Joe knew he could wake Kaid with one shot of [Efferous Endurance], but he was afraid that the Beguilburr’s last command may not have faded away with the death of the vile plant. Joe didn't have it in him to restrain Kaid should the small killer try and rush back into the towering flames behind them.

Also, it wasn’t like the minuscule little man was hard to carry.

After recovering the expended [Slow Stone] from the now inert burrs, Joe liberally applied the stamina boost to himself as he jogged back toward the lake. All the while, he wondered if he was going to get into serious trouble with either Granny or someone else. The grassfires behind him had grown far larger than even his worst fears. Already, the flames had reached the spot where he had dropped his staff. There really was no way or point in his trying to recover it now.

Just as Joe was really starting to panic about the wildfire at his back, a rumble sounded from the clear sky overhead. Great columns of smoke filled the air, but at the moment, there was not a cloud in sight.

Yet that all changed in a matter of seconds.

From the middle of the Brandy Mere, a huge thunderhead swept outward. At first, Joe thought it was just a stormcloud, but as it passed overhead, he saw that it was composed of untold, countless ravens. Thousands of them. Millions even.

Joe’s surroundings went from bright daylight to the instant dimness of twilight in less than a second. The booming crashes of thunder were actually the cries of the endless black feathered flock overhead. Their cawing chorus was deafening. So much so Joe felt Kaid begin to stir in his arms in response to the bludgeoning bursts of sound coming from above.

A moment later, the black flapping ceiling released a torrent of hammering rain, drenching Joe, Kaid, and the world around them.

Joe stood, staring up into the deluge, completely stunned. Granny Growlbee was clearly far more powerful than she portrayed with her demure damsel facade.

“What? What?!” coughed the drowning gnome in his arms.

“Pretty sure this is Granny saving us,” Joe shouted over the latest booming blast of raven-wrought thunder. As Kaid seemed to have no intention of dashing off, Joe hit him with his stamina buff.

“Woah,” the man huffed, his eyes snapping open. Joe felt a shudder as the spell energized him followed by a loud groan. “Oh, Murrcee, my nuts!” Kaid gurgled as he scrunched into a ball. “What the hells happened?”

Joe looked down blankly at his companion, trying even to imagine where to start, but it was too hard to think in the pounding rain. The pair pulled out the rainskin and hunkered under it together. Even though his knees stuck out and got soaked, the waxy poncho was enough to pretty much cover them both. In its dubious shelter, Joe related the tale of the Beguilburr to the baffled ruffian.

When he was done, Kaid unexpectedly reached out and grabbed Joe’s wrist, giving it a firm squeeze. The gesture was one of pure appreciation. While he knew Kaid was leery of people who were so much taller than he was, Joe had a feeling that the barrier may have come down between the two of them.

“Thanks for saving my ass, Joe,” he uttered in a quiet voice, not quite meeting Joe’s eyes.

“You would have done the same for me,” he replied, feeling embarrassed by the small man's forthrightness.

“I’m not sure I could have. I’m not built to help others the way you are. Don’t have the size or the skills for it. It’s a real good thing you weren’t the one enthralled,’ Kaid declared. “We would have been in a real crooked crapper.”

“Oh, my gods,” the gnome added. “Rhy would have killed me if I’d gotten you killed.”

“I would have been kind of peeved, too,” Joe joked.

“Funny,” the little man scoffed back, giving Joe a light punch. “Rain’s easing up. The fire must be out. Want to head back now or look over your level gains first.”

“Level stuff, for sure.”

“I was wondering how you had held off. I can never wait either.”

You have reached level 4. You have gained 1 unassigned attribute point and the following choices of traits and skills:

[Rugged] +2 to Vigor

[Healer's Ward] (Uncommon) When you cast a healing spell, you gain moderate damage resistance to all forms of Physical and Elemental damage for 10 seconds plus .25 seconds for each skill rank you have with this skill. Each use of healing resets the timer. Cost: Minor Stamina. | Range: Self. {Fortitude}

[Observant] +2 to Perception.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

[Life Bolt] A creature you can see in Medium range heals 1 Health plus 1 point of Health for each skill rank you have with this skill. Cost: Minor Mana and Minor Stamina. | Range: Medium. {Life}

[Awakened] +2 to Spirit.

[Purge] (Uncommon) Remove minor afflictions from a target in close range. Minor afflictions include conditions such as {Blinded}, {Cowed}, {Dazed}, {Deafened}, {Frightened}, {Shaken}, or {Sickened}. Cost: Moderate Mana. | Range: Close. {Cleansing}

Level 5 was just a single free point. Joe was far more interested in the choices from his fourth level.

“We get options now?” Joe asked as the rain shifted from a drumming to a lighter patter.

“We do. Only level one is a standard set of spells. Second level is fifty-fifty, depending on your class. I take it healer has an assigned level two skill?”

“Yeah, but I can see why. I got a wound assessment ability. Trying to heal without it is so much harder,” he stated to the gnome crouching under the oilskin with him before asking, “So, which would you pick?” Joe read off the three choices.

“Me? None of them,” Kaid scowled. “Like I said, I am not built for support. For you, though, …” Kaid’s voice traled off into an exaggerated shrug. “I couldn’t tell ya. I tend to go with my gut on skills. Which one feels best to you?”

“I like the idea of getting a shield when I heal, but Purge covers a bunch of conditions. One of them is Sickened, which might help Missus Dellham. I know I’m getting something from Granny, but if it doesn’t work, maybe [Purge] will.”

“Not the ranged heal, then.”

“Not yet. I’d like to expand what I can do instead of just more ways to heal.”

Joe was not sure at all which to choose. He still had not yet made his choice when they climbed out from under the rain cover to a clear blue sky. The only sign of the inferno’s existence was some lingering wafts of smoke.

He and Kaid waded through the wet grass back to the raft. The whole way, Joe swung back and forth between the options.

[Healer’s Ward] would help his painfully low Health by upping his Vigor, but [Purge] was also a very good choice. He had just seen how conditions could change the course of a fight. The removal spell would give him more mana due to the increase in his Spirit. More mana was always a good thing.

The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he wanted the self-sufficiency of an increase in Health. Joe had come within one knife cut from dying a third time when Kaid attacked him on the boulder.

Just as he was about to make his choice, he realized he had another notification. He had one more boon. Another achievement had been lurking in the corner of his eye, but he had missed it in his pondering of the two skills.

Achievement: You have defeated your first elite enemy. You have gained 1 unassigned attribute point. Your conduct has awarded you the following choice of Traits:

[Pyromaniac] Nothing evens the playing field like an uncontrolled inferno. Increase your Fire affinity.

[Durable] Toughen up. Increase your health by 1 point for each point of Vigor per level.

“Well, that changes things,’ he mused.

Joe really wanted to take [Purge], but at this point, he really wanted more health. A Vigor skill would stop him from being so freaking fragile. [Durable] would add 10 Health right off the bat and more with every level and increase to his Vigor.

There was also the fact Joe had had way too many bad experiences with fire when he was younger. His uncle Malcolm and he had had a string of mishaps that had resulted in Joe getting burned seven years in a row by seven different substances. The road flare was by far the worst.

Taking [Durable] was a no-brainer, which allowed him to feel more confident about [Purge]. As he was reaching the raft with Kaid, Joe decided to bite the bullet and make a choice. He would go with Kaid’s advice and trust his gut. [Healer’s Ward] was still attractive, but [Purge] just felt right.

He picked the cleansing spell and felt the effects of his Spirit attribute double. His mind sharpened, and all of his uncertainty vanished. He had a clarity that made the last fifteen minutes of self-debate seem pointless. All of his reasoning was still there, but it no longer was a wobbly see-saw of inner dispute. Joe saw all of it clearly. Each was a valid option, but he was now certain he had chosen correctly.

When the moment of clarity passed, Joe finally noticed his chatterbox guide had been utterly silent the whole way back to the raft. Joe tipped his head to see Kaid’s face and found an expression of complete misery.

“Hey,” he prodded the sad-looking gnome. “What’s wrong? You look miserable.”

“I lost all my good daggers back there. The worst part is I lost them trying to kill you.”

Joe crouched down and put a hand that felt absolutely massive on the small shoulder of the gnome.

“You were not trying to kill me. That evil plant was. I don’t blame you at all.” Joe squeezed lightly. “Why don’t we go back and look? Maybe something survived.”

“I was going to ask you if we could go look afterward. Too smoky now. Let’s finish our deal with Granny first. But you don’t mind going back and helping me look …,” the small man asked as his voice trailed off sheepishly.

“I don’t mind at all, Bud. Sorry, I didn’t think to grab …”

“Stop, Joe,” Kaid stated sharply. “Not your fault. When would you have had a chance to gather the daggers I dropped after stabbing you?”

“Yeah, I know. Still feel bad about it.”

“Don’t. Really,” Kaid stated firmly before smirking and adding, “Let’s go see your sweetheart about our rewards. Then we attempt the dagger rescue.”

Joe was about to scoff at the little man. Before he could, he made the mistake of looking ahead. There, standing on the grassy little island, was the beautiful young witch of Brandy Mere, waiting for him. Gentle winds pushed her sheer dress tightly against her body and floated her long blonde locks in the breeze.

Joe’s voice vanished. He could feel his cheeks heating up.

“Oh man, She is doing such a number on you.” the little gnome laughed.

Between Joe’s complete distraction and Kaid’s non-stop, giggling mirth, it took them far longer than it should have for the raft to cross the shallow waters.