The world snapped back into place beneath my boots. Gravel crunched under me as I staggered a half?step forward, blinking against the sudden brightness. A cool breeze carried the scent of dust and pine, and when my eyes adjusted, I found myself standing on a lonely road beside a half?collapsed watchtower. The stonework leaned as if it had grown tired of holding itself up centuries ago; one whole side caved in, the rest clinging stubbornly to relevance.

  A System Message hit my vision.

  I exhaled. “Finally. I made it.” I turned in a slow circle. Empty road. Quiet trees. No people. No… A thump sounded above me. I looked up just in time to see a swirling tear in the air spit out three bodies in a tangled heap. Balt hit first with a yelp, Mack landed on top of him with a curse, and Tucker, poor Tucker, tumbled out last, legs flailing before he crashed into both of them and sent the whole pile rolling and groaning. I couldn’t help it. I grinned. “So that’s what it looks like from the other end.”

  Balt groaned something that sounded like a threat. Tucker shook himself violently, spraying dust everywhere. Mack pushed himself upright, brushing gravel off his cloak with the dignity of a man pretending he hadn’t just fallen out of the sky. He spotted me, and I gave him an awkward wave. “We all should’ve arrived at the same time,” Mack muttered, scanning the area. “And through a portal hub.” His eyes narrowed as he took in the broken tower. “But… we appear to be closer to Lukehaven. That old watchtower is a landmark that marks the halfway point. Means we’re less than a day out.”

  The man exhaled, apparently baffled but relieved. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but it seems the System is with us.” Balt snorted as he finally untangled himself from Tucker’s tail. “You get used to weird shit happening when you travel with Riven.” I shrugged, still smiling as Tucker padded over to me, tail swishing. I reached down and scratched under his chin, feeling the rumble of his contentment through my fingertips. “You don’t mind, do you, boy?” His large ears twitched. His tail gave a lazy sweep. Then his mental voice brushed against my thoughts, warm and amused. “Nope.”

  “That’s a good boy.” I let my hand fall from Tucker’s chin and turned back to the others. “Alright,” I said, exhaling. “Before we start heading that way, I need to see to my progression. I completed a Task and I want to handle a few things.” I didn’t want to mention the System Boon in front of Mack, and Balt could not keep a poker face if I were to use Tucker to mentally tell him about it. It would have to wait until they were alone.

  Balt stretched his shoulders with a grunt. “Same here.” Tucker’s tail flicked once. "Same," he echoed mentally, already settling into a sit like he’d been waiting for permission. Mack looked between the three of us, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s step off the road.” He jerked his thumb toward a patch of grass beside the leaning tower. “I’ll keep watch while you all handle your progression. When you’re finished, I will distribute the items I have for you.” He moved ahead of us, scanning the tree line with those calm, analytical eyes of his. “This way.”

  We followed him about forty yards until we reached a fallen tree resting against a low berm. Mack gestured, and the three of us hopped down behind it. The dirt was cool, the shade welcome with the sun bearing down. We settled in a rough line, backs against the wood, tucked out of sight.

  Balt cracked his knuckles. Tucker padded closer to my side. I took a breath, feeling that familiar anticipation coil in my chest. “See you all in a few.” I touched my anchor and checked my status.

  Looking over my status, I realized Vitality was the only attribute that still hadn’t broken a hundred. With a life?or?death fight ahead of me, something in my gut told me to stop following my usual pattern of dumping points into Spirit and Intelligence, and I liked the idea of every stat being above a hundred. I listened. I pushed all five of my free stat points into Vitality, watching the number tick up to 101. The moment it locked into place, a cascade of System messages slammed into my vision.

  “Holy shit, that’s what I’m talking about.” I shouted out in my soul realm. I don’t know what condensing mana entails. I sighed, knowing that Lawson would have been able to tell me immediately. I was going to have to get used to not having immediate answers to my questions.

  The five percent boost was self-explanatory, and I could feel my strength increase immediately. That feeling of gaining strength would never get old. I had one more thing to check. I brought up Resilience to see its new effects.

  “Nice!” With my progression handled, I walked over and placed my hand against my soul tree, the gesture having become a habit by now. I hope this helps. After everything I’ve put you through, I thought. Thank you for standing tall with me.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  It felt a little strange, talking to something that was, in a very real sense, my own soul, but after all the strain and punishment my tree had endured alongside me, thanking it just felt right.

  Its limbs swayed gently in an unseen wind at my words. For a moment, I got the distinct impression my tree was answering back. It’s cool, man. I smiled, closed my eyes, and let my soul realm fade. When I came back, the world snapped into focus, and I found everyone already waiting. Balt leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Tucker sat nearby, alert but calm. Mack stood at the center, hands folded behind his back, watching me closely.

  “Need a moment,” Mack asked, “or are you ready for us to start handing out items?”

  “I’m good to go,” I said without hesitation. Mack nodded once and stepped forward. He reached out and touched my anchor, then moved to Balt and did the same. A faint pulse of light rippled through the room, and moments later, weight settled into my inventory.

  I checked it immediately. Food rations. Two healing potions. One mana potion. Each restored only two hundred HP or MP, no more. There was also a small, faceted crystal labeled Signal Crystal, several changes of non-magical clothing, and two thousand credits.

  I frowned slightly and looked back up. “What about a communication device?”

  Mack shook his head. “The crystal Balt and you were given are linked and can transmit a signal to the other. It’s only a flash, no sound, but it works over long distances. Even through wards and barriers.” I turned the crystal over in my hand. “I was hoping for something I could actually talk into."

  “That exists,” Mack said evenly. “But only as a reward for completing floors. None of the Factions have been able to duplicate the device yet, and they are soul bound to the individual that completed the floor.” I studied the crystal more closely. It was simple, felt durable. It was better than nothing; it would be useful but limited. I knew Morse code well enough, but teaching it to Tucker or Balt in the time we had? That wasn’t happening.

  I nodded and moved on. “About the potions,” I said. “The ones I gave Brett earlier could heal all damage and fully restore mana.”

  Mack sighed. “Those were system-granted tutorial potions. What you have now isn’t system-made. They’re alchemist's brews. And that’s all we’ve got access to.”

  I grimaced, but only briefly. “Figures.” I exhaled and straightened. “It is what it is. I’m ready to start heading that way if you guys are.” Balt pushed off the wall. “Ready.” Tucker gave a sharp nod. “Good,” Mack said. “We’ll stay off the roads.”

  We moved out. Six hours of steady running later, cutting through wild terrain, we crested a final rise. Below us, laid a sprawling town. Lukehaven spread out below us like something painted rather than built. The town sat beside a pristine lake, its surface smooth as glass, reflecting the fading sky in bands of silver and blue. Lantern light was already beginning to dot the shoreline, their reflections stretching across the water like trembling lines of gold. Beyond the lake, a mountain range faded into the distance, its peaks softened by haze.

  Nestled against the nearest mountain, where stone met stone, rose the castle.

  It dominated the landscape without trying to. Massive ramparts climbed the mountainside itself, as if the castle had grown out of the rock rather than been built upon it. Huge double doors sat at its base, reinforced with iron bands thick enough that I could make them out even from here. From those doors, an elevated stone walkway climbed upward, winding its way to a colossal iron gate set higher still.

  Shattered Blade banners hung from the castle walls, their sigils snapping faintly in the wind. I could even make out people moving along the ramparts, guards, courtiers, maybe soldiers. Life. Activity.

  Between the town and the castle stood a dense treeline, an intentional divide it appeared to me because they were rows that only came from planting. The forest formed a natural barrier, cutting the common folk off from the mountain stronghold like a line drawn in green ink.

  My jaw tightened. So that’s where Carson is keeping her. Mack followed my gaze, and my look must have given away my thoughts. “I would assume that’s where your sister is being held,” he said evenly. “But let’s link up with our contact here and see what we can find out before jumping to conclusions.”

  As we moved closer to the outskirts, Mack glanced back at me. “Put your helm on.” I nodded. “With the cloaks and the Turtle Cloud insignia,” he continued, “no one should stop us.” The town itself had no true gate. Instead, there was a guarded check-in station near the main road. One guard looked us over while Mack exchanged a few quiet words with him. Moments later, we were waved through without trouble. Smoke billowed up from several points around the lake, thick and dark against the evening sky. “That’s where they refine most of the metals pulled from the mountains,” Mack said, noticing my attention.

  We didn’t linger. Instead, we headed toward an unremarkable building tucked between two larger structures near the water’s edge. The Shattered Spoke. I reached out mentally through Tucker, shaping the thought carefully. Does Turtle Cloud own this place?

  Mack didn’t even slow. “Yes,” he replied aloud, without missing a beat. “On paper, it’s independently owned though. Our contact works here.” I filed that away.

  Inside, the tavern was warm and dimly lit, the smell of alcohol and cooked meat thick in the air. A hostess greeted us at the door and quickly ushered us to a corner booth, tucked far enough away to offer privacy. As we settled in, I noticed the place filling up fast. Voices rose as night fully claimed the sky, laughter and conversation weaving together into a steady hum. A waitress approached not long after. “What can I get you?”

  Mack didn’t hesitate. “Four lake whiskeys and four turtle head soups, if you have them.” She nodded. “We do, but the soup will take some time to prepare.”

  “That’s fine,” Mack replied. “We’re not in a hurry.” She smiled and hurried off. Balt leaned back, frowning. “I would’ve liked to order for myself. Not a big turtle head soup guy.”

  Mack smiled faintly. “Neither am I.” Balt blinked. “Then why’d you order it?” I leaned forward slightly and whispered, “Code. Unless I missed my guess.”

  Mack nodded. “We’re just waiting for the word now.” Nearly an hour passed before the drinks arrived, four glasses of clear liquor that caught the lamplight, and four bowls of thick green soup. The waitress set them down carefully, placing a folded napkin beside each bowl.

  “Don’t forget to wipe your hands,” she said quietly. “Thank you,” Mack replied.

  As she walked away, he picked up his napkin and glanced inside, just a fraction of a second, but it was enough. Whatever message we were waiting for had finally arrived. Mack didn’t move right away. He sat there for several minutes, calmly sipping his drink like we were just another group winding down for the night. I lifted my own glass and took a cautious sip. Smooth. Warm. A nice bite to it, close to bourbon, if I had to place it. I took another sip, slower this time.

  Balt drained his glass without ceremony. Tucker nudged his untouched drink across the table toward him, and Balt accepted it with a grunt and finished that one too. Eventually, Mack stood. He dropped a few coins onto the table and made a subtle gesture. Come with me.

  We filed out of the Shattered Spoke and slipped into a narrow back alley, the sounds of the tavern fading behind us. Mack led us to a side door set into an unmarked stone wall.

  He knocked three times. Paused, then twice more. The door cracked open no more than a finger’s width. “What are you here for?” A woman’s voice asked from the darkness. Mack didn’t hesitate. “We were told this is where one can divine the secrets of the universe.”

  There was a pause. The door opened a little wider. A woman peered out, eyes sharp as she glanced left, then right, before motioning us inside. The place was almost completely empty. Bare stone walls. No furniture save for a small cot pushed into the corner.

  “You’re early,” she said in a raspy voice. “We are,” Mack replied. “Do you have what we need?”

  I focused on her, letting the System do its thing.??? Was all I got back. The woman smirked when she noticed my stare. “Your friend there is a little rude, Mack.” I had been caught. It was always a gamble using Identify on people. Some individuals could sense you using Identify on them and others couldn't. I had not figured out yet how to defernite the two. My current theory was those with a certain high level of the Talent were the ones that could sense it.

  Mack smiled easily. “You can’t really blame the kid. Strange lady in an empty house tends to scream suspect.” She laughed softly. “Fair enough.” I stepped forward. “I apologize. But is Carson, and a woman named Alice in that castle?”

  “Well,” she said, studying me, “straight to business. Probably for the best.” She folded her arms. “The woman matching your description is believed to be under lock and key inside the castle. Carson is definitely there. He makes excursions into town fairly often, but like the woman, he hasn’t been seen in several weeks.”

  “When was the last time the woman was seen?” I asked. “Almost a month ago.”

  Mack’s expression hardened. “Do we know anything else?” She raised a brow. “What, all that isn’t enough?”

  “For what we’re paying you,” Mack said flatly, “no. It isn’t.” The woman’s lips stretched into a wide smile. “That’s why I saved the best for last.” She leaned in slightly. “One of the elite guards from Blackthorn has let it slip in a few local taverns; she’s guarding the girl. She comes into town once every five days.” My pulse picked up. “Based on my information,” the woman continued, “her fifth day is tomorrow.”

  I met her gaze. “What’s her name and what does she look like?” She held my eyes for a long moment before answering. “Marcilla.” She produced a piece of paper and handed it to me. It was a sketch of a woman. "There you are. My work is done here."

  After those words, the woman didn’t linger. “This place is secure,” she said, already moving toward the door. “Marcilla frequents the adventurer faction tavern, the Wandering Warrior.”

  She pressed a folded sheet into Mack’s hand. “This is her route. Detailed. Timings, streets, sightlines.”

  Then she was gone, slipping out the door like she’d never been there in the first place. “Thank you,” I said as the door closed.

  Mack glanced at the paper once, then folded it neatly before handing it over to me. “I should be going as well.” Balt and I each shook his hand. “Good luck,” Mack said quietly. We all exchanged one last firm grip, then he left, disappearing into the night. I turned to the others. “Alright. Let’s study this map and find a good ambush point. I don't want to try to haul her out of an inn with a bunch of eyes on us.”

  We didn’t lie low in the building for long. Instead, we moved as soon as we selected our ambush site. It was nighttime now, and the twin moons overhead provided more than enough light to see clearly. There was little movement on the streets; most of the people were already in their homes or at an inn by this time of night. I left Tucker behind. The big guy drew too much attention, and that was the last thing I needed tonight. He gave me a low huff as I settled him in with a pat to the head, him understanding without words.

  Balt and I took up positions on an abandoned building rooftop overlooking the treeline just outside town. From here, we had a clear view of the route Marcilla was supposed to take.

  Hours crawled by. One of us stayed alert while the other rested, switching off without words. The night air was cool and still, coming off the lake water. When the sun finally began to rise, painting the horizon in dull gold, I saw movement coming out of the treeline. A woman walked the path alone, calm and unhurried. Twin daggers hung at her hips, their hilts worn smooth from use. She moved like someone who expected trouble and knew she could handle it.

  I looked at the sketch in my hand, then focused on the figure's face. That’s definitely her. I gave Balt a thumbs-up. We dropped from the roof without a sound and melted into position, waiting. I let the moment come to me where she was close enough. Then I moved. Absolute trigger propelling me. No hesitation. I stepped in behind her and struck one clean, controlled blow. She went down instantly, unconscious before she even had time to react. Balt Blinked next to me. Together, we moved fast, carrying her back through side streets and alleys until we reached the house.

  Inside, I lowered her to the floor and summoned Ember, letting the warmth steady my breathing. I stripped the daggers from her belt and set them well out of reach.

  Then I splashed water across her face. Her eyes snapped open. She didn’t scream. Didn’t thrash. Instead, she looked us over and snorted. “So… did Sager finally send people to kill me?” A humorless smile tugged at her lips. “Knew it was just a matter of time.”

  She spat to the side. “You can go fuck yourselves, by the way.”

  My helm dissolved, vanishing in a shimmer of light. Her eyes went wide. I met her gaze. “Who’s Sager?” I stepped closer, bringing Ember to her throat, voice cold and steady. “And where is my sister?”