It was funny watching Karah at work, eyes squinted and tongue stuck part-way out while she tallied up the items they'd found and added them to her little notebook. By the end, all the tables would be updated, the rows and columns filled in with carefully-lined precision.

Cray munched some rice, careful to appear engrossed in reading a dog-eared book on tactics. Normally, tactics were Karah’s specialty, but with Louise joining them, it was better to refresh some.

With each minute that went by though, Karah’s expression grew stonier, until she ground her teeth, a harsh sound that carried through the kitchen.

“That bad?”

Her voice was tight, crisp. "We came back with about a third of our health remaining at the two-hour mark. Almost enough to fill two inventories, and cleared 7 locations plus part of a dungeon."

“Better than yesterday, right?”

"Our baseline is half our health left and both of our inventories full to the brim."

“W-Well, not too far behind, except for health,” he trailed off weakly.

Karah gave him a flat look. Not that he could blame her. The numbers were accurate, but didn’t tell the full story. They normally filled their inventories about two-thirds of the way in and spent the rest of the Find searching for even better loot than what they’d already found. So not only did they find less today, but it was of lower quality too. Plus, although Karah didn’t mention it, they normally cleared fifteen buildings rather than the seven and a bit they'd cleared today - yes, one of those was a dungeon, but they didn’t even fully clear that. It had been months since they’d done this bad in a finished Find.

The clock on the wall ticked the moments away with its merciless tread.

Karah cleared her throat. "On the good side, even with maintenance and such, we finally have enough to get your gun upgrade."

He blinked, then excitement surged through him. "That’s wonderful! Wait though, I thought you said it would be another week?"

A proud little smile. "Well, remember that computer manual we found a few days back? Maryl really wanted to complete her set, so she traded us most of the materials we were missing.”

“Enough to save us a full week!?”

"She gets more loot than we can, so for her it’s only a couple days’ worth, if that."

"Still, that's incredible!" A thought struck him, and he paused before his grin widened further. "Wait, I’ve got an even better idea."

"Huh?"

"Well, we could use all the crafting material to give me a better gun... Or we could use half of it to get Louise a full set of starter gear. A much bigger help for the cost! And she’ll be safer on our Finds too."

Rather than join in his excitement though, Karah knit her eyebrows together and tapped on the tabletop. "Not a good idea. One, we saved up for that upgrade for two months. Two, starter equipment is the most common, period. Even at today’s rate, Louise will get a full set of basic gear within a week or so. She’s already up to agility pieces."

“One was an agility enchantment - not much use for a magic-user.”

"It will serve. Just like it was for us, she'll get better equipment with more Finds. She will replace any starter gear by the end of the month, but that gun will hold you out until we move on to the Eldritch Ruins."

The dismissal in her voice rankled. "She could die, you know. Did you think of that?"

Karah drew back like he’d slapped her, then growled. "Improving your gun protects her. Quality armor protects her. We’re not blowing a month of crafting materials because you feel sorry for her! The answer is no."

A pause. He lowered his head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It was going too far.”

It took a moment, but Karah’s glare softened. “Let’s move on. Now, as for trading…”

/-/

The door opened and a wave of heat slammed into them like they’d stepped from cool autumn to the height of summer, all from the red-hot forges in each corner

Besides those and a hallway leading to the shopkeeper’s own quarters, three great shelves filled the modest shop. One displayed weapons of all sorts, from clubs and swords all the way up to assault rifles and laser guns. On another shelf was armor, some bronze, some medieval steel and others body armor and shields, equally untouched. On the third sat necklaces, pendants, earrings and rings of all shapes and sizes. Simple golden bands sat beside heavily-filigreed loops. Over it all laid the scent of grease and gasoline, thick enough to taste it.

Still, Louise stared agog, then she dashed over to peer at each item in turn.

Cray gave her a few minutes, then tapped her shoulder. "Louise, let me introduce you to Ektorn, Lifehome’s main equipment crafter and enchanter."

A beefy, middle-aged man, Ektorn smiled and wiped his hands upon his apron before he offered one to Louise with a polite little bow. "Hello there, young lady. How can I help you?"

"Um..." Louise's eyes flicked toward Cray, unsure. "I'm not sure."

"Ektorn salvages unneeded equipment and crafts new pieces," Cray explained. “Weapons, armor and jewelry, all of it he handles. Even enchants it, too."

"That's right," Ektorn offered Louise a conspirator’s wink. "Want to see what I’ve been working on of late?" When Louise crept closer, he pointed to a long, wide-bladed sword that gleamed purple in the firelight, coated with runes for strength, power and might. “It’s for warriors who focus on power. When they activate it, it makes them much stronger.”

Louise hefted it in her hands and marveled at the sheen. "And you make... all of this?"

"That I do," Ektorn said with a grin that parted his thick salt-and-pepper beard. “Everything on the shelves is of the highest quality, just waiting for an enchantment. And the raw materials too, of course.”

"And for that… Perhaps a demonstration would help?" Cray set a pistol on the counter.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Ektorn stroked it with one meaty finger, and the weapon lit up in a pale blue glow. There was a soft gush, then the metal and plastic broke into pieces, then those pieces shattered and dissolved into light to leave behind only a small pile of red powder on the counter, which Cray brushed into a pouch.

"This is Astra’s Breath," he said to Louise, careful not to laugh at the gobsmacked look upon her face. “It’s the primary ingredient Finders use to empower weapons and armor. Or rather," he inclined his head toward Ektorn. "this man does."

"That's right," Ektorn said, broad chest puffed out. "I might not be much for combat like the rest of you, but my equipment helps you fight against the monsters outside of Lifehome."

"That's - That's incredible. How do you do it?"

“A combination of abilities and passives, plus a sky-high blacksmithing skill. Others could do what I do, but only a few could do it as well, whether disassembling or crafting equipment. And certain pieces require very experienced crafters.”

Louise hesitated, then asked, "Could I learn how to do it?" She was so hopeful-looking, Cray’s heart ached.

Ektorn smiled but caught Cray’s shake of the head. "I'm afraid not, Little Lady," he said before he leaned closer and jerked a thumb at his chest. "But bring every unneeded piece of equipment to me and I’ll be happy to salvage it for Astra’s Breath and other materials, get you a nice wand or staff. Got it?"

"Got it!" Louise chirruped, but her smile was tight.

Cray couldn’t blame her disappointment. Only a few in the village could be dedicated to crafting, so their attributes for it had to be perfect. They needed a good mind for enchantments and a lot of strength to do what Ektorn did. And while Louise would be great with magic, given time, strength would never be her strong suit.

Ektorn showed off more of his shop to her and hammed it up to entertain Louise. She peered at the gleaming swords with wonder and was amazed at the beautiful, intricately carved staff that just needed an enchantment for someone like her to use.

It was good to see her cheered up. But they’d come for a reason. Cray cleared his throat and pulled a large sack from his inventory, which gleamed with the crafting components inside. "That's all you needed, right?"

Ektorn emptied it out onto the counter. Some of the materials were mundane, pieces of metal and plastic, others drops from the foes they fought - a variety of types but all focused upon ice magic, with an enormous pile of Astra’s Breath besides. The man’s wide grin said he was in luck. He put a couple of pieces of metal and some red powder back into the bag. "These are the leftovers. Pick the weapon up on your way to the waypoint before today’s Find - it’ll be ready, promise."

When they left Ektorn’s, they merged with the beginnings of the day crowd, already a chattering swarm. Barter and negotiation filled the air, along with a slight odor of sweat. Good thing they handled this early, or they’d be swamped.

And if he had a bit of a spring in his step, who could blame him? It was only a single gear upgrade, but they’d worked toward it for months and it would push them forward a lot. If we’d had this, we would have reached the trap in time yesterday. A freezer full of preserved food. Lifehome would have dined well!

The sigh beside him brought his exuberance back to reality. Louise trudged forward with both hands in her pockets, hunched within herself. She’d been that way since this morning and, while she’d enjoyed Ektorn’s, now melancholy shrouded her again.

His stomach squirmed. Something had her bothered, but bringing it up… He cleared his throat and forced what felt like the most awkward smile ever. "So… what did you think?"

A glance his way. “About your upgrade? That’s good, isn’t it?”

"Yes. Ice enchantments aren’t much for damage, but they slow enemies so we can take them down easier. That lets us move faster and get more loot."

She nodded but said nothing.

Okay, time for the direct approach. "Louise, you can tell me what’s wrong. I promise."

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s great.” Louise pumped her fist. “Go team…”

Cray gave her a look, but her gaze turned right back to her feet. The crowd bustled around them, everyone preparing for the Find ahead. A girl younger than Louise hoisted a greatsword over her shoulder and hacked away at the target dummy, but Louise just stared into space.

He hated it and yet it made sense. She was new in a world that was strange and deadly. Perhaps she just wanted to push them away so she wouldn’t be hurt. Sympathy filled his chest at the thought, and he closed his mouth.

He’d just about given up on any replies when Louise whispered, her voice soft like sad little bells, "I'm holding you back, aren't I?"

"What?"

"I overheard you last night. You and Karah… You normally do better without me, don't you?"

Overheard us last night…? Oh, the argument… "Don’t worry. Yesterday you were observing. Today, you'll fight alongside us, and that makes a big difference."

Another pause. Her gray eyes searched his face. “Will you do better with me than you would have on your own?"

He couldn’t meet her gaze. “It's going to be fine."

"Tell the truth. I - I can take it."

Could she? He ran a hand through his blond locks to buy time. "Well… Eventually, a group of three that works together will be better than a group of two."

"Now though?"

"Karah and I want you fighting at our sides."

Her eyes narrowed. "You didn’t answer the question."

He sighed and massaged his forehead. "It’s like this… The larger the group, the more enemies we face. It won’t be a big deal once you’ve gotten some gear and leveled up. Right now, though, you're level one with only a couple pieces of equipment, so it’ll be rough at first.” Her face fell, so he offered a smile. “Don’t worry though, we'll make it."

Louise nodded, but disappointment and guilt bubbled out of every pore. He couldn’t blame her - no matter how logical the reasons, it wouldn’t feel any better being the weakest part of the group.

Time to change the subject. “Equipping the best gear helps a lot. Right now, almost anything is an upgrade, but you’re going to have tough decisions soon. While everyone has their own preferences, your class plays a big role in it.” He glanced at her, and while she said nothing, her gaze fixed upon him. “If you like… you can tell me what’s your class and I’ll look into what other people have found with it.”

“Err… How do I know what class I am?”

“It’s in your inventory. Look above your equipment and it’ll say your name, level and class. Mine says Cray, Level 3 Gunslinger, so I’m great with gunplay and get extra bonuses with that sort of weapon. Karah’s a Brawler, so she can disable enemies at close range with punches, kicks and such.”

“Ahh…” She squinted. “I’m a level 1 Hero.”

/-/

“What did you-?" Karah said, mouth half-full of cooked spaghetti. She swallowed it, visibly regretful at the act. "A Hero? What in the world is that?"

He couldn’t blame her - someone had found actual tomatoes in their Find, so had something tasty when turned into a sauce. If only they could make them themselves… He focused on Karah’s question in lieu of that depressing thought. “Just like I said, she’s a Level One Hero.”

“Not a Magic User, a Wizard, a Sorcerer, or any of that stuff?” At his shaken head, she grimaced and digested that along with another bite of spaghetti. “That makes absolutely no sense. It’s a class that - What does a hero even do?”

"Look, she’s got three abilities: Arcane Blast, Cold Snap and-"

"I know that!" Karah paced back and forth, chewing her lip.

He was careful not to say anything to Louise, but still felt the same way. His and Karah’s classes made sense. They did things, things specified by their classes. Even before he’d gained his second level, he knew what to expect, what he’d be good at, and what would help him the most. Sure, there were variations - Ritual Magic was a rare Utility for Gunslingers and Karah mixed in more lightning than the typical Brawler - but the core and theme didn’t change. They were classes that did things. A hero was-

"A concept,” Karah said slowly. “Anyone can be a hero, but she is a Hero. What that means, though… I don’t know.”

Cray peeked down the corridor. Louise went to her room after their outing, saying she wanted to rest before the Find today. The door was shut, but he lowered his voice all the same. "Do we need to ask about it?"

She nodded. "I’ll ask around after the Find, Surely, someone's dealt with that class before."

"Agreed. It wouldn’t do to give her only magic gear if she ends up being more of a close-range combatant."

A nod. The tink-tink of silverware was the only sound and the scent of pasta tempted them too much to ignore any further. Each tucked into their meal with relish, every taste of spiced tomato sauce an explosion of flavor in their mouth.

Afterward. Cray relaxed into his chair - plain, perhaps, but functional. Another glance down the corridor at Louise’s door… We really need to figure out sleeping arrangements. Karah might tolerate me in her room for a few more days, but she wants a place to herself. I do too, for that matter.

Karah cleared her throat. "Now the question is if we should tell Louise we’re looking into her class."

Cray hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't think so. She's still new and has a lot on her plate already."

"Alright... but eventually, she's probably going to figure that out."

"We'll deal with it when it comes to it."