Has been to become a healer. But seeing you with Karl, that image… it made me believe maybe there was more to life here than just scraping by until I could become a healer." She beamed a smile at me. “I was right. Now I have both."

I reached across the table. 

"We're lucky, aren't we?"

"Very lucky," she agreed, squeezing my hand.

"Who needs luck?" Roq declared. "We'll forge our own luck! Starting with tomorrow's forging!"

I smiled, looking around our newly furnished common room. The walls were still bare, but soon they would be decorated with memories of our adventures together. I couldn’t wait to see the girls’ faces when they saw the trophies!

Riftside 2 - Chapter 13

I pushed open the front door, my face set in a sour mood and shoulders sagging. 

The conversation with Edwin had left me with more questions than answers, on top of the mental tiredness of my first overnight hunt and stay in Riftside. It had been an experience, but the commander’s warning had been like cold water thrown on heated metal before it could be hammered. 

All I wanted now was to collapse onto something soft and not think for a while. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a single piece of furniture aside from the bathtub the house had come with. 

A blur of movement caught my eye as a towel-wrapped figure darted from the bathroom and into the common room. 

"Don't look!" Eryn's voice called out, her feet pounding up the stairs, as I stood wide eyed, my mouth slightly open.

From upstairs, Knut's voice boomed. 

“Allowed out yet?”

"No!" came the simultaneous shout from Eryn and Nabeeh, who appeared at the top of the stairs, similarly clad in just a towel. She glanced at me as she descended, barely touching each step, stuck her tongue out playfully, and disappeared in the direction of the bath.

“Her legs are quite slender," Roq said. "Not good for fighting at all. Terrible muscle development for combat purposes. Eryn’s were much better.”

"Shush,” I said, not trusting myself to say anything smart. My mind was a jumbled mess, and two half-naked young women didn’t do much to help in that regard.Too tired to make it to my room, I simply placed Roq on the mantle and dropped to the floor in front of the unlit fireplace, sprawling out on my back, and staring at the ceiling. The wooden beams above seemed to swim as I replayed the day’s events  in my mind. The long trek back, the mind gems, Edwin’s warning, the Guild’s attention, and a very real possibility of being taken against my will. If the wrong people found out about Roq, that is.

"Are you alright?" Roq asked, his voice surprisingly gentle in my mind.

I sighed, not quite sure how to even answer that question.

"I'm not sure, Roq. It seems like things tend to get out of control when you least want them to."

"Let me put this in perspective for you,” Roq said. "Your storage is filled with valuable monster carcasses. Your pockets are heavy with mind gems. You wield not just a soul weapon, but THE soul weapon. Me, Roq the magnificent. The fallen star of doom. Or whatever we said. So monsters are trying to kill us? What's new! Humans want to interfere? Good! Let them come! They’ve already tried once, what’s a few more times?"

A small chuckle escaped my lips.

"I'm fairly certain every human tastes different, unlike monsters. Those tend to taste the same, except the ones with mind gems, which has a very distinct flavor. And the ones with class gems? Delicious! At least the Platemaw was. Though nothing compares to that lightning kitty. The most exquisite meal I've ever had.”

I laughed outright now, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly.

“Better than blueberry pie?”

“Incomparable. And I can only imagine what the hive mind will taste like," Roq mused dreamily. "All that power... And if you're still unsure whether you're okay, you just saw your girlfriend in nothing but a towel. I don't understand why that would matter, but your heart rate increased significantly, so I assume it's a positive thing. Unless you were thinking about fighting her? No, that doesn't make sense. So I ask again—are you okay?"

I nodded, a genuine smile spreading across my face. 

“Alright, Roq. I am okay now. Thank you for putting things in perspective."

I pushed myself up to sit and called upstairs, "Knut! Eryn! I need to talk to you!"

Knut stomped down, still in his plate armor and reeking of monster goo. “Problem?”

“Let’s wait for Eryn.”

A good while later, she descended the stairs wearing the blue dress Ma had given her, and I made a mental note to take her shopping. The dress looked lovely on her, but she deserved her own clothes, ones she had chosen herself. Especially after the windfall of mind gems we got from our last run.

"What's wrong?" Eryn asked, settling on the floor with Knut and I, but significantly further from the northerner’s unwashed armor.

“I finally talked with Edwin, and I want to tell you about it before Nabeeh finishes her bath," I explained, keeping my voice low.

It took a while but I relayed Edwin's warnings, the Guild sending their higher ups, and our need to keep a low profile. Eryn's brow furrowed with concern while Knut grunted thoughtfully, his massive hand stroking his dirty beard.

"So they're watching us now?" Eryn asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Possibly, but unlikely," I said. “Not yet anyway. Unless my little disappearance in the dungeon has triggered too many bells already. But Edwin thinks there might be Guild spies in Dawnwatch, and he's worried they'll take too much interest in me, or, you know, us." I looked pointedly at Roq where he rested on the mantle.

Knut nodded solemnly. 

“No surprise. Guild love and fear strong adventurers. Politics." He spat the last word like it tasted foul.

“And Nabeeh?” Knut asked, looking towards the bathroom.

"I don’t want to risk them taking you,” Eryn said. “Let’s tell her Edwin knows about your ability to sniff out gems in carcasses, and he asked you to keep it secret to avoid drawing attention. Would make sense he’d want to keep such a valuable adventurer here, and it’s close enough to the truth without revealing Roq just yet. 

Knut nodded in agreement. 

"Good idea,” I said.

Just as we reached the consensus, Nabeeh came walking into the common room, wrapped in a towel and her hair dripping wet. She let out a contented sigh, a blissful smile on her face.

"Being clean and warm is the greatest luxury in the world," she proclaimed, before her expression shifted to suspicion as she took in the three of us huddled on the floor. "What's going on?"

"Good news and bad news," I began.

“For Rift's sake, let her go put some clothes on first!" Eryn interrupted, slapping Knut's leg as his gaze lingered appreciatively on Nabeeh.

“What? Men appreciate pretty women. Good for self-esteem. Or something. No?”

She slapped his arm next and Knut merely grinned, unrepentant, watching Nabeeh's towelled backside as she retreated up the stairs. 

I seized the moment to pull Eryn close, pressing a kiss to her temple and whispering in her ear, "You have the loveliest ankles and shoulders I've ever seen."

She smiled and playfully pushed me away, but the pleased flush on her cheeks told me she appreciated the compliment.

Knut rose to his feet with a groan. 

“Time for wash."

"Wait," I said. "I need you here for this conversation."

"Why?” Knut asked before gesturing to his filthy armor. “Dirty.”

"Because I know how long your baths take, and I want to talk this hour. Not the next, or a few later."

Knut sighed dramatically, but settled back down. 

"Fine. But beard maintenance important. Date with doctor tonight."

“Yeah, I might use the bath first, then. Don’t want to wait all dirty for several hours.”

“What? You too? Betrayer!” Knut boomed but it was all in good humor.

When Nabeeh rejoined us, now properly dressed, she sat pointedly far from Knut and raised an eyebrow. 

"So what's this about good news and bad news?"

I started with the bad. 

"I spoke with Commander Edwin. He's concerned about the hive mind theory and thinks the Guild might be sending people to investigate." I paused, choosing my words carefully. "He asked me to keep my ability to detect mind gems in carcasses a secret. The Guild might try to... utilize me if they knew."

Nabeeh nodded, seemingly on the same page. 

"That's fine. I already said I’d keep it a secret. Besides, I’ll be happy to take credit for any extra awesomeness." She winked at Knut. "It's what us nobles do, isn't it?"

Knut chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"And what's the good news?" Nabeeh asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"We're rich," I announced. The others' eyes widened, and I quickly amended my statement. 

"Well, maybe not rich rich, but..."

I began counting off on my fingers. 

"We had fifty storage slots between the four of us. Five were used for non-carcass stuff, and we should really start bringing backpacks by the way. That left us with forty-five slots for carcasses. We got fifteen Glowcaps with mind gems, two Bramblebacks, one boar with a mind gem, three Ruptureborn, and twenty-four Treeshakers, of which we turned in fifteen for the quest, leaving us with nine. I made sure to keep the ones with mind gems, of which there are five."

I paused for a breath. 

"That gives us an insane twenty-one mind gems from the hunt itself. Plus the ten gems as the  quest reward. And thanks to my charm and exceptional bargaining skills..."

"You mean my suggestion and your failure to lay low?" Roq interjected mentally.

"Too bad you can't tell them," I thought back, grinning.

"What?" Eryn prompted, noticing my expression.

"Since the Screechers weren't mentioned in the quest description, Harold ruled it was mislabeled and a danger to us, and doubled the reward. We got another ten mind gems, bringing our total to forty-one."

The room fell silent as they processed this information.

"That's..." Nabeeh's voice was hushed with awe. 

"That's ten mind gems each."

I nodded, unable to contain my smile.

“More or less, yes.”

"We're not normal, are we?" she whispered.

Knut, and Eryn exchanged knowing glances. 

"We're far from normal," I agreed. "We're exceptional."

Nabeeh let out a whoop and jumped to her feet, stumbling, before catching herself on Knut and breaking into an enthusiastic but completely off-beat dance, shouting, “Too rich to sit on the floor!" and starting to sing an Azbarian song.

I looked incredulous at Eryn who just shrugged and started clapping along as Nabeeh twisted around the room. 

“Her singing sounds remarkably like a mating call for monsters.”

“Ehh, let’s keep that to ourselves for now. Don’t want to spoil the moment, buddy.”

Finally, breathless and beaming, Nabeeh flung her arms around Eryn in a tight hug before dropping back to the floor. 

"I just knew my luck would turn around coming here!"

"Happy," Knut grunted, a full smile visible through his beard.

“And this brings me to my breakthrough," Eryn said.

I reached into my pocket and handed her six of the twenty mind gems we’d received as quest reward, knowing that was how many she needed. She immediately popped one into her mouth, closing her eyes and breathing steadily as the monster energy flowed through her.

I passed ten to Nabeeh, who accepted them with reverent hands. 

“Knut, let’s head over to Pa tomorrow to get the monsters dissected," I said.

“What do we do about our the house? It needs quite a few things to make it a home,” Eryn said.

“How about we put in five gems as an investment in the home, leaving nine for each of us?” Nabeeh suggested.

“Fine by me,” I said.

“Too expensive,” Knut said. “But fine. Golden bird make money. Can spend some.”

The others nodded in agreement and started talking about what the house needed.

"What about my share?" Roq asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I want my share of the spoils too. I've been part of slaying these monsters, and you wouldn't have even found those fifteen carcasses if not for me. Secondly, I like pie and other stuff, like pillows. And thirdly, what if I need something specific for my breakthrough? Materials, potions, magic spells..."

"I'll pay for whatever you need," I assured him.

"But that'll slow down your leveling."

I nodded absently, considering this. Eryn raised an eyebrow at me, and I shook my head slightly.

"We can't trust Nabeeh with knowledge about you yet. Not with Edwin's warning fresh in our minds. It would be foolish. But I'll talk with Eryn and Knut about it."

“Fine. But it’s only fair I get a share, being the most useful being in the party and all.”

"Knut, what will you do with your share?" Eryn asked.

The northerner stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Keep four. Build savings. Six for your class gem. As promised."

Eryn's face softened. 

"Thank you, Knut. I promise I'll put my gems toward your class gem as soon as I have mine."

Nabeeh looked between them in surprise. 

"Wait, you're actually giving gems to each other? Is that a thing?"

Eryn and I nodded. 

"Knut has been helping us get classed," I explained. "Once we are, we'll help him with his breakthrough next. That is the deal we have.”

“That is extremely… kind of you?” Nabeeh said, looking at Knut as if he’d suddenly sprouted horns. 

Knut shook his head. 

“Best deal for me. Without golden bird, four mind gems in one trip, big deal. Investing six to make party strong? Good investment."

"An investment we will return," I reiterated firmly. “And rather sooner than later. You know that.”

Nabeeh's expression grew uncertain. 

"Am I... expected to do the same?"

Eryn laughed and shook her head. 

"No, of course not. The beginning of our party was... unique, so we don’t expect you to do anything you don’t want or are uncomfortable with. If you want to invest into something, we will repay you, if not, there are no hard feelings. You pull your weight, so it’s not like you’re leeching gems off us."

Knut nodded, and I found myself thinking back to how we'd hired Knut to help us hunt when nobody else would party with him, all because he'd been part of Benedict's group during the disastrous run that got Marcus killed.

"Good," Nabeeh said, visibly relieved. 

"I'll reach level sixteen with these gems. It's a huge deal for me. I haven't leveled up since... well, since before my wedding." Her laugh was brittle. "The bridal gift was enough gems to get me to level twenty and a class gem for the breakthrough. Should have gotten them in advance."

"Now you won't need them," Eryn said warmly. "Not if you stick with us."

Nabeeh smiled, a genuine expression that lit up her entire face. Then she bit her lip and raised her eyebrows at Eryn. 

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Shopping?" Eryn guessed, her eyes gleaming.

"Oh yes, sister!" Eryn exclaimed, high-fiving Nabeeh.

Knut and I exchanged amused glances as Roq's voice bubbled with excitement in my mind. 

"Yes! Shopping! I want fabric for a new pillow, a rhubarb pie, and a cup of dog's milk!"

I groaned but couldn't help smiling. 

“How about two out of three?”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 12

I jogged over to the stairwell Edwin had disappeared into.

“Force him to answer our questions. I am ready to draw blood. For the group’s sake! Tell Edwin I will give him a love tap if he tries to run off again.”

I climbed the stairs to find Edwin leaning against the wall, his gaze fixed toward the Rift in the distance. His posture was tense, and eyes watchful as if making sure no one was spying on us.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" I asked bluntly, skipping any pleasantries.

“Yeah! Spit it out! How do I get my breakthrough!”

Edwin sighed, his eyes straight ahead as if he hadn’t just called me over. 

“Listen. We need to be quick. I sent gem-grams about the hive mind theory, presenting it as my own to protect you." He turned to glance at me. "I was right to do so. The Guild has ordered me to stay put, and they're sending higher-ups to talk to me." His expression darkened at that and even his teeth clenched. "Which means I'm in for a serious conversation. Before you ask, no, I don't know why.”

“Doesn't explain why you've been avoiding me specifically," I pressed.

"I think there might be people working for the higher-ups already here in Dawnwatch," he said quietly. "People who could point them toward you if they found it interesting the commander spent too much time or attention on a newly classed adventurer.”

“Coward.”

I frowned. 

"What's the problem? I haven't done anything wrong."

"No, you haven't," Edwin agreed. "But if the Guild discovers you have a…” He glanced around before continuing. “You know what, they'll either try to take it from you, thinking they can use it better, or they'll remove you from Dawnwatch, believing you'd be of better use elsewhere." He shook his head firmly. "I disagree. I think you're precisely where you're supposed to be—fighting for your family and with those closest to you."

“Ask him about my breakthrough!”

“Hold on. I want to hear what he has to say.”

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh. 

"I still don't know what it all means, Ash, or whether your theory about the hive mind is correct or not. But one thing's certain. It has brought additional attention from the Guild onto Dawnwatch. While there are good things that come with that, like potentially more resources and adventurers, attention also brings power-hungry people who come poking.”

“I see,” I said, shifting in place.

Edwin leaned closer. 

"For now, I want you to lay low. Work on building your status in the Guild, slowly and steadily, but don't let anyone know about your weapon. And preferably, don't let anyone see your stats either." He grimaced slightly. “I’ve gone on record with Harold that I was drunk when I watched your breakthrough and miscounted the time. It took many hours, and by that time I was quite drunk. That’s why I said it happened so fast.”

I nodded, understanding the gravity of his warning and what he’d done, if not the impact of it.

Suddenly, Edwin turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm. 

“Hold on. I need your help with something.”

I let go as he eyed my hand.

“What is it?”

“How do I get a soul weapon to break through?" I asked, hurrying the conversation on.

“Yeah. Tell us the secret!”

Edwin froze, turning back with genuine shock on his face. 

"Soul weapons level up?"

“Of course. Don’t you know anything about superior beings?”

"They do," I confirmed. "At least, mine did until it hit level nine. Now it’s stuck."

“Like a swollen sword that won’t fit in its sheath. Get it? Swollen?”

“Roq, please. I got this.”

Edwin blinked rapidly, processing this information. "Maybe that's as powerful as it will be?"

"How many skills did your mentor have from his soul weapon?" I asked.

Edwin considered this, his brow furrowed. 

"It's hard to know what was from the weapon and what was from my mentor himself, but I'd guess I saw at least five different abilities." He looked around. "My mentor was secretive, and tried never to reveal more about his combat style than necessary."

"Why?" I asked, confused. "What would that matter to the monsters?"

"It wasn't for the monsters," Edwin replied. "It was to make sure he had enough surprises for those trying to steal his spear.”

"Oh," I said quietly as the implication sank in. “I understand.”

“Look, Ash. I’ll help you figure out how to get your weapon to break through," Edwin promised. "But not right now. We can't risk it."

"This is outrageous!" Roq fumed in my mind. "We need answers now, not in a year!"

"Cool down.” 

"Why does it feel like the Guild is against us?"

Edwin smiled. It made him look tired. 

"It's not that the Guild is against us. It's that the whole organization is so big that doing things in new ways is frowned upon by some. There are factions in the guild who think we should be more creative and risky in our battles, while others see defense and stability as the most important. They would rather never win, as long as it means we never lose either. Others are willing to risk defeat in order to achieve victory.”

"Which camp are you in?" I asked, though I suspected I knew the answer.

Edwin raised an eyebrow. 

"Care to guess?"

I nodded. 

"You want to win."

"Exactly," he confirmed. "I think there's no way to never be defeated. The longer this drags on, the greater the chance that something will change and the monsters will win. If there truly is an intelligence behind the monsters, it must be learning. If we don't learn and adapt and grow more powerful faster than it does, then defeat is guaranteed."

“I guess he’s not as dumb as he looks. Or maybe he is? Or maybe he just looks the part. I can’t quite tell.”

Edwin glanced back and spotted a guard approaching on his rounds. He put a hand on my shoulder. 

"Keep up the good work. I'm proud of you and the good you and your party do. Just lay low for a while now." His expression grew more serious. "Also, be careful when heading Riftside."

"Why?"

"A party of level eighteen and nineteen adventurers have gone missing. They were on a scouting mission and never came back."

I nodded. 

"Promise we’ll be careful."

Edwin turned and walked off, hands clasped behind his back, whistling casually as if our conversation had been nothing more than a chance encounter filled with pleasant small talk. But as I descended the stairs from the wall, the weight of his caution made it feel worse than climbing down from the mesa. You always knew where you stood with monsters, but some people? They were another kind of monster.

"So, what's the plan?" Roq asked eagerly. "Are we going to have to slay some adventurers who get too nosy about me? I wouldn't mind a change of diet."

"No. Of course not. It's just... politics."

"Politics?" Roq scoffed. "Politics is just what humans call the pause between bloodshed. You realize they can't be allowed to take me from you, right? I'm your soul weapon. We're meant for each other. As long as you live.”

"I know. They can't take you away. I won't let them.” I glared at the stairs. “And I certainly won't let them separate me from my family. That's happened once already."

The memory of being given away by my birth parents, despite understanding their reasons, still left a hollow ache. I wouldn't be torn from Ma and Pa, or from Eryn. Not again. Not for anything.

As I made my way into the Adventuring Guild, Harold nodded happily at me from where he stood talking to Madeleine. I forced myself to smile and wave back, but a chill spread through me. I found myself scanning the room, studying the other adventurers and the suppliers allowed inside, wondering which of them might be working for the Guild's higher-ups.

"Everyone's a potential spy now," Roq observed. "How delightfully paranoid! Though I must say, that fellow on the sofa, with the bad haircut. He has shifty eyes. I'd watch him carefully."

Petra greeted me from behind her counter, her white hair framing her grandmotherly face. 

"Ash! How can I help you today?" Her smile faltered slightly as she studied my expression. "Is everything alright, dear?"

I hesitated for a second too long, and Petra waved for Harold to join us.

“Yeah, sorry. Was just lost in thought.” 

"Our newest adventurer might need some assistance," she called out, ignoring my apology.

"No, really, I'm fine—" I tried to wave Harold away, but the guild master took one look at me and narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice low and concerned.

"Tell him about the bats," Roq suggested. "Those flying screaming things. It'll distract him from whatever he thinks he sees in your face."

I took a deep breath. "We've completed the Treeshaker Resin Hunt," I said, swiping out one carcass as proof. The massive, gorilla-like body with its four legs and two arms thumped heavily onto the floor and drew some eyes.

Petra's eyes widened with delight. 

"Wonderful! Oh, look at that shine, Harold. That’s enough for two dozen health salves at least!”

"The climb up the mesa was more dangerous than expected," I continued, following Roq's suggestion. "We were attacked by flying monsters—Echoing Screamers. They nearly knocked Knut off the cliff face."

Harold's brow furrowed. 

"Echoing Screamers? On the mesa?" He turned to Petra. "Have you heard of them before? Or any flying monster in that area?"

Her demeanor changed immediately, and she shook her head emphatically. 

"No, Guild Master, never. Of the four missions I've had done there, no one has ever mentioned flying monsters. If they had, I'd have set the difficulty to orange or made it a level thirty-plus quest, and of course increased the reward."

"Did you bring any of the creatures back?" Harold asked, turning back to me.

"What, you don't believe me?" I asked, perhaps more defensively than I intended.

Harold looked genuinely shocked. 

"Of course we believe you, Ash. But if you have a carcass, I'd really like one to study it. If there are new monsters out there we need to know.”

"Oh," I said, feeling my face flush with embarrassment. "I misunderstood. I'm sorry—it's been a long two days."

I was about to swipe the Screamer carcass out of my storage when Edwin's warning flashed through my mind again. Lay low. Don't draw attention.

"What would the reward be for a new monster?” I asked, buying a moment. Maybe it would be better to say we didn’t have any.

"For a mislabeled quest with unexpected dangers?" Harold rubbed his chin. "Double the reward is standard. Eighteen mind gems instead of nine.”

Nine mind gems. Same as an extremely successful hunt. 

I hesitated, torn between the wealth and Edwin's warning to keep a low profile. Then I realized it didn't matter. They wouldn't forget about my story regardless. It had been more memorable than I’d imagined.

With a sigh, I swiped out the Screamer carcass. The bat-like creature with its deflated throat sac and leathery wings appeared on the floor beside the Treeshaker.

Suddenly, the other adventurers in the room gathered around, including two suppliers, and I groaned.

“Monster balls.”

“No. It’s just a sack.”

“I know, Roq. Not what I meant.”

Harold lifted the Screamer, inspecting it carefully alongside Petra. After a moment, he called for Madeleine to double my reward, causing a murmur, and he headed for his office. His expression was grim as he examined the creature, but he seemed to suddenly remember something, paused, and spoke. 

"Great job, Ash. The guild thanks you for your contribution."

"It was Nabeeh who killed most of them," I called after him, trying to deflect some of the attention. "She sure knows her way around fire.”

Harold just nodded without looking back. As he departed, I noticed the Azbaran merchant staring at me with wide eyes. The moment our gazes met, he turned and fled from the guild hall.

"What was that about?" Roq laughed. "What have you done to terrify that poor man so thoroughly?"

“Damned if I know. But your suggestion didn’t help.”

“Well excuse me, but I’m not exactly familiar with what you humans find interesting and not. How was I supposed to know they all make such a fuss over a little extra danger.”

Petra came out from behind her shop with an apologetic smile. 

"I'm so sorry for sending you on such a dangerous quest," she said, counting out ten mind gems for the quest. "We had no idea about those flying creatures. You must be even stronger than we thought to handle them so easily. Your rise through the ranks is really amazing.”

"Just lucky," I mumbled, pocketing the gems as Petra swiped the Treeshaker carcass into her spatial storage.

"Come with me," she said, gesturing toward the back room. "We'll get these properly stored."

As we walked, Madeleine intercepted us, handing me a small pouch. 

"I heard the quest reward was mislabeled too, and should have been ten, so here’s the other ten, doubling the reward," she said with a warm smile.

I accepted the additional ten gems with a murmured thanks, feeling the weight of twenty mind gems in my pockets. A small fortune.

The other adventurers called out congratulations as we passed, and I wished I could simply turn invisible. This should have been a joyous occasion, celebrating our successful hunt and unexpected windfall. Instead, I felt like I was walking with a target on my back, wondering if any of these friendly faces might mention it to the Guild's higher-ups and up-end my life.

"Isn't this ironic?" Roq commented as we headed toward the storage area. "You've achieved exactly what you wanted—respect, wealth, recognition—and now you're afraid of it. Humans are such contradictory creatures."

"It's not the recognition I fear," I thought back. "It's what comes with it."

"Attention," Roq agreed. "The spotlight that reveals both your strengths and your secrets. Well, if anyone tries to take me from you, we'll simply have to kill them. Problem solved!"

Riftside 2 - Chapter 11

The violent shaking in the treetops grew closer, as if a tide of monsters were running through the forest, and soon we heard branches snapping and the rustle of leaves.

Knut hurriedly fastened the last straps of his armor and picked up his Thornwall shield—just as I finished securing my gauntlets.

"Ready!" Knut said, positioning himself at the front of our group.

The first Treeshaker landed on top of the last tree, grabbing on with its arms and all four legs, letting out a deafening roar. Thick spittle flew from its fanged mouth.

The monster was easily seven feet tall at the shoulders, with a body resembling a six limbed gorilla. Its two arms ended in large fists that made Knut’s own look like those of a dainty lady. A shiny substance coated its hide, which was likely what we were here for.

It leapt from the tree and Knut roared a challenge, charging to meet it.

I followed, smiling to myself. The big guy was truly in his element.

Knut dropped just before they clashed, sliding low and angling his shield, creating a small ramp. The Treeshaker, unable to stop, hit the angled shield and tumbled over Knut, its four legs flailing as the northerner pushed up, sending it stumbling even further. Its balance was completely disrupted as I came within striking distance. I smashed Roq into the side of its face as it fell to the ground, knocking it sideways. Before it could untangle its weirdly numbered limbs, I lunged after it and waited for it to turn its ugly head, then struck again, killing it.

"It tastes of sap and rage! Delicious! Give me more!"

Two more Treeshakers burst from the trees, spreading out as if wanting to bypass Knut and me to get at the girls.

A Fireball roared out to strike one in the chest. The hit was more dramatic than expected as the monster's slick hide ignited like pitch, with the flames engulfing it in seconds. It didn’t die right away, but damn did it burn like a giant bonfire.

“Fireworks! Yippee! Explosions! We need explosions!”

I glanced back, but Nabeeh had beaten me to it as she reached for Eryn and cast Empower Fire. 

Eryn’s nocked arrow lit up, and she loosed it at the other approaching Treeshaker. The arrow struck the monster in the chest, and flames spread so quickly that it was engulfed in seconds.

More monsters flowed from the forest, and Knut stepped to meet the foremost. I stepped back and away from him to intercept the ones off to the side. This time, instead of slamming into his shield, the monster spread its arms wide, attempting to grapple him. It got a chest full of Thornwall spikes as Knut twisted like a wrestler, sending it stumbling to the ground where he bashed its head in with his mace.

Before he could turn, four more were upon us. 

Only one went for me. 

I activated Smash and dodged to the side, too fast for it to catch me, and hit its shoulder. Roq glowed golden just before meeting the monster’s hide and utterly disintegrating it. The monster spun around and fell to the ground.

Knut wasn't as fortunate. Two Treeshakers tackled him simultaneously, driving him to the ground under their combined weight. The fourth monster squared off against me, growling and pacing around while flexing its arms.

Shield up, I swung, trying to draw it in, but it simply dodged, seeming content to keep me occupied and separated from Knut.

“Intelligence?”

Several more came from the forest, their attention seemingly focused on Eryn and Nabeeh. My worries were luckily unfounded as Eryn kept loosing her fire-empowered arrows, aiming center mass to make sure she didn’t miss. Every time an arrow hit, the shakers went down fast.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted one monster being cooked from below as a Fire Trap triggered and it just stood there, getting cooked in place.

I let out a roar of my own, if nothing but to distract the creature, and attacked. If it wouldn’t engage, I’d push through to Knut. The monster lunged, its four legs propelling it forwards and I barely got my shield angled right in time to block the blow. The force sent me stumbling, and taking advantage of my momentary imbalance, the monster reached for me.

“Armor Break.”

Roq glowed red and I swung him about on the creature's extended arm, snapping it like a twig. It hung limp at an odd angle. The Treeshaker howled as I recovered first, charging back in and slamming Roq into its head. It caved in sickeningly.

“Eryn!”

I spun to see a Treeshaker, still on fire, charging directly at her and mere seconds from impact. I slammed Roq into the ground, activating Forge Anchor. Steelhusk bindings wrapped around the monster's legs just steps from Eryn, and broke its stride, sending it to the ground.

Nabeeh screamed something in her native language and brought her staff down on the fallen monster's neck with surprising strength. The blow didn’t hurt it, not really, but it bought Eryn enough time to loose an arrow through its skull point blank.

I smiled at how well the girls worked together, and finally made my way over to Knut, who was still pinned beneath two Treeshakers. Their massive fists were pounding down on his shield and armor as he desperately tried to get a good hit in with his mace.

With both abilities on cooldown, I stopped right next to the closest shaker, pulled my hammer back, and brought it down on the back of its neck. It crumpled to the side and lay still. The second monster turned to face me, giving Knut an opening. He slammed its side, forcing the creature to get off him. I used that second and hit its chest. It almost broke, and with a second swing, I caught its face. Laughter erupted from Knut as he lay on the ground, still on his back and his shield scuffed and covered in blood. None of it was his from what I could see. “Much fun! Again! Round two!" he laughed excitedly, sitting up and removing his helmet to examine his armor. “Titanplate strong! And monsters hate shield—keep hitting, hurt themselves! Like baby and rock! Thanks, Pa! Beer on me next time!”

I stared at him, incredulous. 

"You're insane," I said, shaking my head. "You were nearly beaten to death."

Knut's grin only widened as he got to his feet, seemingly energized rather than exhausted by the near-death experience. 

“Death? Not even close! Best fight since troll!"

“Yeah, well, at least one of us had fun. I don’t quite enjoy watching murder gorillas stomping down on my friends.”

“Brighten, little brother. Strong am I. No worry.”

We regrouped with the girls, Nabeeh lowering herself to the ground, crossing her legs, and closing her eyes. Her breathing slowed deliberately as she focused inward.

"Trying to regenerate mana faster," she explained without opening her eyes. "Meditation helps calm the body, and that speeds mana recovery."

"Any gems in these beasts?"

"The largest one, over there. The one with three charred arrows in it.”

“Let’s get these stored in case more come,” I said. 

“What happens with fire in my spatial storage?” I asked Roq as I swiped in a still burning carcass.

“Let me have a look.”

I swiped Roq in and out. 

“It’s just laying there. The flames are extinguished, though. If only you could have swiped the smithy in and out of your storage, we wouldn’t have given Benedict such a chance to be snooty.”

I snorted at that and then coughed to mask the snort. Imagine storing entire buildings into storages. Wouldn’t that be fun?

“True, but then we might not have brought him to the Twisted Titan run and gotten to fill his storage with loot and take his share of the Titanfang!”

“That was enjoyable I must admit. Like, very much so. The look on his face? Almost priceless!”

Eryn hugged me from the side, and I leaned in to kiss her as we finished storing the last carcasses. 

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For saving my life back there."

"Of course. Think I’d let a monkey hit my girl and ruin her face?”

She punched my shoulder and we both chuckled at the playful jab.

"Yeah,  it would be such a tragedy. Maybe you’d have to search for a new one, huh?”

I winked at her and kissed her forehead.

“Never.”

“Good, but that damned shaker…I was about to dodge, but..." She glanced at where Roq’s skill had stopped the monster in its tracks. "They were fast. I'm not sure I would have made it. Four legs sure are a lot faster than just two, huh?"

I squeezed her hand. 

"That's why we work as a team, love. Can’t promise I’ll always be there when you need me, as that would be a lie, but I will try. Nothing can touch my little girl."

She gently reached down and patted Roq’s head and whispered, “Thank you, too, Roq. I’ll make you some honeyed milk when we get home.”

“Tell her she is welcome, but that if she touches me without consent again, I will activate my self defence mechanisms and make her regret--wait, what did she just say? Okay, sure, she can touch me however much she wants.”

“Sure she can, and noyou won’t. Ever hurt her or I’ll store you away for good.”

“No. I won’t ever hurt her. Deal.”

“He says you are welcome.” Knut was pacing restlessly, thumping his fist against his plate mail repeatedly, the metallic rhythm echoing across the mesa top. His eyes were filled with an almost feverish energy as he scanned the treeline.

"You all right?" I said.

Knut grinned. 

"Wish for new sword. Too long since such fight." He flexed his hands, his gloves stained with monster blood and the resin coating their hides. “Too many years, always been rock. Others fight around. Almost forget joy of carnage."

I raised an eyebrow. "I doubt you've forgotten anything, Knut."

"He's right, though,” Roq said. "There is nothing quite like the thrill of battle, the spray of blood, and the crunch of bones! It's what we're made for!"

I didn't relay Roq's enthusiastic agreement, mindful of Nabeeh's presence.

Before I could respond further, a violent rustling came from the treeline.

"More," Knut said with anticipation. “Good. Fight to death!” He hefted his shield and spun his mace through the air, letting the handle smack into his palm.

I once again placed myself behind and to his left, ready to intercept and kill whatever came at us. 

  *

I swiped the latest Treeshaker carcass into my spatial storage tiredly. The third wave of monsters had been as fierce as the first two, and while we’d won, I knew we’d only come through it without serious injury due to Nabeeh’s fire buff and Eryn setting the majority of the monsters alight as they rushed out of the forest. She’d focused just on hitting them instead of trying to do outright damage.Nabeeh sat on the ground again, her legs crossed, trembling as she attempted to meditate. She’d taken a mind gem to help with the tiredness, but it didn’t help with her mana loss. She was fully depleted after the lengthy fight. Beside her, Eryn sat on her haunches, staring at the forest. She’d taken a mind gem after the second attack and was mostly fresh. 

"That's enough," I said. "We have more than enough for the quest, and if they keep coming, they’ll eventually succeed in hurting us one way or another. Let’s head back."

“Agree,” Knut said. “Enough even for Pa.”

“How do we get down?”

Knut's grin flashed through his beard. "Getting down easy. But not splatting on rocks? Challenge.”

Both women groaned at his gallows humor.

"Seriously, Knut," I pressed, glancing at our exhausted companions. "We need to move."

Nodding, Knut's expression turned businesslike. He pulled the coiled rope from his storage and began fashioning a series of knots.

"I anchor at top. You three rappel. Ledge halfway. I climb down."

As Knut prepared for our descent, I walked over and swiped out several Treeshaker carcasses, watching them tumble down, smashing against the rocks. There should be enough left at the bottom to swipe them back in, and we needed space for our gear.

I threw one last look at the forest. Was that movement among the trees, or just the wind? I couldn't be sure, but I had no desire to find out. One thing that did make me wonder, though, is what it was like. The forest. Where did the shakers live? What was their habitat like? But that was something for another day.

It took us a while to climb down, but once we reached the bottom of the mesa, I raised my arms to catch Eryn as she made the final drop to the ground. She landed in my embrace, and we held each other for a moment longer than necessary. I could already imagine Roq’s discomfort at the ‘smoochiness’.

"That," she whispered in my ear, "Is the last time I want to go climbing with a northerner. The man has no concept of fear."

I laughed softly, hugging her close. 

"I wish we’d been climbing the scaffolding of the keep right now instead. Then we'd be close to home, could go for a beer and a meal at the Timberline, and walk back home to sleep under the same roof."

A thud and a groan broke our moment as Nabeeh tumbled the last few feet, landing unceremoniously on her ass, then fell over and lay spread-eagled, mouth opening and closing like a fish as she struggled to regain her breath.

“You alright?” Eryn asked, stepping toward her.

Nabeeh winced, but gave a thumbs up, eyes watering.

Knut landed beside her, having leapt off the last ten feet or so, somehow absorbing the drop with ease. He grinned, thumping his chest with a meaty fist.

"Good exercise!" he declared, seemingly invigorated rather than exhausted. “Hungry. Could eat Treeshaker.”

I looked up at the setting sun, calculating our options. "Do we want to spend the night Riftside or walk through the evening and into the night?"

Knut shrugged his massive shoulders. 

“Either fine."

"Remember the swamp," I reminded him.

His face twisted in disgust. 

“Both horrible. Mud in dark or sleep with monsters."

"I'd prefer to walk through the night," Nabeeh said, finally regaining her breath. "I can make torches with my magic."

Eryn looked at me, a small smile playing on her lips. 

"I wouldn't mind spending the night. Not here on the grasslands, anyway."

I looked down at where I’d placed Roq. 

"How well do you see in the dark?"

"I do not care about light," he replied. "I see near perfectly regardless of conditions. Those are the benefits of being a superior being."

“Think you can handle a solo mission?”

“I can handle anything! But, what exactly do you mean?”

“Think you can stand watch, keep us safe, and warn if any monsters want to eat us?”“Of course. It is but a simple task for a being like me.”

With Roq's assurance, I made my decision. 

"We'll stay the night."

  *

The fire crackled softly in our small shelter. We’d found a crevice in the mesa's side, far away from the pile of carcasses we didn’t have space for, to conceal our light from prying eyes. Eryn leaned against my shoulder, our fingers intertwined as we gazed at the flames and occasionally up at the stars visible through the narrow opening above.

Knut's thunderous snoring provided a constant backdrop, drowning out even the night sounds of the grasslands. Nabeeh slept nearby, her face peaceful at rest.

Roq sat at the entrance to our shelter, perched regally on his satin pillow, which itself rested on Knut's folded shirt to keep it clean. He was taking his self-appointed sentry duty with tremendous seriousness.

"No enemies within sensing range," he reported dutifully. "Though I remain vigilant for that giant monster the drunk adventurer mentioned. Imagine the glory of defeating such a beast! I will not fall asleep and will pray all night it finds us."

I’d told Nabeeh my hammer would help ward us from danger and she’d seemed to accept it without doubt, just muttering something about foreigners and their strange beliefs.

“Good job,” I whispered, and exchanged an amused glance with Eryn. She knew to whom I was talking. 

 After a while, Eryn grew tired and fell asleep in my lap as I held her.

I watched the flames dance for a while longer, and a strange sense of peace settled over me. Would this be what it felt like when we won? When we were no longer simply surviving in an endless war against the monsters. To head Riftside, not to battle, but to enjoy. Build a life. 

To my surprise, staring into the flames, I realized I genuinely believed victory was possible. I didn't know how, but the certainty was there, warm and solid in my chest.

“I’ve been meaning to ask but…I don’t even want to know,” Roq said just as I was about to doze off. 

“Ask what?

“Where are you level-wise? I…bah! I need to know! Tell me how much experience have you stolen from me today!”

I sighed at his attempt to make me feel guilty or whatever he was up to, and checked. It took me a second, but I activated my sigil.

LEVEL: 10 (8/11)

“Umm, are you sure you want to know?” I asked. “Maybe you just want to keep watch.”

He remained silent for a while, and I could mentally feel him turning around to face me. 

“Speak.”

“I’m at 8 out of 11.”

He let out a half-assed scream that lasted way too long and just sounded ridiculous.

“Leech! See? That’s what I get for being nice!”

I closed my eyes and leaned against the stone wall behind me. 

“Good night, Roq. And thank you for all your hard work.”

“Don’t you dare sleep! We have things to discuss!”

  *

The night passed without any interruptions—no Treeshakers descending from the mesa, no Screamers disturbing our rest, and no horrors emerging from the darkness. As morning light filtered into our improvised shelter, Roq voiced his disappointment.

"That was thoroughly boring," he said. "Not a single thing to kill all night. And that big monster the drunk talked about? I couldn’t even feel him! At all!"

“Shall I store you next time?” I asked, stretching the stiffness from my limbs.

"Well, when you put it that way," he amended quickly, "There was a certain beauty to the landscape, the sunrise, and the whispers of the wind. The stars were quite magnificent, too. I wonder what we could forge if we could get our hands on one.”

“Something cool, I guess. The light of a dying star. Hmm, I like the sound of that. Maybe I could rename you? Light of a dying star. Or LOADS for short.”

“LOADS? No way, but umm…just imagine…the power of a dying star. In your hands. Hmm, speaking of dying, maybe we could upgrade me to do some frost damage. Slowing our enemies down would be useful, too.”

“Yeah. But we might as well wish for a piece of the sun and make you deal fire damage.”

We began our journey home, hiking through the woodland, and navigating the swamp without any sneaky snake encounters, crossing forest terrain, then traversing the burned grove. By midday, we reached Sentinel Station without encountering a single monster—a rare blessing that even Roq eventually stopped grumbling about.

After heading through the Rift and as we approached the Adventurers Guild, Knut turned to me. “Deliver quest yourself? Need wash. First self, then armor, then self again."

Nabeeh looked surprised. 

"You're quite particular about cleanliness."

Knut drew himself up proudly. 

"Of course! Northerners bathe often. Why all women love us!"

I chuckled. 

"It's fine. I have enough Treeshaker carcasses to fulfill the quest. Why don’t you all go home and I’ll see you there later?”

Eryn nodded, clearly eager to take her own bath. It would be a cat fight to see who got the bath first, as we only had one…

We parted with a quick kiss, and I watched them walk away, feeling fortunate to be back alive and well.

As I turned toward the guild entrance, a familiar voice called my name. I looked over to see Edwin standing by the first wall, beckoning from a stairwell. He waved once before disappearing up the steps.

“About bloody time.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 10

I walked over to stand next to Knut, who stood eyeing the sheer face of the mesa. His hands seemed to trace the contours of the rock in the air as he analyzed potential ways upward.

"Not bad," he said. “There. Cracks for fingers. Ledges for feet." He pointed to a zigzagging path up the cliff face. “Path up. Challenging, but possible.”

“Done this stuff before?" Eryn asked, looking up with apprehension.

Having spent her early life in caravans I doubted she’d spent time playing in the mountains. Then again, I hadn’t either.

“Always," Knut said with a hint of pride in his voice. “Northern mountains huge. This like baby's first steps. But, you babies, eh? Safety first.”

“In a way, yes,” Eryn said and slapped his arm. 

We unpacked our climbing gear, including a lengthy coil of rope that Knut began to arrange and tie into knots.

“Like this, tie together," he said, demonstrating the knots. “Me first. Ash follow. Nabeeh, then Eryn. If fall, we hold.”

Before beginning the ascent, we took out most of the carcasses from our storage so we’d have space for the Treeshakers, and stored most of our equipment to reduce weight and free our hands for the climb up. Knut and I stripped down to our long underpants, while Eryn opted to keep her lightweight leather armor on. Nabeeh removed her outer robes, climbing in the shirt and long pants she wore underneath.

"Is that really necessary?" Nabeeh asked, gesturing at Knut's and my state of undress, while Eryn refused to hide the looks she threw me.

“Every pound matters on cliff," Knut replied seriously. “If fall, less heavy is good. Matter little if go splat, but if not…might survive.”

“Might,” she muttered and shook her head.

“We can use my hammer for any dangerous sections,” I said. "The spike at the bottom of his shaft will be great at anchoring.”

"Ah, finally some recognition of my practical attributes!" Roq said. "Though I'd prefer to be anchored in monster flesh rather than boring rock."

With the rope securely fastened around our waists, Knut began the ascent. Hemoved with speed, finding handholds and footholds invisible to my untrained eye. I followed, Roq hanging securely from my belt. My strength stat came in handy as it allowed me to pull myself up with ease, and in case of emergency, haul the girls back up.

About fifty feet up, Knut encountered a particularly challenging section. The rock face became nearly vertical, with few obvious handholds.

"Careful," he called down. "Ash. Safe rope.”

I wrapped the rope around Roq's handle twice and then pushed the spike straight into the stone, letting it melt its way inside. 

“I regret the previous recognition. This is undignified," Roq said. "I am a weapon of war, not a climbing tool."

"You're whatever I need you to be right now, buddy. Besides, you're made of steelhusk. Nothing's going to damage you."

“It’s not about physical damage. It is my large and important pride. Just look at me. This is totally not how a weapon of war should be used.” 

As we climbed higher, the wind picked up, whistling around us. Below, the grasslands and forest stretched out, and the Whispering Mire was a dark smudge in the distance.

"So, Nabeeh," Eryn called up, her voice slightly strained from the effort of climbing. "Tell me more about Azbara's rifts. Are they like ours?"

Nabeeh seemed glad for the distraction.

"Some are similar, but each has its own character," she replied, raising her voice so we could actually hear her. "The one I spent most time in was Al-Wadi'al-Khisb. You may have heard of it as the Fertile Valley. The rift is deep in the desert, but Riftside? A vibrant grassland with a huge yellow river.”

"Sounds beautiful," Eryn said.

"It is. We've tried many times to farm it," Nabeeh continued as we climbed. "The soil is rich, and more water flows through in a day than we spend in the entire kingdom, but it's been impossible to maintain a presence.”

"Monsters?" I asked, pausing to loop the rope around Roq before pushing him back into the stone as Knut navigated a tricky overhang.

"Partly," Nabeeh said. "But more so the logistics. Being in the middle of the desert makes it challenging to get resources to the rift and equally so to transport any goods out. And defenders… We always need more defenders."

“What do you do instead?" Eryn asked.

"We defend in the desert, letting the monsters come through and then use hit-and-run tactics. Small, mobile teams of mages and archers strike and withdraw. Once they have been whittled down to those too strong to kill with bow and magic we send in parties to slay them in melee combat. Crack them open and cut them down.”

“Not dumb,” Knut grunted from above. “Minimize risk.”

“Dangerous. As I said before, I’d rather fight monsters on a wall than horseback.”

"You should tell Nina,” Eryn called up. "She dreams of becoming a mounted mage. Sounds like the kind of tactics she'd love."

"I will,” Nabeeh said. “Sharing knowledge with those who show an interest is always good.”

We continued climbing, and I revelled in the joyous feeling of powering my way up the rock face. It was almost like hammering iron; there was both a physical and mental strain as I focused on each handhold, each foothold, all while making sure we weren’t going too fast for the girls to keep up.

Just as we neared a wider ledge about two-thirds of the way up, a strange sound came from the cliff face. It was a high-pitched, warbling cry that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"What was that?" Eryn asked, her voice tense.

Before anyone could answer, a dark shape detached itself from a crevice above us, unfurling its leathery wings. Then came another. And another.

“Monsters!” Knut shouted, hanging by one hand and reaching for his mace, only to remember it was stored away.

“Echoing Screamers,” I called out, having activated my sigil. “They're green.”

The creatures resembled bats the size of cats, but with bony protrusions and claws on their wingtips. Beneath their throats sat a purple sac, and it inflated as they started circling, right above Knut.

“Delightful! You might want to cover your ears. I’ve seen such a sac before.”

"Cover your ears!" I yelled, hooking my arm around Roq and covering my ears as best I could just as the creatures screamed.

The sound hit like a physical force. Even with my hands clamped over my ears, the pain quickly built up and after a few seconds we were in deep trouble. 

Knut, who was the highest up and closest to the monsters, went limp, his hands slipping. 

Before I could do anything, the rope snapped taut and pulled my chest into Roq. The rope and my hammer both held as Knut's weight hit, and he swung into the cliff face with a thud, hanging between Nabeeh and me.

“Get them!” I called to the others, my ears ringing louder as the monsters came closer. With Knut safe for the moment, and me attached to Roq, I pulled my helmet from storage and jammed it on my head, hoping it would provide some protection against the sonic attacks.

Below me, Nabeeh let go of the rock face, letting herself fall to hang from the rope. I held on to Roq for dear life, glad I had sunk his haft at an angle so he wouldn’t slip out. 

"Don't worry," Roq assured me. "My steelhusk haft won't break from this pitiful weight. Though watching you struggle is quite entertaining. Maybe we should do it again sometime."

The Screamers attacked then and several flew past me, drawing close to Nabeeh. She unleashed her Fire Breath, engulfing them in flames, their wings charring instantly. It only took her a few seconds to send them plummeting to the ground far below.

"Eryn!" I called down, punching for one of the creatures as it swooped past, its talons drawing blood from my naked chest. "Can you shoot?"

"If I can hang!" she replied.

“Do it!” I said, trusting in Roq and the rope’s strength.

Eryn slid down until the rope held her. It pulled on me, but their combined weight was still less than Knuts.

She pulled out her bow and an arrow, braced her legs against the cliff, and aimed at a monster. 

It dove at her and she loosed an arrow, killing it.

Nabeeh cast Immolation next, targeting the largest monster. It burst into flames and flapped its wings several times, but the flames were too much and it fell, trailing smoke and squealing.

Below me, Knut stirred as a Screamer landed on his chest, its claws digging into his skin. 

“Knut!” I yelled as the monster opened its mouth, preparing to scream directly into his ear.

Knut grabbed the creature by its throat so quickly that I thought he’d been faking it, and squeezed so hard the flying monster went limp in seconds. He held it in front of himself and roared in its face before smashing its head against his own forehead. The monster’s skull crunched, splattering goo across the northerners face. For a moment, he stared at it, baring his teeth and cursing something I didn’t understand, but after he was done, Knut  tossed it over his shoulder.

“I always knew we’d find a use for that skull of his sooner or later,” Roq said. “I wonder if it could withstand a–”

“Don’t even go there.”

Another bat-like monster flew toward me, before spreading its wings wide and screaming. The shrill sound still hurt even through my helmet, but it was far from as bad as without it. Or maybe my mind stat being higher than Knut’s helped negate some of the damage It floated right in front of me and came closer with every flap of its wings. My hand shot out and I grabbed the little bugger, already planning to do something similar to Knut.

“Stop! Let me taste it!" Roq demanded as I prepared to squeeze the life from it. "I want to know what these new monsters are made of!"

I hesitated, but there was only one monster left. 

“It barely has any blood,”

I sighed but took the time to bash the struggling Screamer against Roq's head, which stuck out of the rock. Its skull cracked, and blood spattered across the hammer's surface.

"Mmm," Roq hummed appreciatively. "Interesting. High iron content. Traces of something... crystalline? Definitely a newer creation. The Hive Mind is experimenting."

I swiped the carcass into my storage as Nabeeh unleashed a Fireball at the last visible Screamer, catching it mid-flight. For a moment, we all hung there, breathing heavily, and scanning the sky and rock above for more screamers. When none appeared, I shot a thumbs up to Knut.

“All good to go. Please, do take your time down there as I’m having a peachy time.”

The big guy grinned and flexed his muscles, which was just too awkward but so Knut-like. I grabbed Roq with both hands and hung on as  Knut carefully swung back to the cliff face.

"Everyone alright?" I said.

"Fine," Nabeeh replied, having found her own perch again.

"I'm also fine,” Eryn called up, though her voice was understandably tense.

Knut hung from the cliff face, rubbing his head. 

“Fine,” he said, but there was a hint of embarrassment in his voice. “New story for mead hall. Bad one.”

“Sure you're alright?" I asked. "That was a nasty fall."

He nodded firmly. 

“Hard head. Rock weak. No worry. We go.”

“WHAT? How dare— Oh. Yeah. Tell him I agree.”

“Thanks. Not sure what would have happened here if not for you, buddy.”

“My spike and haft! Never forget how much you loved it right now. Like, love on first-sight kind of love!”

I rubbed my forehead as Knut climbed past me.

“Head pain?” he asked.

“Something like that.”

"Why weren't those creatures mentioned in the quest details?" Eryn asked. “Seems like pretty important information."

"Maybe they're new," I suggested, remembering Roq's comment.

"New monsters?" Nabeeh shot back. “No way. I mean, right? Not this quickly.”

"Perhaps the Hive Mind is cross-breeding," I said. "Creating new types of monsters to try and counter us better?”

Knut grunted. 

"Adapting? Learning? Not good."

We continued our climb, more cautiously now, and wary of other nests and monsters in general. When we finally reached the top of the mesa, Knut pulled himself up, offered me a hand, and I almost went flying. The man was really strong. Nabeeh went next, and Eryn came last. We all collapsed onto the flat surface, taking a moment to recover.

I sat heavy on the ground, looking across a vast open area on top of the mesa, stretching at least fifty yards before reaching a forest unlike any I'd seen before. Tall, sturdy trees swayed in the powerful wind that swept across the plateau. Their trunks were thick and gnarled, but they stretched upward with elegant, flexible bodies. Each tree was crowned with a spread of broad, fan-shaped leaves that rustled loudly in the constant gale. 

"What kind of trees are those?" I asked, squinting at the distant forest line.

"Not steelhusk," Knut said, laying down on the ground to rest. “Not oak. Not pine. Never seen." 

Blood trickled from several small cuts and a big bruise was forming around an open wound on his shoulder where he’d impacted the cliff face.

Eryn knelt beside him. 

“Let me see that," she said, her voice insistent. I knew there’d be no arguing with her..

Knut though, grunted and tried to wave her away. 

"Is nothing. Small bump. I’m fine. Check your man."

"Small bump?" Eryn scoffed, ignoring his protests and examining the wounds. "You fell over thirty feet and hit solid rock. You're lucky your skull isn't cracked open."

"Skull thick," Knut said, his mouth tightening as Eryn put a salve on his shoulder. "Like Ma say. See me bump head with flying cat?"

"Hold still," Eryn commanded, taking out a bandage from the kit she always carried and wrapped it swiftly. "That Screamer could have killed you. It doesn't matter how strong your muscles are if your brains turn into mush and leak out your ears.”

I scanned the open expanse between us and the forest, suddenly aware of how exposed we were. The cliff edge loomed just yards behind us—a deadly drop if we were forced back during a fight.

"We need to move away from the edge and gear up," I said. "If the Treeshakers charge us here, we’ll be true splats as Knut said.”

"Good thinking," Nabeeh agreed, pushing herself up.

Eryn sighed but nodded, tying off the bandage before helping Knut to his feet. 

“Get your armor on. And once we’re done here, I'll check the shoulder properly."

“Mother chicken,” Knut said, grumbling.

We quickly moved to a safer position, about thirty yards from the cliff edge, and began donning our gear. I pulled the Crackenmail over my head, feeling safer as the weight settled on my shoulders. Knut, moving as if uninjured, strapped on his white-ish Titanfang plate.

Nabeeh yawned as she lazily pulled her outer robes back on. 

"I'm sure we'll have to track those beasts through that entire forest. Probably spend hours searching. I need a nap."

Eryn, already nearly dressed in her lightweight leather armor, pulled her last glove on when she suddenly froze, eyes fixed on something in the distance.

"The trees," she said quietly, pointing. “Aren’t they shaking?”

I followed her gaze and saw several treetops trembling, as if something large had slammed into it, or jumped off.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Roq said. "Two new flavors in one day! I wonder if these Treeshakers taste as good as those flying screamers!”

"Looks like they found us first.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 9

The forest was denser on the other side of the charred fungal plain, and we walked in silence for a while with the massive metallic trees growing so close together that in places we had to squeeze between their trunks. The canopy above blocked so much light the ground was nearly bare, except for steelhusk roots and dead leaves.

“Fifteen mind gems,” Knut finally said, shaking his head.

“Unbelievable,” Eryn muttered. “We need more mushroom zones.”

“Told you it was efficient,” Nabeeh said, grinning.

I just sighed.

Before we’d left the grove, Roq had guided us over to a spot where apparently nearly a hundred Glowcaps had been…growing? Sleeping? Chatting? Having tea? Who cared. They’d been bunched  and had all died when Nabeeh put the fungal forest on fire. Roq had sensed their remains, and we’d been able to fill our storages with carcasses, including fifteen with mind gems.

“You’ll be ready for your breakthrough after this quest then,” Nabeeh said to Eryn.

“Yes. Feels… odd to think about it. How long did it take you to go from scavenger to classed?”

“About a year. I…” Nabeeh licked her lips. “I had a smooth progression.”

“Lucky,” Knut said. “Spent three years.”

“About same as me,” I said. 

“Doesn’t seem right to call it three years when you spend that long getting to level four just to go from there to level ten in two months.”

“And what would you call it?”

“Fastest leveler in recorded history! Thanks to yours truly.”

“Of course. Thanks, Roq. I mean it.”

Time trudged on endlessly as we continued our trek,  and the ground beneath our feet began to change slowly. The hard-packed earth gave way to softer soil, then to mud. The air grew thick with moisture, and strange, whispering sounds seemed to emanate from the vegetation around us.

"The Whispering Mire," Eryn read from our notes. "Lovely."

We stood at the edge of a vast swamp. Gnarled trees rose from the murky water, their branches draped with moss. Patches of solid ground were connected by narrow, winding paths that disappeared into the mist. The air was filled with the buzzing of insects and the occasional splash of something moving beneath the water's surface.

“You sure this is the way?” Nabeeh asked.

Eryn nodded. 

“Yup. Fits Petra’s description perfectly.”

Knut stared at the swamp with disgust. 

“Crap,” he grumbled. “See wonders, they said. Fun adventuring. Here mud up to knees." He gestured to his plate armor. “Hours of cleaning."

"I don't envy him," Roq commented. "Metal and mud don't mix well. At least I have you to clean me."

"Lucky you.”

Nabeeh, surprisingly, seemed unbothered. 

"My robes have high fire resistance," she said matter-of-factly. "A gift from... someone." She paused briefly. "When we get back, I’ll put them on the stones and breathe fire on them untill they are clean.”

"I think this is amazing," Eryn said, looking across the landscape. "A whole new world to explore. My parents would have loved to head Riftside.” Her enthusiasm dimmed slightly as she added, "Though I am a bit worried about diseases. Or poisonous plants. Or snakes. Or leeches."

"Or all of the above," I added helpfully, earning a playful swat on the arm.

"Humans and their fear of tiny things," Roq scoffed. "You should be more worried about what might be lurking beneath the surface. Something large. With teeth."

"Not helping.”

We began picking our way through the swamp, doing our best to head from solid ground to solid ground, but it was a losing battle. The mud sucked at our boots with each step, making progress slow and exhausting. Strange lights danced in the fog. Insects or something weird, I couldn’t tell.

The weird whisper grew louder as we ventured deeper, sometimes forming what sounded like words that hung just at the edge of comprehension.

"Hate this," Knut declared after we'd been slogging through the mire for far too long. "Smells. Death. Rot."

“Boring," I offered. “Nothing to kill.”

"I rather like it," Roq commented. "The smell of decay is... invigorating. Reminds me of battlefields after the fighting stops."

Just then, a dark shape launched itself from the mud, straight towards Eryn. 

I reacted instinctively, swinging Roq in a wide arc, and clipping the snake. Eryn let out a startled cry as the snake flew into the swamp, and started jumping up and down, trying to look everywhere all at once.

"Snakes!” she cried.

"Another one! Behind you!"

I spun, but too late. A second snake had emerged silently from the mud, and its fangs sank into my leg, right where my armoured pants and shoes met.

Pain shot up my leg, followed immediately by a spreading numbness. I grasped the snake with my off-hand, my shield already stowed in storage, and crushed its head in my fist. 

But the damage was already done. My vision began to swim, and I felt lightheaded.

"Venom!" Roq warned. "I can feel it. Potent stuff. Let me handle it."

"Ash!" Eryn said, rushing over, her need to take care of others forcing away her fear. "You've been bitten!"

Nabeeh cursed and swiped out a small flask. 

"Anti-venom," she said, uncorking it. "Drink this, quickly."

I waved her off, trying to appear steadier than I really was. 

"I'm fine. It missed me." I quickly stored Roq, and immediately a warmth spread through my body, heading down towards my leg, counteracting the venom. "Just adrenaline, that's all."

Nabeeh looked skeptical, but put the flask away. "If you say so. But tell me if you start feeling dizzy or nauseous. Poison isn’t a joke."

"I will," I promised, knowing I wouldn't need to. Roq's Blood Forge ability, together with my high vitality, had nearly defeated the venom already. 

“Pay better attention,” Roq said as we continued through the swamp. “It will be annoying if you die.”

“No more pie?”

“That too. But I’d miss… I mean... you are far from perfect, so don’t fool yourself into thinking anything else, but… you know.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Are you going to make me say it?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. It would be annoying to train another mount to do my bidding.”

I sighed. Some things never changed.

  *

By the time we emerged from the Whispering Mire, our clothes were soaked and muddy and even our spirits somewhat dampened. The steelhusk forest on the other side was a welcome sight after the oppressive atmosphere of the swamp and constant lookout for snakes..

But the forest didn’t last long, and the trees began to thin as we walked, eventually giving way to rolling grasslands. In the distance, rising from the plains like an island, stood a massive mesa—a flat-topped hill with steep, nearly vertical sides.

"There," Eryn said, pointing to the top of the mesa. "That's where we'll find the Treeshakers. I think. That’s what the papers say."

I squinted up at the towering formation. It had to be at least two hundred feet tall, with no obvious path to the top. 

"Now I understand why they had us bring rope, and why no one's bothered completing this quest," I said. "It's not just the journey to get here, nor the damn monsters. It's climbing that thing."

"And fighting," Knut added. "Then down. And back.” He cleared his throat and spat on the ground. “Through mud. Not enough reward if ask me.”

"We should rest before the climb," Nabeeh suggested and stretched. "Eat something, recover our strength."

We agreed and then found a suitable spot at the base of the mesa, in the shadow of a lone steelhusk tree. 

After unpacking our lunch of dried meat, hard bread, and some dried fruit which we’d bought on the way Riftside, I noticed Nabeeh staring off into the distance, her expression wistful. The man from earlier came to mind, but I wasn’t sure if I should pry. She was a part of us now, but personal things should remain just that.

"Thinking of home?" I asked instead.

She started slightly, then nodded. 

"In a way. The grasslands remind me of the banks outside Labeib, our capital." She gestured to the horizon. "Though our skies are clearer, and the air smells of spice rather than... whatever that smell is."

"Wet dog and mushrooms," Eryn added helpfully, and the two girls giggled at that. I chuckled, too, as my dear girlfriend had hit the nail right on the head.

"She's homesick," Roq observed. "Fascinating. I didn't think she had such sentimentality in her. Maybe I was wrong about her and she isn’t so strong after all?"

“You sure have a way about classifying people, buddy. Maybe leave that for us to decide, huh?”

Nabeeh smiled. 

"Yes, that. In Azbara, the air is dry and clean. The sun beats down mercilessly during the day, but the nights..." Her voice softened. "The nights are cool and clear, with stars so bright you feel you could reach up and pluck them from the sky."

“Miss it?” Eryn asked.

"Every day," Nabeeh admitted. "But I cannot return. Not yet."

"Because you're an outlaw?" I asked bluntly.

"Direct. I like it," Roq approved. "No dancing around the issue. Straight for the gut."

Her eyes snapped to mine, narrowing. 

"Who told you that?"

"No one had to tell me. You've been dropping hints since we met. And that man at the guild—you practically dragged him outside. Doesn’t exactly scream bag full of white flour, does it?”

Nabeeh sighed, setting down her food. 

"I suppose I might as well tell you. If we're going to stay a party, you should know what you're getting into."

“Would be nice," Eryn said. “Since we’re all being honest and stuff.”

Nabeeh nodded, gathering her thoughts. 

"I was born to nobility. My father was a vizier to the king, and my mother a noble. But me? I always wanted to become an adventurer. It’s a bit unusual back home for nobles to become adventurers, but not quite unheard of."

“You don’t have to convince us,” I said. “We don’t judge based on background, nor do we really care.”

She nodded. 

“Force of habit. Have had to convince enough over the years.”

She traced patterns in the dirt with a stick as she spoke, which only made her look somehow even younger. More fragile than she was letting on.

“Two years ago it was arranged for me to marry the son of another noble family, the Marechas. Bowroum Marecha was my betrothed. He was handsome, charming, and, disappointingly, utterly ruthless.”

“Sounds like noble,” Knut said, and I found myself nodding.

“I’m not like that,” Nabeeh said. 

“You just blew up half a forest. Pretty ruthless if you ask me,” I said, but I smiled, trying to soften it. Hell, I wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings or whatever, it had just been a small jab to lighten the mood.

“Well… that’s different.”

“Why?” Eryn asked.

“Bowroum wasn’t ruthless against monsters and in defence of our home. No. I found evidence he was working to break the contract between the adventuring guild and the Azbara crown."

“Dumb,” Knut said.

“Yes, sure, but he wanted power, and that kind of person does everything to get to their goal" Nabeeh said. "If he controlled the adventurers, he controlled the most powerful force in the kingdom besides the royal army. He planned to use that leverage to eventually seize the throne."

“He sounds fun. We should learn from him.”

“Wrong lesson, Roq.”

She pushed the stick into the ground until it snapped. "On our wedding day, instead of speaking my vows, I exposed him. Everyone was there. Noble weddings, you know.”

“Sure,” I said.

“I had documents, testimonies, and witnesses spread through the temple. There was enough evidence that it led to a riot right then and there.”

She swallowed. 

"Bowroum tried to kill me on the spot. I defended myself. He nearly burned to death. His face... well, he won't be considered handsome any time soon."

"Good," Eryn said firmly.

"I’ve changed my mind. I like her after all," Roq said admiringly. “Wonder if you and Eryn will have an equally hot wedding.”

“Shush,” I said, though I nearly chuckled.

"The king eventually struck down the rebellion, but to avoid an escalating war between the nobles, I was branded a traitor and sentenced to death for 'inciting rebellion against the crown.'"

"That's ridiculous!" I said.

"Politics," Nabeeh said bitterly. "The Marechas family has deep connections. I barely escaped with my life, fleeing to Tharungia to become strong enough so I can return one day. I will return sooner or later, and have my revenge on those who wronged me. Tenfold."

"But you're an adventurer," Eryn said. "Wouldn't the guild protect you?"

Nabeeh shook her head. 

"Back home, the guild and crown are too tightly intertwined—not separated like here. We fight tightly together against the monsters. So they won’t help. The only protection is through strength. Of myself, of conviction, and… allies."

"Are we putting ourselves at risk by traveling with you?" Eryn asked. "Are bounty hunters going to come after us?"

"I'm not wanted here," Nabeeh said. "It's local Azbara politics. I can't imagine they care enough to follow me to Dawnwatch.”

"What about the husband?" 

“What about Bowroum? And who was that man at the guild? The one you nearly dragged outside? And no, you don't get to say it's nobody—not after telling us you're a wanted criminal. We all have secrets, but ours aren't illegal. Yours are."

"I am not illegal here," Nabeeh said defensively.

"Don't let her dodge the question," Roq urged. "I want to know if we'll have to kill someone for her. If it counts, I will happily smash his face in."

“Tell us,” I pressed.

She sighed deeply. 

"That was a court trader from Azbara, here to buy steelhusk lumber. He recognized me immediately." A dangerous smile played across her lips. "I told him I'd boil his guts if he told anyone about me. I think he believed me."

"And Bowroum?" Eryn prompted.

“First of all, he is not my husband," Nabeeh said firmly. "The ceremony was never completed. And I sure as sand melts didn’t spend a night with him. Last I heard, he's still in Azbara, nursing his burns and his hatred. And when I return, he'll be the first to know."

The way she said it made me smile, enough so that I had to weigh in.

“If you stay loyal to the party, we will do everything we can to get you there and even more.”

"Vengeance," Roq said approvingly. “Good motivation. It's pure."

“Thank you,” she said, her voice strong and a smile playing on her lips.

"So your goal is to become powerful enough to return home and clear your name?" I asked.

Nabeeh laughed, but there was no humor in it. 

"Clear my name? No. My goal is to become strong enough that when I return home I’ll be able to bring down every single person who betrayed me. The Marechas family, the corrupt officials who protected them, the king. They will all pay."

We sat in silence for a moment, digesting her story.

"Well," I finally said, “Good to know. If you see or hear anyone coming for you, let us know. Don’t hide things from us that could backfire on the party or on Pa and Ma. We will do everything we can to keep you safe and help you, so don’t think you need to do everything on your own. That said, we should probably start climbing if we want to reach the Treeshakers before dark."

As we packed up our lunch, Eryn moved closer to Nabeeh. 

"For what it's worth," she said quietly, "It sounds like you did the right thing. I would have done even worse I think. Start with the thing between his legs. End his bloodline then and there."

Nabeeh looked surprised, then nodded. 

"Thank you. That... means more than you know."

“End bloodline? Smart. Painful.” Knut laughed. “Fierce ladies in party, Ash. I like.”

We all laughed at that, as we knew it to be true. Once we were done packing, we made our way to the base of the mesa, staring up at the cliffside.

"Who first?" Knut said, cracking his knuckles. We all looked to him. “Ahh, monster balls. I go.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 8

The area around Sentinel Station was busier than ever as we passed through, with every able-bodied person brought out to fell trees or work on the defences. The town was beating back the wilderness, turning it into a deadly and industrial zone.

"Impressive," Roq spoke into my mind. "Humans build walls to keep out monsters. Adorable, really. Not that it will do much if one of me would attack. I would cause such devastation that–"

"As if. I beat you the first time we met in your monster form, buddy. Don’t push it. Also, this is called survival.” 

“Survival should be done face to face with the enemy!” he said indignantly. “In a battle to the death. Their death, of course.”

“I’d prefer a good wall between me and the monsters, but I do agree there is something unique about taking the fight to the enemy.”

He broke off there and remained silent as we trudged on across the killing field, and then the forest. A few hours on foot and  we’d made it deeper than I'd ever been before. Oddly enough, we'd yet to encounter anything more dangerous than splinters and blisters. The area seemed completely cleared of any kind of monster .

"Boring," Roq complained. "Where are all the things to kill? Did someone beat us to them?"

“There’s been an awful lot of adventurers lately, Roq. Or the impact of destroying the breeding chamber was larger than we thought.”

As we continued onward, I found myself pondering how much experience I would gain from slaying the Treeshakers. Leeched through Roq, of course. Marked as a yellow quest, I'd expect the monsters themselves to be at most yellow since we'd been looking at quests for adventurers between level ten and twenty. Would I gain the equivalent of one mind gem per ten slain monsters? More? Less? Either way it boosted our growth as a party, with me leveling purely from killing.

I trailed my hand across the bark of a steelhusk tree, keeping careful watch to our right, which was what we’d agreed on. Eryn watched our left, Knut the front, and Nabeeh the rear.

If we didn't find a way to solve Roq's breakthrough for a while, maybe I could slay my way up to level twenty without needing another gem. It'd save us over one hundred and fifty extra mind gems to work with. The thought of such a mind boggling sum brought a smile to my face. If nothing else, we'd be able to pay off the smithy’s loan, and still have enough left to get both Eryn and Knut their class gems.

Was Roq right? Did I truly want him to break through, or was there a part of me which wished for him to stay stuck?

A twinge in my gut was all the answer I needed.

Knut interrupted my thoughts.

“Shrooms.” 

His single word drew my attention immediately and I stopped daydreaming.

I glanced forward through the trees, seeing an edge to the steelhusk forest. Ahead of it stretched a bizarre landscape.

Massive fungi of every imaginable color rose from the ground. Some resembled traditional mushrooms with caps as wide as wagons. Others twisted upward in spiraling columns, their surfaces blinking with light. Mist curled around their bases, and the air was so thick with floating spores that they glittered in the sunlight.

"Whoa," Eryn said. "It's beautiful."

"And probably deadly," I added. “These remind me of the Glowcaps we fought in the Cathedral of Bone.” I looked over at Nabeeh. “They exploded when killed."

"Exploding food!" Roq said. "My favorite kind! Think you can ask that fiery mage friend of yours to see if she can set the mushroom forest ablaze?"

Nabeeh, who had been quiet for most of our journey, eyed the fungal landscape with interest. 

“Went bang? How big of a blast?"

"Big enough to knock Knut on his butt,” I replied. "And he was wearing his full plate armor."

“Fun day," Knut said, grinning.

“The way he flew backward was quite amusing,” Roq said. "Do you think we could make him do it again?"

“No explosions today. We finish the quest, then return home all safe and sound.”

Nabeeh studied the fungal forest, her eyes narrowed in calculation. "So they're volatile. Interesting." Without warning, she raised her hand, flames dancing between her fingers. "Let's test something."

"Wait—" I started to say, but she had already launched a fireball into the fungal grove.

“Mayhem! Fire! Destruction!" Roq cried excitedly. “That’s exactly my kind of hammer-lady! Find me one, will you?”

The fireball arced through the air and struck a massive purple mushroom about fifty yards in—and the world exploded ahead of us.

The initial explosion triggered a chain reaction as spores ignited along the ground. A wall of flame raced outward in all directions, consuming fungi and releasing more spores, which in turn ignited and only added to the destruction. 

A moment later, the blast wave hit us like a battering ram, knocking us flat on our backs.

"Magnificent!" Roq said. “That’s the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! Better than blueberry pie and satin pillows!”

The roar was deafening and for a moment I lost all of my senses. My sight blurred, I turned deaf, I couldn’t smell anything but burning mushroom…and several other things I couldn’t quite describe.

When I blinked my eyes open a good minute later, I was met with a scene of utter devastation.

Where the fungal forest had stood merely a minute ago, there was now only charred earth and smoldering stumps. The blast had cleared an area at least a mile wide and twice as long, stopping only where it met the fire-resistant steelhusk trees at the edges. Not a single fungi remained.

"By the rifts," Eryn whispered, pushing herself up on her elbows and dusting her armor off.

Knut stood, extending a hand to help Nabeeh up. She stared at the flaming inferno with wide eyes.

"That was... unexpected," she said.

"Unexpected?" I sputtered, getting up, too. "You just blew up half of Riftside!"

"I didn't know they'd be that volatile," Nabeeh said, though I could see the corner of her mouth twitching upward. "Besides, we've cleared the path. You're welcome."

"You're insane," Eryn said. "We could have been killed!"

"But we weren't," Nabeeh pointed out, trying to sound reasonable. "And now we know: fungal forests and fire magic don't mix. What if we’d been in there and I tried to fire a spell?"

"Yes, efficient," Knut grunted, surveying the devastation with what might have been approval.

"Efficient?" I echoed. "You call this efficient?"

"Hours to go around," he replied with a shrug. "Minutes to cross."

"I really like our new mage," Roq said. "DId I say that already? She has a very direct approach. No hesitation. Just destruction."

"You would.”

"We should move," Eryn suggested, taking an arrow from her quiver. “If experience has taught us anything, that explosion probably attracted every monster within miles."

“If any still lives,” I said.

Though she was right. 

As we cautiously entered the charred wasteland, the smell of burned fungi thick in our nostrils, I pulled my shield from the storage after plopping on my helmet. The ground was still warm underfoot, and wisps of smoke curled around our ankles as we walked.

"I like this heat," Roq said. "It reminds me of the forge. Comfortable and cozy."

We'd made it about halfway across when Eryn stopped suddenly, looking around at the devastation.

"You know," she said, "If there were any adventurers here when you did that, they'd be all dead. Blown to bits and pieces."

Nabeeh waved her hand dismissively. "There shouldn't have been anyone here so far up north anyway. Not these days, right? The only people crazy enough to venture this deep are us. There’s a reason Petra upped the reward.”

"Still," Eryn persisted, "We should be more careful with—"

Her words cut off as a roar came from our left, and two shapes charged at us from the forest edge, smoke twirling around them. 

"Bramblebacks!" I shouted, stepping in front of the girls and right next to Knut.

Their heavy, hammer-like claws pounded the charred earth as they ran, throwing up burnt chunks and soil.

"Focus on the leftmost one," Roq said.

"Nabeeh, Eryn—take the one on the left!" I said, trusting him to have a reason.

"Why that one?"

"It's being noisy," Roq replied simply. "And I can imagine smelling its blood from here. Sweet."

Nabeeh threw a Fireball at its face, but it tucked its shoulder and took the spell on its heavily armored shell, barely scorching it. Eryn followed with an armor-piercing arrow that glanced off its plated hide with a spark, and flew off to the side.

"Damn it," Nabeeh muttered. She pointed her staff at the closing beast, or rather the ground in front. "Come on, you ugly brute."

The Brambleback thundered forward, oblivious to the trap she’d just sprung. When it crossed the sigil, a column of fire erupted from beneath it, flipping the massive creature to land on its side, exposing its softer underside to us.

Eryn didn't hesitate. She loosed another armor-piercing arrow. It sank deep into its exposed underside, and the monster bellowed in pain, arching its back. 

Nabeeh finished it with a Fireball to the neck, silencing the monster’s wails.

Meanwhile, the second Brambleback went right for me. Knut set his stance, shield braced firmly before him. I glanced anxiously at the girls, wanting to stay close to protect them, but we still angled off to the side just in case.

"Ruptureborn!" Eryn suddenly called out, pointing to three lean, sinewy shapes racing toward us from the right, their scythe-like arms glinting in the smoky light.

“Get on them," I said, coming to a split-second decision, and moved off to the other side to attract the three newcomers.

“My fireball is on cooldown!” Nabeeh said. “Not in range of any other spells. Except this.” She touched Eryn’s shoulder and the arrow on her bow lit up.

“Awesome,” Eryn cheered, loosing the flaming broadheaded arrow. It tore through the first Ruptureborn's chest, dropping it without so much as a sound onto the scorched ground.

I glanced over my shoulder and eyed the Brambleback as it crashed into Knut's shield with tremendous force. Our tank had learned from the dungeon, and this time he held, grunting as his boots dug furrows in the charred earth.

"Kill it!" Knut growled through gritted teeth and I obliged.

Having brought along one of the Shardfang carcasses, just in case, I activated Armor Break and Roq glowed red.

"It’s feeding time!"

I struck the monster on the side of its armored head. With Roq’s ability activated, and our passives, it didn’t stand a chance. The monster collapsed, its head smashed into mush.

"More!" Roq demanded as I turned toward the two remaining Ruptureborn.

Nabeeh’s Fireball had come off cooldown, and she launched one, catching the Ruptureborn mid-stride. The monster staggered but continued its charge, a chunk of its body missing and the rest smoking. As it closed into range of her other spells, Nabeeh focused on the monster again.

"Immolation!" she yelled, and the creature's entire body erupted in persistent flames. It shrieked, thrashing wildly as the magical fire consumed it from the inside-out. outside in

The third Ruptureborn didn’t seem deterred by the death of the other two, and kept its charge. 

"Forge Anchor.” 

I struck the ground and Steelhusk bindings erupted from just in front of the Ruptureborn, stopping its charge and wrapping its legs and torso, immobilizing it.

"Delicious! I can feel its blood through the tendrils!”

Nabeeh drew a breath and raised her staff, and Eryn was ready to loose another arrow.

"Wait!" I said. "Let me finish this one. You two focus on those!" I pointed to a group of Mossback Boars charging from the direction we'd been heading, their tusks lowered and the spikes on their backs bristling. Whether these had come from the dungeon, or if they were also found throughout the rift, I didn’t know and didn’t care. Killing them was the only thing that mattered.

Knut was already moving to intercept them.

I ran to the trapped Ruptureborn, which was struggling against its bindings. 

"This one is ours," Roq said eagerly. "Its blood will be warm and fresh!"

With a single powerful swing, I bashed the monster’s head in, and then checked my stat sheet. No new mind gem. Still stuck on five of eleven.

Nabeeh launched another Fireball, killing one of the boars. Eryn's arrow found another mark, piercing into its skull.

Knut met the remaining three, leaping into the air before slamming down among them with earth-shaking force, staggering all three, breaking their charge. 

I rushed to join Knut as he cracked one skull with his mace. Eryn and Nabeeh both stopped attacking, likely confident we had it under control, and not wanting to risk injuring us.

Knut pushed the spikes on his shield into one of the two remaining boars, laughing as it gored itself and grew increasingly enraged.

It never saw me coming as I brought Roq down on its spine with a satisfying crunch. 

“I am become death!” Roq cried in ecstacy as the creature collapsed. Silence fell across the charred landscape as the boars died and we caught our breath, letting the adrenaline fade.

"What a glorious day," Roq said and sighed dramatically. “Explosions, spikes, death, and blood. Life is good.”

"Glad you're enjoying yourself.”

“Any gems?” Nabeeh asked, raising her eyebrows at me.

“Well?”

“One in the first boar Knut killed.”

“Take that one,” I told Nabeeh, pointing it out. “It’s got a goodie inside.”

“Can’t wait to check,” she said, and smiled at me.

“Let’s store the rest and head out before any more monsters show up,” I said. 

“About that.”

“What now?”

“You might want to head over…there.”

“Why?”

“Just call it a hunch.”

Riftside 2 - Chapter 7

The scent of cooking pulled me from sleep and I blinked myself awake. For a moment, I was confused by the unfamiliar ceiling above me. Then I remembered—I was asleep in my new room in our new home. 

I stretched, yawned and, sat up. 

After crawling from my bedroll and dressing, I followed the smell, heading downstairs to find Eryn at work in the kitchen. Her golden hair was tied back and she wore a red and white apron as she carefully poured steaming tea into two cups. A plate of eggs and toasted bread sat on the counter, alongside a small pot of honey.

"Morning," I said, leaning against the doorframe and crossing my arm. Even my right eyebrow shot up at the sight of her.

She was startled and jumped around to face me, but then smiled. 

"Oh! Good morning. I was going to surprise you."

I inhaled deeply. 

"The tea smells exactly like Ma's. Did she give you some? Or tell you where to get it?"

A blush crept across her cheeks. 

"I may have asked her for the recipe. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, you know?”

"Through ribcage," Knut's deep voice rumbled as he passed by behind me, likely heading for the outhouse. "Faster!"

Eryn rolled her eyes, and I chuckled, gathering her up in my arms and kissing the top of her head. 

"Let's eat in your room," she suggested. "More privacy. Don’t want people to keep…interrupting us."

We made our way upstairs and into my room. Once settled on the bedroll, Eryn cross-legged at one end and me at the other, we ate in comfortable silence for a few moments. The tea was perfect—slightly bitter with a hint of sweetness, just like I’d grown up with, and it filled me with different types of warmth that brought back fond memories and a toothy smile to my face.

“Thank you,” I said between bites. “This is really nice. I can get used to this royal treatment if you let me.”

“Good. It’s supposed to be,” she said and poked my foot with hers. “I’ve never really been this close with someone before. Not since my parents, you know, and it feels nice. Even more so to share it with someone I…love.”

“Yeah, I share the feeling.”

“Seeing what Ma and Pa has makes me want the same. Then I remember we have only been dating for some weeks, and then I deflate a bit, but you do something to make me feel wanted and loved, and I’m all over you again.”

I smiled and reached out, giving her foot a gentle rub. 

“It’s not a bad goal if I have to say so myself. And we’re doing pretty well, aren’t we? Just give it some time to make sure it’s what both of us want and we do it the right way.”

She nodded and smiled across the top of her cup. “It’s really nice knowing I’ll see you every morning and every night.”

“And when we are out hunting,” I said, and she laughed. “And when we’re eating. Or just resting at home. Our home.” 

“Yup. Not going to get bored of me, are you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Doubtful.”

“Good.”

“You excited about the quests today?" I asked, changing the topic before I was tempted to do something to push further. We had agreed to take it slow, and I meant it. She was everything I’d ever dreamt of in a girlfriend, and there was no way I would risk screwing it up by going too fast and too hard early on.

Eryn nodded, then her expression grew more serious. "I'm excited about getting closer to my class gem, but..."

"But what?"

She set her teacup down, careful not to spill any of its contents. "What you went through during your transformation... it sounded horrible. I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

I took her hand and squeezed it. 

"Hey, you're one of the strongest people I know. You'll get through it. And I'll be right there with you."

"Promise?"

"Promise." I moved my plate and pulled her towards me, pressing my lips gently against hers, feeling her smile against my mouth.

"Oh, for the love of all that bleeds!" Roq said. He was sitting on the mantle above the fireplace downstairs. "I can still sense everything through our bond, you know. Either store me away or stop this mushy nonsense!"

My smile grew into a grin and I pulled her even closer. 

"Sorry, Roq."

"No, you're not sorry, or you wouldn’t be torturing me," he grumbled.

“No, I’m not.”

A loud knock interrupted us, followed by Nabeeh's voice. 

"If you two lovebirds are quite finished, we have work to do! The guild waits for no one, not even the mighty Hammerlord, whatever the hell that means.”

“Good fire mage. Good.”

“And we’re done. This living together sure sucks sometimes.”

  *

The Dawnwatch Adventurer's Guild was bustling when we arrived. The main room was filled with conversations, the clinking of armor, and the occasional burst of laughter. The smell of parchment, metal, and sweat all mingled into a hodgepodge best known as the adventurer’s smell.

Eryn had gone to visit Pa's smithy to discuss her new bow. As a scavenger, she didn't have access to the guild yet, and anything she got would be from him and us as a party.

Guildmaster Harold Markwell stood near the entrance, buried deep in conversation with a well-dressed merchant. His one good arm gesticulated as he spoke, the empty sleeve of his other arm pinned neatly to his side.

Knut grunted and headed straight for the quest board, his eyes already scanning the parchments pinned there. Despite having proven himself in the last raid and by joining up with me, not many people had changed their opinions on the Northerner. Not yet.

"Well, well, if it isn't Sayani," a middle-aged man with a massive belly and a wide waxed moustache called out, approaching Nabeeh with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Nabeeh stiffened beside me. 

"Yikhreb buytak," she hissed in what had to be her native tongue, then grabbed the man's arm and dragged him toward the door.

“Everything alr—”

“I’ll be back,” Nabeeh said, cutting me off. 

"What was that about?"

"Perhaps that's her husband," Roq suggested. “Not a great specimen if you ask me.”

I scoffed. 

"Maybe it’s a family member or something? The man is twice her age."

"And? What's the problem? He should have more resources, less stupidity, and—"

"What are even talking–no, never mind. That's a discussion for another time," I interrupted. "Just accept it's not normal."

“You are such strange creatures," Roq grumbled. "So many arbitrary rules about who can mate with whom."

Commander Edwin stood at Madeleine’s desk across the room from us, chatting with the administrator. He glanced over as the door closed behind Nabeeh and the man, but when our eyes met and I nodded at him, he subtly shook his head before returning to his conversation.

“I’ve been thinking about Edwin’s strange behavior.”

“Oh?”

“Perhaps he's embarrassed by our magnificent performance in the dungeon. I’m sure we had more kills than he did.”

“Did we? And why would he be embarrassed? The man’s been adventuring longer than I’ve been scavenging…several times at that. His kill count isn’t the matter, Roq.”

“Well, no. Not quite. But if we account for levels, then yes. He should have killed significantly more than us, and okay, fine, he did, but not that much more.”

“I won’t force the issue here. Not yet anyway. Too many prying eyes and ears.”

“If you say so, but there are always ears and eyes wherever we go. Do you know why? Because we’re so MAGNIFICENT!”

"Let's just check out the vendors.” I’d join Knut in a minute. "I want to see what they're paying for Shardfang carcasses these days."

"Good thinking," Roq agreed. "Though I'd rather be drinking their blood than selling their bodies."

I headed over to the shop.

"Morning, Petra.”

Petra turned, her grandmotherly appearance belied by the sharp assessment in her eyes. 

"Ah. The disappearing one.”

“What?”

“They say you enjoy running around poles.”

“Come again?”

“In the dungeon. Heard you jogged around a random magical pole long enough to disappear for a while.”

“Oh. You heard about that, huh?”

“Not much I don’t hear about.”

“So… Umm…Does everyone know?”

She nodded slowly and then shrugged apologetically. 

“Right. Well, can you tell me the going rate for Shardfang carcasses?”

She laughed at my clumsy change of topic. 

“Avoiding my teasing by tempting me with business? Seems you got some of Helena’s brains too, not just Thomas’ arms.”

I smiled, letting the silence do the talking.

“Fine, fine,” she said, waving a hand. “Are they dissected or not?”

“Not.” 

“With or without claim for any gems?”

“I do so love this part.”

“Without,” I said, trying to nod sagely. 

“Really? Not in a betting mood?”

I shrugged. 

“We’re working toward’s Eryn’s class gem, and we’d rather have the full payout for the carcasses than the lower price and hope for gems is all.”

Especially since we knew not a single one has a gem in them.

“Slow and steady wins the race?” she said.

“Something like that.”

“Untouched, I can give you a gold and fifty silver for each.”

“I’d get more selling them to Pa and letting him craft with them.”

“True. But you’ve just started supplying us in a way, no? It will take some time before you start getting better prices. Besides, the butchering needs to be paid for. You don’t have a family discount here. Not yet anyway,” she said and winked. 

Our problem was becoming our capacity to craft with all the carcasses we brought in. We desperately needed to find a way to expand or we’d be oversaturating the guild demands.

“What does the guild sell in the way of weapons and armor?" I asked.

“Just the basics, currently. Magical rarity at best. Nothing fancy. We both know you’re better off buying from the Steel & Scale. Your Pa's work is turning quite a few heads.”

I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at her words. 

"Thanks. I'll pass that along to him. And I was also wondering if you have some advice for me on getting a deal for selling gear to the guild on a regular basis, because we’d love to help Dawnwatch grow.”

“Making buckets of gold in the process, so we can buy more pillows!”

Petra's eyes flicked to Harold and the merchant he was speaking with, then back to me. 

"I'll have a think and a chat with Harold. Come talk to me next time you are in. I might have some advice for you then." She lowered her voice. "Between you and me, that merchant over there is driving a hard bargain on some new imports. Might affect our buying prices, at least in the short term."

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind," I said with a nod. “And I’ll have a think about the Shardfangs.”

“If you are looking to earn some quick money, I’ve got a quest up,” Petra said as I turned to leave.

“Oh?”

“A hunt for Treeshakers,” she said. “Need their resin for healing salves. Have had it up for three days now, but nobody’s bit yet. If you can get it to me today there’s an extra mind gem in it for you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We’re running low. Well, low-ish. Maybe I’ve also heard Eryn’s name mentioned a few times, and it’s not exactly uncommon knowledge she’s aiming to become a healer. Not enough of those around.”

“Appreciate it. I’ll take a look. Thanks, Petra!”

As I turned from her stall, I noticed a group of adventurers gathered around a table—Shay’s party. Shay himself, still black and blue in the face from his encounter with the troll, was speaking animatedly.

"I'm telling you," he said as I approached, "Easiest coin I've made in months. Three shifts at Sentinel Station without a single monster sighting. The dungeon's still recovering from that beating we gave it."

“Standing watch isn’t work for adventurers. If the enemy doesn’t come to you, then you go out to the enemy. End of discussion.”

“It gave us a few beatings, too,” I said, clapping Shay on the back. “I’m glad to see you up and about.”

"Ash!" Shay said. “Damn. You youngsters clean up fast. I heard you took a big fall, but you were up and gone before me.”

“Yeah. Alex does great work,” I said.

“We did good back in the dungeon, though,” Shay said, and his party nodded. “Haven't seen a monster near Sentinel Station in days."

"Good to hear," I said, though something about his tone seemed a bit off. Almost like he was trying too hard to be friendly.

"Word is some higher-ups from the guild are coming," the water mage said, giving Shay a pointed look. “And I heard it’s because of the raid."

Shay cleared his throat. 

“Sheba, I'm sure Ash doesn't care about rumors from—"

“That ain’t why they’re here!” a slurred voice interrupted as a disheveled man stumbled into our conversation. His beard was unkempt, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Shay sighed. 

"Not this again, Jeb."

"I know what I saw! It was huge," the drunk adventurer insisted, grabbing my arm. “I ain't crazy! Three times the height of Sentinel's walls! Moving through the trees like a... like a shadow with teeth!"

“Oh! Ask him where! This sounds fun!”

"Don't listen to him," Shay said. "He's been out of his mind since he lost two of his party members last month."

"I ain't lying!" Jeb protested. "I never drink a drop before going Riftside. But I swear on my party’s grave, I saw something out there."

Despite his slurred speech and the stench of alcohol on his breath, there was something in his eyes—a genuine fear that made me pause.

"Where exactly did you see this... thing?" I asked.

“Out past the Steelhusk Groves,” he said immediately. “Was moving slow. Spotted it more than a mile away."

“Well. Now we know where we need to go. Class gems don’t fall in the laps of people who cower from afar, Ash. We grab the monster by the tail, smash it a few times, and then gut it!”

Shay nodded at one of the fighters in his party, who stood and pulled Jeb away from us. 

"That's enough. Go sleep it off, buddy.”

As Jeb was led away, still muttering about what he'd seen, Shay sighed.

“You don’t think it’s true?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral. 

"Poor bastard. He's been taking solo scouting missions since his party got wiped. Drinks himself stupid every night, then spouts nonsense about giant monsters."

"Has anyone else laid eyes on any of his…sightings?” I asked.“Who cares. We HAVE to check it out. Just in case. Imagine the amount of blood in something that tall. I could drink my own weight a dozen… two dozen… many times over!”

"After what we saw in the dungeon? Who knows. But if something that big was out there, wouldn’t more people have spotted it?”

Before I could answer, Knut joined us. 

“Found quests.”

“Alright. Thanks for the chat, Shay. And the heads up. Have a good one.”

I left Shay and his party, following Knut to the board. Nabeeh rejoined us, looking slightly flustered.

“Promise me you don’t get a moustache like Nabeeh’s husband.”

“He’s not her husband, and also, why not?”

“I’m sure Eryn would be smooching on you even more, and there is plenty of that going on already.”

“What?”

“No moustache.”

"Everything alright?" I asked as Nabeeh just stood there, seemingly lost in thought. I was doing my best to ignore my weird hammer, so I hoped at least for some information that might get Roq onto another topic.

"Fine," she said curtly. "Just an old... acquaintance. What did I miss?"

"Knut’s picked out the day’s jobs," I said, turning to look at the board, with Knut pointing out a series of relevant quests.

[Culling the Scuttlers]

Difficulty: Green

Objective: Deliver 20 Scuttler carcasses

Location: Metal Grove and surrounding areas

Details: Crab-like creatures. Tough shell, low damage.

Reward: 3 Mind Gems

“Safe and boring,” Knut said, and we both nodded. 

“No. As much as I enjoyed feasting on Scuttlers for my first meal, I have moved on from that. You do not suckle at your mother’s teeth any more, do you?”

“Teat, for rifts sake, and no.”

[Twisted Titan Recon]

Difficulty: Dark Green

Objective: Travel to the Twisted Titan’s first platform and report any findings. DO NOT PROCEED FURTHER INTO THE DUNGEON.

Location: Twisted Titan Dungeon Entrance.

Details: This is a reconnaissance-only mission. Do not engage in combat. Retreat upon spotting any monsters. 

Reward: 3 Mind Gems

“Tempting,” Nabeeh said, “but a waste of your…” she looked around and lowered her voice, “Unique talents.”

“I also don’t feel quite ready to face that bastard again, if it’s there,” I said. 

I waited for Roq’s comment, but none came. Perhaps he had gained a modicum of wisdom somehow.

[Whispering Pines Scouting Run]

Difficulty: Yellow

Objective: Scout the Whispering Pines region and document any unusual activity.

Location: Eastern perimeter of Whispering Pines.

Details: Reports suggest unusual movements in the area. Cause unknown—proceed with caution.

Reward: 3 Mind Gems

“Same with this one,” I said. “Could be interesting if we manage to bring in some new monster carcasses, but I’m not thrilled with the unknown aspect. I’d prefer we pick something we can prepare for better.”

“Understood,” Knut said, and then pointed to another sheet. “Interesting one.”

[Shimmerscale Survey]

Difficulty: Orange

Objective: Hunt and retrieve 5 Shimmerscale carcasses for study.

Location: Unknown—Tracking Required.

Details: Shimmerscales are a new and potentially proactive monster species. The Guild is seeking information on their intelligence, numbers, and their fighting abilities. Location unknown. Requires tracking. 

Reward: 15 Mind Gems

“Hot reward,” Nabeeh said. “And with how tough you two are in combat, killing them should be like picking sand in the desert.”

“Two challenges though,” I said. “Where to find, and even though Richard said they heard them come, if they do manage to sneak up on Eryn or you, it’ll be bad.”

“Better?” Knut asked, pointing at another quest. This was the one from Petra.

[Treeshaker Resin Hunt]

Difficulty: Yellow

Objective: Hunt and deliver 15 Treeshaker carcasses.

Location: Northeast Steelhusk Groves

Details: The quadruped Treeshakers are territorial and travel in groups. Expect resistance and coordinated attacks. Their hide resin is valuable for producing healing salves.

Reward: 9 Mind Gems

Scribbled below was a note:

Get off your lazy butts and slay me some of these oversized gorillas or you can kiss your healing salves goodbye! 

-Petra

I chuckled. 

"Treeshakers. Petra mentioned those. She’ll give us an extra mind gem to get it done.”

"The Whispering Pines mission seems straightforward," Nabeeh suggested. “If we just want a walk and a guaranteed three gems. Would let us buy some stuff for the house.”

"Boring," Roq complained. "No guaranteed bloodshed."

"Treeshakers," Knut stated firmly. "Good balance. Known threat. Strong pay."

"And in the northeast," I added, remembering Jeb's drunk talk. “An adventurer claimed to have seen something massive."

“So, a guaranteed trap then?” Nabeeh said with a laugh, but her eyes were serious. "Let's do it."

“Fine.” I nodded. "Treeshakers it is."

I pulled it down and delivered it to Madeleine, having her put my group stay on it, so people would know where we’d gone. Both in case of others asking for the missions, and in case we didn’t make it back.

  *

Back home, Knut and I geared up in the yard, checking our weapons and armor two times over. Eryn came out, already dressed in her new armor, the Toothbound Jerkin Pa had crafted for her. She moved around us one last time, double-checking straps and buckles.

"Knut, your shield strap isn’t tight enough," she said. "And Ash, you've got your gauntlet on backwards again."

I looked down. 

“No, it’s not.”

“Made you look,” she said, and winked. “Both of you!”

Knut grunted something between a chuckle and a growl.

“Maybe I let tree hugger give you hug, little miss,” Knut chuckled.

“Shaker, not hugger, and speaking of hugs,” she said and clapped her hands excitedly. “Pa promised to reach out to his bowyer friend. See if he can visit us and help make me a really good bow. I can’t wait!”

“Oh? That’s good. And damn, you beat me to it. I was thinking of visiting him later,” I said and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m pretty sure he’ll sweet-talk the man into it. Don’t worry.”

Nabeeh emerged from the house and immediately sprawled out on the grass, enjoying the sun. She tossed a mind gem into the air repeatedly, dropping it more often than catching it.

"Kuss ummak," she cursed as it fell again. "So what's the plan for slaying these quadrupeds? We find the biggest, meanest one first and let Knut wrestle it while Ash goes for the head?"

"Efficient," Knut grunted with approval. “I like it.”

I smiled. 

"That's the general idea."

Roq's voice echoed in my mind. 

"Ash, I'd like a word before we depart. In private."

“Sure,” I said and turned away from the group.  "I need to meditate for a moment. A little battle prayer for good luck. I'll be right back."

Inside, I sat cross-legged on the floor of the main room, placing Roq in front of me. I rested my hand on his hilt.

"What's on your mind, Roq?"

His voice was quieter than usual, more contemplative. 

"I've been thinking."

“Dangerous.”

"Ha, ha, and very much ha. Anyway, I've been thinking about my breakthrough."

I tried not to sigh, expecting another round of complaints.

"I know you're trying," Roq continued, surprising me. "And it's in both our interests to figure this out. But it's also in our interest for you to be as strong as possible. It could even be that we need a strong Ash for Roq to break through. So the stronger you get, the better it is for both of us."

I blinked, taken aback. 

"Where’s this coming from? Did I drop you on your head last night and forget about it or something?”

"I care about strength," Roq said. "And I care about killing. But I've realized something—I don't need to be jealous of what you gain. Because every battle we fight, every enemy we crush, brings us closer to my breakthrough. Also, you are an extension of me so the stronger you get, the better it reflects on me. Pure and simple."

I exhaled, understanding dawning. "So instead of focusing on what you don't have yet..."

"I'll focus on the joy of the hunt," Roq finished. "The thrill of combat. The satisfaction of destruction and new types of blood."

"That's... surprisingly mature of you."

"Don't get used to it," Roq scoffed.

"I won't, but I do appreciate it buddy."

Roq hummed, seemingly pleased with how he dealt with the matter. 

"Good. Now, let's go make stuff bleed. I have a yearning for battle, and it shall not be slaked."