"Well," I huff out looking at the Victoria and Elsbeth, "That's one?"

I put on a sheepish grin, remembering the original plan to grind out several Mandrakes for their petals. We each get 28XP and a bunch of parts but I don't get a new ability.

Bummer.

The golem did leave behind a Minor Golem Core and for some reason it cast a yellow aura when I activated Minor Survival Skill.

I think out loud at our sentient core at home, "Hey Sonny? Can you tell me what this is for?"

[Hm. It is a rare item that can be used in crafting golems. Most likely you just defeated one Y/N?]

"Yeah, it was a Bark Golem. It's the only loot it dropped."

[Yes, golems are usually just enchanted material that take the guise of a living creature. So, aside from the Golem Core, all that would be left of your particular enemy is a pile of wood and bark. Now, if you had defeated a Gold or Mythril Golem?]

"Yeah, I don't think I could've defeated a Mythril Golem at this level. Can we enchant anything with it?"

I cast Healing Breeze to top off everyone's HP and they give me the thumbs up to move forward. Sonny responds with a complicated yes and I ask her to put it on hold until we get back.

*************************

Before Rachel left, she was able to impart some knowledge unto Dawn and she gained her level in Tinkerer. This gave her the ability to understand the basics of the blueprints Rachel left behind. Even with that much, her progress is slow is frustratingly slow as she pieces together not just one, but two little objects. Her guest is sitting patiently in the lap of her mother.

The little lupine Faunus with the missing hands and her mother are staring at Dawn as she puts together a very important puzzle. Without even the slightest glance up, Dawn asks, "Which of yours is higher, Arcane or Faith?"

The little one looks up for an answer to which her mother replies, "Faith. Lavina always wanted to be a cleric, specifically to Drominius, the God of Field and Farm. She wanted…she WANTS to keep people healthy and full. We came to Kes Rentas with my husband--"

Dawn couldn't bare the thought of looking away from her project. The memory that stopped the poor woman mid sentence and caused Lavina to whimper. The burden that fell on her heart from just one broken sentence is heavy enough to move anyone. But she does look up. Her hands fall still. Her eyes rise and ask the silent question.

"We never could grow enough for a surplus on the land we leased from them, only barely enough for the three of us to live off of. We didn't pay them on time too many times, I guess. Maybe it was part of a scheme, I'll never know."

Lavina is trembling, knowing the next part of this story.

"They came for him in the middle of the night." She holds her daughter tighter as tears stream down her face. "She… she just wouldn't let go of him… It- it wasn't her fault! She had nothing to do with it!"

Both of their ears are flat down as she recounted the swing of the sword. The laughter. The screaming. The endless screaming.

"We couldn't get to a healer in time and by then it was too late. We couldn't afford the more advanced magic to grow them back. We could do nothing. I… I could do nothing…"

Dawn is knelt in from of them, lifting their faces to her. "Listen. Neither of you are to blame. There is a corruption that we'll deal with when we are stronger, but for now, we are going to do what we can to give you back your chances of becoming a cleric."

She embraces them for as long as they hold her and then she finishes her work. She places her project onto her anvil and adds one of the ankhs to each of them. "Now, lets see if Rachel's theory is correct…"

There are so many fine details in the actions of a hand that creating one without the use of magic would be quite the undertaking.

"So, here's our idea," Dawn whispers at first, then returns to a normal volume, "I crafted two small gauntlets using the Umbramium. It's stronger and lighter than iron, but for now your hands are going to be a little dark. I infused them with an ankh to channel your mana, and now you're going to equip them onto your hand slot. If that doesn't work, well, let's just hope it works first. I don't want to do plan B by myself…"

Dawn places the black metal hands in Lavina's lap and helps her remove her wrappings. The little faunus fumbles the equipment a bit as she shifts them around into position. She stares into Dawn's eyes, her own a mixture of fear, hope, and excitement. She allows them to attach with a mental click and lifts them to her face.

"Now, try to activate your mana. Have you ever cast a spell before?" Lavina shakes her head slightly. "I want you to say, 'Move' and then wiggle your fingers. Okay? Can you do that for me?"

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Dawn presses her palms against the cold hands, sending Lavina all the strength she could muster through her eyes.

With fear trembling lips, she croaks a hushed, "…move…". There is a feint dark glow about them and Dawn lets her go.

Nothing.

The Infernus adds a tempered resolve to her face and grins at the faunus, "Again. How much do you want this to work?"

The little one screws up her courage, gazing at her hands with determination, "Move." The same glow and dim. There is still nothing. Lavina grits her teeth, forcing her will from her chest into her shoulders. Pushing past her elbows and flooding the metal hands, "Move!"

-twitch-

The movement is slow, fingers closing into a loose fists. They open back up just as slowly. Lavina jerks her head toward her mother. There is disbelief in her eyes. She cannot believe that such a sliver of hope was left that could grow into this moment. She thought it was all lost. But now… A cold finger wipes away tears from her face. Lavina whispers, unable to believe the words that are coming out, "I… I can feel a little… through them." She delicately traces her mother's face with the tip of her finger. "Mommy… Look…"

Dawn quickly reads the new notifications regarding her increase in Tinkerer and Blacksmith level, Reputation with the two faunus, and progression on her and Rachel's shared minor quest. Seeing the mother and child, however, she knew they would have done this without the quest. I mean, that's what a new level 10 Cleric of the Forge should be doing, right?

[Minor Quest: Give them a hand

[Provide the missing limbs for those who desire help in Linqs Dungeon.

[2/10 Reward: 200XP, Random Journeyman Blueprint]

It is a little strange that the number is so low, though. She guessed that not everyone is handicapped. "Elsbeth, Ramona, Kona, and Vic all have their limbs," she mused to herself as she bade the two farewell, "That means they all got expelled for different reasons..."

*************************

Damn it! Ten. Ten freakin' Mandrakes, dozens of Stalkers, and a Harpy, who we suprised in the middle of its Stalker lunch break.

Now, this candidate for nightmare main character is like the monster of old with the head and face of a woman, but from the neck down it was the body of a large predatory bird the size of an ostrich. I was hoping for another golem, but I guess they're a little on the rare side. Still, facing the Harpy was no easy task.

The fun part was getting the stupid thing out of the air without the use of arrows, since Elsbeth ran out. The Harpy's Dive Bomb attack was too quick to catch even for me. So, we went with a fun idea.

We let her catch me.

Oh, sure, five inch claws digging into my flesh wasn't the ideal situation but if I could stall the thing for a moment it would be worth it. The plan went off perfectly. Unfortunately for me, the Harpy's talons destroyed my breastplate and almost carried me away. If I wasn't slashing at it long enough to keep it grounded so that Victoria and Elsbeth could clip it's wings, I would've been taken away or possibly dropped from a great height. But, we managed a victory over our elusive enemy and earned some loot.

[Party Leader Bonus: You received 9XP]

[You received 10*Harpy Feathers, 2*Harpy Meat]

Victoria shoots a fist in the air, "Yes! Finally! We did it! Thanks to you!"

I scrunch my eyebrows together and half smile as I look at the two as they overflow with joy, "Yeah, no problem? I mean, it was just a Harpy?"

"No, silly! Not the bird! The XP!"

I'm still confused as I look over at Elsbeth. She's smiling widely and holding up all of her fingers to me.

"Ten? Ten! You both got to level ten! Congratulations!"

[Reputation +100 with Victoria Grandersil]

[Reputation +150 with Elsbeth Trusco]

[Reputation increased to Respected]

Elsbeth also signs that the feathers will help make superior arrows. I'm not too excited about the Harpy Meat, but I daydream about fried chicken…

Sigh.

There's gotta be an easier way to make that in the game though.

"What class are you going for, if that's alright to ask?"

Elsbeth signs Ranger to me, which I figured but Victoria says, "Centurion. It's a rarely chosen class because most of it's bonuses benefit a party or squad. It's been my goal to become a Legate, like my grandmother was. The first female Legate, under her master who was only the third Legate in history. When Grandmother Freydis died the second time, she left behind the Primary Feat and no one has become one since."

"Yep, let's just roll on back to the part where you said she died the second time" I ask as we start heading back to the cave.

"No one knows the truth because the first time was too chaotic. She was in a battle, her legion of five thousand against twelve thousand hobgoblins and two thousand orcs. She had the smaller army but her soldiers were more fierce, more cunning, and they pushed them back easily. Near the end of the battle, she was targeted by every archer and mage they had left. There was no way for her to survive."

We run into another Chrysanthamum Mandrake with it's Stalker pets, but continue talking as we knew the drill. Of course, fighting them is so much easier without a golem.

"Her men's moral was crushed and they were almost wiped out. They were down to one thousand men against several thousand more hobgoblins. This is where the story gets confusing."

She withdraws a round shield from her storage, something I've never seen her use before. She rarely uses it to block attacks, choosing instead to dodge and strike with it, once in a while throwing it as a weapon. A beautifully choreographed dance of constant attacks and pressure with her as the lead ballerina.

"The only thing consistent about the stories, is she reappeared from a ray of light and helped crush the rest of the enemies before succumbing to another set of serious wounds. Thus, she died twice!"

She smiles as she drives her shield into the Stalker's mandibles ending its life. God, I love when she tells a story during combat! Elsbeth is dancing with her, shooting in with her rapiers when the opportunities present themselves while Victoria protects her. Meanwhile, I'm off on the side turning the Mandrake into a tossed salad with a side of shredded Stalker.

We finish up quickly and find the other soldiers heading home as well. They salute us and we continue together in two close lines.

"Good haul today, Boulder?" I ask, walking next to the big bear.

He nods his head smiling, "Yes, sir! Though, we only encountered very few Giant Lizards. I believe we collected eight spines for you."

"Wonderful! That'll at least be four more spears. Did anyone want anything else besides a spear? We have a surplus of simple leather gear and simple iron weapons, so you guys can help yourselves. Daggers, shortswords, handaxes. Yeah."

I notice the backpack on the soldier in front of me and I access it. If I was eating or drinking something I would have spat all over the back of his head. "You guys gathered all this?!"