When he came to, the moon was high in the midnight sky. Sophia must have let him sleep longer than usual to recover from the battle with the flesh-render hive. As promised, there was a pot of what appeared to be frog stew bubbling over the firepit. Little ones, not the lethal spear-tongues. Apparently, Sophia had taken her own advice while Nick was asleep.

She handed him a steaming plate, not speaking until the final bite slid down his throat and into his stomach. The stew was surprisingly good. She must be a better cook than I am. Nick licked the plate clean and put the dirty dishes into his pack to wash later. I should ask her for some pointers.

“I have some packets of salt and pepper I picked up in the last safe room,” she explained. “A little spice makes all the difference. Come here,” she held up a round token made of white stone. “I have something that I want to show you. I think we’re past the point of keeping secrets from one another.”

Nick found that he agreed with the sentiment. After all, they had already shown each other their trump cards. Sophia explained that the stone in her hand was part of a matched set of wards, similar to the ones he’d seen in the treasure vault.

She must have been using them the whole time they’d been traveling together, but had been subtle enough when placing the stones that he’d never noticed. While he watched with interest, his partner set five identical discs in a ring around their campsite, then activated the wards by giving them a predefined target. “Anything hostile,” in this case.

He was glad to learn of their existence. Nick would sleep even better knowing that there was a second layer of protection supplementing the eyes and ears of the person standing watch. When she was done, Nick divulged the details of his wand and spells, along with the ins and outs of his flask of restoration. She told him about her dagger in return, which generated enough frost venom to use three times a day.

When they were done with show and tell, he went about his daily training and workout session. While he worked up a sweat, Sophia sat down in front of the fire with her legs crossed and eyes closed.

After hearing Nick mention his growing ability to sense vital energy, she had begun experimenting on her own. Trying to learn how to perceive and control the forces known as stamina and mana flowing throughout her body. She was still at it by the time he finished his routine.

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While his partner was busy, he sat in front of the fire and took out his journal. It was time to take care of something that he had been meaning to do for some time, take a proper inventory of his… inventory. Sophia cracked one eye open when she heard him laughing at himself, then smiled and resumed her meditation.

By now, Nick had filled a fair portion of his dimensional storage. In addition to provisions, tools, and basic resources, he had gathered a considerable collection of items. Items that he was hoping were valuable or would have other uses to someone with the proper knowledge or abilities. What he would have called crafting components and rare resources if this was one of the games from his old life.

Some he had claimed from dangerous enemies, like the swarmling’s exoskeleton and the matriarch’s mandible. Others had seemed rare or unusual, like the blue gem Nick had found in the dungeon, or the glowing lump of metal he’d recovered from the mine. He was hoping to find a place where he could sell or appraise them before long, or he would have to start limiting such acquisitions to small items only.

But for now, he still had enough space in his pack for these oddities, along with his gear and provisions. Especially with his recent upgrade. Maybe his next class would be able to make use of them, like how Sophia’s had a special interaction with beast’s bones and ability stones. When he was done, he saw that she was waiting for him, dagger in hand.

Without needing to communicate with words, they began sparring by starlight. Working out some of the stress of almost being killed earlier in the day, being gentle enough not to aggravate each other’s injuries. After an hour, he could tell that Sophia was getting tired, so he brought their session to a close.

He stood watch while she got some sleep, and they set off the moment that the sky began to lighten with the coming of dawn. They covered ground quickly that day and the next. Only stopping long enough to hunt, forage, and take cover from the blackmist, which was still growing thicker by the hour.

They did make one diversion at Sophia’s request, when they spotted a pack of spear-tongues in the distance. She wanted to watch them hunt, so that she could use her new summon more effectively. He handed her his spyglass while the frogs took down a pair of otters, then continued on their way. They spoke often as they hiked, getting to know more about each other and learning to work as a team.

Throughout this time, they began spotting the river in the distance. A great waterway that divided the bog like a silver serpent, so massive it put the others to shame. It looked deep and the current ran strong, at least three times as wide as any of the other rivers they’d seen. Every time they reached elevated ground, Nick began looking for a bridge or ford in the waterway. By now, he was certain that if they wanted to reach the tower, they were going to have to find some way to cross the river.

The sooner they found something promising the better, because they would reach its banks early the next day.