“Your birthday isn’t over yet, Shon,” Gilda said with a grin. “I have more in store for your special day.”

She linked arms with her son as they made their way back to the Momma Bahr Inn. The weather was lovely, a shawl was all she needed to be comfortable and there were droves of wildflowers blooming in between the houses and out in the untended fields. The gently rolling hills to the left bordered the wide-open prairie. They’d had several spring showers recently which made for a green and vibrant walk full of life.

“What else do you have planned?” Shon asked.

“Hmmm. It’s a surprise. You’ll know soon enough.” Gilda didn’t want to spoil his birthday present, and she could hardly wait to see the look on his face when he saw what she’d gotten for him.

Once the Inn was in sight her excitement bubbled up like butterflies in her stomach. “Hurry up, slowpoke, you’ve got a present waiting for you at home. It’s no time for a leisurely stroll.”

Gilda burst into a sprint. She tried not to use all of her speed stats to give her boy a chance at beating her back. He came close but she zoomed forward at the last second. “Ha, you still can’t beat my speed yet, but if you keep leveling up you might be able to soon,” Gilda gloated.

“Your feet started to blur when you went full speed. It will take me a while to catch up. But more importantly, where is this gift you promised me?”

“It’s under my bed. Sit down in the living room and I’ll be right back.” Gilda instructed. She flew to her room and knelt down, an act that had been rather uncomfortable before her awakening. Her joints hurt less now and she was more flexible than she’d ever been in her youth. That was one of the main differences she’d noticed when she’d upped her agility last year.

She felt around until her hand touched cloth. Then she carefully pulled it forward and out from under her bed. Gilda had saved a lot of money for this. She’d even purchased it two months early to get the best possible version. She’d bought it during the last festival when merchants from all around came to hawk their wares.

It was much better than anything she could have bought in town. Gilda held the carefully fed bundle in both hands and hollered, “Close your eyes.”

“Ok, I’m not looking,” Shon replied.

She walked up to her son. So far he was doing his best not to look. “Hold your hands out.”

He did, and she placed the cloth-wrapped present in his arms. “All right, it’s time for you to open your present.”

Shon opened his eyes, looked at the shape of the object, and then back at her. “There’s no way. It can’t be what I’m thinking.”

“You’ll never know unless you take off the outer wrapping.”

He started by uniting the red ribbon she’d used to keep everything from coming undone. Then unfolded the white material revealing the metal underneath. It was a well-balanced, well-made, long sword.

He gripped the handle and held the sword up staring at its beautiful craftsmanship. “Where did you get this?” Shon asked.

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“A merchant from the capitol came to town a few months ago. He had it and the moment I saw it, I knew it was exactly what you needed.”

“It’s way better than anything I ever expected. Even the guards in the watch don’t have anything this nice. I don’t know what to say.”

“Then give me a hug.”

Her boy set the sword down like it was made of glass. Then hurried to her and lifted her up like she weighed nothing and twirled her around the room. Gilda’s head started to spin so she swatted at his shoulder and asked him to put her down.

“You are the best mother in the whole world, thank you.”

“I had one other idea, but if you’re this happy maybe we should end things here.”

“What?”

“Well, I was thinking we could go to a dungeon together. That way you could try out your new weapon and see how it performs,” Gilda said.

“Yes. Let’s go. Best day ever!” Shon shouted.

“Hold your horses. We can’t go today. I promised to make dinner for you and your friends. We can go tomorrow after you pack an emergency bag. The dungeon is not a picnic and you should probably swing that sword around a few times to get used to its heft. Why don’t you practice using your new sword today, while I start on the food.”

Shon nodded, picked up his weapon, and ran out to the backyard. Gilda chuckled. Proud of herself and happy that all of her efforts to make Shon’s birthday special had paid off.

An hour later the inn was packed with visitors ready for dinner. Gilda had prepared plenty of food that was easy to keep warm in the large cauldron. Sasha and Rue were both working tonight so that she could have the evening off. She usually staggered their hours but they were happy with the extra work since it came with a bonus.

Once the inn was taken care of Gilda went round back to the owner’s apartment and peeked into the oven, the rabbit was coming along nicely. She quickly closed the door to prevent heat loss and called outside for Shon. He ran inside, wiping his sweat with the shirt he’d recently taken off. A pungent smell emanated from him.

“Wash up quickly, then go meet your friends and bring them here. The food is almost done.”

“Ok,” Shon said. He ran up the stairs to the washroom. A few minutes later he emerged with wet hair and a clean shirt and left right away.

Gilda started setting the table and folding napkins. She could hear the boys talking before they arrived. The three were chatting away, talking about swords, from what she could tell.

“Evening, Mrs. Bahr,” Tom greeted her as they entered.

“Is that rabbit I smell?” George asked.

“Yes, it is a lovely evening and you are correct. We’re having roast rabbit, with onions, carrots, and potatoes. Followed by a dessert of apple cake. Did Shon tell you about his birthday yet?”

“Yep, he’s a warrior, and he got a sword. You picked out a beauty, Mrs. Bahr,” George said. Which was very kind, especially since he’d been so upset a few months back when he’d learned he was incompatible with the System.

“Sit down, everyone and make yourself comfortable.”

Gilda filled each plate to the brim full of food and once they said grace the room went quiet as everyone was too busy eating to talk. A few minutes later, once her own stomach was feeling more comfortable Gilda decided to start the conversation back up.

“I’m thinking of taking him on his first raid tomorrow, but the dungeon only allows groups of 3 or more to enter. We’ll need to find another party member to join us on Shon’s first raid. We could ask Mika, a paladin is always useful especially now that she can use mend.”

“Mika talks too much,” George interjected. Mika was known as the town gossip.

“Thorin is usually free now that he’s retired, and then there’s your brother Olrick. Do you know if he’s working tomorrow?” Gilda asked George.

George frowned for a moment, then tried to hide his discomfort with a smile. Olrick was a summoner, a member of the town guard, and George’s older brother.

“He’s free from work, but he’s got a date with Lilia,” George graciously replied.

“Could you wait a couple more days?” Tom asked. “I’d like to be your third party member. Provided, I’m compatible with the System. If I have my awakening tomorrow, I could join you both.”

“As long as your parents agree, then we’ll be happy to have you.” Though realistically having two beginners was a little daunting. “We should still bring in another member though, since there’s safety in numbers,” Gilda explained.

“You worry too much Mom. There’s nothing to worry about. This is going to be the best raid ever,” Shon stated.