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.”

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  “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."