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.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "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!"