I stood before the quest board in the guild hall with Knut and Nabeeh to my sides, scanning the various parchments pinned to its surface.

  "What about this one?" I asked, pointing to a yellow-coded quest near the center of the board.

  Knut leaned in, casting a shadow over the parchment.

  "Yellow difficulty. Not too dangerous, not too easy. "

  Nabeeh peered around his shoulder, scanning the text.

  "Glowroot Caverns... interesting. I've never encountered those before. Not that I’ve been here long enough, but still. It’s a new region, right?"

  I pulled the parchment from the board to read it more carefully.

  [Glowroot Cavern Clearing]

  Difficulty: Yellow

  Objective: Clear monsters from Glowroot Caverns to enable safe harvesting of root segments.

  Location: West of Sentinel Station

  Details: Monster filled cave. The glowing roots found within have significant alchemical and engineering applications.

  Secondary objective: retrieve samples of the roots for study.

  Reward: 5 Mind Gems

  “Five gems is decent," I said, “And I’d prefer a yellow quest to a green, making sure we get a fair drop of gems, too.”

  "Good fit for group. I tank, you damage, Nabeeh mages. Tight space keep Eryn safe."

  "And don't forget the roots themselves,” Nabeeh said. “If they are valuable enough for a quest, it might be worth it to bring some back for the open market. See if we can capitalize on our run." She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Plus, a clearing quest means more monsters, which means more carcasses. More carcasses means more chances for mind gems. And we get to offload those carcasses, too."

  I nodded, appreciating her discretion.

  "Let's get more details," I suggested, and turned to make my way toward Madeleine's desk.

  The guild administrator looked up as I approached and smiled.

  "Ash. It’s good to see you’re going out again already. What can I help you with today?"

  I placed the quest notice on her desk.

  “Any more info on the Glowroot Caverns? We haven’t been there yet."

  Madeleine nodded, pulling out a small ledger.

  "The caverns were discovered about two weeks ago by a scouting party. We are unsure how deep they are, as there were quite a few monsters.” She flipped a page. “They named the cave for the glowing roots, and managed to bring back a sample from near the opening. Both the alchemists and engineers were interested in them, so with the reduced attacks on the station, Harold would like a closer look.” She closed the book. “Which means you’re up. If you want to head out there with your party, that is.”

  “Monster types?" Knut asked. “What to fight? Want to prepare. Bring a glowcap or two. Big boom good for monster health.”

  “Report mentions Rock Golems and some type of spiders,” she replied, chuckling. “Their sigils confirmed both as yellow for a balanced party in the teens. But keep in mind they didn’t go further than the entrance, so the information at hand is very limited. That is where you come in.”

  I nodded. With the loan, Eryn's breakthrough, and Knut's brother coming to Dawnwatch, we needed the funds. This quest seemed like a good balance of risk and reward, even though it was a bit of an unknown.

  "We'll take it," I said firmly. “If there’s a bonus to be had if we almost die. Again.”

  Madeleine tagged us on the quest with a half-cocked smile.

  “Of course. We take care of our own.”

  "Finally, some action! I was beginning to think you'd forgotten how delicious monster blood tastes."

  “I’ll have to take your word for it. But yeah, we need gems.”

  And I need to level up.

  "But there will be blood, yes? And these roots... I wonder what energy they contain. Could be useful for forging. And maybe…we can find a lady hammer for myself? What do you think? Would she like pie and milk, too?"

  “That’s… what we’re going to find out, and no, I don’t think so. You’re just weird, buddy.”

  I signed the quest acceptance form. Yes, there were risks in taking quests while Edwin had warned us to lay low, but risk was inherent to our life now. We couldn't just hide in Dawnwatch and avoid Riftside entirely. That wasn’t the life we had signed up for. And just as Edwin talked of how it would be impossible to win the war through focusing on not being defeated, I knew the only way for us to deal with the challenges coming our way was to become stronger. Besides, who knew just how long the guild officials would stay in town? A week? A month? A year? We couldn’t go that long without doing any work. That’d be suspicious in another way.

  With the paperwork complete, Nabeeh accepted the information package while I hung the quest note back up and headed outside to find Eryn waiting by the guild hall steps. Isaac stood beside her, his ranger's bow slung casually over one shoulder.

  "—ready for your breakthrough then?" I heard Isaac asking as I approached.

  Eryn nodded.

  "Level nine, ten out of ten. Just need a class gem now."

  Isaac went silent for a moment, his expression conflicted. Then he forced a smile.

  "Well, congratulations. Good luck with it. I know how much it meant to me to get my first breakthrough."

  I understood his hesitation immediately. He knew the pain of breaking through, the agony of transformation that the guild kept secret from those who hadn't experienced it. But he didn't know that I'd already told Eryn everything and just wanted to come over friendly.

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

  "Ready to go?" I asked, joining them with Knut and Nabeeh following right behind.

  Eryn's face brightened.

  "All set. Find something good?"

  Nabeeh dramatically unfurled the papers.

  "Glowroot Caverns, my darling! A mysterious underground realm filled with glowing roots of possibly magical properties, not to mention a delightful variety of monsters just waiting to be introduced to my fire spells."

  She grinned and even wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Five mind gems,” Knut said.

  "And the roots themselves could be valuable," Nabeeh added. "Secondary objective is to bring back samples."

  “Tight space. Little movement,” Knut grumbled. “Slow but strong Rock Golems. Fast and yucky Spiders. Not sure about quest. Hate spiders."

  "Sounds like a typical Tuesday for us," Eryn said, though I could see the slight tension in her shoulders.

  "We'll be careful," I said, holding out a hand. “Knut and I will handle the heavy lifting.”

  We gathered our gear and headed for the rift.

  * * *

  The journey from Sentinel Station was eerily peaceful. The Steelhusk trees’ trunks stretched upward like ancient pillars supporting a palatial ceiling of dense foliage. Little grew in their shadow, with the forest floor nearly barren, and only the occasional patch of hardy ferns or twisted undergrowth managed to survive in the perpetual twilight.

  "It's so quiet," Eryn said, her voice carrying in the stillness.

  She was right. As with most of our trip to the mesa, we had yet to encounter a single monster since leaving Sentinel Station. Despite us being stronger than anything usually found here, it felt like walking through a predator's territory while it was temporarily away.

  "Did I ever tell you about the Flying Dragon Caves back in Azbara?" Nabeeh asked.

  "No,” Knut said.

  "Well!" Nabeeh chirped. "Picture this. Three noble-born youths, myself included, sneaking away from our tutors to explore the forbidden caves beneath the royal palace. The caves were said to be haunted by the spirits of executed criminals."

  "Were they?" Eryn asked.

  Nabeeh waved her hand dismissively.

  "Of course not. But what we did find was far more terrifying. The king’s secret wine cellar!" She laughed. "We were fifteen, had never tasted alcohol before, and decided that sampling the royal vintage was an excellent idea."

  Knut snorted. "Bad decision. Am right?"

  "Catastrophic," Nabeeh agreed with a grin. "We emerged from those caves barely able to walk, singing songs we’d picked up from sailors, of which we barely understood a word, and were reeking of wine. We stumbled directly into a diplomatic reception for the ambassador of Tharungia."

  I couldn't help but chuckle at the image.

  "What happened?"

  "My father nearly had an apoplexy on the spot," Nabeeh laughed, her smile turning wistful. "But the Tharungian ambassador thought it was hilarious. Said we showed 'spirited initiative' and that he'd 'done worse at our age.' I was confined to my quarters for a month, but they didn’t block my secret passage, so it didn’t really matter. The hangover, though? I’d never felt so bad before in my life. Still worth it.”

  “Do you know what ability I'll get at level 12?"

  "How would I know that?" Roq replied. "I guided you to the Hammerlord path generally, but I don't have a catalog of every possible skill at every level."

  "I just thought... well, you seem to know a lot about combat and abilities. Could you influence what skills I get?"

  Roq's laughter echoed in my mind.

  "Of course I could! I am the master forger, the shaper of steel and flesh! I—" He paused. "Actually, no. I don't think so. What I did with your body and the healing was discovered by chance if I am honest, and I usually am. Except when I am not. Or am I?. Anyway, that’s beside the point. Skills? Why don’t you tell me where they even come from? Any idea?"

  It was a good question.

  “They should be coming from the class gems, right? Since they only unlock once we have our breakthrough."

  "Perhaps," Roq mused. "Or perhaps they come from somewhere else entirely. All I know is I want to kill something soon. This peaceful walk is making me hungry.”

  After about an hour of hiking, the forest changed. The massive Steelhusks gave way to shorter, needle-bearing trees. Sunlight filtered through, dappling the ground with warm patches of light.

  "Look at that," Eryn said, pointing ahead. “Haven’t seen these trees before.”

  I nodded. The needle trees had somehow managed to hold off the encroaching Steelhusks, creating a distinct boundary.

  "It's like they've carved out their own territory."

  We walked to the first needle tree and Eryn knelt, examining the ground where the two forest types met. "I bet it's the roots," she said thoughtfully. "The glowing roots must secrete something that stops the Steelhusks from growing here."

  It didn’t take us long to find the cave entrance, and I could see she was right. The opening was a big hole in the ground beneath one of the trees, and the cave was lit by the faint glow of roots hanging from the ceiling.

  "I smell death on my breath,” Roq said eagerly. “New monsters. New flavors. New crushing sensations!”

  The cavern descended at a gentle slope, and there was just enough light to see the passage continuing deeper underground. There was less light inside than in the Crystalkin cave in general, but here and there, larger root clusters created pools of brighter light, like natural lanterns guiding the way.

  "It's beautiful," Eryn said, "But also kind of creepy. I’m not sure yet how I feel about it all."

  Knut unhooked his mace and readied his shield.

  “Beauty often hides danger. Stay close."

  * * *

  The Hive Mind sifted through the thousands of impulses coming from its territory, sending ripples of commands back out, carefully selecting where to focus and what to work on. Thousands of living beings, digging, breeding, evolving, and all in the service of the collective.

  Stronger minions rise. Weaker forms fall.

  A distant sensation tugged at the edge of its awareness. A plea. Desperate. Insistent.

  One of the Gnash’s flying scouts.

  Importance?

  The collective consciousness paused, considering whether to grant attention to the insignificant minion. Resources were precious. Focus was power. Yet the urgency in the plea suggested value.

  “Show the mass.”

  The Hive Mind extended its awareness outward with magnanimous condescension, flowing into the simple creature's mind like a tide of liquid darkness, and sensations flooded its focus. Cool air slid beneath stretched membranes, the updrafts lifting the Riftwing higher, the angry hunger to devour those not of the collective gnawing at its belly. The Hive Mind experienced it all.

  Through the Riftwing's compound eyes, the hive mind looked down through a canopy of needle trees. Four humans stood at the mouth of a cavern. Two stronger males, a noteworthy female, and one beneath notice.

  Insignificant creatures. All of them. None would be worthy of direct attention.

  The minion's primitive consciousness strained under the weight of the connection, its desperation for the hive mind's acknowledgment overriding its survival instinct.

  “Worthless. Foolish. Waste of—”

  But then the hive mind saw him. The human wielding Vannash.

  Fragment. Found. Within reach.

  Rage filled the Hive Mind, causing the Riftwing's body to spasm mid-flight. It remembered the sensation of pain when the steelhusk roots had pierced its body, the humiliation of prey escaping, the loss of its breeding chamber. And there stood the cause. The one who had turned a fragment of the collective against itself.

  Reclaim fragment. Reunite with mass. Eliminate humans.

  The hive mind directed the Riftwing to fly a short distance away, knowing that when it returned its focus to its body within the Titan, the minion would drop from the sky. Its nervous system, too weak to contain even this fraction of the Hive Mind's consciousness, would be burned out, and the creature would die.

  With its consciousness returned home, it acted immediately, expanding its awareness, reaching out across the territory to locate a more suitable servant. It found Gnash, the rat-like minion, deep within a tunnel. The creature was supervising a group of diggers. The sleek, powerful monsters had clawed limbs and teeth designed for burrowing through anything.

  "Gnash.”

  The Hive Mind’s thoughts slammed into the rat creature's mind like a physical blow.

  Gnash shrieked in pain, curling into itself as the hive mind's presence brushed its consciousness. The diggers dropped to their bellies.

  “Vannash has been found. Four humans. Near glowing roots. Bring diggers. Intercept. Eliminate."

  "Yes-yes, great one!" Gnash chittered frantically, claws ripping tears in the fur and skin of its skull, desperate for the mental invasion to end. “Kill human-thing! Retrieve fragment! Gnash promises, yes-yes!"

  The Hive Mind withdrew its presence without further communication, avoiding permanent damage to its servant. Even though the rat creature was old, probably older than the hive mind, it was weak, and unable to withstand its vast cosmic powers.

  Back in its true form, the Hive Mind allowed a flicker of anticipation. The loss of Vannash and Arclight had reduced its information flow. Fragments which should have grown into warriors had been stolen. It was time for them to come home.

  It distracted itself from the anger by focusing on its mission.

  Gather information. Eliminate human warriors. Prepare. Strike. Absorb human biomass. Strengthen hive. Perfect the cycle. Demonstrate.