“Did you earn any skills?” Zack asked Camille as they drove back into town. The sun was low on the horizon, and its golden beams shone through the trees, casting long shadows over the road.

“Yeah.” Camille lifted a nervous hand from the steering wheel, running it through her chestnut hair. “One point in marksmanship. Plus a cognition point when we opened the portal.”

“A whole cognition point?”

“Well, part of one. I don’t remember how much.”

“Same,” he said with a nod. Gia seemed much more generous with skills in the heat of battle, which made sense. This whole system had been designed for gnome Commandos, and you could only prove so much on the training mat.

Daudilus had also gained several more combat points today, but the Share technique only worked on the main status screen so he couldn’t see the specifics. Hopefully that would change when they reached a higher level.

“You okay?” he asked Camille after a short pause.

She bit her lip and nodded.

“Obviously not. I know that look.”

“It’s just . . . that fight happened so fast. I was gone for like thirty seconds.”

“Most fights are like that,” he said. “Especially with mana beasts. They spend most of their time circling each other and puffing themselves up . . .” Zack trailed off as he recalled the details of the fight. Those birds had kept attacking, even after they’d lost half their ranks. That wasn’t normal for a species like this.

“Your martial arts tournaments went on forever,” Camille said.

He shrugged as the truck passed from the forest into the open farmland around Starwing Town. “Those were games with specific rules. Real-life fights are quick and messy. Doesn’t take long for someone to get hurt.” His calf itched, and he resisted the urge to scratch it.

Zack turned to face her. “But you handled yourself well. Some people freeze up, but you took action right away.” Camille just nodded, clearly lost in her own thoughts. She normally took a while to process things like this, so he changed the subject. “Any idea why the portal went out?”

“Oh yeah, I was timing it on my watch. It stayed open for exactly two hours.”

“That’s good to know. And it opened again after thirty seconds?”

“After a small delay. I think it had to reboot itself or something.” She gave a helpless shrug. “I don’t know much about gnomish tech.”

Camille slowed as they passed a familiar wooden sign by a cluster of massive boulders. ‘Welcome to Starwing Town,’ the sign said in giant gold letters. ‘Established 754, SE.’ A painted illustration of a starwing bird flew above the title, bright blue against the dark wooden background.

The asphalt road turned to cobblestones as they drove down Main Street, passing various small businesses along the way. Crowds filled the sidewalks as people left work and squeezed in some last-minute shopping before they returned home.

The truck pulled into the Temple of Healing a few minutes later. The town’s clinic sat on the corner of Main Street and 12th, with a bright wooden facade and a red shingled roof. The building stood two stories high, with two apartments on the second floor. One belonged to the Gilder family, and the other belonged to Zack’s ex-girlfriend, Avery Lyon.

Zack opened his door and limped around to the back of the truck. “You should probably wait here,” he told Daudilus. “You know Doctor Gilder doesn’t like dogs.”

Daudilus made a face, somewhere between sad and offended.

“I know, I know. But he’s allergic. Even Gia can’t solve that problem. Plus you could use a bath.” Gia had healed his wounds, but she couldn’t get the blood out of his fur.

The husky glanced down 12th Street, toward the western forest. Then he looked down at Zack’s leg, dropping his ears in concern.

“My leg’s fine,” Zack said. “Camille’s just being paranoid as usual.”

“I heard that,” Camille said as she stepped around to the back of the truck. “I was right about the portal, wasn’t I? I basically saved your life today!”

“You were right,” he agreed. And now he’d never hear the end of it.

Daudilus gave him a quick lick, then he jumped down from the cargo bed and trotted off toward the forest. Fortunately, most people in town would recognize the husky on sight, and no one would confuse him for a stray.

He and Camille stepped into the clinic’s waiting room with its wooden floors and green padded chairs. A receptionist stood behind the counter, wearing a green blouse that matched the chair cushions. As always, people obsessed over colors in the Titan temples. Just like the librarians wore blue, and Master Kord wore red.

Zack spoke with the woman behind the counter, then they found some empty seats by the window. An elderly couple sat across the room, speaking in hushed tones. Zack didn’t know their names, but he recognized their faces from the Valley View. The pair showed up like clockwork every Terenday morning and ordered egg sandwiches with salted tomatoes.

A door opened by the counter, and Avery Lyon stepped out to meet them. She had the same red hair as her cousins, along with the characteristic pale skin and freckles.

Stolen story; please report.

“Hey,” Zack signed as he got to his feet.

Avery raised an eyebrow as she stepped closer. He’d changed into a pair of shorts before they left the mine, and she could easily see the white bandages wrapped around his calf. “Hunting accident?” she signed back.

“Something like that,” he replied. Then he glanced at Camille. She didn’t know any sign language, so he spoke the next words aloud for her benefit. “Sorry, this is my friend, Camille. Camille, this is Avery.” Zack kept signing as he spoke. Avery could technically read lips, but it wasn’t always reliable. He’d learned that lesson the hard way when he’d started talking about olive juice too soon in their relationship.

Avery shook Camille’s hand, then she reached into her bag and pulled out her communication board. A message appeared on the screen an instant later: “Nice to meet you.”

Zack eyed the board as they followed Avery into the back of the clinic. Would something like that work for Daudilus? He’d played with her device before, and it was far faster than writing, even if canine paws weren’t as dexterous as human fingers.

Avery opened the door to an exam room and gestured them inside. Zack lay back on the padded table while Camille took a seat by the opposite wall. Avery washed her hands, then she undid the bandages around his calf.

Her lips made a thin line when she saw the wound. “When did this happen?”

“Today.” Once again, he signed and spoke the words aloud. Camille could only hear one end of the conversation this way, but they couldn’t help that. It wasn’t like she could see the board from that angle, even if Avery used it.

She gave him a frank look as she tossed the bandages in the trash can. They barely had any blood on them, thanks to Gia’s healing.

“I used a healing potion,” Zack said after a short pause. He’d never actually used one of those before, but potions used mana to accelerate the body’s natural healing process. That was sort of like what Gia did, right?

“What?” she replied with visible confusion.

Great. She’d had probably seen hundreds of healing potions in action. And for all Zack knew, those results looked nothing like Gia’s healing.

He really shouldn’t have come here.

“Healing . . . potion?” Avery spelled out the last word, then she made a sign that looked nothing like his, stirring her right pinky into a cupped hand.

Zack nodded. He’d barely signed at all these past few months, and his skills were more than a little rusty.

Her face brightened, and her fingers moved in a blur as she bombarded him with questions. Where had he gotten the infuser? How long had he had it? Would he be willing to sell it?

“Woah.” Zack raised his hands. “Slow down.”

“Sorry,”she said with a wince. “You do have an infuser, right?”

He strained to remember the basics of medical alchemy, then it all came back to him. People drank elixirs from bottles, but potions were different. You needed a special tool that mimicked the effects of elven priests and Silvercrest mages. He’d probably looted at least one of those tools from the gnomish outpost.

“It’s in really bad shape,” he told her.

“Oh.” She wilted a little at that. “Where’d you get it?”

“I . . . found it in the forest.” That was basically true, even if it wasn’t a local forest.

Avery’s face took on a stern expression. “And you just used it to heal yourself? Did you at least have someone look at it first?”

Zack shrugged. “I’m not saying it was smart.” He gestured around the room. “Why do you think we came here?”

She scribbled something on her clipboard. “I’ll ask Doctor Gilder about a blood test. Make sure you didn’t give yourself an infection.”

“Thanks,” he replied as she left the room.

Camille gave him a look once they were alone. “Did you just lie to an apprentice doctor, Zack Farron?”

[Not very convincingly,] Gia said. [I should take away your acting points for that. I would, if you had any acting points to take.]

“I know, I know. I wasn’t thinking.” Technically, he had given it some thought on the ride over, but the potion excuse was the best he had. Now that the dungeon had a working portal system, it had become exponentially more valuable. Fellow looters were the least of his concerns. What if the elves found out about this? They might send in their own scavenging crew and declare the whole mine off-limits.

He still planned to sell his findings, but he would have to approach that carefully, without revealing too much to a single buyer.

Camille fidgeted with her silver necklace. “I don’t know if I can lie about this. Thaloria’s followers are supposed to always tell the truth.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m not asking you to. You and I are exploring some underground tunnels, and we found some loot. That part doesn’t have to be a secret.”

“And what about Gia?” she asked in a harsh whisper. “We literally glow when we level up!”

“Yeah.” He scratched the back of his head. “Guess we’ll cross that river when we come to it.”

Ansel Gilder stepped into the room a minute later. The town doctor had a thick head of gray hair, expensive black glasses, and a dark green shirt tucked into a pair of tailored black trousers. He’d always looked old, ever since Zack was a kid. Despite that, his skin remained free of wrinkles or blemishes. Probably some kind of alchemical solution at work.

“Hey Zack.” His tone was casual as he washed his hands in the nearby sink, then he nodded toward Camille. “I see he finally dragged you along on a scavenging trip.”

“It was definitely eventful.” Camille shot a glance it Zack’s leg. “But at least it was Zack who got hurt instead of me or Daudilus.”

Zack glared at her, and she flashed him an innocent grin that showed all her teeth

Doctor Gilder chuckled as he prodded Zack’s leg. “How’d this happen?”

“I got bit by a bird.”

“A bird?” He looked at Zack over the top of his glasses. “What kind of bird?”

“I didn’t get a good look at it, but it was pretty big.” This part wasn’t even a lie. He hadn’t actually seen the bird that bit him. He’d been too busy fighting off its friends.

He hummed in consideration. “About this infuser of yours . . .” Zack must have looked worried, because the older man held up a reassuring hand. “Relax, Zack. You’re not in trouble. But we’ve had two infusers break this year, and the clinic only has one left.”

“Let me guess,” Zack said. “Things went downhill after Nolan died?”

“Pretty much. It’s the same story all around town, I’m afraid. The clinic might be willing to buy yours from you if it’s still functional. Avery told me it’s in bad shape, but beggars can’t be choosers. Especially when this could save lives”

“Ah.” He mulled that over. “I honestly don’t know if it still works, but I can take a look at when I get home.”

“That’s all I ask,” Doctor Gilder said. They talked for a few more minutes, then Avery returned with a needle and vial. She took a blood sample from Zack’s right arm, and they left him alone in the exam room.

New Skill: Norinthian Sign Language Level 3

Your Cognition attribute has increased by 0.75.

Your new Cognition is 9.

Zack should have realized that counted as a skill. Now he felt like an idiot for not testing it sooner.

Just then, the lights went dark, and a familiar blue light gathered around Zack’s chest.

Oh no. Not in the clinic . . .

Congratulations! You have reached Level 4!

“We really need to work on our timing,” he muttered to Gia in the sudden darkness. “Can’t you hold it in or something?”

[Hey,] she said [Credit where credit’s due. At least I waited until we were alone!]