Sleep came as easily as hunting a great horned bear after last night. In other words, I barely slept.

  My muscles ached, my head throbbed, and worry had begun to find a foothold within my psyche.

  Around my village or at my home in the Duskwoods, I never had to worry about assassins. There were no slimy merchants plotting to kidnap my friends, and there certainly hadn’t been any threat of the Fell transforming you into their monstrous puppets.

  I’d been taking everything in stride thus far but last night, for the second time now since I first met Lunae and Tenebrae, I had almost died.

  I found myself missing home. Missing my father’s sarcastic humor and dodgy cooking. The gentle ease only familiar woods could bring. The routine of hunting, training, relaxing by the shaded brook, and working around our simple cottage. That was all behind me now. I had to keep moving. If not for myself then in memory of my mother. I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling, though, that things would only get harder.

  As I drifted in and out of sleep my dreams flashed sporadically, a red tinted monster barrelling towards me, a hooded figure pointing his curled finger at my heart, a poisoned dagger burying itself in my side, immeasurable pain. I’d jolted awake more times than I could count.

  There was something else as well.

  Lunae’s words to me when she finally granted me her power in my fight against the Lieutenant.

  “Your fight is not yet over…”

  Those words echoed endlessly in my head.

  There had been something else in her voice—a shadow beneath the resolve, like she knew more than she was letting on. Not just about the battle… but about me.

  When the morning sun finally rose over the shingled rooftops of Tilver’s Crossing, my eyes carried dark shadows.

  My head slowly turned to Bront, who sat up in his cot as though he were an undead rising from a coffin, his face glued to the wall ahead.

  I nodded slowly to myself, agreeing with the sentiment.

  I’d been worried about the potential fallout between Kaela and the others as well. Especially Selene, who, aside from me, was the only one who knew the full truth.

  Luckily, at least that worry had been sated. As I stepped to the balcony to stretch my tired limbs before preparing to leave, I noticed Selene and Kaela walking below, seemingly returning from a morning stroll. Selene wore her usual relaxed smile, and Kaela… well, hers wasn’t forced this time. Not the mask she wore when bluffing or teasing, but something lighter. Maybe she'd found a sliver of peace in their conversation.

  Good.

  I looked up as a small spectral bird fluttered gracefully in the wind nearby, its form composed of beautiful, glowing blue magic. Before I had a chance to appreciate it fully, it suddenly dive bombed me, causing me to flinch aggressively, and douse myself with my own cup of, still steaming, tea.

  I looked around in shock, my view landing on a wide-eyed Lyria, standing over on the girls balcony, her hands over her mouth in shock.

  I compressed my lips in restraint and shook my head helplessly.

  Lyria couldn’t help but break into laughter.

  “I’m so sorry—!” she offered between giggles.

  Shaking my tunic off—“I thought you were a mage, not a domestic terrorist—” I responded dryly, though I couldn’t help but laugh along.

  Bront walked out as our laughter faded, rubbing one massive hand across the side of his head. He looked me up and down, unimpressed.

  “You know you're supposed to drink it, right?” he said flatly.

  Lyria’s laughter doubled, and I simply smiled and nodded in defeat. I was happy, at least, Lyria seemed to be in high spirits despite everything that happened.

  Moments like these—normal, ridiculous, peaceful—felt more precious than ever.

  Upon Selene and Kaela’s return, we all retreated back to our rooms and prepared for the journey back to Lanton.

  * * *

  At the western gates of Tilver’s Crossing we ran into two Iron-ranked adventurers, also from Lanton, who requested to travel with us. With the rise in bandit activity, they were looking for safety in numbers. I couldn’t blame them. Though I had a feeling it would be an uneventful trek home.

  As we walked I managed to speak with them a bit, though, due to my exhaustion the conversation was pretty one sided.

  One of them, a young man with light hair and blue eyes, was a cleric. Told me his name was Ron. He’d come to Tilver’s Crossing searching for a holy artifact supposedly buried in some ancient catacombs. He didn't find it.

  His companion, a well-built female-dwarf named Margo, sported a battle axe, copper colored hair, and had lines of dwarven runes tattooed down either arm.

  She told me they’d only just started adventuring this season. Just like me.

  They were good company, and Margo’s thick northern accent made sure her crude jokes landed without fail each time.

  Kaela and Selene immediately took a liking to her.

  The journey lasted the whole day, much to the dismay of my aching muscles and throbbing head, but finally, with the sky a haze of pinks and oranges in the setting sun, we made it.

  Lanton stood proud on the horizon, just as it had when I’d first arrived. Purple and gold flags waving in the gentle breeze.

  We said our farewells to Margo and Ron at the gate, promising to grab a pint with them sometime soon, and made our way back to the Adventurers Guild.

  The Guild Hall held a decidedly tense atmosphere. Barely any adventurers stood around the quest boards. Those who did, stood stiffly, eyes darting about.

  On top of that, the party prep area was packed, even at this hour. Multiple parties gathered around the long tables, pouring over maps and documents, their shoulders tense and their faces shadowed.

  Turning my attention away from the various groups talking in hushed tones, I looked toward the reception desk.

  Once again, this evening's receptionist was Mary. I was beginning to wonder if she ever went home.

  Her pen fluttered across a piece of parchment, her head hunched over. She didn’t notice us until we were standing right in front of her. When she did finally look up, her eyes widened, and she shot up, adjusting her glasses.

  “You’re back! Thank the gods. We got a message from Marcus about your encounter on the road to Tilver’s Crossing,” Mary said, clearly flustered.

  Selene stepped forward. “And what did you hear, exactly?”

  “Marcus reported a bandit who transformed—bright red skin, glowing green eyes, and a fury beyond reason…” Mary said quickly, leaning in with eyes that asked, is it true?

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  Selene glanced around nervously, responding in a hushed tone. “Aye, that's accurate…but, should we really be discussing this here?”

  Mary looked confused for a split second until it dawned on her. “Oh—no, it’s alright. While you were gone, Guildmaster Gerald issued the official warning. Before long, Mayor Redfield will make an address to all of Lanton.”

  “Is it that serious already?” Lyria asked, pushing forward.

  Kaela cocked her head in confusion.

  That’s right—she hadn’t been with us during the fight with the Fell shaman, and after our encounter on the road with the Fell empowered bandit we hadn’t had time to fill her in.

  “I’m afraid so… with the confirmation of the attack during your quest, that brings the total to five confirmed attacks carried out by the Fellborn just in the time you were gone.”

  My stomach turned at the reveal, Selene and Bront both wore hard expressions, and Lyria looked more worried than ever.

  I glanced once again at Kaela, who still looked confused. She noticed my gaze and furrowed her brows inquisitively, mouthing a silent question—‘Fellborn’?

  I nodded silently, mouthing back to her—’I’ll explain later’.

  “Additionally…” Mary started, her voice somber. “The first known Silver-ranked adventurers have been taken.”

  Our party let out a unanimous gasp, aside from Kaela who still couldn’t fully understand.

  “Up to this point, only Stone, Iron, and a handful of Bronze adventurers had been captured. Now, with the disappearance of the Swords of Augustine, even Silver-ranked adventurers aren’t beyond their reach,” Mary said, her tone as foreboding as her words.

  “They… Managed to get August then...?” Selene said, voice breaking as her hand curled into a fist.

  The Swords of Augustine—a Silver-ranked party Selene, Bront, and Lyria had worked with a few times before. The very same party that helped us defeat the Fell shaman.

  Gone.

  Mary nodded slowly, her sullen expression relaying the weight of the situation.

  “Gods…” Lyria murmured, her knuckles whitening around her wrist.

  Even Silver-ranked adventurers were being taken now. I thought of the mark on my chest—the power I carried—and the words Lunae had whispered.

  Was this what she meant? Was this just the beginning?

  “And what is the guild's response to all of this?” Selene asked.

  “As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve cut back on quests—especially anything that might separate party members. Too risky. We’ve also opened up a new line of ‘Special Grade Quests’—starting at Silver level and up—for those brave enough to take them on.”

  “Lanton’s top Gold-ranked party has taken the lead on investigating the fellborn. They’re working around the clock to figure out why the Fell are targeting us, and how to stop it,” Mary said, exhaling as the tension began to fall from her shoulders.

  “Which brings me to my next topic. You have successfully completed the escort quest, [Trouble at Tilver’s Crossing]. Based on your firsthand account of the Fellborn bandit, the Guild has retroactively upgraded it to Silver-tier. From now on, any quest involving the Fell will be classed starting from Silver.”

  As such, and in accordance with the growing danger, I am happy to inform you that your party is being awarded with a Silver ranking.”

  Our excitement was palpable. Particularly amongst Bront, Selene, and Lyria, as this news meant they’d all individually just hit silver rank, though the context of the rank up made it bitter sweet to be sure.

  “Yukon,” Mary said, turning to meet my gaze. “Your rank has also been raised to Bronze thanks to your successful completion of the quest.”

  I smiled at the news, feeling a hint of pride build within my chest. Of course, Kaela ruined the moment immediately after.

  Kaela punched my arm, wide-eyed. “You mean to tell me you were Iron rank this whole time? A measly little Iron—and you still faced off against—”

  “Okay—! That’s enough!” I clapped a hand over her mouth, offering Mary my best ‘nothing-to-see-here’ smile.

  “What’s this all about...?” Mary said, her expression turning decidedly dangerous.

  “Nothing at all.” Selene said with finality, stepping forward with a smile.

  “If you would be so kind, my team is tired, we’ll accept our reward and be out of your hair.”

  With one final sharp glance from Mary, we received our reward, finalized some paperwork regarding the rank up, and left the reception desk with a curt thanks.

  With hazard pay, the safe delivery bonus, Marcus’s tip, and a small Guild reward for handling the fellborn, our earnings tallied up to 200 gold. Split evenly, that meant 40 each—Despite the dark times and Fellborn danger overshadowing our success, I smiled to myself, satisfied. With the 20 gold I’d already had, that brought my total to 60 gold. More than I’d ever held in my life. I wasn’t sure how long it would last… but for a moment, I let myself feel rich.

  * * *

  After night had fallen in full, our party found itself back within the familiar wooden walls of Falcon’s Flight tavern, huddled at our usual round table nearest the hearth. Surprisingly, even though the quest had officially been completed, Kaela remained with us for the moment.

  “To victory—and not dying!” Bront’s voice boomed, holding his mug of ale forward.

  “To victory—!” The rest of us responded in unison, clinking our frothy mugs together in celebration.

  Despite the darkness, despite the danger, we were still here, able to drink and joke together—a fact that had to be celebrated.

  Using the gold from our reward, we kept the ale flowing.

  As Selene, Lyria, and Bront celebrated finally hitting Silver rank, Kaela and I leaned in to each other, talking over the chorus of the tavern.

  I filled her in on the Fellborn threat in full, starting from the battle with the Fell shaman whose storm battered Lanton for the better part of a day. I explained the significance of August’s party being taken, and finally explained that the bandit we had encountered on the road had indeed been corrupted by Fell sorcery.

  “Dark stuff that is…” Kaela responded, sipping her ale, eyes locked with mine.

  “Aye, and it looks like it’s only getting worse,” I said back, sipping from my mug as well, not noticing my thigh brushing up against Kaela’s.

  A few drinks in now, Kaela leaned in further, hand brushing my shoulder as she narrowed her eyes to match her mischievous smile.

  “What do you say you and I—”

  “Hey—spear girl!” Lyria said sharply, cutting off Kaela and leaning over the table, her mug of ale sloshing clumsily.

  “Handsh off! He’s mine!” She said, her words slightly slurred.

  I looked over at her, wide eyed, my face burning up at once.

  Well… that was unexpected.

  Drunk or not…did she mean it?

  Kaela’s smirk promised she’d heard it too, but she didn’t look shaken. She looked interested.

  “Huh–?” Was all I could manage before Selene, laughing heartily, threw her arm around Lyria.

  “Woah there girly—! Let’s get you to bed before you embarrass yourself.” She said, shaking her head and giving me a wink as if telling me to dismiss that last bit, she was drunk after all.

  Bront cackled and slammed his mug on the table with a heavy ‘thunk’—foamy ale flying everywhere.

  Kaela smirked and pushed herself from the table.

  “Aye…the days’ been long enough, I’m going to bed too—” She said, tossing me one last lingering glance as she turned and headed for the stairs.

  Selene practically carried a giggling Lyria up the stairs as well, heading for their own room.

  I turned to face Bront who didn’t seem to have a care in the world, he just kept knocking back tankards like nothing was going to stop him.

  Pushing myself up and turning to leave, I sighed and said, “yeah, I’m going to head to bed too. Long day and all—”

  Bront didn’t speak. He just grabbed my collar like a bear snatching a salmon and planted me back in my seat.

  “No leaving,” he declared, “not until the tavern’s dry and we’re both legally dead.”

  I reluctantly took up a tankard. Sporting a terrified smile, my face going pale as a ghost.

  “Hah—right, that’s what I was going to say—”

  With that, we drank until my vision went black. But even in my fading haze, a warning bell rang—soft, distant, but insistent. Something wasn’t right. The Fell’s reach was spreading. The mystery surrounding Lunae and Tenebrae only deepened, the missing pages, the King of Death.

  A shadow moved beneath it all—and somehow, it was starting to feel like I stood at the center of it.

  I didn’t have time to linger on the flutter in my chest, the bashful smile that I carried as I blacked out, the faint warmth that spread in my cheeks. Even through the haze of ale and exhaustion, her words echoed—‘He’s mine.’ Drunk or not, she’d said it. And somehow, that whisper meant more to me than all the gold in my pocket. Even as the shadows crept closer, even as Lunae’s warning rang like a bell in my mind… I smiled like a fool.