I named the post Gerald.
Not on purpose.
It just looked like a Gerald.
One meter of wood hammered into the ground at the north end of the field. Slightly crooked. Accepting daily violence with the quiet patience of something that had never judged anyone in its life.
Gerald didn't stare at me like an unsolved problem.
Gerald didn't write theories about me in a notebook.
Gerald just stood there and got hit.
I liked Gerald.
This morning Gerald had moved.
Just a little.
A small lean to the left.
That lean had not been there yesterday.
I stared at it.
"…You moved."
Gerald said nothing.
Typical Gerald.
The strike earlier had sounded different too. The blade had rung clang instead of thunk, and the white light had crawled down the sword for about two seconds before fading.
That had never happened before.
I drew the sword again.
Slow swing.
Controlled.
CLANG.
Gerald shook slightly but stayed upright.
"…Okay maybe the first one wasn't luck."
Still.
Something about the earlier strike had felt different.
Like the hit had weight behind it that wasn't just my arm.
The move didn't officially exist.
But in my head it had a name.
Raisen.
I nodded at Gerald.
Gerald leaned silently in approval.
I sheathed the sword.
"Good talk."
Then I went to breakfast.
The guild hall was loud.
Not chaos loud.
Just the kind of loud where everyone pretends to be talking about different things while actually talking about the same thing.
"The Undying—"
"—the lightning—"
"—that duel—"
I pinched the bridge of my nose walking inside.
Reflex now.
Rael was already eating.
Not casually.
Aggressively.
"Four floors," she said between bites.
"Second floor balcony," I replied.
"Sword kills."
"Zero."
"The mark glows at night."
I looked at the back of my hand.
Normal.
"Rael."
"Yes."
"It does not glow at night."
"I know."
She kept eating.
"Reporting the field accurately."
Across the table Senna's book was open.
Her pen moved.
Stopped.
Then she stared at me.
That look again.
The scientist who found a new species look.
Two weeks of that.
"Senna."
"I'm writing."
"Your pen stopped."
She glanced down.
Started writing again immediately.
Mira sat beside her quietly eating while staring somewhere into the distance like she was listening to something no one else could hear.
Looking directly at Mira lately felt dangerous.
So I didn't.
Three tables away a loud party laughed.
Gold rank.
One of them stood out.
Tall. Confident. The kind of guy who believed the world was his stage.
And he was staring straight at Rael.
Rael kept eating.
But the air above her hands shimmered slightly.
"Copperfang Party," Senna said calmly.
"You memorized them?"
"I memorize everyone."
"That's alarming."
"The loud one is Deft. Flame affinity. Reputation for being irritating."
"That checks out."
"He has been staring at Rael for four minutes."
Rael's spoon paused.
"I heard that."
Deft stood up.
I sighed.
"Oh no."
He walked across the hall like rejection was a theoretical concept.
"You're Nobody's Party."
"Yes," I said.
He ignored me.
"Flame affinity," he said to Rael.
Rael slowly looked up.
Her face was completely blank.
"Thank you."
Deft grinned wider.
"Copperfang needs a fourth. Gold rank work. Real pay."
I pointed at Rael.
"She's not between parties."
Deft finally looked at me.
Recognition flickered.
"The Undying."
"Yes hello."
He pointed at my sword.
"That thing really has no Vein trace?"
"Yes."
"Can I—"
"No."
He turned back to Rael.
"The offer stands."
Rael stared at him for a moment.
Then lifted her spoon.
Pointed at the empty chair.
"Sit down and buy breakfast."
The table went silent.
Senna's pen stopped.
I stared at Rael.
Rael stared back.
"He offered."
"This is not negotiation."
"This is negotiation."
Deft blinked.
Then laughed.
He sat down.
Minutes later food arrived.
I ate.
Rael ate.
Nobody acknowledged that Rael had just extorted a gold-rank adventurer using a spoon.
"You could have said no," I muttered.
"I was still hungry."
"We already ate."
"I was still hungry."
Argument over.
Two hours later we stood outside the cave.
The Maw of Grerath.
Cold air flowed out of the entrance.
Senna stared at it.
"You're scared," I said.
"I am not scared."
Rael crossed her arms.
"You are extremely scared."
Senna inhaled sharply.
"Confidence in danger is stupidity—"
"I'll hold your hand."
Senna froze.
"If you're scared."
Silence.
"If you say one word about this—"
"Not a word."
She grabbed my hand immediately.
Firm grip.
Cold fingers.
"This is practical."
"Absolutely."
We walked inside.
Five steps in my foot slipped.
"Whoa—!"
I stumbled forward.
Senna came with me.
THUMP.
She crashed into my chest.
For half a second neither of us moved.
Her hood slipped slightly.
She looked up.
Very close.
Then—
"MOVE!"
She shoved me backward.
Face bright red.
"You did that on purpose!"
"I slipped!"
"You absolutely did not slip!"
"I absolutely slipped!"
Rael sighed loudly.
"You two are exhausting."
I glanced at Mira.
She had turned slightly away.
But her ears were red.
The cave split.
Left.
Right.
Right went deeper.
Something moved.
Fast.
"KSHHH—!"
A blur shot between us.
"HEY—!"
"WATCH IT—!"
"KAEL—!"
The light stone fell.
CLACK.
Darkness.
Boots scraping stone.
Then silence.
I looked around.
Right tunnel.
Narrow.
Downward.
Senna still holding my hand.
"…RAEL?"
"WE'RE HERE!" her voice echoed from the left passage.
"MIRA?"
"Left side!"
Davan shouted:
"It pushed us!"
"…Pushed."
"On purpose."
Great.
Fantastic.
Love that.
I looked down the dark tunnel.
Two pale eyes appeared.
Low.
Watching.
The creature made a sound.
"…krrr…?"
Soft.
Confused.
Not hostile.
I blinked.
"…Hey."
The creature tilted its head.
"krrr…? rrrr…?"
Like it was asking something.
Senna's grip tightened.
"Kael."
"Yes."
"We should leave."
"Probably."
The creature stepped slightly forward.
Small.
Thin.
Young.
Another sound.
"krreee…?"
Lonely.
That was the only word that fit.
Lonely.
From somewhere behind us Mira's voice echoed faintly through the cave.
"Kael!"
Just hearing it made something tighten in my chest.
The creature looked at me again.
"…rrr…?"
Waiting.
The cave held its breath.
And I stood there in the deep part of the Maw of Grerath, holding a mage's hand, staring at a lonely juvenile demon that had dragged me down here on purpose.
Waiting to see what I would do next.