Sais led the group, Henry gliding just above and to the side of him. Ush walked alongside Kaazz, quiet as usual, while Jagz trailed behind, flexing his hands every few steps as if still getting used to the changes in his body.

  Sais glanced over his shoulder at them and smirked.

  "What is it, Sais?" Henry’s voice echoed in his mind.

  "Just thinking… back in our world, Cromus and I used to debate fantasy races all the time," he mused. "What was best, which ones were the most fun. Y’know, the usual arguments. He always leaned toward goblins, orcs, gnolls—the outcasts. Me? I went for whatever seemed the most efficient. The min-max picks."

  Henry hummed thoughtfully. "And now?"

  "Now, I can’t help but feel like I walked right into his ideal setup."

  "Is that a bad thing?"

  "Not at all." Sais chuckled. "Back home, it was different. Eventually, he’d agree with me on things, or look to me to lead—like I was the one figuring things out for us. But here? He’s the one taking charge, making things happen. It’s a strange shift, but a good one. I always knew he was more than he gave himself credit for. Seeing him grow into that? Feels rewarding."

  "You two are closer than I originally thought," Henry noted.

  "Yeah. I’ve known him since middle school. When we found out we had the chance to come here… well, I didn’t hesitate once I knew he was already locked in. Guess I didn’t want to be left behind in the old world without him."

  Sais grinned slightly, exhaling. "Besides, couldn’t let him have all the magic and adventure we used to dream about without me, could I?"

  Henry let out a small, mechanical whirr. “And now you’re surrounded by goblins. Quite the irony.”

  Sais smirked. “Yeah… funny how that worked out.”

  Before Henry could respond, a distant crack echoed through the trees. Sais’s instincts sharpened immediately.

  Ush and Kaazz slowed their pace, ears twitching. Jagz, stopped just behind his body, tensed ready to cast his abilities.

  “What was that?” Ush murmured.f

  Sais raised a hand, signaling them to halt. He glanced at Henry, who had already veered slightly ahead, scanning the area with his glassy eyes.

  Then they heard it again—a deep, thunderous thud.

  Sais crouched down, the rest of the group doing the same and then following him towards the noise.

  “Well Sais, we might of lucked out in the food department.” Henry thought to him as the beast came into view.

  Sais saw two large moose locked in a head butt. he used identify.

  Young Bristle Moose

  Level: 2

  Named after the bristle in its fur these animals are known for their massive bodies once fully grown, their powerful build intimidating to most.

  Sais’s smile grew. “Well I hope Cromus and Loose tooth hasn’t gotten too much meat on their hunt. What do you say group you up for some moose meat?”

  All three of the goblins smiled in answer. “Lets get it. I doubt Cromus will have anything as big.” Jagz said.

  “Alright, I think we should wait till one of them get knocked off balance, then Kaazz can wrap it in vines, in which I was shoot an arrow, Jagz and Ush will move in for finishing blows, just Ush don’t use poison, we don’t want to ruin the meat.”

  They sat back watching, quietly, yes even Jagz, now acting more like a predator he was calm, quiet and patient.

  The Moose, pushed each other back and forth neither of them seeming to be giving in, they disengaged and started circling each other. before another charge, BOOM! the forest echoed their clash one of the moose stepping back the one on advantage not hesitating slamming into the off balanced opponent, sending it to the ground.

  Kaazz saw his moment and took it, vines rose from the ground entangling the moose, as it struggled, limbs flailing head trying to get up right, more vines reached out tightening their grip. The free moose made a distressing sound and ran in fear.

  Sais released his arrow that hit cleanly, Jagz rushing in claws digging deep into its throat, and Ush appearing above the head just behind a large antler, her dagger finding hold behind the large creature's ear. It let out a pathetic cry before going silent.

  “Great work, everyone!” Sais said as they all gathered around the fallen moose. “Kaazz, perfect timing. Jagz, great reaction, and Ush—flawless aim. You found the weak spot immediately.”

  They all beamed under the praise.

  “Now for the fun part,” Sais said, pressing his hand against the moose’s side and mentally confirming the loot prompt.

  The body shimmered and began dissolving into the air, fading into glowing motes of light. The goblins watched in awe, while Sais grinned ear to ear. When the process finished, a neatly folded Bristle Moose hide remained, along with several large cuts of fresh meat. He waved a hand, storing everything into his necklace.

  “Man, I love this ability,” he said, shaking his head in satisfaction.

  Kaazz, however, frowned slightly. “There was more to it than that. Why so little?”

  Sais paused. “…I don’t know. I was just happy we didn’t have to go through the trouble of cutting it up manually.”

  Kaazz’s expression didn’t change. “I guess.”

  Sais exhaled, nodding. “Alright. Next time, we’ll do it your way.”

  Kaazz crossed his arms but gave a slight nod. “We don’t have too many mouths to feed anyway.”

  The walk back to camp was quiet after that.

  “Alright, how about we start getting things ready for when Cromus and Loose Tooth get back?” Sais suggested.

  “Yeah. What do you want me to do?” Ush asked.

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

  “We’ll split up. Ush, you come with me. Jagz and Kaazz, gather more firewood,” Sais instructed.

  The goblins nodded, and they split off.

  As Ush followed Sais away from camp, she frowned. “If they’re getting wood, what are we doing?”

  Sais grinned. “Finding some good-sized rocks. I want to try something Cromus and I saw once—using hot stones as a cooking surface.”

  Ush tilted her head. “Cook on a rock?”

  “Yep. If we get the right kind, it’ll work perfectly.”

  It didn’t take long before they reached the river. Sais crouched down, picking up a smooth, thick stone from the water’s edge, while Ush grabbed a couple more from the shore. On their way back, they found an even larger one—about two feet in length, half a foot thick.

  By the time they returned to camp, Jagz and Kaazz had already built up a proper fire. Sais and Ush carefully placed their stones near the flames, letting them heat up.

  “I still don’t get it—why did we grab these big leaves?” Loose Tooth’s voice carried through the trees.

  “Because they’ll help keep everything together while we cook,” Cromus explained for the third time.

  “But… shouldn’t the leaves burn?” Loose Tooth asked.

  “Not if they’re fresh and thick enough,” Cromus said patiently. “They’ll trap moisture inside and keep the food from drying out.”

  “But you said you’ve never done this before,” Loose Tooth pointed out.

  “…True. But I’ve seen it done, and I want to try it,” Cromus admitted.

  Sais smirked as he saw the two finally enter the clearing. “About time you two showed up.”

  Jagz’s stomach growled loudly. “Yeah, I’m starving over here!”

  Cromus grinned. “Good, ‘cause you’re all in for a treat.”

  “Oh?” Sais arched an eyebrow.

  Cromus nodded. “I found salt.”

  Sais’s eyes lit up. “Wait—really?!”

  “Yep.” Cromus puffed out his chest slightly.

  “What’s salt?” Kaazz asked.

  Before either of them could answer, Loose Tooth scoffed. “It’s a rock that Cromus swears will make food better.”

  Jagz and Kaazz both looked at Cromus like he’d lost his mind. Ush, however, looked curious.

  “It will be great,” Cromus promised. “Sais knows what I’m talking about.”

  Sais grinned. “You’ll all see.”

  Cromus’s excitement dimmed slightly. “Only one problem…”

  “What’s that?” Sais asked.

  “…We lost our meat.”

  Sais frowned. “How do you lose meat?”

  Cromus rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I used the loot ability on a deer we killed, and… it didn’t give me any meat.”

  Sais blinked, then glanced at Kaazz, who was already giving him an I told you so look.

  Sais sighed, rubbing his temples. “You really didn’t notice that before now?”

  “I guess I never paid attention,” Cromus admitted sheepishly. “Anyway, any chance your group caught something?”

  “You’re lucky this amazing team didn’t drop the ball,” Sais said smugly, pulling three massive slabs of moose meat from his inventory.

  Cromus’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Oh, thank the gods.”

  As he took the meat, he leaned in and whispered, “Seriously, thank you. If I didn’t get to use the salt tonight, Loose Tooth would never let me live it down.”

  Sais smirked. “You owe me. Make it worth it.”

  “You got it.” Cromus grinned. “And the food has to be perfect—tonight, we’re celebrating. Everyone has a class now.”

  At that, everyone turned to Loose Tooth.

  The goblin beamed. “I’m a Thorn Foliage Druid!”

  Jagz and Ush immediately tackled him to the ground in excitement, while Kaazz gave an approving nod.

  Sais smiled but then frowned slightly. “Wait… what happened to Athas?”

  Cromus looked down, spotting the Asalisk waddling behind him, looking extremely full. “Oh. He ate a beast core.”

  Sais raised an eyebrow. “How long is he gonna be like that?”

  Cromus activated Animal Link. “Hey buddy, how long until you’re back to normal?”

  Athas’s head jerked up. “When we wake up.”

  “So… a day?” Cromus clarified.

  Athas flicked his tongue. “I guess? I eat, then I sleep, then I wake up better.”

  “…Better how?” Cromus asked.

  “Stronger. New things I can do,” Athas said simply.

  Cromus told Sais what he just learned.

  “Well, that’s kinda cool,” Sais said. “Alright, enough of that—let’s get this food started.”

  “Oh hell yeah,” Cromus said, stepping toward the fire.

  BOOM!

  A sudden explosion sent small shards of rock flying in all directions.

  Everyone froze.

  “…Uh, Sais, those weren’t river rocks, were they?” Cromus asked.

  “...Yeah…” Sais admitted.

  Cromus turned to him with a triumphant smile. “You do know that water can seep into stones, right? If they heat too fast, the pressure—”

  “I know now,” Sais grumbled.

  Cromus clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. These things happen.”

  Sais exhaled. “Well, luckily, those were the only two from the river.”

  “Good. Means I can try using the big one,” Cromus said, moving to inspect it.

  “Anything you want me to do?” Sais asked.

  “Yeah, grab the onions, mushrooms, and—oh, Loose, hand over the satchel of salt.”

  Sais snickered. “You made him your pack mule, didn’t you?”

  Loose Tooth rolled his eyes. “Yeah, he did.”

  “Not my fault I had to carry that beach ball of a lizard,” Cromus said, gesturing to Athas, who lay flat on his back, occasionally letting out a tiny burp.

  The group laughed and got to work.

  As the meat sizzled over the heated stone, the air filled with the mouthwatering aroma of seasoned moose, mushrooms, and wild onions. The scent was heavenly.

  Jagz, barely able to contain himself, asked every single minute, “Is it done yet?”

  Each time, Cromus or Sais gave him the same answer: No.

  Finally, when Sais opened his mouth to deny him again, Cromus cut him off. “Yes—it’s ready.”

  Jagz practically vibrated in place as Cromus unwrapped the food. He sliced portions onto flat stones, then passed them around.

  Jagz took one bite and froze.

  “I knew it,” Loose Tooth muttered. “Something’s wrong with adding rocks to meat.”

  “No…” Jagz whispered.

  “What?” Loose asked.

  But Jagz didn’t answer—he just devoured his portion. Ush and Kaazz followed suit, eating with wild enthusiasm.

  Loose hesitated, then took a bite.

  The meat melted on his tongue.

  His eyes went wide as he looked at Cromus, who simply smiled.

  Around the fire, the group ate, grinning and laughing.

  Sais reached for another piece—only to find an empty stone.

  Before he could complain, Cromus handed him another serving.

  Loose Tooth caught Cromus’s gaze across the fire.

  Cromus simply mouthed the words:

  The magic of food.