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."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “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.”