In the aftermath of the fighting, Nikolai and Kaelith took on most of the work. The team they had temporarily joined had lost two of their original members and were now down to five. If that wasn’t enough, much of their supplies had been ruined, and there was a literal mountain of dead goblins to burn.

  Nikolai didn’t say anything, but he knew Kaelith had stored away a few of the goblin corpses. He didn’t mind—she was a necromancer after all. She would probably be using them for something down the line, and he honestly wasn’t sure he wanted to know what. As much as he liked Kaelith, her fascination with corpses was still more than a little strange to him.

  The two dead adventurers were wrapped in cloth and placed on the blessedly still-intact wagon. Once the goblin pyre had burned out and anything useful from the camp had been recovered, they were on the road again.

  The original goal had been to head for the port city of Livalin, but the goblin raid had been an eye-opener. A nearby town was suddenly at risk.

  Glenwood wasn’t a large place by city standards, but it had at least a few thousand inhabitants and a small office of the Adventurers’ Guild.

  The town itself was nestled against a small river but was otherwise deep within the forest for which it was named.

  Ringed by a thick wooden palisade, the surrounding trees had been cleared for a good distance, giving at least some warning of approaching monsters.

  Their small group was spotted long before they reached the tall wooden gates, guards calling out to them as they approached. After a few exchanged words, the gates opened and they were let inside.

  Beyond the gates was a fairly large cleared space that also functioned as a training ground for the town guard. A couple of longhouses that served as barracks had been built along the wall on either side, doubling as administrative offices.

  An officer and a few town guards in hide armor approached. Their job was to inspect the cargo on the wagon, but once they saw the two corpses their faces fell.

  The officer was what was known as a Regali, a humanoid species very similar to humans in proportions but with several key differences. First were the bone ridges along their heads—often around the forehead, cheekbones, and jaw—as well as around joints on their bodies. Then there was their skin color, which varied widely, ranging from pale blues to yellows and purples.

  This particular man had a cream-colored complexion and a short chin beard. Despite his stern demeanor, Nikolai noticed the empathy in his very human eyes.

  He nodded to Trent.

  “Take your people to the guild. They should have a proper send-off.”

  Trent smiled sadly.

  “Thank you, Sergeant. We will. Before that, however, you need to know that a large band of goblins killed my friends. We managed to dispatch them, but…”

  The sergeant nodded, his expression growing grim.

  “Where there is one goblin, there are many.”

  Trent’s own expression hardened.

  “They need to go, Sergeant.”

  “Indeed. I will report to my superiors. I assume you would like in, should we decide to sally out?”

  Trent gestured for the team to move on but turned back one last time.

  “You better believe it.”

  Before Nikolai and Kaelith could pass, the sergeant called out to them.

  “Young man, you a healer by chance?”

  Nikolai gave the man a friendly smile.

  “I am, sir.”

  The sergeant nodded.

  “If you have the time, could I beg a favor perhaps?”

  Nikolai gestured for him to continue.

  “We’re a small community, and not many healers come this deep into the forest. We have a couple of skilled alchemists, but they are overworked. If possible, I’m sure they would appreciate some help. We will make sure you’re paid, of course. Just… we aren’t exactly swimming in coin,” he explained.

  Using his skill Courtborne Guise, Nikolai let a gentle aura flow outward, then offered the man a small reassuring smile.

  “Of course. I will see what I can do. Don’t worry—I was trained as a Hospitarium healer, so I won’t be emptying your pockets for trying to help your fellow townspeople.”

  Both the sergeant and the two guards behind him visibly relaxed, instantly seeming more at ease around Nikolai.

  Once again, he gave himself a mental pat on the back for choosing the aura skill. It was incredibly useful.

  Was it manipulative? Gods yes.

  But he was fae, wasn’t he? It sort of came with the territory—and it wasn’t like he was using it for anything nefarious.

  At least not right now.

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  Nikolai was given directions to a small square deeper inside town, near the Adventurers’ Guild. Promising he would visit soon, he and Kaelith continued after the adventurers.

  Her face, as always, was hidden behind her mask, but he sensed her amusement.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Oh nothing,” she replied sweetly. “I was just marveling at your amazing ability to put those around you at ease using a skill, no less. I must say, it is quite the privilege to serve a master manipulator!”

  She finished with a girlish giggle.

  She was so damn cute.

  Kaelith was small beside him, almost petite, and that cuteness combined with her slightly deranged personality ticked all his boxes. She was straight out of an anime, and he didn’t mind in the slightest.

  Even the way she dressed had begun changing in subtle ways.

  They had talked a lot while traveling about Nikolai’s life on Earth—his hobbies, entertainment, and culture in general. He had once mentioned that she reminded him of a goth loli character from an anime, and she had been delighted when he explained what that meant.

  Even more so when she heard about the outfits.

  Now her hair was no longer long and flowing down her back but tied into twin tails. Her robe had become shorter and puffier, exposing the lower part of her legs, and the high black leather boots she wore…

  He was pretty sure the first chance she got, she would buy real dresses and go all out. The only reason she hadn’t yet was that they simply hadn’t encountered a proper tailor.

  “I wasn’t manipulating them, Kaelith. I was simply nudging them a little,” Nikolai said with exasperation.

  “Dear Master Travelion, of course you weren’t,” she replied innocently. “I must have imagined you flaring that aura of yours—and that sudden sense I had that you were a saint walking the earth.”

  “That bad, huh?” he asked, slightly disappointed in himself. “I thought I had improved my control.”

  Kaelith giggled and took his arm, leaning comfortably against him.

  “You have. But I am very, very sensitive to your touch, you know.”

  The sultriness in her voice made him shiver slightly, and he knew she felt it.

  She had taken to teasing him a lot more recently, and no matter how often he asked her not to call him master, she simply refused to stop.

  After his explanation of anime archetypes, it had been game over.

  “Did you have to phrase it like that?” he asked, glancing down at her.

  She hugged his arm tighter.

  “Yes.”

  He resisted the urge to groan and instead chuckled.

  “You know… you’ve changed a lot in a short time, Kaelith.”

  She looked up at him, purple eyes meeting his behind the mask. She tilted her head in that birdlike manner she had.

  “You dislike it?”

  “No, it’s just an observation.”

  She shrugged.

  “I didn’t change, Nikolai. I reverted.”

  She paused for a moment before continuing.

  “I spent a long time searching for a path to survival. I lost a lot of myself over the years—desperation, fear of my inevitable descent into undeath… it made life hard to enjoy.”

  Her voice softened.

  “Now, after you saved me from that fate, I’m rediscovering who I used to be. And honestly, I’m still a rather dull version of myself from fifty years ago.”

  Nikolai raised an eyebrow.

  “So… you’re saying…”

  She giggled brightly.

  “I’m saying you haven’t seen anything yet!”

  He burst out laughing.

  “Well, I suppose I have something to look forward to then.”

  Her fingers tightened around his arm.

  “You mean that? You don’t find me annoying… or clingy?”

  He leaned down slightly and whispered.

  “Just don’t be shocked by the consequences. A young man like me can only endure so much teasing before doing something drastic.”

  This time it was her turn to laugh, and if possible she hugged him even closer.

  “I shall endeavor to become even more irresistible then! I can’t wait for something drastic to happen!”

  The guild building was a simple wooden structure with a few banners hanging outside.

  Since Nikolai wasn’t a registered adventurer, he left Kaelith with the others—despite her protests—and instead went to search for the alchemists he had promised to help.

  Kaelith was the highest-ranked member of the temporary team, meaning she had to make the official report, which might take some time.

  Nikolai gathered quite a bit of attention as he walked through the narrow streets. The white healer’s robe drew many curious stares.

  What puzzled him, however, was that some of those looks were suspicious.

  Why?

  After asking for directions twice, he finally found the place.

  It was the only stone building in the area, which initially struck him as odd. That confusion disappeared the moment he stepped inside.

  No fewer than six cauldrons bubbled over open flames.

  Judging from the soot stains coating the walls and ceiling, things occasionally became a little… explosive in here.

  A woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties glanced up from a pile of ingredients as he entered, studying him with a raised eyebrow.

  Her greying hair was tied in a tight bun. She was thin—almost bony—but not in a sickly way. It seemed simply how she was built. The bone ridges along her elbows and face stood out prominently because of it.

  “A healer? A human at that? What the bloody hell do you want, boy?” she barked.

  Her voice was rough, but not unfriendly—more like an old dockworker who had smoked for fifty years.

  “Hello, I am Nikolai. A sergeant near the gate asked if I might find time to help out while I’m in town. So… here I am,” he said politely.

  “Oh Blindir’s saggy tits, that nephew of mine worries too bloody much… I’m fine, aren’t we fine, sister mine!?” she shouted toward the back.

  An almost identical woman walked out from another room, giving him the same skeptical look.

  “Who the hell let one of the church dogs in!?”

  The first woman waved dismissively.

  “Ramul told him to help us. Said he was worried about us. Rich, isn’t it!?”

  The second sister snorted.

  “Bloody brat. He should focus on his own damn job! I’ll give him a good hiding later!”

  Nikolai watched the exchange with growing uncertainty and was slowly beginning to regret coming here at all.

  Then something caught his eye.

  On a nearby shelf sat a large warning sign.

  STAY WELL BACK!

  Explody things on this shelf!

  He pointed toward it.

  “Uh… excuse me. Excuse me!”

  He had to raise his voice—their argument had escalated into a full blown shouting match.

  “What!?” they both barked, turning to glare at him.

  Nikolai blinked, then broke into a grin.

  “Are the explody things for sale?”

  Like a child about to get his hands on a box of fireworks, Nikolai was already mentally rubbing his hands together in glee.