I rolled the first mind gem between my fingers, watching the patterns swirl deep inside the crystal. An almost hypnotically blue-white light danced within, moving as if caught within a vortex.

  “Five whole mind gems,” Eryn said, touching my shoulder. “This is—”

  “More than I've seen in any one place before,” I finished and then popped the gem into my mouth. “It's worth a fortune to most, a king's ransom to others.”

  “Well, I don't know about you, but I feel it is well deserved,” Eryn added. “You played your cards right, risked it all, and now you reap the benefits.”

  Warmth spread through me as the gem dissolved into my tongue, sending tingles up into my brain and then down my spine. My skin prickled with goosebumps and energy flowed through me. I felt like waking from the perfect nap, refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on the world.

  I popped in the second gem.

  The sooner I closed the gap with Roq, the better, but it was common knowledge that consuming too many mind gems at once could cause significant internal damage. I just hoped that five wasn't too much with Roq's powers mingling with me. The warmth doubled as I consumed it, then tripled with the third. By the fourth, my entire body hummed with power and I was starting to feel some of the overload effects. Instead of being filled with energy, I felt it slowly starting to seep away from me.

  I held the final gem up to the light coming in through the smithy's roof window. So much power in something so tiny. Just a few weeks ago, finding even one caused massive celebration. Now I was consuming my fifth in a single sitting.

  I popped the gem into my mouth and felt it dissolve on my tongue. The rush of energy swelled, and suddenly I saw two identical gorgeous girls in front of me.

  I smiled as best I could.

  “By the bells!” I said. “I hope I didn't just do something dumb.”

  “Huh? What do you mean? Are you alright?” the girls asked, in unison, tilting their heads the exact same way.

  “Yeah,” I said, blinking slowly. Blessedly, my vision cleared momentarily. “I'm fine,” I said. “But I think I'll hold off on any more for a bit.”

  I touched my wrist, bringing up my soul chart.

  NAME: Ash Aldrich

  LEVEL: 5 (0/6)

  STRENGTH: 20

  AGILITY: 13 (+1)

  VITALITY: 16

  MIND: 11

  TOTAL STATS: 60

  “And?” Eryn asked.

  “Ding,” I said, smiling, tingles running from my head to my toes. “I hit level five!”

  “Congratulations!” Eryn said excitedly, and then threw her arms around me.

  Ma wiped her hands on her apron and pulled both of us into a crushing hug.

  “My little monster hunter's growing up so fast!”

  “Careful there, woman,” Pa said with a chuckle. “You'll squeeze the levels right back out of him.” He grinned ear to ear as he clapped me on the back.

  I stared at my stats, remembering how impossible reaching even level three had seemed before I got my hands on Roq. Now here I was at five, racing towards ten. I even had the warrior class gem waiting for me, and the attributes I got from fighting monsters were insane. Yet, somehow... this all didn't feel like enough. Numbers that would have astounded me just weeks ago now seemed painfully inadequate.

  “What's wrong?” Eryn's smile faded as she studied my face.

  “Nothing's wrong exactly. This is fantastic, but—” I ran a hand through my hair. “It's also dangerous. If I level too slowly, I might lose myself to Roq when we're out there killing monsters. But if we push too hard trying to catch up, I could end up getting destroyed by the mind gems or overextending. And every day wasted is already a, well, day wasted. It feels like I'm walking across a bridge made of swords and anvils. One wrong step and—”

  “Stop.” Eryn pressed a finger to my lips. “We've planned the work, now we work the plan. One step at a time.”

  I nodded slowly. She was right, as usual.

  “Now, tell me your stats,” she said. “And no lying to try and spare my feelings.”

  I smiled and told her.

  “Sixty!?” She punched me in the shoulder and immediately winced, jumping up and down, shaking her fist. “Sixty?” she said again.

  “Yup.” I couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Gained another agility from the fight with the crystalline.” I took her hand and blew on her knuckles, gently massaging her wrist. She narrowed her eyes at me. “Did you get any?” I asked. She’d checked her soul chart as we passed through Sentinel Station.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I got another point in agility as well. But it still ain’t fair. Sixty? I’m at forty-two total stat points, Ash.” She scowled. “No wonder punching you hurts.”

  I pulled her in and kissed her, and she barely struggled. “I need to be strong enough to defend you, you know.”

  “Fine,” she said. “And congratulations.”

  I smiled, and looked over at Pa who was pointedly ignoring us, working on the carcasses.

  “What do we work on first, Pa?” I asked.

  He moved to the workbench where the Platemaw carcass was laid out.

  “We'll start with two sets of full armor using this beauty.” He slapped its shell. “The Shardfang parts will make excellent bindings and support material.” He gestured to the pile of Ring Beetle carapaces in the corner. “While Eryn helps me with that, I want you working on ten Armor Reinforcement Panels. Make small, durable plates for adventurers to reinforce their existing gear. Your mother's been talking up our new monster-forged line, so make them draw plenty of attention.”

  “Right.” I hesitated. “Um, could I borrow a hammer? Since Roq's a bit…you know?”

  “What's the right thing to do, son?”

  I sighed. Avoiding Roq wouldn't solve anything. He was my weapon, my tool, and my responsibility. If I couldn't trust myself to control him in the safety of our own forge, how could I ever trust myself to use him in battle?

  More than that, he was my partner. Whatever his flaws, whatever the risks, we were bound together. Running from that wouldn't make it any less true. And I'd already closed some of the leveling gap, so it should be safe.

  I took a deep breath and drew Roq from storage.

  “FINALLY! I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me entirely! Now, what glorious violence shall we indulge in? Kneecapping? Skull bashing? Neck cracking?”

  “We're going to do some forging today, Roq.”

  “Oh.” His disappointed tone almost made me laugh. “I suppose if we must. But surely there are more worthy things we can do with our time?”

  “This is what we're doing. You can either help or go back in storage.”

  A long silence filled my mind before Roq spoke again, his voice subdued but carrying an edge of... was that excitement?

  “I... may have some ideas about working with those crystal formations.”

  “But first, do you have something to say to me?”

  “I am not sure exactly what you are referring to.”

  “You'd promised.”

  “But we didn't get into any bad fights.”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Because I stored you in time. You nearly had me charge into certain death, Roq.”

  A sound of metal dragging across rock sounded in my head, and I took it as an uncomfortable throat clearing.

  “You may not be entirely incorrect, although I still think we could have taken them.”

  “It was an army, Roq. I'm an unclassed scavenger with an unreliable soul weapon that just loves to throw me at anything just to quench its own thirst. Suicide by monster is not how I envision our hunts to go. We could not have taken them. They'd have killed us and Eryn too.”

  “What do you want? You want me to say I'm sorry?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh. Well, I am sorry. The level up and the power just took me by surprise is all. That and seeing the cavern filled to the brim with fat, juicy monsters...I'm not even exactly sure what I was drinking from them, and it wasn't blood, but it certainly was delicious!”

  “So?”

  “I promise to try not to do it again?”

  I sighed. It was as much as I was going to get.

  “Good. Try to stick to it this time, Roq, but for now, let's get to work. We've got a lot to do today.”

  * * *

  “Beat that plate into submission!” Roq bellowed in my mind as I hammered the rounded scuttler plate into its final form. “WHO'S YOUR HAMMER-DADDY?”

  Sweat dripped down my face as I worked the stubborn material. The scuttler plate had glowed a dull orange-red in the forge light for hours, softened just enough to shape without shattering, and now I was close to hammering the last piece of the set into place on the cooled metal. Three days in the forge and I was finally working on something fun! Shells had been cleaned, formed, and fitted with straps. Now we were shaping them into something both beautiful and life-saving.

  “Another strike! Right there! Make it BEG for mercy!”

  “Stop yelling, you freak! My head hurts!”

  “Well excuse me for being excited!”

  I brought Roq down again, letting his weight guide the blow. Despite his bloodthirsty commentary, he moved with surprising precision. Well, he nearly always struck too hard, with the metal screaming more than singing beneath his impact, but there was an undeniable joy to watching him work. And the risk to my health was minimal.

  “How's it looking?” Eryn called from inside the shop where she sat working on leather straps with Ma.

  “Almost there,” I said, wiping sweat from my eyes with my sleeve.

  The armor was great. Not a masterpiece, but really nice. Pa had shown me how to preserve the natural curves of the scuttler's shell while reinforcing weak points, as he worked on the Platemaw sets. Now I had a plate that would follow the natural lines of a human torso, offering maximum protection with minimum weight and restriction to movement.

  “Harder!” Roq demanded as I struck again. “Show that metal who—wait.” His voice changed, suddenly turning thoughtful. “Something's missing.”

  I paused mid-swing.

  “Missing? We followed Pa's instructions to the letter.”

  “NO!” Roq's shout rattled through my skull. “It needs...” He trailed off into frustrated silence.

  “Needs what?”

  “The vanguard,” he finally said. “Take that piece, the one from its chest. We should embed it. Right there.” The knowledge settled in my mind as Roq directed my attention to the center of the breastplate. “Where the heart would be.”

  “Why?”

  I studied the section he indicated.

  “It will change the whole design.”

  “I don't know!” Frustration colored his voice. “It just... it feels like the right thing to do. As if it belongs. I've struck and killed them both. It's as if they want to be together. Like they'd be stronger together. Like you and Eryn.”

  I lowered the hammer and stared at the crystalline vanguard fragments Pa had set aside.

  “Something wrong?” Pa asked, looking up from his own work.

  “Roq has an idea,” I said, explaining the hammer's suggestion, and watched Pa's expression carefully. “He says it feels right but can't explain why.”

  Pa set down his tools and crossed to the workbench. He picked up the piece of the vanguard's chest, turning it over in his calloused hands.

  “Hmmm.” He tapped the scuttler plate, then the crystal, listening to each sound carefully. “The resonance is similar,” he muttered. After a moment, he nodded slowly and shrugged. “There might be something to it. Maybe the crystal's structure could reinforce the centre point.” He traced the geometric patterns with one finger. “Might make it stronger than either material alone. It's worth the risk.”

  “You think we should try it?”

  Pa smiled.

  “Why not? Sometimes the best innovations come from unexpected places.” He clasped my shoulder. “Go ahead. Work on that piece. Let's see what Roq's instincts tell us.”

  “Finally!” Roq exclaimed. “Now we can make something truly TERRIFYING!”

  “Remember - we're crafting armor, not weapons.”

  “Same thing! Both exist to dominate our enemies! Now, heat that crystal slowly. SLOWLY! We mustn't shatter it if we are to make it submit to our will!”

  I couldn't help but smile as I turned back to the forge. Perhaps Roq's enthusiasm for smithing wasn't so different from his battle-lust after all. At least this way, it might actually do some good.

  I picked up the crystalline shard with the new pair of corrosion-resistant tongs Pa had made from Blightpedes, and moved to the forge. He'd traded a second pair to the alchemist for a few parts, the promise to help on a few items, and discretion.

  I bounced Roq between the anvil and the Scuttler plate, making the metal groan with each strike. Only the final adjustment remained. The crystalline shard from the vanguard's chest now sat perfectly in the modified central cavity, after we'd reshaped the entire breastplate to accommodate it, carefully working the crystal and metal together. I kept expecting the crystal to shatter, but it was tougher than I'd expected and surprisingly easy to work with.

  Thanks to Roq's instincts.

  “Careful with the last strike!” Roq's voice held an unusual note of tension. “We must make it perfect! Nothing less will do for our masterpiece!”

  “Our masterpiece?”

  I couldn't help but smile at his sudden investment in crafting.

  “Think you could help me create a full master set? That might even give me the confidence to take on some tougher opponents.”

  “Well... umm, I don't see why not, but as a master of destruction, nothing less than mastery in the art of creation will do. Am I right or am I right?” The final strap needed securing. Just one more precise hit to seal the rivet. I raised Roq, feeling his eagerness thrumming through my palm.

  “Of course you are, Roq. Just make sure not to screw this one up.”

  “Now!”

  I gently tapped the metal, and suddenly the entire breastplate blazed with a brilliant light. Blue energy flashed from the crystal and through the metal, leaving tiny patterns spreading throughout that glowed softly.

  I stumbled back, dropping the armor.

  “Pa! Look!”

  Pa's head snapped up from his work. His eyes opened wide as he saw the armor and let loose a string of curses that would have made a tavern keeper blush.

  “What happened?” Eryn called out, worry clear in her voice. “Is everything alright? Did Roq smash your hand or something?” She came into the smithy.

  “Of course it's alright!” Roq declared, though I could hear nervous undertones in his voice. “I mean... that was totally intended. Completely according to plan. You're welcome, my apprentice.”

  Pa rushed over, running his hands over the glowing armor with reverence.

  “Blood and bones and blessed bells!” he roared, grabbing me in a hug. “You've done it, boy! You've actually done it!”

  “What?” Eryn asked. “What's happened?”

  Pa and I locked eyes and burst out laughing.

  “We made a blue piece!” Pa bellowed. “A genuine rare item!”

  Eryn's jaw dropped.

  “But... that's impossible! Isn't it?”

  “Not impossible,” Pa corrected, still grinning like a madman. “Just real damn unlikely. Here, let me check.” He swiped the breastplate into his storage and studied his spatial tattoo intently.

  Eryn and I crowded close, hardly daring to breathe. After what felt like forever, Pa's face split into an even wider grin.

  “Plus three vitality!” he declared.

  The smithy erupted in whoops and cheers. The noise brought Ma running in from the shop, a fearful expression set on her face.

  “What in the world?” she said.

  “We made a rare piece!” Pa shouted, sweeping her up and spinning her around. “Our boy just forged his first blue item!”

  Ma's eyes went as wide as Pa's.

  “But how? Thomas, you've only managed that three or four times in your entire life!”

  “I know!” Pa set her down carefully. “This'll fetch fifteen gold easily. Maybe twenty if we find the right buyer! That's two mind gems right there!”

  “Well done, Roq.”

  “Naturally!” Pride radiated through our connection. “I am, after all, the greatest soul weapon ever forged. It's only fitting that I should also be the greatest FORGING weapon ever souled! Wait, that didn't come out quite right, but you know what I mean!”

  “Paper!” Pa suddenly shouted. “Helena, we need paper! Now!”

  Ma understood immediately and hurried out, Pa right on her heels.

  “What's going on?” Eryn asked.

  “Pa's going to write down everything we did,” I explained. “Every step, every technique. If we can replicate it, we've discovered a new rare recipe. And if no one else has found it first—” I grinned. “The Blacksmith's Guild gives out grants — access to other rare recipes, one for one. Pa's been trying to develop something new for years.”

  “That's wonderful!” Eryn wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. Then she sighed contentedly. “So, how much more are we making today? It's not like I don't enjoy cutting straps and fitting them into place and...a hundred other things, but I could imagine the night going a bit differently,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

  Before I could answer, a loud banging echoed through the smithy. I quickly swiped Roq into storage, catching his indignant “But I wasn't finished gloating—” before the connection cut off.

  I crossed to the door and pulled it open to find Karl bouncing from foot to foot on our doorstep.

  “Ash! I have a message! From Commander Edwin! He says to tell you that…” Karl's face scrunched up in concentration. “That the thing about the thing with Benedict is umm... tomorrow? No, wait.”

  Eryn's musical laugh drifted over from the workbench. Karl's face went red and he stumbled over his words even more.

  “It's about the... because of the... when we were...”

  “Take your time,” I said, putting my hand gently on his shoulder, though I couldn't quite hide my smile.

  Karl let out a frustrated huff and thrust a folded paper toward me.

  “Here!”

  “If you had the note all along, why not just give it to me?”

  “Wanted to show I could remember things good!” Karl declared, chin up despite his clear embarrassment.

  I unfolded the note. It was indeed a message from Edwin.

  Benedict's tribunal convenes tomorrow at midday.

  Your presence is requested as a witness.

  -Commander Edwin

  “Thank you, Karl.” I reached into my pocket and counted out ten copper pieces. “You did an excellent job. Could you please let Commander Edwin know I received his message and will attend?”

  Karl straightened up importantly at being treated like a proper messenger.

  “Yes, sir! Right away!”

  But he didn't leave. Instead, he shuffled his feet and glanced past me.

  “Something else?”

  Karl leaned in close and whispered,

  “I got a message for the pretty girl, too.” He glanced at Eryn, going tomato red.

  I laughed.

  “Eryn! Could you come over here, please? Karl has something for you.”

  Karl shot me a betrayed look as Eryn approached, but I gave him an encouraging nod. His courage failing him, he simply thrust the note at her before turning and sprinting away down the street. Eryn and I both burst out laughing.

  Pa's head poked through the workshop door.

  “What's all this then?”

  “Justice,” I said, holding up Edwin's note. “Benedict's tribunal is tomorrow.”