I froze, processing the sudden shift. The lightest floral scent drifted from her hair and warmth seeped out in waves from where we pressed together.

It had been years since someone outside of my family got this close, and I almost didn't react in time. Shaking off the surprise, I returned the hug, mindful of my armor and its hard edges.

The angle was awkward, and I couldn't feel anything through my plate mail, but despite that, warmth shot through my veins. Something told me Clover wasn't usually the huggy type, so this was a big deal.

She lingered for a second before pulling back with a shake of her head. “I tell you that you could die for no payment, and you respond by staying so I can tease you more…You're something else, Frederick, and I mean that in the best way possible.” Then she eyed the staircase leading down to the next level with a huff. “I appreciate that, but we need a strategy to clear rooms before we continue. I underestimated the monsters, and we can't afford to do that again. The sick who need that herb have maybe two weeks left. If possible, I'd like to finish this dungeon in one.”

I nodded and straightened. “I was thinking the same thing. There are four levels below us, and we can't spend too long recovering between each one. We'll both need to conserve as much energy as possible through the battles ahead.”

Glancing at the light orb she’d summoned, I asked, “Does that cost a lot of mana to uphold?”

She made a so-so motion. “It can if I make it too bright or keep it going it for hours.”

Which meant it'd be better if we could use something else for light. Glancing around the empty chamber, I paused at the torches on the wall and smiled.

“Then we'll take one of those torches instead. They won't offer much light, but it won’t use your mana and will make us less noticeable. It's a trade-off.”

She nodded, pleased. “Perfect. I'll go light one so I can dispel the orb.”

Instinctively, I moved to do it, but another wave of exhaustion nearly knocked me flat on my back. Clover caught my arm, preventing a painful collision with the floor, and snorted.

“I'm glad you're not the type to let me do everything, but I don't want you collapsing on me either. We can go over a fair division of camp duties once we're rested, but do me a favor and don't try to get up until then. Your armor looks heavy, and I'm not sure I could move you if you did collapse.”

I reluctantly settled again and nodded, only to flush when she teased over her shoulder.

“I’d probably have to strip you. I wouldn’t necessarily mind such a thing, but something tells me you would.” She turned and winked, before refocusing on the torches.

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Good thing too, my cheeks were on fire.

Pressing both palms to them, I scrubbed until the skin burned faintly. This woman was something else…

Forcing the thought aside, I watched as she snagged one of the torches and lit it with the flint and steel from her pack. Once that was done and she sat across from me again, I brought us back to our previous discussion.

“If we scope out each room as we go, we can probably ambush monsters and clear the levels quicker. Creatures who thrive in the dark either have night vision, which means we can blind them with light, or no vision at all. We can use that to our advantage.”

She nodded, idly tapping the torch against the floor. “That will work, and I can use mostly melee attacks to conserve mana. The deeper down we go, the more likely I'll need my energy for healing. I can bless my weapon to do extra damage, and it lasts all day.”

I eyed my sword. “I don't suppose you could do that to mine too?’

She raised an eyebrow. “Since you're pacted to a spirit, you should be able to do that yourself.” Then she analyzed me again. “You weren't kidding about only having one, now two, spells. Usually, a paladin learns from tomes left behind by their spirit specifically for that purpose. Who did you pact with?”

I rubbed the back of my head with a laugh. “That’s a great question––unfortunately, I don’t have an answer.”

She froze, her mouth falling open in disbelief as she processed that. It didn't take her long to recover, though, and she snorted. “You made a pact with an unknown spirit?”

I shrugged and nodded. “Yeah. Remember I told you the dragon attacked? It was going to kill my family, so I prayed for one of the spirits to help. One answered, but they didn't really introduce themselves.”

Clover hummed thoughtfully. “I guess that makes sense, but it's surprising they didn't give you any lower spells. They did teach you Radiant Bastian, but that was only after you directly asked for it.”

I'd never paid much attention to paladins or how they got their powers, since I never planned on becoming one, but it looked like I was in for a crash course now. Leaning forward with my elbows on my knees, I asked, “How do most paladins get their spells and abilities?”

She jerked slightly, as if she'd momentarily forgotten I was there, before refocusing on me. “Traditionally, paladins train within their spirit’s order, and when they come of age, a ceremony is held where the spirit chooses whether or not to accept them. If they're accepted, they become a paladin and study tomes that describe the spells and abilities they can learn.”

She shook her head. “But without knowing which spirit you're tied to, you won't be able to take that route.”

I sighed. “I guess nothing worthwhile is easy, right?”

She shot me a loaded look. “No, not usually. But it's odd that your spirit is directly teaching you abilities only as you need them. You might want to try meditating and talking to them at length––at least to figure out who you're serving.”

It definitely couldn't hurt, and if I could learn some powers that didn’t break my arms or leave me drained, that would be perfect. She must’ve seen the agreement in my expression, because she grabbed my pack and pulled out the wrapped rock snakes.

“Why don’t you try that while I get dinner ready? With any luck, you'll wake up with some reasonable spells or abilities.”

Knowing better than to argue, I worked off my armor––ignoring the whistle Clover let out from the sidelines––and laid down. Without the excess weight and hard edges, it was easier to relax. Sleep hovered just at the edge of my consciousness, but I shoved it away. Meditate now, sleep later.

Focusing inward, I reached for the warmth from earlier. It responded, rising up until it wrapped around me like a blanket. When I could almost sense the spirit standing in front of me, I opened my eyes.

And nearly jumped out of my skin at the pitch-black expanse that stretched around us.