The three of them spoke with the guard captain for a while, and then the three of them returned to the tavern, each mulling over the event in their own mind.

When they entered the tavern, the atmosphere had quieted, the loud camaraderie replaced by an air of sleepiness and rest. Klein walked off to the rest of their party while Monte made eye contact with the Mason, who was sitting behind a wall of empty tankards with two sleepy gnomes leaning on each of his shoulders.

The dwarf gently extracted himself, easing himself out from between the two sleeping gnomes. It was like a house of cards, only with gnomes, and the Mason smiled at his handiwork as he stepped away.

He approached the Key. “You’re back?”

Monte whispered a great deal, his magic preventing Edgar from hearing, but he could hear the Dwarf’s muttered responses.

“What boy, this one?” The Dwarf raised an eyebrow. “Mhmm… Oh, well… And it didn’t fall? The house, I mean… Mhmm, impressive…”

Edgar got the impression the Dwarf was interested in all the wrong parts of Monte’s recap. At the end, they turned to Edgar and did a slight bow.

“Thank you for fighting alongside my friend. The curiosity of a Key knows no bounds.”

Edgar did a small bow, unsure of the customs, and glanced over at the Key. “Monte helped me a great deal as well.”

Monte smiled. “I have reached my limits. After food and rest, I’m headed to Central at dawn. There will be a new Key sent to work with you, Rockworth. It has been a pleasure.”

Rockworth sighed, clasping their hand. “I’ll be looking forward to working with you again.”

“As will I.” Monte turned to Edgar. “Good luck, Ed.”

Edgar smiled. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

The Key paused. “I have been thinking about the words Briar used while my Truth-speech was active… If you go to the Woods of Yor, you may learn more about this order, the Sisters… and maybe even about yourself.”

Edgar blinked. “It could be dangerous. I’ll have to check in with my party.”

“Just remember that some knowledge is worth more than all the gold and treasure this world has to offer… Besides, the only detours I know around the Woods of Yor are long, adding as much as a month to your journey, probably more.”

Edgar’s jaw dropped. “That long? I’ll have to talk to the party about it.”

“Either way, be careful.” Monte whispered, waving over his shoulder as he headed to the bar to order food and retire. “Until next time.”

The Mason smiled and followed the Key to the bar. Edgar watched them go, heading towards their party. Mirai caught his eye and stood, thundering over, red faced and angry.

She paused in front of him, her hands flexing and twitching. For a moment, Edgar thought she might slap him, but the feelings raging through her overwhelmed her, and she headed out into the night.

Edgar moved to follow her, and Klein appeared at his side. “It sounds like the roads here are closed at night. Something about carnivorous grass. Get some rest and we’ll meet back at this tavern in the morning. With the roads cleared, we can move on to the Ice Caves tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. Thanks for your help tonight, Klein. Monte and I might not have made it without you.”

“Of course.” Klein winked. “Anyway, I’ve got a thing so…”

Klein began shuffling away towards the bar, where Adara sat chatting with a few stragglers from the earlier celebration.

Edgar smirked. “Good luck.”

Klein laughed, nodding out the door after Mirai. “You too.”

Edgar paused, his mind suddenly full and stuck.

Klein and Adara… Mirai and… Me? Is it possible she feels that way about me?

His thoughts flashed back to the bus crash, to Poppy’s face as they fell together.

Edgar shook his head. Too much to think about. I just need to find her.

He stepped outside and began his search. The sleeping town was quaint, with abutting wood buildings and cobalt blue tiled roofs and the moon hanging high in the sky, surrounded by stars, but after their encounter with the mage-assassin Briar, he worried for Mirai.

However, he couldn’t catch her scent, and glancing down a few alleyways and side streets wasn’t going to get the job done.

“If only I had a…” He paused, glancing through his list of skills.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

He fiddled with his menu for a long moment…

“Hello?”

“……I was wondering when you’d call.” A familiar voice responded, young and old all at once.

“It worked! Wow, I was sure you’d send me straight to voicemail or something.”

“Hah!” Pharaoh laughed. “Maybe next time.”

“I was hoping you might be able to help me-”

“Find Mirai? Sure, I’ll give you directions. Keep on down this road and turn left after the Apothecary.”

Edgar continued up the road, glancing around.

“So… what do you think about my gift?” Pharaoh asked, filling the silence.

“You mean my new body?” Edgar looked himself over. “Having a tail is the best. I honestly don’t know how I ever lived without one. Also, Jumping is amazing—it feels like I’m flying. Any chance I’ll—”

Pharaoh giggled. “I’m glad… But no, I meant the the other gift…”

Edgar paused, freezing in the middle of the dark street. “You couldn’t mean… the curse, do you?”

“I do!”

Edgar just sat there, dumb-struck, his frustration rising. “The Prince almost killed us and it sounds like it’ll hold back Mirai’s leveling so much that she won’t reach the level she needs to cure her father before he dies! So not much of a gift, if you ask me.”

“Ah… the girl… and Mammon…” Pharaoh sighed. “I always liked Mammon, but their knowing isn’t prescience, however much they wish it was…

“If it were, their master would never have fallen in the way they did.”

Edgar felt a lump in his throat. “What do you mean?”

Pharaoh sighed. “The night is young, Edgar Voss. We have plenty of time to walk and talk.”

Something in the tone Pharaoh’s voice flipped a switch in his mind and Edgar blinked, realizing he was standing hunched over in the middle of the road, with his hands clenched like he was going to punch something. He cleared his throat, dusted himself off, and made the next turn past the Apothecary.

“Then take right into that alley and a left under the clothesline.”

Edgar nodded, glancing up at the dark alcoves of the nearby buildings, checking each corner for assassins… just in case. Less than an hour after his encounter with Briar, he was feeling paranoid.

“I don’t care about Mammon. What are you trying to say about the curse?”

Pharaoh giggled. “Well, to put a finer point on it, the rift where the Witch of the Abyss lives, where the cure for her father’s curse can be found, is in the sixties. Neither you nor Mirai will be anywhere near that level when her father passes.”

A vein in Edgar’s forehead throbbed as his anger welled, but he could feel an important truth here, buried and obscured. He glanced around another corner, peering into the dark shadows with his dark-vision.

“Hurry! To the left!” Pharaoh whispered urgently, making Edgar jump and hustle onward.

“If that’s true, then how could we—” He paused. “Could someone else go in and bring the cure back?”

“No.”

Edgar grimaced, growling. “I don’t understand, Pharaoh. I just don’t see it.”

“Be patient. You will. There is a more important currency than level, one that both you and the girl will be rich in… and you’re welcome.”

Edgar passed out from between a few houses and reached the walls at the edge of town. On top of the wall, high above, he could see two legs dangling from the edge.

“Regrettably, Anubis is on the other line, so I’m gonna have to go.”

“Tsk… You’re a god. You can have multiple conversations at once, can’t you?”

“I could, but not today,” Pharaoh said, a weight seeping into their voice that Edgar hadn’t heard in it before. “If you see anyone messing around with dead adventurers, call me right away, alright?”

Edgar blinked. “Messing around with dead adventurers? What do you mean?”

But, Pharaoh was already gone—the call was over. He shook his head, looking up at the pair of dangling legs. Pushing other thoughts from his mind, he walked towards a ladder built into the wall and began climbing.

At the top, Mirai sat gazing up at the moon. She showed no recognition as he approached, and just continued staring up at the glowing crescent as he settled in next to her, under the glittering night sky.

“Every place in the Network that I’ve ever been has a moon.”

“My home has a moon too. They joke it’s made of cheese.”

She cracked a smile. “I could see that. Cause of the holes?”

“Probably. Eventually, we figured out it’s made of rock, like most places.”

“Is this more of your non-magic, the science?”

“Yes… science is wonderful.”

“Can science explain why all the people I care about are leaving me?”

Edgar paused, glancing at her as a fresh tear formed at the corner of her cheek.

“My family is just me, my father, my mother, and Raiden. They’ve all lived a long time and tell such amazing stories… but they’ve all stopped leveling…”

Understanding flooded through Edgar. He wanted to put a hand around her shoulder, but his brain short-circuited, and in the end, he only managed to edge his hand closer to hers. She entwined her pinky with his.

“Science has plenty to say about living longer… but not forever. On Earth, everyone passes away.”

“How do you live with that? The certainty.”

Edgar sighed, looking up at the stars. “My mom would say by being grateful for the time you have, instead of angry about the time you don’t.”

“She sounds like a wise woman.”

“She is… she was…”

“Promise me you won’t stop leveling. I don’t think I could take it.”

Edgar nodded. “I promise.”

She squeezed his pinky and released it. A guard appeared, passing by on patrol, but they just winked at the pair and continued on, whistling a cheerful tune.

Mirai blushed and tried to mask it by pushing herself backward until she collided with the parapet. She cleared her throat, summoning a blanket into her lap, and patted the ground next to her. Edgar joined her and settled in.

“We better get some rest,” Mirai said. “We’ll be on the road again tomorrow.”

Edgar nodded, sleepiness creeping over him until Mirai tipped over next to him, leaning against his shoulder. With her on his shoulder, the chance of him falling asleep was zero.

~~~~~

Stats page for this chapter here.