After the two s stopped ughing at me, I showed them the rest of the goodies I’d brought. Mahya’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the spell scrolls. Immediately, she grabbed the first one and eled mana into it. The scroll crumbled to ashes in her hands. Her shoulders slumped.

  “Didn’t work?” I asked.

  She sighed and shook her head.

  “Do not worry. We will keep searg,” Al said, taking the words out of my mouth.

  I gave her an encing pat on the back.

  She went through the other scrolls one by one, her expression growing more frustrated with each failure. By the time she finished, her shoulders drooped, and she looked dejected.

  “Hey! Don’t act like it’s the end of the world,” I said. “This is only the first world we’ve visited. We’ve got aire universe to explore. I’m sure we’ll find plenty more versions of these spells.”

  She didn’t respond, her eyes still downcast and hands ched into fists.

  I pulled out the runic gsses and waved one pair below her o shake her out of it. “Look what Santa brought you,” I said in a sing-song voice.

  She snatched them and examihem closely, one by one, and I saw her smile slowly return.

  “What else did you buy?” she asked, gng up with renewed i.

  I showed them the single-use scrolls. Mahya ied them with a nod of approval. “These are very useful. Buy more.”

  “More? Why?”

  “These things are great if you find yourself surrounded. One scroll gives you the breathing space you o handle whatever’s attag you,” she expined, gesturing with the scroll. “By the way, do you know how to use them?”

  “Just pour mana into them, like the others. Right?”

  “No,” Al said, shaking his head. “It is simir, but there is ara step.”

  “What?” I asked, gng between them.

  “You pour mana into them like a normal scroll, but you will notice you pour more mana in,” Al expined. “O is full, you tear it, which activates the magic.”

  “But be careful,” Mahya added, her eyes narrowing. “If you flow too much mana, the scroll could explode. Like that goat you told me about.”

  I wi the memory. “So, just pour a little mana?”

  “Yes and no,” Mahya said, pig up the Ice Wall scroll. “The more mana you pour in, the more effective they are.” She lifted the scroll slightly, iing it. “Take this one, for example. If you flow just a little mana, the wall will be thin and low. If you flow a lot, the wall will be high and thick. Just be careful not to overdo it—you’ll feel when the scroll’s close to its limit. It won’t take you by surprise. When you feel it’s full, stop and tear it.”

  I akial notes. “Okay, thanks.”

  “What else did you buy?” Al asked.

  I sifted through my ste again, but there wasn’t much left to show them except the food. As I looked around, I stumbled across one box of quills from Tuo sparked an idea, but I tucked it away for ter.

  “Other than what I already showed you, just more delicious food,” I said, shrugging.

  Mahya shot a look at Rue and asked, “What? You’re not protesting?”

  “No! This friend food. John and Rue have other food.”

  “Smart,” Al remarked, smirking at the dog.

  Once I’d handed out the food, I leaned bad gave them an overview of what I’d been up to over the past two weeks.

  “How long are you staying?” Mahya asked.

  “I’ll sleep for a few hours, theurn to Lumis. It’s spring there now, and I don’t want to waste the time,” I replied, stretg my arms.

  “Are you going on to Azureas?” she asked.

  “First, I’ll gh Crystalspire again, then yes,” I said, crag my neck.

  “Why Crystalspire?” Mahya asked, tilting her head. “I’m sure you find single-use scrolls elsewhere.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I replied, rubbing the bay neck. “But I had an idea for the quills I collected in Tuone.”

  “What idea?”

  “Crystalspire has the Ented Smithy. Maybe they do something iing with them,” I expined, my mind already sidering the possibilities.

  “Yeah, good idea,” Mahya said, nodding in approval.

  In the m, after a few hours of sleep, Rue and I returo the Gate and crossed over to Lumis. I didn’t feel like walking much, and the road was too busy for an ATV, so we took to the air, flying towards Crystalspire. This time, we flew leisurely—no need for speed—so I wasn’t worried about Rue’s mana. When we arrived about two hours’ walk from Crystalspire, we nded in the woods, turned visible, and tinued on foot.

  I ged my gmour and g Rue. “ge looks, buddy,” I said, gesturing toward him.

  Rue transformed into a giant wolf, his fur blending brown, gray, and white. I paused, frowning. It wasn’t going to work. He was still too big, too obvious. Anyone paying attention would immediately reize that the giant wolf wasn’t a regur dog.

  “I think you should ge ymour to a horse.”

  Rue’s ears fttened, and he huffed, stomping the ground with his paw. “Rue no horse!”

  I threw up my hands, exasperated. “I know you’re not a horse. Just gmour as one. You’re too big.”

  He snorted in protest, his voice firm. “Rue no horse!”

  Sighing, I gave up. “Alright, alright. You’re not a horse. Just go back to your old look. There’s no point iing anyone know we ge our appearance.”

  When we arrived iy, I headed straight to the Ented Smithy. Five streets from it, I heard the g. Looking around, all the buildings looked residential.

  How they live with that racket?!

  Rue fttened his ears. “Rue not like noise! o!”

  “Go back to the pza with the trees we passed and wait for me there. No need for you to suffer.”

  He licked my cheek and was gone in a fsh.

  When I arrived at the smithy, it looked like a miniature city. It was massive. It was a colle of workshops ected by passageways, with a cloud of smoke hanging over the entire area. The sed I stepped ihe me like a hammer to the skull. My eyes teared up from the smoke, and I had trouble breathing. Bcksmiths were shouting at each other over the stant etal. Hammers pounded repeatedly, making the ground shake beh my feet. The air was thick with the acrid stench of burnial and sweat.

  Everywhere I looked, sparks were flying; young men were pumping bellows, and others were scooping up shovels of coal and throwing them into the furnaces. It ure chaos. Smiths worked he fes, covered in soot, their faces half-hidden behind goggles. They shouted orders and tossed tools, and I started sweating from the heat rolling off the furnaces. It wasn’t long before the banging and cttering made me feel like my head was about to explode from the sheer iy of the noise.

  I rubbed my forehead. It was impossible to hear myself think. I wasn’t sure how anyone worked in this madness without losing their mind. After ten minutes of audible torture, I gave up a—it was too much.

  I walked around the plex, and at the other end, I saw a rge store with gss windows and a sign that read “Ented Smithy.” When I stepped inside, all the opped.

  Hmm, must’ve e in through the back door.

  Long ters lihe three interior walls of the store, and salespeople served ers behind them. In the middle were stands dispying all kinds of ons and other metal products. It was such a tremendous difference from the smithy. Everyone here spoke in hushed tones, and there leasant smell of flowers. My headache started to melt away.

  I noticed teople were avaible and walked over to one of them. “Hello, sir.”

  “Hello, dear mert. Are you ied in buying individual items or wholesale at mert prices?” he asked, giving me a polite smile.

  “her. I have quills I collected from a ma, and I wao see if there’s anything I could do with them.”

  “Show me, please.” He nodded, gesturing toward the ter.

  I took out some quills and showed him. He reached for o almost pricked his fiesting the sharpness, and I stopped him. “Careful, they’re venomous!” I warned, holding up a hand.

  His eyebrows shot up as he froze. “Where did you find these amazing things?” he asked, his voice suddenly more ied.

  “I’m from Lotham. Heard of it?”

  “Yes, but just the name.”

  “It’s a small ti northeast of Lumisor. I collected these quills from bears in the forests there.”

  His eyes lost focus for a moment. “High level,” he muttered. His voice barely audible.

  I stayed quiet. There was o eborate.

  “How many do you have?” he asked, refog on me.

  “A lot.”

  “Show me, please.” He leaned forward eagerly.

  I put a box of quills on the ter. “I’ve got two more boxes like this.”

  He studied the box. “The best thing to do with these is crossbow bolts. We usually add entments to the items we work on, but in this case, I wouldn’t reend it.”

  “Why not?”

  “We usually add entments for increased peion, which isn’t necessary here. The material already guarahat. And increased damage, but again, not hey’re venomous, so the damage is built-in. Show me all the quills you want worked on, and I’ll give you an answer in a few minutes.” He expined with a wave of his hand.

  I pulled out the other two boxes. He stared at them, his eyes gzing over briefly, and said, “1,253 quills.”

  My Sense Hoy skill stayed quiet. He was right.

  I hat skill!

  “I’ll be ba a few minutes,” he said, heading through a door behind the ter.

  He came back after fifteen minutes. “There are two options. We turn all the quills into bolts for 49 gold and 80 silver, or the bcksmith is willing to turn 1,000 of them into bolts for free if you let him keep 253 quills.”

  After careful deliberation, I reached a decision. I had plenty of bolts, so I could spare a couple hundred. “I agree. When will they be ready?”

  “Three days.”

  “ you direct me to a skyrest that’s close but far enough away that you don’t hear any noise?”

  He ughed. “o worry. All nearby buildings have noise-g entments.”

  He gave me dires, and I picked up Rue before heading to che. This skyrest was more modest tha one—just twenty-five floors instead of forty, and the entrance was simpler. The simpler design also meant a cheaper price, only three gold per day, but it didn’t have the amazing baly I loved.

  Oh, well, you ’t have everything.

  Rue and I spent the rest of the day in our suite, and the day, we went to the Free Bazaar. I bought ahirty copies of the various single-use scrolls and paid with s from Earth. After buying the scrolls, I asked the seller, “I uand that the bazaar moved here because this road is no longer used. Why? It’s much wider thaher road north from Crystalspire.”

  “This road goes through the cursed forest, so no one wants to gh there,” the seller replied, his voice l. “The new road bypasses the forest and joins the old empire road after four hurots.”

  “Why is it cursed?” I asked, curious.

  “I don’t know. It happened before my time,” he said, shrugging.

  “Thanks,” I said, nodding.

  On the way back to the skyrest, I felt eyes on me again. I said telepathically to Rue, “Our sneaky sneak is back.”

  “John want Rue do something?” he asked.

  “No need, buddy. He’s wele to keep sneaking. We’re leaving in two days.”

  We spent the rest of the time in the suite. I had no desire to feel eyes on me all the time, and I had already visited most of the city. I just wao collect my bolts and be on my way.

  After three days, I collected my bolts, and Rue and I headed north.

  I asked him, “Want to visit a cursed forest?”

  He looked me straight in the eyes, and I could feel his fusion. Though he said nothing, the strong feeling of “Huh?!” hit me like a wave. I tra as, “John’s gone mad.”

  But since he didn’t say no...