“Thanks again for your help,” Cale said, turning back toward his party.

  The gauntlet fighter had finally managed to extract himself from the pile of wolf corpses. The dark red blood soaking his clothes made it look like he was wearing a close-fitting crimson gown. The mage stifled a laugh as she saw him, then casually flicked her wrist, chanting a brief spell. A large ball of water formed above the fighter's head and promptly crashed down, drenching him, washing the blood from his body. He shivered violently, and his glare made it clear that she hadn’t bothered to heat the water. With a second spell, a swirling vortex of wind whipped around him, drying him almost instantly. He muttered something about payback, but the mage just smirked.

  Meanwhile, the archer had moved around the overturned carriage, helping a staggering merchant who had been thrown clear when the wagon collapsed.The knight in the breastplate moved to help, guiding the merchant to sit on a sturdy crate that had spilled out during the crash. His hands glowed with a soft, calming light as he healed the older man’s wounds. The merchant gave a shaky nod of thanks, still pale and trembling.

  Ren trailed behind Cale, his senses extended. He focused on the fleeing wolf that had escaped earlier, still moving at incredible speed through the grasslands. As it reached the edge of the distant forest, it paused, turning back as if sensing his gaze. Its eyes seemed to lock with Ren's, and it bared its fangs, letting out a savage snarl before vanishing into the shadowed depths of the trees. Ren shivered, the image of the beast seared into his mind.

  Ren’s awareness swept over the plains. The immediate area felt clear, with only small animals cowering in the grass, too terrified to move.

  As he drew closer to the adventurers, the gauntlet fighter and the mage exchanged a quick, whispered conversation before the fighter approached Ren, a wide grin splitting his face.

  “Well met, stranger. Thank you for your help earlier. My name is Gwayne, leader of the C-rank adventurer party ‘Searing Gale.’ And this,” he gestured to the mage beside him, “is Mary, our resident spellcaster.”

  “Hi,” said Mary, her tone casual, though her eyes appraised Ren with a hint of curiosity.

  “Nice to meet you. My name is Ren,” he replied, offering a polite nod.

  “I see you’re a mage as well,” Mary commented, her gaze lingering on his wooden staff. Her eyes seemed almost transfixed on the orb grasped within the clawed top, as if trying to divine some hidden truth. “That’s an unusual staff you’re carrying. I haven’t seen its like before. Where did you get it?” she asked, her voice light but her focus intense, like a seer peering into a crystal ball.

  Ren glanced at his staff, as if seeing it for the first time. He scratched the back of his head. “I’ve always had it. My master gave it to me,” he said with a small, nonchalant shrug.

  “That’s enough, Mary. You should already have learned your lesson about prying into an adventurer’s past or their equipment,” Gwayne chided, his tone a mix of sternness and mild exasperation.

  Mary’s cheeks flushed a light pink, and she quickly looked away, a small pout forming on her lips. “It’s not like that. I just get curious. And besides, it’s not my fault every time. How was I supposed to know that was an enchanted ring that would summon a gargoyle that attacks people other than its owner on sight?” she muttered defensively.

  “Hey, Gwayne!” a voice called out from behind them. They turned to see the archer approaching, brushing dirt from her tunic. “Give us a hand with the carriage. Dennen wants to get back on the road as soon as possible. We need to reach Ulfgard before the gates close for the night.”

  Gwayne nodded, turning back to Ren briefly before gesturing toward the approaching archer. “This is Leah. She may not look much older than you, but she’s a first-class archer.”

  “What are you talking about, you big oaf? I’m nearly twenty already!” Leah shot back, planting her fists on her hips and thrusting her chest out slightly as if to emphasize her point.

  Mary, still nursing her mild embarrassment, muttered under her breath, “Not that you could tell from that chest.”

  Though it was too quiet for Leah to catch, Ren’s ears were sharp. He snorted, quickly clamping a hand over his mouth to suppress the chuckle threatening to escape. Leah’s sharp eyes darted to him, one brow arching suspiciously.

  “Something funny, squirt?” she challenged, crossing her arms as a playful, but slightly dangerous, glint flickered in her eye.

  Ren’s face flushed, and he quickly waved his hands in a frantic denial. “N-no, not at all,” he stammered. “I just… didn’t expect to hear the words ‘big oaf’ from such a lovely lady.”

  Leah blinked, her fierce expression faltering for a moment as a faint pink touched her cheeks. She scratched her cheek awkwardly, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. “L-lovely lady…?” she mumbled, half to herself.

  “Gwayne!” a deeper voice boomed from the other side of the overturned carriage. They all turned to see the knight stacking scattered cargo into a neat pile off to the side. “Get over here and give us a hand! Dennen wants to move before dark.”

  Gwayne sighed, rolling his shoulders before gesturing for Leah to follow. “Alright, alright, I’m coming. Better hurry before Dominic gets too grumpy,” he muttered. Without further delay, the group hurried over to help, leaving Ren standing alone in the road, feeling slightly out of place.

  He glanced around, his eyes landing on the horse still lying in the grass a short distance away, its sides rising and falling in slow, exhausted breaths.

  As Ren approached, the horse whinnied softly, its ears swiveling toward him as he drew closer. It slowly struggled to its feet, legs trembling like a newborn foal, but it soon regained its balance. With a snort, it tossed its head, trying to free its mouth from the bit to reach the grass at its feet.

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  Ren moved closer, his steps slow and deliberate. The horse watched him, its large, liquid eyes reflecting the sunlight. Gently, he reached out, letting his hand rest against its warm, muscular flank. He patted the horse’s side as he made his way to the bridle hanging from its neck.

  “Good boy,” Ren whispered, scratching the horse’s forehead as it leaned into his touch, its eyes closing in what seemed like relief. The horse nuzzled his chest, its breath warm against his shirt. With a gentle tug on the bridle, Ren turned back toward the others, the horse following obediently.

  As they returned, Ren noticed that the others had finished tidying up around the overturned carriage. They were now gathered around the merchant, deep in discussion about how to right the wagon.

  “Well, the wheels and axle don’t seem broken, so if we can get it upright, we should be fine. Even with just one horse, we might make it back to town. We’ll probably have to leave some of the cargo behind, though. I doubt the horse can pull the wagon fully loaded,” Dominic said, his tone practical but slightly strained.

  As Ren approached, leading the horse, the group turned toward him. The merchant stepped forward, his face breaking into a relieved smile. “Thank you, thank you! I was worried when he ran off. We’ve been through a lot together over the years. I thought we were both done for this time.” He reached out to pat the horse’s neck, and the animal responded with a gentle nuzzle, seemingly sharing his relief.

  Seeing the horse was uninjured and in good spirits, the merchant turned back to Ren. “I can’t thank you enough. My name is Lennen. I’m a merchant from Ulfgard.”

  “Nice to meet you. My name is Ren,” Ren replied with a polite nod.

  As they spoke, Cale and Dominic approached. Cale extended a hand in introduction. “Ren, this is Dominic. I think you’ve met the rest of the party. Dominic here is a Paladin of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy.”

  Dominic bowed his head slightly. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Ren,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of refined formality. Dominic, slightly older than the others, perhaps in his mid-to-late thirties, had the bearing of a nobleman or a seasoned knight, his movements precise and disciplined.

  “Nice to meet you too, sir,” Ren replied, returning the bow with a slight tilt of his head.

  Cale chuckled softly. “Looks like he’s figured you out already, Dominic,” he said, clapping the paladin on the shoulder.

  Dominic’s eyes lingered on Ren a moment longer than expected, his gaze thoughtful. “You seem quite capable for your age. I suspect there’s more to you than meets the eye.”

  Ren smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

  “Well then,” Lennen said, clapping his hands. “Shall we get this wagon upright and back on the road? Time is money, after all!”

  Ren exhaled slowly, feeling a mix of relief and anticipation as the party turned back to their work. He had only just started his journey, but it felt like the world had already grown a bit smaller, a bit warmer, thanks to these new faces.

  “Master Lennen, how would you like to proceed?” Dominic asked. “We can try to lift the wagon upright, but we’ll probably have to empty it first, which will take some time.”

  Lennen scratched his chin, pondering. He glanced up at the sun, then down the road toward the town, which they could just make out in the distance. “It’ll be slow going. By the time we unload everything and get the wagon sorted, it’ll be late afternoon. But if we want to make town by dark, I guess we don’t have much choice.” The look of defeat on his face showed he didn’t like the idea of losing most of his cargo.

  “Um, if I may…” Ren began, raising his hand uncertainly. “I might be able to help with your current problem.”

  The party turned to look at him. Lennen, seeming interested, waved for him to continue.

  “Well, you see,” Ren said, looking a bit nervous, “I actually have an item box. It should be able to store the cargo. That way, it would be quick to unload the carriage, and we can leave everything in there until we reach town. The horse would only need to pull the empty carriage.” He wasn’t sure how common item boxes were, or if anyone else had them at all, so he was taking a slight risk with the offer. He figured he could always teleport away if it seemed like it would cause him trouble.

  “Wow!” Lennen exclaimed, his eyes wide. “An item box that can fit all the cargo? That’s fantastic! To have an item box—such a rare skill—and one large enough for all this? That is amazing, simply amazing!” He looked like a child who had just discovered a shiny new toy in a shop window. Ren grew a bit concerned. It seemed that while not unheard of, an item box was indeed a rare skill, and certainly not infinite like his own. He would have to be extremely careful in the future about what he did and what he told people. “You would make a wonderful merchant, my boy!” Lennen gushed. “If you’d be interested in joining my company, I would be more than happy to welcome you aboard!”

  Dominic placed a hand on Lennen’s shoulder. “Calm down, Mr. Lennen. Can’t you see you’re making poor Ren uncomfortable? Maybe we should shelve this conversation for another time.”

  “Ah, sorry, sorry, you’re right.” Lennen’s excitement deflated slightly. “I apologize, young Ren. I forget myself when I see a business opportunity. As they say in merchant circles, always grab an opportunity when it comes, as it may never come again.” The rest of the party rolled their eyes in exasperation; it clearly wasn’t the first time they had heard this from Lennen.

  “Now,” Lennen continued, his practical side resurfacing, “if you can store the cargo, that would be fantastic. But can you really store it all?”

  “I’m not sure if I can store everything,” Ren admitted, “but I can give it a try. Even if I can’t get it all, I should be able to store most of it, which will make the strain on the horse bearable enough to get us to town. We’ll give it a try, at least.”

  With the plan sorted, the party headed back to the overturned wagon. Ren started by storing the boxes that had been stacked beside the road. He then moved to the fallen wagon and began storing the crates from inside, one by one. After about five minutes, he had successfully stored them all. It occurred to him that he could have just stored the whole wagon as it was, but he decided against it. If he did that, he thought Lennen and the others might be too shocked, and it could cause him trouble later. Though, being able to store the entire cargo might have already been shocking enough to make him stand out.

  After the carriage was empty, Cale, Dominic, Gwayne, Leah, and Lennen tried to lift it upright. They could lift it slightly, but not enough to right it completely. They were pondering their next step when Ren stepped forward. “Um, can you try again slowly, please?” he asked. “I think I have an idea that might work, but I’ll need your help supporting the wagon so it lifts correctly. If you can help lift it, standing at each end?” The five of them moved to the ends of the wagon, letting Ren into the center. They strained to lift. At the same time, Ren swung his staff in a tight arc and thrust it upward, much slower than when he’d attacked the wolf. As his staff rose, a wall of earth followed, pushing against the underside of the carriage and propping it up. The group pushed as well, and with a loud creaking sound, the carriage slowly righted itself. Finally, picking up momentum, it settled back onto its wheels with a loud bang. The group cheered. Lennen quickly shuffled around it, inspecting each wheel and the axles. Finally, with a sigh of relief, he stood back up. “It looks fine,” he said. “I think it’ll get us to town no problem.” The rest of the party also looked relieved.

  They gathered their gear, hitched the horse, and set off for Ulfgard. The walls of the town loomed larger with each step, their gray stone catching the afternoon sun. As they walked, Gwayne and Ren fell into a casual conversation about the Adventurers’ Guild, the opportunities it offered, and the paths it could open for a new adventurer like Ren.