Upon reaching the guild hall proper I saw that four of my friends were seated at a large round table with another new face, Harkan. Rose and Eva seemed a bit unsure, but not as much as Leshal who I had waved up. The lizardman smiled still as we approached the table, Garth having already set some drinks for us. Before anyone else could speak, Harkan stood with a glimmer in his eyes.

  “Alexilios, was it? Harkan. A pleasure, I’m sure. 'Twas an impressive battle. I wasn’t fully expecting you to trounce those brats so well in a one versus four.” He reached his hand out to shake, which I took. His grip was a fair bit more gentle than I had expected but I didn’t say anything of it.

  “Thank you. I take it you were on the investigatory team with Adrien and his group? Did you all only make it back today?” Thinking about it, it had been around a week already since they left.

  “Aye. That we have. Come, sit, they’ve told me much about you.” Harkan pulled a chair out for both Eva and Rose, causing them to blush slightly.

  “I should think introductions are in order before we celebrate that jarring victory, aye Lios?” Adrien called from the other side of the table.

  “Sure, allow me to introduce everyone.” I went through and called out everyone's names, introducing each one as I sat beside Elric with Rose to my left and Eva beside her. Leshal seemed to want to leave but sat between Harkan and Eva. “And the newest member of our group, for the time being, is Leshal.”

  “Say, Lios, isn't Rose the bard from Kinnesville you were -” Elric grunted as I tried to kick him under the table when I realized he was trying to embarrass me. “- Drooling over?”

  My kick hadn’t stopped him in the slightest. I groaned and shook my head ignoring the very curious gaze Rose was throwing my way. “I wouldn’t say I was ‘drooooling’ over her...”

  She giggled softly, causing my blush to grow deeper. “Oh but, I certainly remember you staring at her with your mouth dangling open for at least half an hour.” Amelia supplied, grinning toothily.

  “I was simply entranced by her music!” I exclaimed with exasperation, knowing I wasn’t helping my case.

  “Her music, her lips, her hair, her dress. Aye you were entranced alright.” Adrien called out with some foam coating his upper lip, slamming the tankard down. A belly laugh roiled out from him as I playfully sank deeper into my chair and attempted to cover my face.

  “Worry not Miss Rose, as the newest member of this group I’ll ensure your safety from the amorous Alexilios!” Leshal piped in, taking the opportunity to rib at me. Laughter erupted from the others at the table as I chuckled as well and straightened back up.

  “I get it I get it, can we move on now? When did you guys get back?” I attempted to divert the conversation even as Rose seemed to smirk self satisfactorily beside me.

  “Oh just today. Actually, just in time to watch your match. How’d that come about anyway?” Liana saved me though there was a twinkle of mirth about her.

  Leshal responded for me, grimacing slightly. “It seemed my former teammate has grown increasingly jealous of Lios hanging around a woman who had rejected him. He had the party swoop in to intimidate him into leaving them alone, but you saw the final results.”

  “Yeah, it seems he was in over his head by a fair amount. Not that I believe he gave it his all but...” Eva piped up. At her voice Sky finally left my shoulder and crawled over Rose’s lap to get to Eva.

  “She gives best scratches.” came Sky’s message alongside an image of Eva’s nails which were longer than I realized, long especially for an archer.

  “He did. To be fair, I didn’t believe the dancing swordsman was as capable as rumors would suggest. Not that there are too many but maybe there will be more. Did any of us even scratch you?” Leshal leaned over the table to get a good look at me as he said this, his green scales glittering faintly under the lights.

  “No. Well, someone almost did but it was just my shirt that was cut, not me. You were the closest. Had you let go of the handle and grabbed the wrist strap of your hammer while I was dodging backwards you would’ve gotten me for sure.” I grinned at our new comrade who didn't seem too beaten up over losing.

  Before anyone could say anything more, a yell ripped through the halls din from the training grounds, muffled by the stone walls and stairs but still reaching us. A moment later the person who screamed rushed up the stairs followed by the guilds healer and Perry. The other two members of Ethans group climbed up after them one of them holding a bloody cloth that appeared to be wrapped around a loose hand. Ethan immediately zeroed in on our table, seeing me sitting there uninjured seemingly setting him off even more.

  He marched up to our table, clutching his new stump in his other hand, and screamed at my face, “This isn’t over. On the name of Baron Penrose I swear you will lose your head for this!”

  “Oy, kid, he won a challenge fairly. More than fairly. Four against one and you still didn’t manage to even injure Lios here.” Elric called out then chuckled as he mocked him. “Go tend to your wounds like a good lost puppy, and leave Lios alone!”

  “Your life is forfeit peasant!” Ethan growled at me as he passed, ignoring Elrics words. I shrugged and turned my attention back to the table.

  “If you come for my life again you should be prepared to lose yours. You threatened to take my hand from me but yours was the only one taken. If you're quick enough a talented healer could likely heal it all up, or maybe not.” I replied carelessly. Currently the boy couldn’t do anything to me without facing some heavy opposition from higher ranked adventurers.

  Seething, Ethan and his cronies walked away, all glaring at me and Leshal. They left the building, likely to try to find a better healer with daddy barons coin. I sighed in frustration, knowing that Ethan was far from done with fucking with me and mine, and resigned myself to dealing with him eventually.

  “Anyway, with that out of the way, you made a new sword Lios?” Elric asked glancing down at the table, more accurately toward my hidden hip. “Lets see it. What does it do?”

  “Oh, yes I did. I was actually working out the enchantments for a different sword as well.” I removed the sheathed blade from my hip and placed it on the table in front of Elric. The berserkers eyes glimmered eagerly as he took in the sheathed sword. He slowly unsheathed it about halfway, the others turning their attention to it as the ambient temperature went up by a few degrees.

  “She’s a thing of beaut, aye Adrien?” Elric asked as he showed everyone the carefully constructed blade. “Flame enchants only? What did you make it from?”

  “Infernal iron, mana steel, and entoak primarily. And yeah, I wanted to make a sword for each of the elements I’m able to wield to use them as my spellcasting focus’s.” I shrugged nonchalantly.

  “Pass it here Elric, I wanna check out what your prodigious swordsman is really capable of. I get the feeling you were holding back during the fight.” Harkan called out. Elric sheathed the blade then, instead of passing it along the table, stood up and brought it to him. The man took a few moments to examine it, a small smirk growing. “Definitely holding back the whole time, right Alexilios?”

  “Boys and their swords.” I heard Amelia stage whisper to Rose and Eva, causing a small fit of giggles to erupt from our side of the table.

  “Only a little bit. To be fair my opponents weren’t trying their hardest either until Ethan went berserk.” From there the conversation went on for a bit. I tried to ask about the investigation but, even though I was involved, they wouldn’t tell me much of anything. Adrien claimed he’d tell me more when we had some time away from prying eyes and ears, but I felt it might just be a while until he did.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  He did mention that the cultists had spoken about the tournament before they fled, but that was hardly a surprise to me. We had disrupted their ritual. If I had to guess, they required a certain amount of magic power from their sacrifices to power some sort of artifact. The reason they went to Linden was due to the bevvy of level one hundred twenty five adventurers who worked out of the cheaper town rather than staying in Ironfell. In contrast, Ironfell had much more energy concentrated in one space but was a much riskier target. Now that their initial target had resulted in failure, there was no doubt in my mind that they’d work to complete their rite while everyone of power was gathered together. At least, those they would be able to handle.

  It made me wonder if Ironfell was a contingency or was always part of their plan, if it was the latter that was concerning. It could mean that they had been preparing another massive ritual circle for months or even years. If it wasn’t always the plan, there was a high chance that they would have to start making this circe now. It would also mean that the puppetmaster, Arabella, would have had less time to turn the minds of adventurers into her playthings. I spent the night trying to think of what I could do to stop them, what they were planning to do with Ironfell. My only plan thus far was to keep [RuneSight] active whenever I was running across town in hopes of finding and disrupting whatever ritual circle they were preparing. Of course, I was sure I wouldn’t be the only one with my eyes open. There was also a chance they would perform a different sort of ritual.

  By the time I had fallen asleep that night, a dozen or more thoughts and imaginations of what the cult was planning had come and gone through my fickle mind. In the morning, with sunlight drifting in from the open window, I groggily woke and stretched to prepare for another day of developing an enchantment. The day before, despite causing me to think of dangerous events, had filled my heart by seeing my friends again. I hadn’t realized how worried I had been, granted I hardly allowed myself time to think let alone worry, but seeing them had caused relief to emanate from me.

  Feeling a bit refreshed I made my way down to the dining room, books in my bags and sword on my hip. I didn’t expect to need to use the weapon but it never hurt to keep it close, especially when I had just made one to three new enemies the day before. I entered the large tavernlike room I saw my team already eating at a booth, Leshal with them. I waved over to Garth who flashed me a smile and a thumbs up, letting me know he’d bring me some grub in a few minutes.

  Making my way to the group, I slid in next to Eva on the booth. Sky immediately crawled into her lap while Luka curled around Rose’s feet. “Why not climb into her lap?” I asked the fox in my head.

  “She drop food sometimes. More careful when on lap.” I had to hold back a chuckle at the reply as I watched Rose lean forward to pet the dark furred fox.

  “Morning everyone, whats your plans for the day?” I asked out loud as a lull in their conversation fell after I sat down.

  “We were discussing heading into a dungeon for some group training. An easier one.” Eva answered curtly. “You know, because we suddenly have another member in our group.”

  “Oh? Sounds fun. I don’t know that I can make it into one. I still need to finish the enchantment for my next sword. Speaking of, as I continue to work on my own weapons are there any arms or armor you guys need going forward?”

  Leshal, looking surprised at my offer, shook his head. “Unfortunately, prior to joining up with you all, I recently purchased all new gear. Won’t need anything new for a little while.”

  “If you find the time I wouldn’t be upset with you making me some arrowheads. Unsure if you can do a bow with metal though, so maybe some armor or knives. Again, only if you find the time.” Eva tried to reassure me. I was already working on a few ideas for her, but would have to take some time to make them work.

  “And you, Rose?” I asked, Garth coming in with plates of hot food and cold drink. I passed both ladies a few of the spare meats and fruits to give to the foxes so they didn’t have to move. I could probably ask Garth or one of his employees to bring the foxes portion separately so they could eat from a dish, but the vulpes enjoyed being pampered and handfed, and I didn’t mind spoiling them.

  “I’ll see what I can think of. I don’t think I need anything just yet.”

  The conversation devolved from there as Leshal, Eva and Rose went back to discussing the dungeon they were planning to go into. It was one called “Crypt of Krizaam” and was evidently filled with the undead. Who would have guessed. The rewards were typically okay at best, with low crafting materials provided and not great experience, but made up for it with a variety of enemies. The bosses rarely dropped loot that was higher than a gold chest, and even that loot was typically only strong against undead and weak against everything else. The church of Luna tended to still pay for the items though, so at least one could make a decent amount of coin from the dungeon.

  It was supposedly a pretty easy dungeon that a lot of groups used to develop teamwork, and upon hearing that I offered to join them only to be rebuffed by them saying I already had plans and that we would do a different dungeon later in the week.

  “So, what dungeon are we doing then? What day?” I asked while using my bread to mop up the remaining grease on my plate.

  “Does it matter which one? Just bring your sword and we’ll be fine. You won’t study up on it anyway.” Eva teased me with soft chuckle, Leshal glancing between us with an amused look on his face.

  “What, is our fearless leader too good for studying?” The lizardman chortled at me tilting his head.

  “Since when am I the leader? Aren’t I the youngest here?” I held my hand up in consternation, a fake scowl broaching my lips but my eyes weren’t in on it.

  With mirth and a dramatic sigh Rose leaned forward to look at me past Eva, “What? Are you abandoning us so soon sir Lios? Whatever shall we do without our leader. Why I,” She placed her hand over her chest in dramatic fashion, “fear we cannot work together without our leader! I mean, who will come up with the hyper smart strategy of running into a boss chamber alone while surrounded by thousands of spiders? Or who would have the very good idea of fighting four higher leveled warriors all at once and not allowing his team to help him?”

  The group began laughing even as Leshal looked a bit concerned. “Wait, did he really enter a full boss chamber alone and not let you guys help?”

  “No, No I didn’t. I let them help from a distance. Obviously.”

  “Exactly, he let us help from a distance while he fought thousands of spiders alone and confronted a massive broodmother in order to test his weapon.” Eva added in, causing Leshal’s concern to grow. “He’s a very responsible leader.”

  “Don’t you guys have a dungeon to conquer together? Let me study in peace,” I groaned despite not having any of my books on the table.

  “Fine fine, we’ll leave you alone. Don’t worry Leshal, he’s not that bad. Lios, why don’t you check out one of the guilds training dungeons while we’re gone?” Rose made to get up, forcing me to stand so they could all exit the booth.

  “Papa, we want to hunt too,” Luka’s voice whispered in my head as though afraid of offending me by wanting to go with them.

  “Can we Big Brother, Please? Want to fight,” Sky agreed, her voice a bit louder.

  “Hey, would you guys be willing to take Luka and Sky with you? I know you can’t understand them but...” I tried to think of a way to convince them.

  “What do you mean, I can talk to them if needed. I did so in the baths. Did they not tell you?” Eva asked a little shocked. She glanced down at the foxes who appeared to shrug.

  “What do you mean you can talk to them?” I frowned at her trying to think if I’d seen it at all.

  “She has a skill that lets her speak to animals telepathically, but only those that let her. Part of her beast tamer class.” Rose answered.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked before realizing something. “Wait, have you been chatting with them the whole time? Luka, Sky why didn’t you say something?”

  “More fun this way.” Sky laughed and Luka laughed in agreement, the chatters causing a few people to turn to look. Including Leshal’s old team, whose eyes were narrowed in a glare.

  “Fine fine, keep your secrets Sky! So you guys are willing to take em with you? I think they get antsy sitting around while I’m doing research.” I shrugged and received a few nods from the group. “Awesome. By the way, what did you mean with the training dungeons Rose?”

  “You don’t know about them? I guess it does make sense for you to not pay attention during onboarding. But there are a dozen or so dungeons that were created using the effigy of a powerful weapon user in order to better train people with different styles. As far as I know there is one for spears, archery, daggers, swords, polearms, hammers, maces, and a few for different magics. None for your style of magic, far as I know. Your old team yesterday mentioned you usually spar or train a few hours a day, but I haven’t seen you doing anything like that. Instead you’ve just been keeping your face in your book.” Rose playfully giggled at me. “We had best be off. Our reservation is coming up.”

  “Okay, be careful. I guess I’m checking out a training dungeon then.” I waved them off, sending a message to the foxes to keep the group safe.