"Devon did it!" I exclaimed.

Oh no, I'm not going to die for you, Devon!

She stepped closer. "Really now? Are you sure?"

"Yes! I just followed along. I swear."

And just like that, the crimson faded from her eyes, and she smiled while patting my head. "Good pup. You're safe for now."

She walked back to the mountain of crates and ripped the lid off one of the larger ones. I was awestruck by how effortless she made it look, her muscles barely tightening as she tore through dozens of steel nails.

It probably is that easy for her. Wow, that's terrifying.

I ignored how the head pat from the giant of a woman made me feel.

"So I'm good? We're good?"

"Yes, you didn't lie. So you're good." She rifled through the crate's contents and shifted the packing hay around. "Aha! Found you."

As she pulled her arm out, a large sack followed. It bulged at the seams, the sack's contents threatening to burst out as she set it on a nearby table. When she undid the string tying the opening closed, she pulled out a clay sphere roughly the size of my fist.

Considering the look she gave the thing, she did not seem impressed.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked as she curiously peered at the sphere.

"There are hairline cracks on the explosive," Maro replied.

I took a step back. "Should we leave?"

Despite the revelation of a cracked bomb in her hand, Alice made no move to step further away; in fact, she leaned in closer to inspect the damage.

Maro set the clay sphere aside and pulled out another one, rotating it slowly. "Also cracked. Bah! Useless idiots. Who stores loaded clay with thin shells in a sack?"

With cautious steps, I moved forward to see what she was talking about. It was nearly impossible to see, but tiny spiderweb lines broke the smooth surface of the clay. The damage seemed superficial, but those cracks could perilously compromise the bombs.

The giantess grumbled and returned the spheres to the sack. She looked over with confusion on her face. "Pup, why are you standing around like a meek kitten? It won't kill you."

You just said it was a bomb!

Outwardly, I put on a strained smile. "You called it a bomb. Those are pretty dangerous."

"You're a Grimm boy. Act like it. It's not even a real bomb. At most, you might snap a finger or burn your hand a little. It's a chalk dumper. Used only for specific monsters."

"Huh. Okay."

Now that I understood what the bomb was about, I felt more at ease. Chalk bombs? Intriguing. I racked my brain but couldn't come up with a single monster that would meet its end via a chalk explosion.

Speaking of which, I never asked an important question about the whole being-a-werewolf thing.

"Hey, potentially dumb question, but I never thought about it before. Are we weak to silver? Astra uses silver chains, so I didn't think much of it, but back on my world, that was the legend of werewolves—a weakness to silver."

Both Alice and Maro sneered. Their reaction made me shy away.

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Maro sighed. "I'll forgive you because you're new. But we don't like to joke about silver being our weakness here."

"Oh…" I said carefully. "Why's that?"

"Because that rumor spread a century ago led to Grimms being ambushed with silver weapons. And while we would normally embrace the false assumption, it became problematic when they kept trying to associate us with the cursed werewolves who are weak to silver. A few kingdoms tried to kill any Grimm on sight. And you can guess why that's a problem."

"Yeah, I can. What did we do as retaliation?"

Maro's face turned dark. "Two of the kingdoms no longer exist, and another is now an abandoned continent. The monsters that infest the land hold dominion over it, and no human has set foot on its shores."

In an attempt to move on, "So there are other werewolves? Do we treat them like other monsters?"

She held up a hand and moved her thumb up and down. "Depends. Very few manage to get enough control over their curse to be around other humans. Most werewolves we meet are rabid and need to be put down. They long lost the ability to shift back into human form, if they ever could in the first place. Thankfully, our Lore Strain is specialized to prevent that."

Alice cleared her throat. "So, we're heading to town. I'd like to collect my stipend. Cain, too."

"Right," Maro grunted. We followed her to a different table, one that had a black metal chest hiding underneath. She tugged the box out of its hidey-hole and plopped it on the sturdy table with a loud crack.

"Standard stipend for hunters is around twelve silver. It's neither a lot nor a little. Prices in the town are fair, and most shopkeepers will give you a discount, so don't worry about it."

Her meaty finger pushed into the keyhole, and she rotated it to the right. A resounding click echoed as the lid sprang open.

I glanced at Alice, but she looked as stoic as usual. Figures. She must not think much of a finger key. All things considered, it's hardly the weirdest thing I've seen.

"The usual?" Maro asked while grabbing coins out of the small hoard inside the chest.

"Yes, please," Alice replied.

Maro grunted and held out her hand. Alice accepted a stack of eleven silver coins and ten thinner copper ones.

"What's the currency? Like, what does each denomination represent?" I asked as Alice stored her money in a hidden pouch tucked behind her belt.

She turned to me after hiding the pouch. "You should probably get the same thing. It's better to have copper for smaller purchases."

A sack of coins was tossed at me, and I managed to grab it before it fell to the floor.

Maro closed the chest and stored it back under the table. "I agree. Currency is tricky, with there being multiple worlds. It's generally the same value, but there are a few variations. Don't put too much thought into it. Don't pay more than a few coppers for drinks or food. And don't feel bad about spending silver for higher-quality items."

I tucked the pouch into my belt satchel.

I should look into getting a hidden pocket sewn in—might need those sewing lessons sooner than I thought.

"Hey, am I able to get a sewing kit?"

She held up a finger and opened a different crate not too far away. She came back with a small bundle of rolled-up leather. "Here you go. I'm glad you're learning. Too many pups try to forgo the skill. Idiots. And they usually suffer for it until they stop being stubborn."

I quickly unrolled the bundle and saw several needles and small metal tools. Inside the bottom of the roll, a few spools of black thread were tucked into a pocket.

Full kit, nice. Surely, it can't be too hard to sew something.

It fit into my satchel, but it took up a lot of room.

I'm starting to understand why we travelled light.

"If that's all, then scram. I got some stuff to reorganize since a certain someone ransacked my stuff," Maro said icily.

She's totally not staring at you. No, not at all.

We bid our goodbyes and entered the same wall Devon used to lead us to Neina.

As we entered the tunnel, I glanced behind me. "Okay, first question. Is she human? And second, why didn't we come through here to get to the armory? Would have saved us the trip down the stairs."

Alice shrugged. "She's human, as far as we know. From the third world, her village was known for their size. And the armory has enchantments to protect it. If you had tried to break in without going through the massive doorway, an alarm would have gone off."

"Huh, thanks."

"Why are you thanking me for basic information? Come on, let's go."

Like the last time, I followed behind, and we jogged down the tunnel. The sound picked up, and the wall to the armory disappeared behind us. How long we ran, I couldn't be sure; at one point, it felt like I restarted my count halfway through.

"I'll never get used to that," I complained as we came to a stop at a new wall.

"Few do. Some hunters actively avoid using the tunnels," she replied.

"That seems shortsighted."

"Very. But it's not my decision; it's theirs."

When we pushed through the wall and exited out the other side, I found myself staring at a smaller room with a massive stone door before us.

She walked up without stopping, and I watched as the stone shifted and moved, parting before the human. Daylight slipped through the opening, and I had to cover my eyes as the light threatened to overwhelm my senses.

"You coming or not?"

I squinted and moved further into the light and out the door.

Somehow, I expected something amazing and magical, not… this.