We left the close safety of the territory surrounding the newly forming dungeon and quickly pressed into the forests. There were no trails or waypoints to navigate our way nor did Capitaine provide us with their version of the map. We had little other choice but to follow behind the hyena and listen to their directions; the last thing that I wanted to do.

“What happened between the two of you?” Yoshitsune asked privately while we walked after noticing I was staring at the ground like I wanted to kill it.

“Capitaine planned on sacrificing all of us to be the last one left,” I answered. “Their kindness is all an act. You must have known when they ordered you to die when we could have saved you instead.”

“Then the way that they died?” She ventured her question without asking it fully.

“Yep,” I said in response, not wanting to go into much detail. If we were to travel together for a while longer, it was better for all of us that it was done peacefully.

I heard a surprising sound next to me. My head turned to see a hand covering Yoshitsune’s mouth as she stifled her laughter. She lowered her hand to show me a crooked smile lined with coal colored gums.

“We will just have to outsmart them next time,” Yoshitsune said. “I would have done the same for you.”

Capitaine did not lie about the Corpse-Watcher acting as a strong deterrent as entire packs of creatures started to appear before us. Although much of the party’s equipment was damaged, the beasts stood little chance against the augmented power that we possessed.

In addition to our own personal power, I could see that there were creatures culling the beasts on our behalf to provide us with a great deal of effortless XP. I focused on the shapes in the distance with the knowledge that it could not be the chiens inflicting such potent damage. Then, I saw the subtle flash of gold from one of the sprinting creatures and it leapt onto a monster’s back and brought it to the ground.

“So, where is the big one?” I asked with a low voice as I moved to walk beside Capitaine.

“Unfortunately, I was not given the Corpse-Watcher in all its glory,” Capitaine replied with a shrug. “I am not too upset, I was given something suitable in recompense for being denied my ultimate prize. Not that I would tell you, my killer.”

Though we walked next to each other, there was a clear line drawn between us. I could see a pair of Corpse-Seekers draw closer to us. Their golden eyes watched intently for any signs to leap in and save their pack leader. Similarly, I could feel that Yoshitsune was paying close attention to our conversation to similarly intervene.

“Don’t look so guarded,” Capitaine criticized playfully. “I have no intention of trying anything. I’m intending for this introduction to my blacksmith friend to be a way to make amends and stay on, at least, civil terms with each other.”

“If you are making amends, wouldn’t that imply you have done something you believe to be wrong?” I asked with narrowed eyes. “Did you intend to have all of us die for you?”

A stifled snickering escaped Capitaine’s mouth like a yipping sound. They took a deep breath and looked towards the sky.

“You were all supposed to wake up at that camp to find that everything had disappeared and for there to be no signs of me,” Capitaine answered with a serious expression. “You would have all received suitable rewards from the victory and I was to leave with the survival bonus on top of it to never cross paths with any of you again. But, it was my own fault for not realizing that you were the more dangerous one. I thought that getting rid of her was going to be the most difficult task.”

The candid words that I appreciated did not rest well in my ears when spoken by the hyena. Part of me wanted to respect them as a fellow looking to reach the top while another part wanted to rip them apart for crossing me.

“In the end, you got the bonus and I received some new pets. Why don’t we just leave it at that and part with one another after this?” Capitaine suggested.

“Nothing would bring me greater satisfaction,” I replied curtly.

We traveled the rest of the way with relative ease. There were no monsters that could truly pressure us and the nagging voice in the back of my mind had quieted significantly after Capitaine’s confession.

As we began scaling up a steep hill, a heavy mist settled over the slope and blanketed us in a film of moisture. My mind began to feel fuzzy as if someone had shoved Styrofoam into it and I found my steps beginning to falter. Looking around, I noticed that I was not the only one who seemed disoriented. Culuur started to turn and wobble like he had just been blindfolded and spun around while Bonnie sat upon the ground and pressed her fingers to her temple.

“Worry not about the mist,” Capitaine informed as we were submerged deeper into the soupy clouds. “This is all part of my friend’s defense of his forge. As long as we all continue to walk forwards and do not stay put for too long, we will make it to the other side.”

With a grunt, we all continued the ascent. The feelings of vertigo momentarily intensified like a tiny devil took an egg-beater to my inner ear. But, when that wave of nausea passed, the rest of the climb became simple.

Suddenly, the mist disappeared and we found ourselves at the lip of a basin. The earth dipped like a bowl and, in the center, was a large wooden cabin.

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“There it is,” Capitaine said before leading us down the lip of the basin and towards the cabin.

However, before we could reach it, a loud slamming sound emanated from the front door. A large boar-headed man wielding heavy hammers in each hand moved to meet us. For a friend, the boar did not appear pleased to see Capitaine. Their metal coated tusks shimmered to highlight the scowl on their face.

“Capitaine,” the gravelly voice reverberated off of the basin’s walls. “What the fuck are you doing here? How do you keep finding me?”

“Kowal! It’s so nice to see you again, my friend,” Capitaine said with their arms spread wide to greet the smith. “If you didn’t want me to find you, you shouldn’t have let me hide tracking tools in your cabin.”

Kowal looked back at their cabin and snorted angrily. I should have expected as much. No sane person could have had a positive relationship with Capitaine. He hefted his hammer in his right hand, no doubt contemplating whether or not he wanted to bash in the hyena’s brains here and now. Instead, the boar pointed the weapon at us.

“Who are these people and what do you all want?” Kowal demanded.

“Why, these are my party members, Kowal,” Capitaine replied with a flourish. “Do you recall how I claimed I was going to slay the Corpse-Watcher?”

“I recall your foolhardy decision,” Kowal commented with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Do you mean to tell me that you are here to obtain gear before your next failed expedition? If so, I recommend that you check the shop instead. I still have listings.”

Capitaine’s teeth flashed wickedly and brought pause to the blacksmith. “No, no, you misunderstand, friend. We have already killed the Corpse-Watcher. Surely you saw the message that announced us as the first to slay the creature.”

“I have my notifications turned off,” Kowal replied.

Kowal’s eyes flashed with light as he accessed his menus. His pupils bounced around his eyes like pinballs as he navigated the system to read his notifications. Once he found the message, his eyes widened and the reddish hue disappeared.

“It seems that anything is possible when you have unlimited lives and time,” Kowal grunted but, ultimately, a glint of a smile could be seen. “So, what is it that you need from me?”

“We are looking for upgrades and there is nobody in the Desolate Plains who is more skilled than you are when it comes to fine metallurgy,” Capitaine complimented while steeping closer and offering Kowal a hand gesture that involved them rubbing their fingers. “Besides, we find ourselves flush with XP that we are just dying to spend. Perhaps something custom.”

Kowal raised his hand and held it in Capitaine’s face, forcing the hyena to step away from him.

“No! Not again!” Kowal shouted at Capitaine. A flustered look crossed the boar’s face. “I’m done with making new material. Every time I fire up my forge, bugs scurry out of the woodwork to assault my forge and steal my shit. I have to move every single time to keep them from bothering me. This is a nice place, I don’t want to move again.”

“Come on, we’ll defend the forge while you work,” Capitaine reassured with a smile.

“You do remember how that went with the last group you brought?” Kowal asked with a raise of his brow. “Because, if we are remembering the same incident, I had to use one of my precious teleportation spells and your so-called allies were enslaved by some raiders. Tell me, did you even try to rescue them or did you just go back on your merry way?”

At this point, only Culuur seemed remotely surprised by Kowal’s words. However, after seeing everyone else’s muted reactions, Bonnie’s especially, the weasel swallowed their tongue and watched Capitaine warily.

“It’s a stronger group this time,” Capitaine said with a deadpan expression.

I could feel the Corpse-Seekers prowling nearby behind us. Going by the look in Kowal’s eyes, they were definitely in open view. I met eyes with Kowal. My finger pointed at Capitaine while the other hand dragged along my throat.

Kowal only laughed in response before spitting into the ground.

“Fine,” he eventually agreed with a bitter expression. “Even if I turned you away, I’m going to have to leave eventually. If it was so easy for you to find me, those bastards won’t be too far behind. It seems that my hopes to exist peacefully in this horrible existence was just folly. So, what are you all looking for and what materials did you bring? I can provide my own, but that will only bring up the price.”

“Well, for myself,” Capitaine said, taking the initiative. “I think I’d like to upgrade my rifle to an Orange-tier. And, if possible, I was thinking more about that automatic firing feature we discussed last time. My mana capacity is close to handling it.”

“I was looking for reinforcements on this bone spear I received from a recent Dungeon,” Culuur announced. “It already is rated at Yellow, but the durability is low.”

Yoshitsune went next. She revealed her now shattered blade. Her extra fingers grafted to her forearm dropped the blade in several metallic thuds. Kowal bent down and picked up one of the pieces. His eyes glowed for a moment as he appraised the weapon fragment.

“This weapon broke from both external and internal damage,” Kowal remarked. “The grade was far too low for the energy you channeled through it. What magic do you use?”

“Lightning,” Yoshitsune answered. “I would appreciate it if you could make a weapon that would be able to flow more harmoniously with my abilities.”

“Easily,” Kowal replied with a nod before looking at Bonnie and me. “And what about the two of you? Looks like we have a mage and a martial artist. Unfortunately, I do not make anything like wands or any other high magic conduit. I can craft the brawler some gauntlets or perhaps some metal knuckles.”

“My body is the weapon,” I answered curtly. “It is a talent of mine.”

As I said it, I also thought more about it. Blocking off all other weapons in favor of hands seemed like a massive handicap. However, unlike the magic, I did not feel as bad about this. I disliked weapons, both conventional and improvised, in life. I think, even if I did not have such an ability, I would have still chosen my bare hands.

“Your body is the weapon?” Kowal asked curiously. “I need to look a little deeper into this.”

Kowal’s eyes glowed like it had when inspecting Yoshitsune’s blade. I could feel a prickling sensation all over my body as the boar’s eyes analyzed secrets about me. Before I could react to stop it, the scan was already over.

“How incredible and how horrific,” Kowal commented with a complicated expression. “Your body is categorized as a weapon and can be upgraded with the same materials used to upgrade anyone else’s equipment. Unlike everyone else, your weapons cannot be stolen. However, that means that, if you want to upgrade your damage output, you must undergo the same process a piece of steel would. I would need to smelt the flesh.”

A chuckle escaped my mouth. Of course, such a massive boon had to come with an excruciating payment. It would not have made sense for this place if it was any different. However, it was not all bad. For the first time in a while, it felt like I had some more understandable options laid out in front of me. Would I rather pursue conventional weaponry and learn a new fighting style or melt my body to maintain relevance with my current?

“What is my current tier?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Blue,” Kowal said with a nod. “You will need to address this soon before you hit a wall.”

“If that’s how I get stronger,” I finally said with a sigh. Even if it was stupid, I’d rather hold some core piece of myself through my fighting.

“I will attend to everyone else’s needs first,” Kowal commented. “Then, we will go over your options.”