“Helena?” Elaine said, coughing out sand. “What are you doing here?”

  “I should be asking you that,” she snapped, only to wobble. Her sister Noelle caught her, holding her steady. “Who gave you the right to disobey orders and head off on your own?”

  “No one. I’m sorry.”

  “And you even got civilians involved.”

  “I have a name, you know,” Colby said.

  “Shut it, cheese peasant. This is Knight business.”

  “And as a resident of the town of Brinebrook, it is in my right to know what in Gouda’s name happened to the Marconet? Is the town okay?”

  “What’s a Marconet?” Helena asked.

  “The thing that the Myconet was controlling,” Colby said.

  “Yes, Helena!” Elaine yelled. “What happened?”

  “If you’re talking about that big green sphere, we’re not exactly sure. All of a sudden, it started losing control of the monsters it was manipulating. Corpses stopped moving, and monsters either ran away, continued to fight, or succumbed to their injuries.”

  “Okay, but what happened to that thing?”

  “It just collapsed. Toppling a couple of trees, and some people got hurt. Lady Morgan has secured the vicinity and is currently conducting an investigation. She suspects that that was the cause of monsters going crazy recently.”

  “Wow. I wonder what made her think that,” Colby said.

  That earned him a slap on the shoulder by a still surprisingly strong Elaine.

  “I mean… Wow! Sure is nice of Ms. M to do something like that.”

  That earned him another slap on the shoulder, though this time from Helena.

  “Have some respect for Lady Morgan, cheese peasant.”

  “I do!” Colby said. “I always make sure she gets the best cheese possible.”

  “Ignore him, Helena,” Elaine said. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

  “After that thing went down, I relayed the Supply Runner’s message to General Goodsell. The coincidence was enough that he sent us to look for you. And that brings us to here. So was it really a coincidence or not?”

  “Wait,” Colby said. “How’d you know where we were? Or even which cave we were in?”

  “Are peasants really that dumb?” Helena scoffed.

  “Hey, I’ll have you know you lost to this dumb peasant in an official duel,” Colby said.

  “Because you cheated. I refuse to acknowledge such a duel. I hereby challenge you to a duel, cheese peasant.”

  “And I don’t care. Just answer my question.”

  “Do you seriously not know that the General always keeps track of his stock?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Colby.” Colby poked his shoulder and leaned closer, whispering into his ear. “It’s because of the Goodsell House Spell.”

  “Ah, yes. The Goodsell House Spell. Where he… sells goods?”

  “What are they teaching you peasants?” Helena huffed.

  “Stuff. You could learn a thing or two, Ms. Noble girl. I did take down the Myconet that was controlling the Macronet. I saved Brinebrook.”

  “Sure, you did,” Helena said. “Elaine, care to explain what really happened?”

  As Elaine started the story of what had transpired in the cave, the faces of the Knights and Arcanists who had accompanied the two nobles shifted. Whatever expressions they had been wearing on their face vanished, replaced by something serious as they listened intently.

  One of the Knights didn’t even wait for the story to finish. He said that he was going to get a Sand Specialist before [Dashing] out of the cave at a pace that made Colby question whether he was a part-time Supply Runner.

  The others dropped to their knees and started digging through the sand with their bare hands, including Noelle, who made sure that her sister was steady enough to stand on her own.

  One lucky Knight stayed on his feet and kept watch. Beside him was another lucky Arcanist who didn't have to get their hands dirty.

  “Why didn’t you say this earlier?” Helena yelled.

  “I don’t know. Why didn’t I mention something so important? I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m sorry,” Elaine said.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “When have you ever? Report back to the General, and make sure the civilians are seen by a Healer. Maisie, escort them back.”

  “O-okay,” a Knight muttered, standing up from the pile of sand and cautiously walking up to them. “C-can you walk. Do you need any assistance?”

  “I’m fine, Maisie,” Elaine said. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you were here until Helena said something.”

  “I-It’s okay. People don’t really notice me.”

  “Don’t say that. The Knighthood noticed you enough to be a Knight-in-training. You’re noticeable. I’d like to continue our pep talk, but any longer and I think my punishment is only going to get worse.”

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

  “What for?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just sorry.”

  Escorted by Maisie, a small, meek Knight-in-training who was on guard duty the same day Colby was challenged to a duel by Helena, whom he bested, they trekked their way back to Brinebrook.

  Life was slowly returning to the previously quiet forest. Something rustled through the bushes. Distant squawks and cries through the trees, followed by groans, moans, and other noises Colby didn’t have the vocabulary to describe.

  There was a sense that something might jump out at them.

  Thankfully, nothing did.

  Colby did not have the strength or cheese to deal with it. Almost all of the milk supplies he earned from his spontaneous business venture had been used up against the Myconet.

  Speaking of the Myconet, what were the chances that he’d be compensated for saving the day? It felt pretty high.

  As Colby daydreamed about what he would do with all of the cheesemaking ingredients the town would shower him with, the walls protecting said town soon came into sight.

  Also within sight was a small clearing that had been created when the Marconet toppled, crushing multiple trees and whatever was unfortunate enough not to move out of the way in time.

  The huge sphere of dark green mold sat atop a nest of snapped tree trunks, branches, and leaves. The large tendrils that once held it up lay limp on the ground. They thinned the further down they went, splitting into multiple branches across the forest floor that now posed a tripping hazard rather than the risk of being a puppet.

  Surrounding the mass of mold were robed figures, Arcanists. Some crouched, others stood naturally, and a few on their tippy-toes. They inspected every inch of the creature that had been strong enough to destroy the town’s barrier. Around them were Knights. They formed a perimeter around the Arcanists, watching the trees for any potential monster threats—or worse.

  The Macronet was a lot bigger up close. Even without being propped up by those tree trunk-sized tendrils, the sphere of mold poked above the treeline, looming over the trees that had been spared its fall from grace.

  While most of the Arcanists examined the Macronet from the ground, there was a small handful who preferred a bird's-eye view of the situation. They hovered near the top of the sphere, slowly circling around and scanning for details that those below would never catch.

  And amongst them was a certain old lady dressed from head to toe in red.

  It was Ms. M.

  “Hi, Ms. M,” Colby said, waving at her.

  Every Knight and Arcanist within earshot snapped their heads at him. A messy mixture of expressions blasted out of their faces. Anger. Fear. Confusion.

  Either that or Colby just sucked at reading people.

  Ms. M floated down, landing right in front of him. Maisie, Elaine, Porter, and pretty much everyone bowed before her presence. Well, everyone except for Colby.

  “Hello, little Colby,” she said. “Why, I didn’t expect you, of all people, to be involved. Is everything well with you?”

  “Not really,” he sighed. “I’m really sorry, Ms. M. But I don’t think I can make you your regular today. I’m pretty exhausted. Anything I make won’t be up to standard, I’m afraid.”

  “That’s hardly an issue, little Colby. I doubt I have much time to enjoy your wonderful cheese.”

  “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. Promise.”

  “Thank you. Now run along home. I’m sure your parents must be worried.”

  “They probably are. See you later, Ms. M,” he said, waving at her.

  “Goodbye, little Colby. Stay safe.” She waved back before turning to face Elaine. Her friendly tone dropped, becoming stern. “And you. After you’ve reported to General Goodsell, I expect one as well.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Elaine saluted.

  With that, they continued their walk. It was such a short one that Colby didn’t even have the chance to daydream about cheese. They were already at the gates.

  And standing in the exact same spot was Mr. Goodsell. His hands rested on his cane as he stared at something further beyond. Then, his pupils focused before shifting, locked onto Elaine.

  A shiver ran up her spine that even Colby felt.

  “This is where we part ways,” Elaine said. “Maisie, could you bring them home?”

  “O-of course, Elaine. It’s the least I can do,” she stuttered.

  “Bye, Elaine.” Porter waved.

  “Bye, Laine,” Colby said. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” she sighed. “I’ll need it.”

  As they moved towards the gates, Elaine stepped to the side and stopped right in front of General Goodsell, snapping into a salute.

  Colby and Porter waved as they walked by. All he gave back was a curt nod and maybe the faintest of smiles to Porter.

  But before they could head home, they had to make a quick visit to the temporary triage tent.

  Inside, it was still chaos. Healers dressed in white robes rushed from cot to cot. Earlier, most of the injuries were large claw marks that raked through metal and ripped out flesh. Now, it was a free-for-all.

  Stabs, cuts, burns, poisons, and other gruesome details that made Colby regret the blessing of sight.

  Swamped and overwhelmed, they were given a quick checkup. All they had were small little cuts and bruises, nothing life-threatening that required Healer intervention. Once they were waved out, Colby, escorted by Maisie, made his way home. Porter tagged along, too. He still had something he needed to check up on.

  Walking through the cobblestone streets of Brinebrook, he watched Knights escort various groups of monsters that had ran through the town searching for safety. Some limped, others hissed, and even snapped in fear. The Knights kept them moving, guiding them out and back into the wilderness.

  Homes were still sealed up tight. Doors were barricaded and windows boarded up.

  Right now, Colby and Porter were the only civilians walking about. Something which earned them looks whenever a Knight passed by.

  Soon, but not soon enough, because his feet were killing him, they had made it back to the cheeseshop. Maisie excused herself, running back towards the gate, presumably to support Elaine.

  Colby gripped the handle and pushed.

  Surprisingly, or maybe not, the door opened.

  What greeted him were stacks of Skate Goats that touched the ceiling, demanding their wheels, Daisy Cows bunched up together in a milky bouquet, and the unmistakable back of Farmer Hound, who was thankfully more farmer than hound, at the moment.