I breathed in the crisp morning air as I moved through a series of warm-up exercises in the small training yard behind our new home. The space wasn't much, just a patch of packed earth with a few wooden posts. However, it was ours and we planned to make something grand out of it once we could afford it.

  “How did it feel to sleep in our new home," I asked Eryn. She sat on a bench by the wall, the only piece of furniture in the back yard. She was going through her arrows, checking them to see how many were still usable.

  Eryn looked up and smiled at me. Her golden hair was tied back in that beautiful braid, though a few strands had already escaped to frame her face.

  "Better than I expected, actually," she replied, running her fingers along an arrow shaft, checking for cracks. “I’ve been staying in inns for so long I was nervous about having an entire room to myself. Thought it would be too quiet. Unsettling.” She grinned. “Not at all! Slept like a baby.”

  "I know what you mean,” I said, laughing as I executed an overhead strike, careful of pulling the hit just enough so as to not break the practice post. "First time I've had my own space, too. Was too quiet so I kept waking up thinking I needed to check on Ma and Pa. It was just…weird, but I loved it. The freedom is wonderful,” I said and whistled at that.

  "Focus!" Roq interrupted. "Less chitchat, more practice! We need to be ready! Anything we find, we CRUSH! It’s the only way to get me my breakthrough, I am sure of it. Rivers and rivers of blood. No, a sea of blood! Yes! With spikes growing from the bottom!”

  I chuckled, continuing my routine. Despite what I’d said to Roq, there was a perhaps not completely minor part of me that told me to hunt with him while stuck at level 9. It was an unheard of way to level up, and every monster we killed, would both save us a lot of money, allow us to put the mind gems to leveling someone else, and…science. I was curious how much I could actually leech off him. “Pull foot faster,” Knut said. “Sloppy form.” He sat on a rock he’d rolled to the edge of our yard, hunched over as he meticulously applied a greenish paste to the joints of his new Titanic Plate armor. The monster grease would keep the metal from chafing and provide additional protection against the elements. Unlike the night before where he went all ‘I don’t deserve it’, Knut was now grinning like a child with a mouthful of candy.

  “See? Even the oaf knows you’re not paying attention.”

  “Like this?” I asked Knut, repeating the strike.

  “Better. Swing with meaning.”

  Our tank had offered to tutor me on my strikes and some of the forms we used in combat. I wasn’t too proud to say yes to any kind of improvement, and readily agreed.

  “Pa make good armor," Knut muttered, working the grease into a particularly tight joint. “Better than northern smiths. Don't tell or they skin me."

  "Your secret's safe with us," I laughed and swung my hammer again.

  A dramatic yawn drew our attention to Nabeeh, who sat cross-legged on the ground, hugging her staff like it was the only thing keeping her awake. Her robes were rumpled, and her eyes barely open.

  "Not a morning person, are you?" Eryn asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

  Nabeeh groaned.

  "It's inhuman to be awake at this hour. I became an adventurer specifically so I could keep my own hours.” She squinted at the rising sun with genuine resentment. "But nooo, it's 'early adventurer gets the Shardfangs' with you people."

  "Early bird gets Titanfang,” Knut corrected with a grin. “You be happy at end of day. Promise.”

  "Whatever," Nabeeh muttered. "Birds, worms, Shardfangs—all should still be sleeping right now. Me included, thank you very much."

  “Enough pulling your blows,” Roq said. “Slay this wooden pole. See if it helps me break through.”

  “We’ll have to replace it.”

  “I don’t care.”

  "We'll figure this out, alright? I want you to break through, too, but that won’t happen if we try to force our way. We’ll find Edwin soon and push harder, see if he can tell us anything.”

  “Please do. It is frustrating to be stuck at the precipice of greatness.”

  "Aren't you hungry for some blood today? Finally get to eat again after the last few days?"

  There was a pause before Roq responded, his voice uncharacteristically subdued.

  "It's not the same when I don't grow in power from destroying everything in existence. What's the point of slaughter if I can’t level up? Now that is just travesty!”I considered pointing out that I'd be getting stronger from it, so it was hardly wasted, but decided against it.

  After running through the forms twice more, I hung Roq from my belt.

  “Alright,” I said, clapping my hands to draw everyone’s attention. “Let's finish up and head out. These Shardfangs won't hunt themselves."

  We gathered our gear and stepped out onto the main street a short while later, Eryn locking the door with a wide smile on her face. The breeze carried the scent of fresh-baked bread from somewhere nearby, but that was to be expected with so many bakeries around. Dawnwatch was coming alive around us, more vibrant than even just weeks ago with all the new people who were making it their home. Even more so the constant trickle of adventurers.

  "Town's growing," I said as we walked down the main street running straight from the town’s entrance, past our house, and to the rift in the distance. "More people every day."

  Merchants were opening their shops, guards patrolled in pairs, and construction crews were already preparing for a hard day's work. As we passed between the Adventurers' Guild and the Royal Bank, I glanced left and caught sight of something massive behind the guild hall.

  "Look at that," I said, pointing.

  Behind the guild, the enormous carcass of the Titanfang we'd killed in the dungeon lay sprawled across the ground. A small group of craftsmen were slowly disassembling the entire carcass, ripping off its armored plates while others carved and preserved its flesh.

  "Wonder what they'll use the plates for," I mused. "Wish we could have gotten more of it."

  Knut shrugged his massive shoulders. "Home worth more than fancy armor. I think was good deal."

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Easy for you to say," Nabeeh laughed, gesturing at his gleaming new plate. "You got both."

  Eryn shuddered slightly as we passed.

  "Even dead it looks terrifying. If that entire thing had been out in the chamber, we’d probably have been done for."

  We continued down the street, passing a group of adventurers I hadn’t seen before, heading toward the merchants' quarter. Their equipment looked brand new and they were eagerly chatting, pointing at something past us.

  "More guildies,” I noted. "Opportunities must be drawing them in."

  "It's too early for news of the raid's success to have spread that far," Eryn pointed out. "They must have been on their way already."

  Nabeeh nodded. "Word of steelhusk has reached even in Azbara. That's partly why I came here. With such a valuable resource riftside, I knew parties would be looking for new members. And let’s be honest here. You’ve gotten the best of both worlds. A beauty without equal, and a magician without--hmm, well, not equal, but…ahh, yes! Talent!."

  We all chuckled at that goodheartedly, and she laughed, too. Nabeeh had a weird sense of humor and way of speech, but we were getting along just fine.

  As we passed the first ring road, I glanced left toward Steel & Scale, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ma and Pa, but they weren't outside yet, The door stood open, though, so I figured that the two were already hard at work. A part of me wanted to go check on them, but the majority revelled in my newfound freedom. I wasn’t a kid anymore, no, I was an adventurer with my own party and life of my own. It was high time I started to act like an adult.

  A familiar figure in guard's armor waved as we approached the inner defensive perimeter.

  "Enar!" I called. "How's the family?"

  "All well," he replied with a grin, stepping from his post. "When are you taking scavengers out again? I've been practicing with my spear.”

  "Not sure yet," I admitted. "But I'll save you a spot. It’s a promise."

  "Appreciate it," Enar said, clapping me on the shoulder before returning to his spot.

  After passing through the sluice, we reached First Steel proper, the powerful wall encircling the rift. Shadows covered us as we stepped through the gatehouse and onto the wooden bridge leading to the rift. The moat inside First Steel was nearly full now, and before we could cross the bridge we had to wait for a team of laborers that emerged from the rift. The two dozen men walked in perfect synchronization, carrying a massive section of steelhusk tree on ropes slung between them.

  "Like gold growing from the ground," Nabeeh muttered as we leaned against the gatehouse, making way for them to pass.

  "Heavy gold," Knut grunted.

  "Tough gold," Eryn added.

  "Wooden gold,” I said, and nodding to the rift. ““I just hope it will be enough to stand against anything that might come through that rift."

  * * *

  Like me, Sentinel Station was barely recognizable from when Ma, Pa, and I had arrived at Dawnwatch. What had once been a hastily constructed outpost riftside of the Branchway portal, was now a formidable fort. Not only that, but today it seemed busier than ever, with craftsmen swarming over the walls, and I realized with a start that they were fitting sections of Titanfang armor into the defenses. The worm was huge, true, but there were nowhere enough scales to reinforce all of the walls. That said, steelhusk was already more than strong enough. The scales were just an extra layer of defenses in more critical areas I figured.

  "So that's why Harold insisted on buying the carcass," Eryn said.

  The yard was filled with stacks of supplies, and two teams of adventurers were preparing to head out. The constant sound of hammering and shouting created a beautiful symphony of industry. This was why we had fought and bled our way into the Twisted Titan to exterminate the breeding chamber. To buy ourselves time to do what we did best: expand, explore, and exploit.

  "Hard to believe how different this place looks from when I first arrived," I said, shaking my head in wonder. "The walls had barely been raised. Now they look strong as a frontier town itself.”

  My eyes caught a familiar figure on the wall—Commander Edwin, directing workers with quick, efficient gestures. Even from a distance, I could see the exhaustion in his posture.

  "Wait here," I told the others. "I need to talk to Edwin."

  I jogged toward the wall, calling up to him.

  "Commander! I've been trying to catch you the last few days!"

  Edwin's shoulders tensed visibly before he turned, his expression shifting into something that might have been a smile if it weren't so strained.

  "Ash," he said, climbing down to meet me. "Good to see you, but I'm drowning in logistics and expansion plans right now."

  "It's important," I said, lowering my voice. "It's about my... hammer."

  Edwin's eyes darted around, checking who might be within earshot.

  "I wish I could help now, but I have two groups going out on missions, three fortification projects, and I haven't slept in thirty hours."

  "Just five minutes—"

  "Focus on growing stronger," he interrupted, already backing away. "We'll talk soon, I promise." He turned quickly. "Need to check the eastern wall before the next patrol leaves."

  I watched him hurry away, frustration building in my chest. It was clear as day now that he was avoiding me, but what could I do? It’s not like I had any right to order the man or threaten him to give me any information he might have.

  "COWARD!" Roq seethed, his voice booming in my mind. "He's avoiding us! He knows something, Ash! Why won't he just tell us?"

  "It is strange," I muttered. "But we'll figure it out. I trust him, and so should you. For now, we'll take his advice and focus on getting stronger."

  I returned to the others, though some of my frustration must have been evident on my face, because Eryn placed a gentle hand on my arm.

  "The commander did look exhausted.”

  “All I need is five minutes...no, a single minute," I muttered, still looking after Edwin's retreating form. “It’s not like we’re just anyone, for crying out loud.”

  Nabeeh shrugged dramatically.

  "Powerful men always have secrets. In my experience, they only share when they have no other choice." She twirled her staff idly before dropping it. “Oops.” She picked it up and kept on twirling it. “We need to make ourselves indispensable—or threatening, then I’m sure he’ll talk to you about whatever you want.”

  “Now this one has got some brains!" Roq said. "Threatening is definitely the way to go! A little intimidation and he’ll listen. I’m confident!"

  Knut nodded sagely.

  “Become strongest. Then answers come. Always work. Even kings talk to powerful warriors."

  I sighed, reluctantly accepting their logic, though I knew very well all of it was monster crap. He was avoiding me, for whatever reason, and it was starting to bother me much more than it had any right to.

  "Let's head out , but first, let's check the soul tablet. I want to see where everyone stands."

  My eyes flickered to Nabeeh momentarily. This would be a good test of any loyalty she might have toward us and status. How would she react to my unique class? Besides, I was curious about everyone's stats more than anything.

  We approached the black stone tablet near the gate, and Eryn stepped up first, placing her hand on its smooth surface. Glowing letters appeared there a moment later.

  NAME: Eryn Whitcroft

  CLASS: None (Scavenger)

  LEVEL: 9 (2/10)

  STRENGTH: 11

  AGILITY: 17

  VITALITY: 9

  MIND: 15

  TOTAL STATS: 52

  "Not bad," Nabeeh said, peering over Eryn's shoulder. "Your agility and mind are impressive for a scavenger, but then again, you are a pretty one if I may say so. Brains and beauty go hand in hand. Just look at me!"

  Eryn smiled, though I could see the slight tension in her expression. She was still sensitive about being unclassed.

  Nabeeh stepped up next, placing her palm confidently on the stone.

  NAME: Nabeeh Sayani

  CLASS: Pyromancer

  LEVEL: 15 (3/16)

  STRENGTH: 15

  AGILITY: 16

  VITALITY: 16

  MIND: 31

  TOTAL STATS: 78

  MANA: 90/90

  "Impressive mind stat," I said.

  Nabeeh flashed a grin.

  "Fire magic requires precision. One wrong thought and you're cooking yourself instead of your enemies."

  Knut lumbered forward, his hand twice the size of the fire mage’s, and he pressed it against the tablet next.

  NAME: Knut Coinshield Steelwall

  CLASS: Shieldbearer

  LEVEL: 19 (20/20)

  STRENGTH: 28

  AGILITY: 16

  VITALITY: 35

  MIND: 14

  TOTAL STATS: 93

  MANA: 57/57

  "Strong like ox," he said with a proud grin. "Tough like mountain."

  "And about as quick-witted as both combined," Nabeeh teased, earning a good-natured growl from the northerner.

  Finally, I stepped forward, placing my hand on the cool stone surface.

  NAME: Ash Aldrich

  CLASS: Hammerlord

  LEVEL: 10 (4/11)

  STRENGTH: 41

  AGILITY: 22

  VITALITY: 31

  MIND: 18

  TOTAL STATS: 112

  Knut's eyes widened as he read my stats.

  "By frozen balls of northern gods! Over one hundred? How?”

  “What? Never seen a proper adventurer before?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows at him and grinned like a crazy man.