When Tandis arrived by sleigh, Luther, Robert, and Gootlab ventured to the surface with a pack full of camahueto meat. Uncle Ed and Gunther started a fire outside the entrance to cook everyone at the dungeon a fresh meal. Gunther was focused for the part where he got to start a fire, but once the steaks began to sizzle, the young tusk found his way into the training room. He spent many hours there, just watching. Currently, he played cards with the lizardmen brothers and Yotuli.

  Hans discretely passed the manual to Luther, who promptly tucked the book in his rucksack.

  “I’ve got a good spot for it.”

  “Don’t tell me,” Hans said. “It’s better I don’t know. Safer that way.”

  “Understood.”

  Quest Complete: Deliver the Takarabune manual to Luther for safekeeping.

  “How many adventurers do you think we’d need to plant the fields in the new expansion?”

  “Plant or protect?” Hans asked.

  “The latter.”

  Two adventurers would likely be sufficient, Hans said. The greater challenge was culling the lesser fire elementals right when they regrew. If too much time passed, they would undoubtedly venture into the crops as they had done during the original job. Luther had thought of that too. In his mind, they needed people stationed at the field in anticipation of the reset, which was more a challenge of coordination and timing than any show of strength.

  He asked Hans to talk to the craftspeople in Gomi about a simple timekeeping device, like a big hour glass. A really big hour glass, actually. With over two days between resets, they’d need a lot of sand.

  Hans promised he would ask around.

  Watching the adventurers, the harvesters, and their families revel in the shared joy of a hot meal warmed his heart. For all of his shortcomings, he was proud of his part in building this place. So many aimless people had found a home in Gomi. They found community. Safety. Purpose.

  Quentin saw Hans lingering at the edge of the festivities, leaning against one of the Forgeborne pillars.

  “Honronk said he’d like to see you when you have a moment,” Quentin said.

  Hans looked around. “He’s not here?”

  “He’s home. Too much of a crowd for him, I think.”

  “Ah, yes. Of course.”

  He invited the Apprentice to join him. A moment later, the Iron-ranked Black Mage welcomed them into his apartment.

  “Mr. Hans, Quentin,” Honronk said. “It is my understanding that you are departing with the sleigh.”

  Hans said that was correct.

  Honronk handed the Guild Master a sword wrapped in cloth. “I believe the experiment is a success. I suspect you and the smith would be interested in seeing this.”

  The second ever Gruwalda shortsword felt as good in his hand as the first. A set of runes started at the hilt and ran partway up the blade.

  “Lesser Ice,” Honronk said.

  “How is it activated?” Hans asked.

  “Where the blade cuts, the enchantment will activate. My early tests confirm this material has higher conductivity than traditional iron. By a full spell tier, I estimate.”

  The Black Mage pointed to another sword, sitting on a workbench of sorts that wasn’t there when Hans last visited. It had been some time, he realized. Honronk appeared to have made the most of every minute and assembled the beginnings of a respectable enchanting workshop. The Iron asked what should be done with the other test sword.

  Hans’ first thought was to give it to Yotuli, Kane, or Terry. Recalling the amplification Lee experienced with the Gruwalda blade, he thought better of it. Standard iron was unlikely to produce surprising results, but both Yotuli and Kane manipulated mana in some way, and they didn't have Lee's experience or control. Until Hans knew what to expect from the enchantments, he opted for non-mana users to take the lead. Quentin was more scientifically minded too, and everyone could have a turn in the long run.

  “Really?” Quentin asked, holding the sword.

  “Record your observations, and this goes without saying: monsters only. Don’t bust that out in sparring.”

  Quentin nodded, admiring the blade.

  “What else are you working on?” Hans asked, realizing he hadn’t checked in with Honronk as much as he should have.

  “Mr. Izz helped me learn Wall of Fire as well as the second tier of Fire and Ice spells. His use of summons interests me. Adding numbers to a party in that way has clear advantages.”

  Hans agreed.

  “I am unsure of what summons to pursue.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Air elementals align well with how Mr. Izz and Mr. Thuz fight. Their utility for me, however… I am undecided.”

  Hans asked what else he considered. He noticed Quentin listening intently to the conversation.

  A number of bestial summons were viable. The Iron gravitated toward a giant snake or a giant wasp, but he worried their limited durability would reduce their usefulness as encounters got more difficult. Unlike Izz, Honronk did not have a brother supporting his summons with buffing spells, an observation Hans agreed was important.

  The rest of Honronk’s list of considerations included shadow elementals, void elementals, a few demons, and a few celestials. He likely had more options, but the Gomi chapter lacked an in-depth book on summoning for him to be certain.

  “Shadow and void are interesting, but those are more complex casts right?” Hans asked. Honronk nodded. “Demons and celestials can be powerful, but controlling either variety gives a lot of mages trouble. Demons, especially, make me nervous. If a summon is supposed to be an ally, choosing one that would gladly eat or possess you seems… counterproductive.”

  “I have another idea. Though it would not be a summon, Reanimation has promise. That spell could serve the same purposes as a summon.”

  “Reanimation?” Hans asked. “As in Necromancy?”

  “Correct.”

  “Did you mention that to Izz?”

  “Mr. Izz was opposed to the idea.”

  “As am I,” Hans said. “Taboos and morals aside, Necromancy is believed to corrupt the caster’s mind.”

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  “Has that been verified?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that, actually.”

  “Blood magic has similar taboos,” Honronk said, “yet I used it for good. Perhaps Reanimation is the same.”

  “Even if it doesn’t corrupt you, it’s illegal. If anyone sees you using it, they’ll assume the worst, and eventually the Guild will come for you.”

  Honronk argued that it was likely the most useful spell he could choose for dungeon culling. He could assemble a small army before reaching the dungeon’s deeper challenges. Reanimations could overwhelm monsters, and they provided a substantial level of protection. A gnoll couldn’t rip out Honronk’s throat if ten zombie goblins were in the way.

  “Zombie goblins” were Hans’ words. Honronk never used any word but “Reanimation” or “reanimated.” Not necromancy. Not resurrection. Reanimation.

  “Should we not pursue the most effective methods for supporting our party?” he asked.

  Hans sighed. “Yes, but you’re oversimplifying utility. Very few party members would be comfortable working with a Necromancer. You’re no good to your party if you’re a fugitive. And unless you walk around with minions all the time, Necromancy will never be an option in your first encounter. If your big battle isn’t preceded by enough fodder, all of that practice won’t be of any use.”

  Tapping his chin, staring at nothing, Honronk nodded. “You make good points.”

  Thank gods.

  “Keep my updated,” Hans said. “Happy to talk more about this any time.”

  As Hans and Quentin rejoined the others in the training room, Quentin said, “Umm…”

  “Yep. Freaks me out too.”

  Izz approached Hans as he set his things in the back of the sleigh, Hans realized this was the first time he had seen either of the brothers outside of the dungeon in some time. As soon as the snow began to fall, they kept to the warmth of the underground.

  The lizardman wore several layers of clothing to keep out the cold, so many that his body seemed inflated, comically wider and rounder. His tail was wrapped with blankets secured with twine, and his shoes looked more like oversized moccasins than snowboots.

  He was absolutely miserable.

  “Mr. Hans,” Izz said. “We will send word of the potion test.” The lizardman turned to leave before he hit the last syllable.

  “Potion test?”

  “Miss Olza’s latest Resist Magic potion. Tandis delivered it today.”

  “Ahh, okay.”

  “That is all.” Izz scurried back to the dungeon entrance.

  Quest Update: Learn the results of the high-potency Resist Magic potion test.

  “The winter does not agree with him,” Buru said.

  Hans jumped. The snowwalking Druid hadn’t made a sound when he came up behind Hans.

  Damn Druids. “They didn’t see snow in person until they moved to the kingdom. The temperature never gets near freezing where they’re from.”

  “I hope they will learn to appreciate its beauty.”

  Looking around, Hans asked, “Is Petal with you?”

  At the mention of her name, the opossum poked her head out of Buru’s hood. She used it as a sort of insulated hammock. Petal was much larger now, nearing full-grown by normal opossum standards. Hans didn’t know if an opossum familiar would grow larger in the way that Becki the boar outgrew her unbonded peers.

  Petal’s head had grown, her skull and nose expanding to reduce the natural cuteness of a baby animal’s too-big eyes. Her whiskers were still wrinkled and bent, suggesting they would always be. Her body was fluffier and rounder, a result of her growth as well as her winter coat.

  Hans noticed another rucksack in the back of the sleigh. “Heading down the mountain?” Hans asked.

  “Yes. Petal misses the children and would like to visit.”

  “I see. Spoken with Becky recently?”

  “Briefly,” Buru said, “she has spent more time with the forest.”

  “Errands?”

  “Friendship.”

  Hans remembered the Lady of the Forest saying her heart had softened since the passing of Oezys. Becky always insisted she and the dryad were equals, partners. Hans was skeptical of that characterization initially, but the more he learned about the Lady, the more he believed Becky had not exaggerated.

  On the way to Gomi, Hans asked Buru about his long-term plans. Would he remain in Gomi indefinitely, or would he move on when the time was right for him?

  “Miss Becky has much to teach us. When she believes we are ready, we would like to find a forest to serve the way she serves Gomi.” Hans assumed “we” meant Buru and Petal, collectively.

  “Don’t want to do that here?”

  “Gomi has Miss Becky. She is strong and does not need our help.”

  Hans asked where Buru might go.

  “We are unsure. I would ask the Lady if perhaps we might join one of her sisters.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Miss Becky has made a difference, and we would be honored to follow in her footsteps.”

  Though Hans didn’t want to see Buru go, he admired the Iron Druid’s character. “I have no doubt you’ll make her proud.”

  For the last few hours of the journey to Gomi, no one spoke. Hans wrapped his arms around his body, pulled the hood of his cloak tight, and mentally reviewed his quest list. One in particular caught his eye.

  Active Quest: Explore the idea of training “dungeon lifeguards” to accompany adventurers in training.

  He believed the idea had significant merit. Bel and Izz had used Force Wall on many occasions to protect the Apprentices from their own mistakes, sparing them a great deal of pain if not outright saving their lives. If Hans had half a dozen mages with Bel’s level of Force Wall proficiency, every run could have an additional failsafe to fallback on.

  He would likely never have a staff of that size in Gomi. Bel and Lee would move on in the spring, as would Izz and Thuz. Buru wasn’t leaving for a few years yet, but the tusk had said plainly that he would eventually. The other Irons and none of the Apprentices had mentioned plans to leave Gomi, but Sven was proof Hans might not always have such a warning.

  Gomi would feel the loss of two Golds and two Silvers. Dungeon runs would be more difficult and more dangerous as a result. Furthermore, if he let the dungeon core grow on its own again, he would only have Becky for support. She was plenty capable of handling difficult runs, but one Silver Druid couldn’t fill the gap of four upper-ranks.

  The terathan crisis was manageable with that kind of power backing a run. Without them, would Hans and Becky go as a duo? Would they bring the Irons along to have more bodies? One of them would have likely died on the terathan run, and if the dungeon had succeeded in recreating the entire hive, most of them would have certainly died. If it wasn’t a complete wipe.

  Quest Abandoned: Explore the idea of training “dungeon lifeguards” to accompany adventurers in training.

  Another quest came to mind:

  Active Quest: Complete construction of the Takarabune (still need diamond, scarlet steel, celestial steel, and mimic blood).

  Culling Bunri’s golem and the diamond elemental would be challenge enough. Growing a cyclops warlord, a fallen celestial, or a mimic would be an act of mass murder with their current crop of adventurers. When his team of lower-ranks inevitably fell, the monsters would leave the dungeon and usher in a new crisis for the kingdom.

  Hans was torn between talking to Gomi about buying the rare materials they needed or abandoning the Takarabune project entirely. Izz and Thuz declined Diamond quests. By the time any of the DCs were ready for one, Hans could have found a way to officially integrate them into the Adventurers’ Guild. That would be less difficult and far safer than pursuing the Takarabune.

  When Hans got to the guild hall, he built up a pile of fuel in his apartment fireplace and used Create Fire to bring it to life.

  As he watched the flames catch the tinder, he heard himself ask out loud, “What did you want from me Gret? Was I wrong to think you had a grander plan? Were you just stashing a score?”

  Realizing he spoke to nothing but firewood, he shook his head.

  He was tired. So tired.

  Hans had long felt the effects of age, but when he officially gave up on Diamond, his vitality went with it. More likely, he realized, was that the vitality had long departed and his unrealistic dreams hid the loss, to his own detriment.

  He moved to Gomi to close out his adventuring career. He moved to Gomi to leave his previous life behind.

  Adventurers always moved on. Adventuring always moved on.

  Open Quests (Ordered from Old to New):

  Mend the rift with Devon.

  Complete the next volume (Iron to Bronze) for "The Next Generation: A Teaching Methodology for Training Adventurers."

  Await the arrival of a safe for the Gomi chapter.

  Complete construction of the Takarabune (still need diamond, scarlet steel, celestial steel, and mimic blood).

  Fix the two broken drawbridges.

  Learn the results of the high-potency Resist Magic potion test.

  Make and test valorite armor and shields. Bonus Objective: Think of more cool items to test.

  Plan the next expansion to prevent the dungeon core from acting on its own.

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