(Nathan)

The bell chimed as Nathan stepped out onto the street, falling into step beside Dylan.

Dylan hesitated, his hand hovering at Buttercup’s height, searching for the right word. “Are…?”

“Gnomes,” Nathan answered, reading the unspoken question.

Dylan nodded slowly. “Are they always that… aggressive?”

“Always,” Nathan said, glancing back at the shop. “Though it’s usually about gems and credits.”

Dylan tilted his head, curious. “Credits? Like digital money?”

Nathan halted mid-step, blinking in surprise. “You have digital currency on Dirt?”

Dylan nodded with a small shrug. “Yeah, we’ve got paper money and digital money. Oh, and we’ve got metal money—coins.”

“Paper and metal?” Nathan asked, shaking his head in disbelief. “That wouldn’t last long on Xel’oria.” He led them down the street toward the League of Adventurers’ Hall. Once they reached the hall, they could follow the road to the outskirts of town, where the Nightshade stronghold was located.

“It’s not really paper,” Dylan explained as he matched Nathan’s pace. “We just call it paper money—it’s actually made of fabric.”

‘Life on Dirt sounds confusing,’ Nathan thought. “Still,” he said aloud, “the draconi would just eat the metal coins. That’s why we use gems—durable, yet unappetizing.”

Dylan froze mid-step, staring at Nathan. “Draconi eat metal?”

Nathan turned toward him, nodding matter-of-factly. “Oh yes. Lots of metal. Most of what they eat contains high concentrations of metals and minerals.”

“What do they eat that has that much metal?” Dylan asked, his curiosity insatiable.

“They eat everything—they’re omnivores,” Nathan replied. He noted how well the olive tunic complemented Dylan’s complexion and hair. Buttercup really knew her stuff.

Dylan pursed his lips thoughtfully. “What about weapons? Could they eat swords?”

Nathan chuckled at the mental image, shaking his head. “By the Mother, that’s quite a thought. Sure, they could eat metal weapons—if no one was wielding them, if they didn’t cut themselves, if they could fit them in their mouth, and if they had enough time.”

Dylan glanced ahead, considering. “Is that why I’ve seen crystal blades?”

Nathan nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “That, and metal is scarce, since it’s a delicacy for the local populace.”

Dylan gave Nathan a quizzical look. “Do elves eat metal?”

Nathan shrugged casually. “Not raw, but we can digest it.”

As they walked toward the Nightshade guild stronghold, their conversation shifted to all the ways to eat metal and why most utensils were crystalware instead of silverware. Dylan’s questions seemed endless, but Nathan didn’t mind—it only confirmed what he’d suspected: Nightshade would be a perfect fit for him.

‘Finally, back home.’ Nathan thought, savoring the familiar comfort of the sprawling farmlands around Nightshade. The main hall stood at the stronghold’s center, with the dorms to its right. Beyond the main hall lay the crafting studios, and out of sight, hidden behind the buildings, were the training grounds, obstacle course, and armory.

Dylan’s eyebrows shot up. “You live here?” He turned to Nathan, pointing toward the distant compound.

“You do too.” Nathan rested a hand on Dylan’s shoulder.

“This is way bigger than the Xavier Institute…” Dylan paused, his gaze sweeping over the landscape as he took it all in.

The name wasn’t familiar to Nathan. “I’ve never heard of that guild.”

“It’s not… never mind.” Dylan waved a hand, dismissing the topic.

“Would you like to see your room?” Nathan asked with a smile, pleased by Dylan’s reaction. Nightshade wasn’t a large guild, with only a single stronghold. It wasn’t the oldest, largest, or strongest guild on Xel’oria—but it was home.

Dylan nodded eagerly, and they entered through the gates, heading toward the dorms. In all four decades Nathan had spent at Nightshade, he’d never seen the gates closed. They were mostly for show; the waist-high rock wall around the perimeter wouldn’t stop anyone. But in a world of magic, appearances were often deceiving.

Before Nathan could reach the dorm door, it swung open on its own. He stepped back just in time as Guildmaster K’hab emerged. The guildmaster’s silver scales shimmered with a faint blue iridescence in the right light. He kept his crest simple—two light horns curled back and down along the sides of his head.

“Guildmaster K’hab…” Nathan said, caught by surprise. The guildmaster rarely came to the dorms. Nathan noticed K’hab’s formal attire, typically reserved for esteemed guests. There hadn’t been any word of visitors—perhaps Meekan would fill him in later if it was someone interesting.

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“Greetings, Nathan,” K’hab said with a slight bow of his head, a typical draconi greeting. “Wedge tells me there was another incident this morning,” he said, raising a brow.

Nathan’s stomach twisted. ‘Dorian…’ He shut his eyes and gave a brief nod. “Yes. Sorry about that. My brother—” He stopped himself. ‘The Guildmaster doesn’t want to hear your petty excuses.’

Nathan straightened, forcing a calm he didn’t feel. “Yes, I’m very sorry about that.”

“I see,” K’hab said with a slow nod. “I’ll have a word with him when he returns.”

Nathan tilted his head. “When he returns? He only just got back today.”

“His team picked up another group contract—they’ve already departed,” K’hab explained.

‘He always does that—shows up, makes a mess, and then sneaks off instead of facing the consequences. So infuriating.’ He exhaled slowly through his nose, as though pushing the frustration out with his breath, rolling his shoulders to release the tension before it dragged him under.

K’hab’s golden eyes settled on Dylan. “And you must be Dylan. A pleasure to meet you.” He dipped his head in a slight bow.

‘How does he know Dylan?’ Nathan watched as Dylan reached out with his arm, froze, quickly snapping it back to his side. His smile faltered.

“Hi, I’m Dylan,” Dylan said awkwardly, suppressing a smile.

K’hab glanced at Nathan, easily reading his expression. “Meekan mentioned he’d be staying with us.”

Nathan blinked in surprise. “Meekan?” he and Dylan echoed in unison.

“I’ve arranged two adjoining rooms for you both. See Wedge—he’ll get you sorted.”

‘He doesn’t think I can handle this myself.’ Nathan sighed, dragging a hand through his spiky blue hair. “Two rooms?” he asked aloud.

“Your old room is structurally unsound—Wedge mentioned something about repeated foundational stress fractures?” K’hab waved a clawed hand in dismissal. “I’m not sure about the specifics—it’s all architecture talk. I trust Wedge to handle it.”

Nathan sighed inwardly, knowing he’d have to smooth things over with Wedge. ‘Great—we’re going to have to talk to Wedge.’ He wasn’t eager to face the architect, who was probably still grumpy from Dorian’s latest stunt.

“Guildmaster, you didn’t have to go out of your way—I should’ve handled it.”

K’hab rested a reassuring hand on Nathan’s shoulder, his golden eyes softening. “It’s already done.”

To Nathan, K’hab had always been more than just a guildmaster—he’d founded the guild shortly before taking in Nathan and Dorian as orphaned wards.

Nathan glanced at the hand on his shoulder, a reminder that K’hab was the closest thing he and his brother had to a parent.

Straightening, Nathan tried to savor the moment, reminded that elves outlived most races by magnitudes. One day, it would just be him and Dorian—the last of their family.

“Thank you, Guildmaster,” Nathan said quietly.

K’hab lifted his wrist, glancing at his chronometer. “Now, go get yourselves settled. If you’re quick about it, you’ll finish in time for dinner. I’m sorry I won’t be able to join you tonight.”

‘Tonight?’ Nathan frowned, puzzled. Guildmaster K’hab had only ever eaten at the dining hall during special events.

“Thank you, Mr. Guildmaster, sir.” Dylan nodded, mimicking K’hab’s earlier greeting.

K’hab chuckled softly. “Please, just call me Guildmaster—or K’hab, since you’re not technically a member yet.”

Nathan blinked as Dylan waved after the departing Guildmaster. ‘Only Lord Kairos calls him K’hab.’ The Guildmaster’s unusually casual demeanor left Nathan disoriented. ‘Everyone’s acting strange today.’

Dylan strolled through the door, smiling. “He seems like a really nice guy.”

Nathan, lost in thought, held the door open for him. Strict, demanding, cunning, even devious… these were the words Nathan would use to describe Guildmaster K’hab—never ‘nice.’ He glanced at Dylan, still baffled by the Guildmaster’s kindness. ‘What’s the lesson?’ Nathan wondered. ‘There’s always a lesson. What am I missing?’

“Is he like your boss or something?” Dylan asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Nathan snapped back to the present. “Guildmaster K’hab oversees the entire guild. He’s everyone’s boss.”

“If I join, he’d be my boss too?” Dylan asked, tilting his head.

“You’re thinking about joining the guild?”

Dylan gave a casual shrug, his curiosity piqued. “I mean, I’m not totally sold on using flowers instead of wands to do magic stuff, but I want to learn everything I can about magic,”—he shrugged again—“and he seems like he’d be a cool boss.”

They found Wedge’s room on the first floor, tucked at the end of the hall. Nathan knocked softly, poking his head through the open doorway. “The Guildmaster said we should stop by so you can show us our new quarters.”

Wedge sat at his desk, handwriting with an actual lead pencil and paper. It was archaic, but he loved the feel and sounds of the lead as it scratched across the pages. Once, he’d told Nathan it was music to his ears.

The heavy metal chair screeched as Wedge stood up, turning around to greet Nathan. “Good evening, Nathan. I hope your day was less eventful than mine.” A traditional lithkai greeting.

Nathan frowned, thinking back on the day’s unfortunate events. “I doubt it,” he said with a small smile. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

“League identification cards, please.” Wedge held out a large gray hand.

Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out his League card. “It’s okay,” he said to Dylan. “You can give him your card—he’ll use it to attune you to your room.”

Dylan hesitated for a moment, then reached into his pocket, pulling out and handing over his card.

“It is a blessing to meet you…” Wedge’s eyes flicked up to meet Dylan’s, his expression unreadable. “Dylan of Dirt.” Dylan winced. “I hope your day was less eventful than mine.”

Dylan sighed. “And also with you.”

Nathan and Wedge exchanged a curious glance.

Dylan cleared his throat and tried again. “So say we all…?”

Nathan shook his head, continuing with the introduction. “Dylan, this is Wedge, one of the lithkai and the guild’s architect. He’s in charge of all the architecture in the stronghold.”

“It’s nice—uh, I mean, a blessing to meet you, too.” Dylan offered an awkward smile.

‘At least he’s trying,’ Nathan thought with a shrug. “So, where are our rooms?” He shifted uncomfortably, catching Wedge’s smile—and not liking it one bit.

Wedge stepped out of his room, gesturing to the one next door. “Nathan, these will be your new quarters.”

“Right next to yours?” Nathan frowned. He’d miss the view from the second floor.

“Let your brother try knocking the wall down again,” Wedge said with a wide grin on his stony face. “I will be here to stop him.” He pounded a fist into his palm for emphasis.

‘That’s if he even notices I’ve moved,’ Nathan thought dryly.

“After Nathan’s quarters is the restroom, Wedge said. "And just past that is Dylan’s quarters."

Nathan noted having a restroom close by would be helpful in getting Dylan bucket trained.

Dylan stared intently at Wedge, as if puzzling something out.

“Questions?” Wedge asked as he walked over to Nathan’s runelock door, attuning it with Nathan’s League card. Click. The tumblers shifted as the door accepted the card.

“How does it work?” Dylan asked, his gaze fixed on Wedge.

Wedge walked over to Dylan’s door, attuning it the same way. “The door is runelocked—only you or I can unlock it from the outside. Come inside, and I will show you.”

“Oh, I know how to use the door—I meant, how do those work?” Dylan pointed toward the two shields slung across Wedge’s back.

“My shields?” Wedge arched an eyebrow, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.

Dylan’s eyes narrowed as he studied the shield. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I saw you at the League Hall earlier, and I’ve just got to know—can you dual wield them?”