The Grand Weave

We rushed through our breakfast and set out quickly. Sam kept whining about with how long I ended up sleeping, claiming that the day was wasting or some nonsense. Her grumpy disposition disappeared when we entered the store. The blacksmith was the first person we saw who wasn’t a human, elf, or beastkin. Standing at around seven feet with brick-red skin was another oni.

We didn’t interrupt as he pulled out a sphere of molten metal with his bare hands and carefully poured the hot liquid into a mold. It looked like he was creating an axe head. After the sphere completely disappeared into the mold, he hovered his hands over the blazing metal and did... something. Wisps of what looked like heated air curled around his arms and disappeared into his open mouth. The man consumed the heat! Putting his hands down, he turned and faced us. He crossed his arms and scowled.

“What are you two doing, standing around gawking like children?” he asked gruffly.

There were no signs of damage from inhaling super-heated air into his throat. This was once again just a reminder of how cool magic was. Magical blacksmithing wasn’t what I was expecting, but it didn’t lessen my inner childlike wonder.

“That was awesome!" Sam gushed, surprising the man. "Sorry, I’m Sam, and this is Cyrus. We're here to buy some starting equipment. We just joined the adventurers guild, and we need something other than our fists."

At the mention of buying equipment, his face lost the hard scowl and broke out into a grin.

“Well, follow me inside then. I got plenty of basic stuff for folks like you,” he said happily.

His footfalls were heavy enough that I felt tiny vibrations every time he took a step. The oni wasn't just huge; he must have weighed a ton. It only gave me more appreciation for the bulging musculature of the man.

His shop seemed fitted to someone of his height because even with him standing completely straight, there was still several inches of room left for head clearance.

Despite my excitement, the inside of the shop lacked the grandeur my imagination drummed up. There was no massive room filled with enchanted weapons and blades. I didn’t find a single sword encrusted with some giant jewel, and no blade carried magical runes glowing on its metal. It was barebones and tidy. The room had wooden mannequins set in orderly lines to display basic armor. Most of the gear was leather, while there was chain mail on others. Only one stand had what looked like a full set of iron heavy plate. Displayed on some of the shelves were swords or daggers, while wooden barrels held spears and arrows. In one corner, I even saw what looked like a box of iron nails. It made sense, considering that this was a new town, but the lack of magical items dimmed some of my earlier excitement.

“Well, you can peruse to your pleasure, or you can tell me what you're looking for. This stuff is all fairly cheap and perfect for any fledgling adventurer. If you want to give me a budget I can work with, then that’ll work even better,” he said.

His voice was deep and rough, but his demeanor remained friendly and inviting. I was just glad he wasn’t another Arlen. Dealing with the butcher felt like dipping my soul in salt and watching every last drop of life siphon away.

I let Sam take the lead since she was the one most in need of a weapon.

“I’m looking for a hammer, preferably something I could hold one-handed. Cyrus needs a spear. And after that, it’ll be whatever basic armor we can afford. I’m pretty sure we're working around thirty silver.” she gave me a searching look at the end, and I nodded. “Yeah, so not a lot, but we just need something to start with.”

Separated into two piles were gear for Sam and gear for me. I left Sam to pick what she found best for her and focused on my pile. I picked up the third spear. It was longer than the one Brelten had me use, with a shaft of rich brown wood. It had a leaf-shaped blade without wings at the base. I gave it a twirl and practiced a few jabs.

I felt clumsy.

The spear itself weighed heavier and longer than I would have liked. Putting the weapon down, I moved on to the second spear. This time, the blade sported a more angular head and had two wide bars at its base. Measuring it, the spear was only about five feet from end to tip. My movements were smoother, and the spear felt light in my hands. I was certain that I was going to choose this spear, but I set it down and tried the last spear anyway. The final option seemed to be the middle ground between the two. Eventually, I set it down and confirmed my selection on the second spear. When I finally started paying attention to my surroundings again, I saw Sam had already finished selecting her hammer.

“Did you find what you wanted?” I asked Sam as I walked up.

In response, she turned to me and lifted up her choice. It was surprisingly short, with the handle being about as long as my forearm. On the end was what I could only describe as two blocks of metal connected together. There was no fanciful etching or framework, just solid hunks of dull iron metal.

“Hey, don't judge a weapon by its sheen, Cyrus,” Sam admonished.

The blacksmith nodded his head as if Sam had just spoken something profound.

I held up my hands to placate the two. “I’m just surprised. Didn’t think you’d go for something so short.”

Sam grinned. “This way, I have some reach while still being able to pack a good wallop. Figured if I use this, it’ll be easier to use my skills. The shorter reach enables me to throw my Tidal Fist into the mix. What about you?”

In the end, it was her weapon, even if I’d never be one to go smashing things in with blunt objects.

I hefted up my spear. My choice wasn’t so nuanced. After all, my skill set wasn’t dependent on my melee prowess.

“I made my choice,” I said. I set the spear next to Sam’s hammer on the counter. “So, do we still have enough to get some armor?”

“Your spear is relatively lighter on metal and easier to make. So it’ll only cost you seven silvers. Sam’s hammer will cost twelve. I can offer you a discount since you're buying weapons. For thirty silvers, I’ll throw in a chain mail shirt and a simple leather vest. Just need to know who's wearing what so I can size it to you. I’ll sharpen your spear while I’m at it,” the blacksmith said.

I definitely didn’t feel like wearing chain mail, so the decision was easy. We left with our money pouch severely lightened, but our arms were heavy with new gear. Deciding not to walk around carrying heavy items for no reason, we store our purchases in our inventories and made our way back to Oleander's.

“You know, we never actually learned the guy's name,” I mentioned casually.

Sam held her finger up to correct me, but nothing came out of her mouth.

“Damn, you're right,” she grumbled.

“Let’s just ask Bera. She probably knows everyone in town.”

“Alright.”

Bera did exactly that. She congratulated us on taking our first real step to becoming adventurers and laughed good-naturedly. Turns out the blacksmith’s name was Volan. Apparently, the man has been trying to offload his cheaper equipment for a while. His only problem was that most adventurers who came to Edolus were already geared up since they were mostly here for the dungeon. The mention of the dungeon reminded me to ask Brelten for information. I highly doubted we were anywhere close to being able to delve it ourselves, but it didn’t hurt to have a goal to prepare for.

I stared at the last of our silvers reluctantly, but I handed them over to Bera anyway. The last thing I wanted was to lose the ability to stay at Oleander's. She pushed my coins back into my hand, much to my surprise. When I asked her why, she gave me an evil grin.

Early in the morning, about the exact same time we left, Cedric came in with Lena and the other two guardsmen. They gave their deepest apologies and paid for our lodgings for the next week. Bera leaned in closely in order to whisper in our ears. She said Cedric looked like he had swallowed lemons and quickly rushed out of her building with his guards following like scared chicklings chasing protection under their mother’s waddles. We got some pointed looks sent our way over our boisterous guffaws.

Before we left the village, we made one last stop at the village’s equivalent of a general store. Our last pieces of silver disappeared into welcoming hands as we spent it. Ended up getting two large and cheap leather water pouches, along with some fishing thread and some small items to help with maintaining my spear blade. By the end of the transaction, we were well and truly broke.

“So what's the plan, boss?” Sam asked cheekily.

“Well, you see, my dear minion, we need money,” I responded while twirling my imaginary mustache. I stopped when I realized that it's been over a week, and there wasn’t even a centimeter of scruff or facial hair growth to be seen. “Anyway, just follow me. We're in your typical fantasy world. All we need to do, is wield our incompetent battle prowess and bring back more loot. And I think I know who we can ask about finding us something to fight.”

If anyone knew where to best find monsters, then it would be the guards.

When I approached the building, I saw Warren exit. Spotting me, he waved and ran up to us.

“Heeey! Cyrus right? Thanks again for healing me. Honestly, I haven't felt this good in a while,” thanked the man as nearly picked me up in a firm squeeze.

“Oooh, uhh No problem, Warren. You feeling completely alright?” I asked the guard after he set me down.

Sam squinted and hmm’d to herself. I silently mouthed for her to be silent. Surely, accidents happen all the time in the forest. And if it just so happens that Sam trips and falls face-first into some mud, we’d be fine. Things would be especially fine if the little trip conveniently wiped out all those nasty gutter-clogging thoughts of hers.

Warren struck a pose and pretended to flex. “Good as new,” he said. “So, what brings you to the guards today?”

“We’re actually just looking for some advice or directions. Just bought our first weapons and figured it’d be nice to go out and get some practice. That and we’re currently dirt poor, and some beast corpses wouldn’t hurt,” I admitted.

Now, it was Warren’s turn to put on his thinking cap. After a few seconds, I could see the mental light bulb ding in his head.

“How about you two come on patrol with us? Was just about to go and catch up with my team and head out. I doubt the Captain would have issues with two extra hands. Especially since one of them has the ability to make any wounds disappear,” he said while nudging me lightly with his elbow.

It was not what I originally came here for, I just wanted some directions. Thinking about it, having backup and safety in numbers wasn’t a terrible idea since we were basically greenhorns swinging their first sticks. But we weren't soldiers...

“That’s not the worst idea…” I started. Warren’s face lit up but then dimmed as I paused dramatically. “It’s just that we wanted to get some practice fighting ourselves. Having a small group of guards helping us out would kind of defeat the purpose. But we're not guards.” I finished.

“Oh, that's alright. It’d be interesting to see you guys fight anyway. Besides, it just gives us more chances of not having to get hurt. Not that we’ll use you as meat shields, just if you want to throw yourselves at some beasts instead of us, well, we won’t stop you. And the only time I ask that you follow orders is if there is a severely serious situation or we are performing an official action. If we have to actually take care of things as a member of the guards, then I just ask that you either stay on the side or, at the least, let us take the lead,” he said.

“Sounds completely fair. So where are we meeting your other fellows?"

He clapped me on the back and led the way. We ended up walking just outside the village gates. Warren stopped and asked the gate guards a couple of questions, and we were on our way. Just before the treeline stood two people. One was a broad-shouldered man. On a closer inspection, he was the largest elf I’ve seen. His hair was buzzed short and sported a clean-shaven chin. The most notable features were his storm-gray eyes and a giant scar running across his throat. He stood with his arms crossed, but his eyes were observing the forest. Surprisingly, unlike the other guards who carried spears or a single sword, he had a sword strapped to his hip and a shield on his back.

The other person standing next to the beefy elf was a short, blonde-haired woman. She seemed completely relaxed and served as a sharp contrast to the tense giant next to her. Leaning on her spear, she seemed almost bored. They both turned to face us when they heard our footsteps.

“What took you so lo-,” the guardswoman began. “Warren?”

Warren held his hands up as we approached. “Met my savior from last night as I was leaving. Small change of plans. These two will be accompanying us as we go on patrol. This is Cyrus, and uh,” Warren started. He gave an apologetic look. “Sorry, but I don’t think I ever asked your name. I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

Sam waved him off. “Tis fine. I'm Sam."

“Right, so this is Cyrus, and this is Sam. They wanted to get some practice in with their new gear, and so they’ll be our personal walking meat shields for now,” Warren explained with a wink.

“Wait, you’re who healed Warren? Seriously, thank you for helping him. Seeing him all charred and burnt was terrible. I’m Nadia, and this big man over here is Marcus,” she said, introducing herself and the large man.

Marcus just inclined his head in my direction. Looking at the scar, I wondered if he was mute.

“Nice to meet you both. And just for the record, provided that I have mana, I’m completely happy to play healer while we're doing this,” I said.

My words brought smiles to both of them. Warren patted my arm, and we headed off into the woods.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I didn’t think we’d just be walking around. The only source of life that we saw were random birds hanging out in the branches. We made small talk and conversed openly, but they took their jobs seriously. They all had a level of alertness that stood testament to their actions.

Marcus never once spoke, but he did nod and shake his head at times. Never heard him laugh either.

Maybe he's mute? I'll ask when its not so awkward.

After the first few times Sam and I tripped over random roots or rocks, Nadia began teaching us where to step. Beyond just knowing where to put our foot down so we didn’t fall on our faces, we also learned where to step to avoid making loud noises and, in general, reduce the amount of sound we made. Warren laughed and said that by the end of the day, we may just learn to stop stomping around like angry giants. It really was a miracle that we never got attacked more than once on our week-long trek to the village.

It became even more embarrassing when I realized that despite Marcus' large stature, he didn’t make a sound as he moved through the forest. He was like a giant ghost, silently gliding in the underbrush. I would have asked Warren about the man, but I suspected he could hear me no matter how far ahead he was.

By the third hour, we finally got some excitement. Marcus scared the hell out of me by popping up out of nowhere. He made a few hand signs, and Warren called for a stop.

“Ok, looks like you guys can finally get some action. Marcus says there is a pair of thistlespines roaming just ahead. They’re currently drinking from the river and should be easy to sneak up on,” Warren informed us.

“What are thistlespines?” Sam asked.

“Hmm, they’re usually a low tier beast who uses their sharp spines on their back to warn off predators. Most tier ones can’t shoot their spines yet, so you should be safe. Don’t let their slow ambling gait fool you. They can and will charge you like an angry bug. Need to be especially careful when they do; near the end of their charge, they jump and launch themselves while curling up into a ball of spikey death. The end of their spines deliver a numbing agent and can be fatal if you're injected with too much. If you get stabbed through the lungs, heart, or throat, it can be guaranteed death.” Warren answered.

“If you need any help, just holler, and we’ll come to your rescue,” Nadia added.

“Don’t worry, I'll go face that big bad monster and keep you nice and safe,” said Sam coyly.

Nadia blushed in response and turned away. I was wondering how long it’d take Sam to start doing this. It was honestly surprising she lasted this long.

Marcus looked around awkwardly while Warren hid a smile behind his hand. There were some wide-eyed stares as we both manifested our gear out of thin air. With only a single basic piece of chest armour, gearing up was done within moments. Sam donned her chain mail shirt and gave her hammer a twirl. My leather vest weighed against my chest but left my arms free. I wasn’t sure what exactly it was made of because the leather had faded streaks of black, looking almost like it had tiger stripes running through it.

"Sounds a lot more dangerous than fire piggy," I whispered.

"It's just an overgrown rodent. We got this," she grinned.

The thistlespines could only be described as plant porcupines. The spines were elongated quills reminiscent of a rose’s thorns. On top of their head a small spikey tuft of hair gleamed dark blue and jotted across their neck. Their actual bodies came up to my knees, but with their spines, they reached just past my waist. Like Marcus described, they had their backs turned to us and were still drinking from the river. I did spot the gleam of the silver fish congregating around their heads.

I summoned both Zharia and Áine. Neither said a word and sat on different shoulders. I tried to establish a mental connection the way Áine did last night. “Hey Zharia, can you hear this?”

“Yes, Master, what’s the plan? Shall I burn them to ash?” Zharia mentally chirped back.

I found it strange that Zharia still sounded like she chirped the words into my ear, while Zhuyin lacked any effect of her animal body influencing her mental speech.

I winced as Zharia pecked my neck.

“Well, duh, that's cause Auntie is older,” Zharia said exasperatedly.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m going to sneak up and stab it. When it turns around, I want you to fire into its eyes. If we can preserve the bodies, it will probably help us sell them for money. And we need all we can get."

I nodded to Sam, and she saw us slowly sneaking up. The three hours spent learning to make less noise while walking helped tremendously. I brandished my spear and held it out straight in front of me with both hands gripping the shaft. Exitement built in my chest and I flexed my fingers against the wood of my spear. This was different from before. I had more than a crappy branch to fight this beast.

Right as I got in striking distance, I looked over and saw Sam waiting for me to start. I mouthed a countdown.

Three...

I planted my leg like Brelten showed me and leaned forward.

Two...

Sam grinned and raised her hammer high.

One!

I stabbed forward; my spear pierced up to the wings, and I was forced to pull back. I heard a meaty thunk from Sam’s end but kept my eyes glued to my target.

The thistlespine didn’t care for my strategy, and instead of turning around, it reared up and launched itself backwards. I tried to scramble out of the way of the prickly projectile, but it still managed to stick me with two of its barbs into my upper thigh.

“Zharia! Burn its eyes!” I mentally screamed.

It knocked me onto my ass when I tried to stand up. The numbing venom was already making me feel like that part of my leg didn’t exist. Áine stayed on my shoulder, and I could already see the familiar green glow coming from her hands while Zharia flight.

Gripping my weapon tightly, I swept it towards the thistlespine and scored a shallow cut on its back leg. A loud, high-pitched squeak escaped from the injured creature, and it finally turned around. It used its spiked shoulder to knock aside my spear and started to charge. Just as it reached my foot, it screamed in pain.

Zharia sprayed golden fire at its eyes, engulfing its head. My left leg fought my effort, but I managed to stand. The thistlespine thrashed, smashing its head into dirt. It failed to notice me thrusting the blade of my spear into its neck.

I wasn’t able to pull my spear back in time as it reared back. It's spines missed my h and by an inch and it dropped to its belly. My spear stayed lodged in its neck as it erractically rolled around in attempt to buck it off.

“Burn again, Master?” asked Zharia.

I shook my head, and we watched it throw its battered body around. My spear only split the wound on its neck even wider during the chaotic frenzy. It didn't take long and it died shortly after, seeming to have bled to death. Smoke rose from the burnt remains of its face and I scrunched my nose. The smell penetrated my nostrils but thankfully the fire had been put out in its flailing.

I looked over and managed to catch the end of Sam’s battle. She was in a sorry state; her right arm was covered in spines and hung limply to her side. Spines pulled at her skin where they had been embedded into her shoulder. A single spine stabbed into her calf, but the tip had broken in the fight.

As it launched itself at her, transforming into a volleyball from hell. Sam threw her hammer at the last second. The heavy metal object collided with the creature mid-air and stopped its momentum. There was a sound of snapping bone as her hammer broke several of the spines on its back. Wasting no time, I saw the ground ripple as Sam launched off her good leg and cocked back her arm. The creature died the same way all her enemies have died so far, with a Tidal Fist to the dome.

As I walked over, Áine flew ahead and began healing Sam. I winced as she started pulling out the quills embedded into her flesh. The trio of guards approached slowly. Marcus went over to inspect my kill while Nadia and Warren walked over to us.

“I hate to say it, but that was terrible. Cool finisher aside, Sam, Cyrus, that was hard to watch,” commented Nadia bluntly.

I winced. I knew it was terrible, but it wasn’t like we’d really done this before. Maybe a little too defensively, I sought to justify our attempt to fight monsters.

Warren put a hand on my shoulder.

“I wouldn’t say it was that bad. For someone who's never really fought a thistlespine before, it wasn’t the worst showing. I suppose it is my failure to warn you not to stand directly behind them. Generally, you take a stance slightly to the side since they have trouble moving laterally. You guys have some really cool skills, though,” Warren said reassuringly.

“Fine, not that horrible. Just Cyrus, you move like you’re made of stone. Everything about you was so tense. Fighting with a spear the way you are requires the ability to move fluidly and harass your enemies,” Nadia commented.

I winced again. I wanted to argue that I didn’t have any movement skills, but I knew that was a weak argument. Even if I wasn’t some destined god of melee mastery, I didn’t have to stand around and wait for the enemy to come to me over and over.

“Yeah, sorry. Still getting used to the idea of actually trying to fight a magical monster instead of just standing and hoping for the best,” I admitted.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll do better next time around,” said Warren. He gave me a hopeful smile, which caused me to chuckle.

"It's not actually magical," Nadia corrected. Warren glared and she quickly held up her hands. "Not yet at least. And that's a good thing. Magical beasts are terrifying for someone at our level."

Marcus came over and handed Sam her hammer back. With Áine’s healing, there weren't any lasting injuries. I dismissed Áine and Zharia with a mental thanks and helped Sam up. Collectively, we went over and examined Sam’s kill. Warren whistled, Nadia smirked, and Marcus gave Sam a respectful look.

“Damn, you pack a mean punch, girl,” Nadia commented.

Sam flexed her blue guns and kissed her knuckles. “Would you believe me if I said that all three times I’ve used this skill have resulted in the exact same thing?” asked Sam, her teeth bared in a wide grin.

“You mean dead?”

“No, I meant with their puny skulls caved in,” Sam answered, her smile becoming ridiculously large.

“I would, without a doubt,” Warren chuckled.

“Too bad we can’t really bring back the bodies. Thistlespine venom glands are great alchemy ingredients. And their spines are helpful for making numbing agents and are used for a wide amount of things. Most commonly, besides alchemy, is bait for fishing,” Warren said wistfully.

I was honestly surprised. At this point, I figured everybody knew about our storage powers. Sam gave me a knowing look and bowed lightly. At this point, I was beginning to enjoy surprising people. I summoned the Star Whelp and laughed as the trio gaped with their jaws slack. The little dragon sucked up both corpses and promptly returned.

“What the hell was that?!” Nadia asked, bewildered at the display.

I didn’t respond and continued smirking. Warren muttered something under his breath, and Marcus flashed a long series of hand signs. The two shared an exchange of looks, and Warren sighed before meeting my gaze.

“Hey, Cyrus… Do you have a Legacy?” Warren asked hesitantly.

I turned and faced him fully. The others were now staring at me intensely, waiting for an answer.

“I do. I’m guessing all my familiars gave me away?” I asked.

The three of them widened their eyes in a synchronous motion.

“I suspected something when you brought the fairy and the bird out. Can I ask what it is?” Warren asked.

I shook my head. Even if the effect of my Legacy was obvious with just a little observation, I wasn’t too keen on giving out all of my secrets. I liked Warren, and the other two so far have been friendly enough, but I didn’t know them that well.

“No, sorry. That information is private,” I said brusquely.

Nadia frowned, but Warren held up both his hands. “Yeah, sorry for asking. That was rude. It's just exceedingly rare to meet someone with a mark."

The conversation died briefly. The mood felt awkward. Sam punched Warren lightly on the arm. “Not that it matters, but I have a Legacy as well,” Sam said.

The previous silence from earlier disappeared as Sam spearheaded the conversation while we continued on the patrol. We spent another hour walking before we took a break by a river bend. Marcus helped me tie the silver fishing line to my spear after I explained I wanted to catch some fish. My attempts were disastrously bad as I attempted to spearfish. Thankfully, Marcus helped out. Using my spear, we caught a total of eight fish. Nadia helped Sam descale the catcj while Warren collected firewood. We roasted four fish, and I finally convinced Sam to store the rest in her storage.

While the fish roasted, I sat back using my arms to prop me up. The grass tickled my skin and I enjoyed the slight breeze against my face.

I didn’t know how today was going to go when we rushed off to the blacksmith, but I was glad I went to the guard’s building. Even with Marcus not speaking, we all shared a few laughs and relaxed as we waited for the fish to cook. The meal wasn't too bad, the trio having supplemented the meager food with some hard bread and chalky cheese from their packs.

They revealed that they were glad to have fresh fish since the bread and cheese were supposed to be their lunch. Sam managed to slip in even more flirting when she reached over and thumped Nadia on the back when she choked on a fish bone. At this point, I was sure Nadia was reciprocal to the flirting since she didn’t lean away from Sam’s reach afterward. No doubt, Sam would be inviting Nadia to her room later in the night.

The next couple of hours were relatively peaceful, and we continued undisturbed. There was an annoying moment when a pair of feathered squirrel creatures threw berries at us, but beyond some light ribbing from the guards and more flirting from Sam--nothing came of it. Turns out the little blighters probably just birthed some kits since they only got aggressively territorial when they were raising babies. Our leathers were now stained with an interesting collage of reds and blues.

Near the middle of the seventh hour, we ran into a mature emberboar. This fight went much easier than last time. Using my spear, I played the role of annoying bait, scoring shallow cuts all across its body. The pig's demise was guaranteed when Sam broke one of its front legs. When she smashed her hammer into the other front limb, I used my spear to stab into its neck and hold it down.

As it began to snort hot flames from its face, I summoned Zharia and had her absorb most of the raging fire. It swirled into her beak and filled her up far past what her tiny size presented.

The emberboar managed to burn Sam’s hands when she went in to smash its skull in. With a twist, I ripped my spear out of its neck, leaving a nasty jagged cut, and we all backed up to let it bleed itself to death. The creature’s dying squeals were pitiful. I almost felt disgusted with myself over the fact that I didn’t really feel sorry for the beast. The only thing I could really feel was my blood running hot and the feeling of adrenaline-fueled excitement.

When the beat died, we all relaxed and my familiar attended to Sam's wounds.

Áine healed Sam’s hands and any minor burns that might have occurred. Zharia made me laugh as she finished consuming the surrounding fire, burning the dead leaves around us, and then promptly burping enough to jolt her out of the air.

“Thank you for the meal, Master,” Zharia chirped, sounding more sluggish than usual.

Zharia landed on my shoulder and snuggled into the crook of my neck. I titlted to provide her comfort and watched Nadia approach.

“Those familiars sure are convenient,” Nadia remarked.

I sucked the boar into my inventory and walked back towards the main group.

“They really are. I was afraid Zharia would be useless during fights with fire-aligned beasts, but she gets to keep me safe while enjoying a delicious meal. One bird, two stones, sorta situation,” I said.

Nadia scrunched up her face. “Never heard that saying before, but even I can tell what you said sounded wrong,” she said. I merely shrugged in response and she continued. “So the bird’s name is Zharia, huh? I remember Warren saying the fairy’s name was Awnyah or something.”

“It's spelled Á-i-n-e, pronounced Awn-ya. It's a name from folklore from where I'm from. A queen of the faries. I had to give the little spirit a name when I contracted it." I turned to regard my familiar and smiled. "It felt the most fitting."

Nadia looked like she wanted to ask me a question but didn’t say anything else by the time we walked back to the others. I received a couple of approving remarks about how we handled the beast and I bowed. My dragonling sucked the hog in and we continued on our way.

Nothing happened during the eighth hour of the patrol, and we started heading back to the village. As the ninth hour started to flow, Sam and I finally saw the trio in action.

The last thing we expected was a giant neon yellow turkey-looking beast to come flying out of nowhere squawking to the heavens. We all prepared ourselves, readying to fight the bird, but it rushed past us, leaving us stunned and confused. Our confusion was cleared up when five zilvawolves came rushing out from behind the trees. I’d recognize those stupid black and white ferret-looking bodies anywhere. The wolves slowed down briefly as they noticed us, yet continued sprinting anyway. None of the trio flashed any flashy magic, but they were efficient and well-practiced.

Marcus started the fight by smacking the handle of his sword into his shield, eliciting a loud clanging noise from the metal. He drew the ire of three wolves. The other two wolves split themselves between Sam and me. I didn’t hesitate to send my familiars closer, positioning them to swoop in and provide support. I had both of them fly off into the branches. I mentally instructed Áine to heal whoever looked the most in danger and told Zharia to not hold back and to stay up there until called.

Two of the wolves attacked first by lunging at Marcus at the same time. One of the wolves was blocked by his shield, but the other wolf used the distraction to launch itself higher and scored, raking claw marks against his shoulder before Nadia smacked it away. Using the attack as a starting signal, the wolf nearest to me lunged and tackled me away from the group. I saw Sam’s wolf nearly dodge a smash from her hammer before clamping its jaw down on her leg. To my luck, I managed to roll and recover swiftly, bringing my spear to bear in front of me. The last wolf who hung back and waited for the others to attack was sent stumbling by a sudden golden fireball breaking over its head.

Seconds flew by but felt like minutes, I managed to keep my wolf at bay by leveraging my superior range. But zilvawolves were fast, and it dodged most of my strikes. Sam had severely punished the beast biting her by clubbing it to death with her hammer. The trio had obviously practiced extensively with each other. Whenever a wolf would attack, it was met with a wall of metal and stabbed or cut by Nadia’s and Warren’s swords. The first wolf went down quickly, followed by the second when it tried to do another joint attack on Nadia. Their last wolf was smashed into the ground and held down till Nadia and Warren plunged their blades into its neck when it tried to retreat. The fight finished when my wolf went down and succumbed to severe burn injuries via Zharia’s constant stream of fire. Throughout the fight, I could hear an angry stream of garbled words coming from the little bird, something along the lines of turning its entire pack into a pile of ashes.

Áine took care of all of our injuries, and she booped everyone’s noses before giving a mid-air twirl and disappearing back into my soul. Zharia flew down like a golden burning ball of anger, demanding praise. She only disappeared after her seventh compliment, highlighting the splendor of her feathers.

I sucked up four of the five wolf corpses. I highly doubted I’d get anything from the burnt, charred mess of the last one. The others fought well, and without them, I would probably be dead. I promised to sell the beast bodies when we got back and give them their share of coins. Considering that without us, they would have been forced to leave most of the beast bodies, they appreciated the extra silver and thanked me.

We returned to the village riding high on our success and entered the gates. The others said they had to turn in and notify Cedric they were back. Warren said that he would have to make a report, but he was hopeful he could convince the captain to postpone it until tonight. I told the others to go ahead to Oleander's and grab a table. I’d hang around and wait for Warren before we headed over to Arlen’s.

It was about ten minutes before Warren finally came out of the guard building, and we continued on to the butcher.

“Did everything go okay? Did you have to make your report?” I asked casually as we stepped around a pair of very drunk elves.

Warren helped steady one of the drunks before he tripped and smashed his head into a wall before replying. “Everything went fine, just had to give a brief verbal report to the captain. He was concerned over the number of zilvawolves, but he agreed with me and said it was just a run of bad luck. I’m to deliver the report before I head out on patrol tomorrow, so we're good to relax for tonight,” he answered back.

“That's good. I’m glad nobody else needed my services tonight. I plan on eating a large hot meal and relaxing till I have to probably get my ass kicked by Brelten. Maybe this time I’ll actually manage to score a hit on the man,” I said.

Warren nearly stumbled. I looked over with concern, but he continued keeping pace.

“First, why would the guard need your services? Second, what do you mean get your ass kicked by Brelten? You could only be talking about the guild master. And if you are, the idea of you scoring an unwanted hit against the man would be downright ridiculous,” he asked doubtfully.

“I agreed to heal you saps till the caravan comes and delivers your healing supplies. Hard to heal dangerous crippling wounds when all you have is ointment and bandages. And about Brelten,” I answered before summoning my guild badge. His eyebrow raised when I showed him my pearly white badge. “Because Brelten is training me and Sam somewhat. He is the one who helped us pick out our weapon choices and then proceeded to smack us around like unruly children. I’m frightful of the future if he ever starts deciding we need Áine to provide continued healing so we can extend the torture session.”

Warren laughed with me. “I’m glad you're helping us lowly guards out then, and hey, our own training was just as gruesome. We aren't even allowed to leave for patrols until we’ve had basic fighting instincts smacked into our brains."

I smiled and enjoyed the banter. When we got to Arlen’s, the bored-looking man just motioned to his counter with his cleaver. Just as dry as before, he only grunted as I pulled out the two thistlespines, the emberboar, and the four zilvawolves. He offered six silvers for the wolves, along with another fifteen silvers for the emberboar. Apparently, the beast had a fire-aspected, tier-one beast core. I had no idea what the core was, but it added considerable value to the body. The thistlespines were sold for another seven and nine silvers, respectively. The porcupine that suffered broken spines from Sam’s hammer sold for less due to the damage. All in all, I walked out of that shop with a sizable pouch of thirty-seven silvers. I pulled out nine of the silvers and handed them to Warren.

“Wait, why nine? The wolves only sold for six, and two of those wolves were yours. This is too much,” Warren asked.

“Think of the extra money as a tip for letting us on a patrol with you three and watching our backs. Besides, I had a great time, and I know Sam enjoyed herself,” I said, brushing off his concern.

He paused but continued when I kept walking to Oleander's after pocketing the silver. “Thanks, I know the others will be ecstatic."

We entered Oleanders and found everyone sitting down at a table near the back. The three of them already had plates of food half devoured and Sam currently had her arm slung around Nadia’s shoulders. Nadia blushed slightly when she noticed our arrival but was distracted by Sam waving us over.

“Hey guys! How did the sale go?” asked Sam cheerfully.

In response, I tossed her the sack of coins while Warren gave three pieces of silver to both Marcus and Nadia. Sam poked the jingling pouch and opened it slowly. Her canines were on full display as she smiled over the amount of silvers in the pouch.

Looking over, she saw Nadia and Marcus' happy demeanors and noticed the stack of coins in their hands. “Daaaaamn, we did good!” Sam shouted.

Bera came by and set two full plates of ribs and large mugs of ale in front of Warren and me. She congratulated us on our success and hurried back to the kitchen. We spent the evening merry and relaxed after a good day's work. I drew some curious faces at the table when I summoned an orange pouch and told each of them to reach in and grab a handful. Warren pulled out a peanut butter cup, a licorice stick, and some bonbon-looking piece of chocolate. Marcus snagged another full-size candy bar, a large peppermint puff, and a small black pouch that vaguely resembled a pop rocks packet. Nadia’s haul was the most impressive. She somehow pulled out a full-sized rainbow swirl lollipop, a small plastic pouch filled with colorful candy-shelled chocolate, and a pumpkin-shaped cookie.

We got ripped off the first time we used this.

Sam managed to convince Nadia to share the mini chocolates as she went to town on the lollipop. Warren frowned at the licorice stick but moaned in delight over the peanut butter cup. Marcus had the funniest reaction of the bunch. Sam explained what to do with the pop rocks and told him to just pour it on his tongue and not to immediately spit them out. When the first crystal made a loud popping sound, he jumped right out of his chair. Calming the alarmed giant took a bit of coaxing, but eventually, he sat back down and poured more of the candy into his mouth.

I sucked the pouch, the silver, and the badge I had in my pocket back into my dragon’s stomach. By the end, I was begged for an explanation and asked if they could pull out some more. I gave a full belly laugh and ignored the stares. Their faces were hilarious when I told them it was an ether-storm item that only allowed three uses per day. Seeing the giant mountain of an elf pouting like a child was both strange and funny. Nadia looked like she was ready to rush off and search for a storm to throw random things into.

Eventually, I begged off and said I had to head over to the adventurers guild. Sam decided to stay and was already sneaking off upstairs with a red-faced Nadia by the time I got ready to leave. Saying goodbye to Warren and Marcus, I walked out into the crisp night air. The air here was completely different from the air back in the city at home. Back on Earth, we had smog-filled city skylines, and the air always had a different taste to it. Here, it was like breathing in the feeling of walking through a fresh forest. Looking up at the sky, the pink moon was big and bright, unclouded and surrounded by stars. It almost seemed like a travesty to ruin such a good night by getting my ass beat, but I wasn’t going to shirk my promise to get stronger.

Today felt like the first time since this entire fiasco began that I really took a step forward.