Gargan decided to sit out the three short delves they managed across the rest of the afternoon, though Jake suspected he did it to let them keep the Wyrdgeld.

Still, whatever the reason, he gained almost half of what he did from the full delve, and with far less risk.

Considering it, Jake was pretty sure it was almost quicker to do the three shorter delves as well. Something to note for the future.

Jake supposed they could even have pushed for a fourth or fifth short delve, but he was tired. They were all tired, and mistakes were starting to happen.

No, better to cut it off early and be in good shape for the next day.

Aspen suffering with revival sickness was going to be tough as it was. The last thing they needed was for someone else to be in the same situation.

With the delves done, they all tried to relax as best they could, with Ari grilling them steaks from a monster he’d hunted during their morning attempt.

The atmosphere of their little camp was tense, and they all seemed lost in their thoughts, so Jake decided to take an early evening.

He still remembered how dangerous the Corrupters he’d fought were, and Nepthys had said they were new to their powers.

Corrupters that were brave enough to hunt Dungeons were likely a cut above, and that was a scary thing.

Rubbing his face, Jake went back to his cabin and started to pack his gear away, ready to turn in.

A gentle knock came at the door to his cabin and Jake gave his bed a mournful look before walking over and pulling it open to find Nepthys standing there.

“Is everything alright?” Jake asked with concern. “Has something happened?”

“No, no, everything is fine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Nepthys said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Jake said, his eyes going wide as he realised he suddenly had no idea what to say. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just…” Nepthys trailed off before taking a breath and meeting Jake’s eyes. “The fight with the Woadite scared me. I thought it had killed you, and that your soul was gone.”

Nepthys shifted closer, and Jake was abruptly acutely aware of how close they were to each other as he stared into her eyes.

“After it hit Aspen, all I could think of was killing it before it could hurt you,” Jake said softly, finding his words at last. “The idea of losing you scared me half to death.”

Nepthys smiled and leaned in, pressing her soft lips to his.

Jake’s heart pounded as the moment lingered and the kiss lasted what felt like a small eternity.

Eventually, Nepthys drew back with flushed cheeks and apologised before hurrying away.

Jake stared dumbly after her, one hand absently coming up to touch his lips. Things had felt different since he rescued her, but he’d never expected that.

He didn’t understand why she’d apologised, either.

For a moment, Jake considered going after her, but then he tried to think of what he’d say if he did.

Rubbing his face, Jake reluctantly decided he was too tired to know what to do, and he desperately wanted to avoid making it any worse.

He’d get some sleep and talk to her in the morning.

-**-

Unsurprisingly, while Aspen looked marginally better the next day, he was still in nothing like good shape.

It seemed the revival sickness for these higher tier Dungeons both lasted longer and hit harder, which was an unpleasant mix.

Unfortunately, they had no time to waste, so they couldn’t take the time for Aspen to feel better.

Instead, they were on the move as soon as they were all awake and ready, with Aspen trudging along as best he could.

Jake was quietly impressed by the lack of any sort of complaint from Aspen, but his mind was still on his encounter with Nepthys the night before.

They’d had a quick talk before they left, with both Nepthys and Alan letting him know that they’d ranked up the night before thanks to the earnings from the Dungeon.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Jake had congratulated each of them, but Nepthys had hurried away before they could talk any more.

Now that they were on the road, hopefully he could broach the subject and at least understand what was going on.

Picking up his pace to catch up with her, Jake cleared his throat, fighting past the awkwardness of it all. “I wanted to talk with you about last night.”

Nepthys tensed and subtly shook her head. “Now isn’t the time. Just know that I’m sorry, and I made a mistake.”

Jake wanted to ask more, wanted to demand an explanation, but she was right. This wasn’t the time.

-**-

Felix had them moving at a fast pace for as much of the day as they could, mixing in a few long jogs as training along the way.

Thanks to Felix’s Abilities, Jake actually found himself feeling more rested a few minutes after the jog than he had been before hand.

It was an impressive manipulation of his Abilities, and Jake wondered if there was anything he could do with his own in a similar manner.

He didn’t think so based on what he had at the moment. The wording of his Skills and Traits was quite clear, after all, but it was something he would remember for the future.

This steady push was also why they’d not brought Varin with them. Instead, they would try to meet him at a town further north, one that was beyond the area where they hoped to catch the Corrupters.

All being well, they’d do what needed to be done and then meet him there.

The Woadheart and Wyrdwood had gone to the crafter, with the promise of him making something useful for them. Exactly what, Jake didn’t know, but he was looking forward to finding out.

When they came to a halt for the evening, Aspen was just starting to look more like himself once more. It had been a day and a half since the Dungeon, which felt like twice as long as Alan and the others had suffered back with the original Dungeon.

What mattered was that Aspen was starting to feel more like himself, and they’d made a lot of headway despite it all.

“Set up camp here and stay close,” Felix announced once they’d found a good spot. “There’s a small village nearby where I have a contact. I’m going to check in on Dungeons and what else they might have heard. If we’re lucky, we’ll get an idea of which way our quarry has gone.”

Jake nodded, relieved that they’d finally stopped and eager to have some hot food.

He wanted to have some more time with Gargan and learn about using Wyrd more effectively, but he also wanted to talk to Aspen about learning the spear.

All of that was for later, though. Right now, he needed to understand what was going on with Nepthys.

“Nepthys?” Jake called as he walked over, having dropped his pack to one side and retrieved his practice sword. “Care for some sparring?”

“Yes,” Nepthys said with apparent relief, grabbing her wooden swords and heading a short distance away from the camp. “Thank you for waiting, and I’m sorry again.”

Jake nodded, getting into position before beginning the spar at a low pace, letting them warm into it. “I just wish I understood what was going on. Why did you run away like that?”

“Because I should never have kissed you,” Nepthys said, her cheeks a burning red as she admitted it. “It was a selfish thing to do, no matter how much I enjoyed it, and I realised it as soon as I acted.”

Jake’s heart was pounding, and he was abruptly grateful for the familiar feeling of the wooden blade in his hand as a distraction and a way to focus his mind.

Steeling his nerves, he spoke quickly before he could change his mind. “I don’t think it was a mistake. I enjoyed it as well.”

Nepthys froze, missing her stroke as she met Jake’s gaze properly for the first time, her eyes wide. “Jake, I’m sorry, but we can’t. It was selfish because I knew that already.”

“I don’t understand. We both enjoyed it, so where is the issue?” Jake asked, confused and a little frustrated by it all.

“The issue is that eventually my family will call on me to continue the bloodline,” Nepthys said as she flushed an even deeper red. “I can’t and won’t ignore that call. It’s too important, Jake. So if anything came of that kiss, it would eventually have to end. I’m sorry, Jake. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

“Oh.” Jake blinked owlishly, caught by surprise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise.”

“It’s okay.” Nepthys gave him a sad smile. “It’s my fault for getting carried away.”

“Well, let’s just forget about it,” Jake said, forcing a smile. “It was a nice moment but let’s just leave it at that.”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Nepthys said before taking a deep breath and lifting her swords. “Come, you owe me a good spar.”

Jake nodded and settled into a fighting stance before they started the spar afresh.

-**-

A few hours later, Jake approached Aspen, who was lying down on his bedroll resting his eyes. “Aspen, I wanted to ask a question, if you have a moment?”

“Sure thing. What’s up?” Aspen asked, cracking open one eye and looking up at Jake.

“The Boon I got from the Dungeon lets me summon a spear. I was hoping you’d help me learn to use it.”

“A spear?” Aspen asked, sitting up with a grin. “Can you show me?”

Jake had all his Manifestations for the day so he expended one to use his Dauhaust’s Root Boon for the first time.

In a shimmer of grey Wyrd, a long, wooden spear dropped into his hand, its smooth surface almost warm to the touch.

The spear was formed of a strand of twisted roots, ending in a long blade that seemed designed for stabbing and piercing.

It was very similar to the spearing roots of the Woadite, which made Jake wonder about the leeching effect the Boon mentioned.

“Well, that’s an impressive weapon,” Aspen said, getting up and motioning to the spear. “May I?”

Jake passed the spear over as his attention turned towards the Boon and the Manifestation he’d used. As best he could tell, it would slowly use up the manifestation while present, but unless he used the leeching effect or resummoned it, the Manifestation would last for quite a while.

A useful variance to how the Hidden Fang worked, and one that made the spear more suitable for general use.

“So, what do you think?” Jake asked as Aspen looked it over and went through a few basic motions.

“Balance is good, and the blade is sharp,” Aspen said, tossing the spear back to Jake. “Damn fine spear all said and done. I’ll teach you what I know. Not tonight, though, I feel like shit.”

“From tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that works for me.”

Aspen nodded and lay back down with a sigh. “I’m surprised you took it, though, considering what you said about learning too many weapons at once.”

“It was the best of the ones there,” Jake said, shrugging slightly. “Besides, I don’t feel like I’m struggling right now, but I also don’t want to get to a place where I am struggling.”

Aspen nodded before closing his eyes once more. “Good to know. We’ll see how that holds up tomorrow.”