On the return trip to the Ongocks, Renalia activated [Resist Hunger] two more times. At level four, each activation lasted ten minutes, allowing her to rotate through her seven cards and cover the entire hour.

In mornings past, she had activated all of them at once, caring more about leveling than their actual effect. But today, missing breakfast and not having done chores to deserve lunch, she spaced them out. She appreciated the relief they provided against hunger, her old acquaintance.

Maybe I’ll keep some [Resist Hunger] around, after all.

She arrived back at the Ongocks, discovering more out-of-town strangers in the workshop. One had clothed himself completely in black bogling leather: vest, jacket, trousers, belt, and boots. He even had a long strip that hung about his neck and coiled around his arms. He twirled one end of it with his gloved hand while he spoke to Malchim.

Renalia, now versed in bogling economics, goggled at the ostentatious display of wealth.

Malchim nodded. “A fine design, my lord! Such pieces may take some time to acquire, though. It’s unlikely I’ll be able to finish it by the time you leave.”

“Work out the delivery with my scribe.” He gestured at one of the other men as he spotted Renalia.

“Is this the hunter that Professor Winkleton was so eager to meet?”

“Yes, my lord. This is Hunter Renalia, currently working out of my household.” Malchim beckoned her over. “Renalia, this is Lord of the Manor of Dusne, vassal to Baron Hegelstern.”

“My lord,” Renalia said, giving a small curtsey. Before she straightened, a gloved hand cupped her chin and lifted her head.

“Smaller than I had imagined. I’ve heard you can turn into a bogling.” Lord Dusne said, his eyes boring into her as he turned her face from side to side.

“Mmm-hmm,” Renalia responded, as his tight grip on her chin prevented her from saying anything.

He lifted his hand more, forcing her to stand on tiptoes. It strained her body, but she didn’t think he would allow her to back away. Renalia had experienced enough bullying to fear the consequences of denying a noble man-child what he wanted.

“I'd very much like to see that. Tell you what, why don’t you stay with me while I’m here?” He smiled, showing his teeth. “You show me your bogling form in all its glory and I’ll show you the world.”

“Ah, apologies, my lord,” Malchim said, turning his attention from the scribe he was talking to. “Renalia, as an apprentice, is under contract to hunt in the bog with her mentor.”

“Pity. I want my own live bogling to play with.” Lord Dusne stroked her cheek with his thumb. “One gold piece, was it? And if I get it soon, I’ll double it.”

Two gold?! Renalia didn’t know how much her family owed Healer Rensto, but surely two gold, plus the one in her pocket, would be enough to pay off her debts. There may even be enough to convince Lexi to take some for her fake foot.

The prospect of so much money allowed her to tolerate his behavior. She nodded into his palm.

Malchim approached them, having finished the business with the scribe. “Splendid idea, my lord. I’ll work out the details for the hunt with your scribe.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her toward the house. “Renalia, grab some lunch before you head out to the bog.”

The Manor Lord loosened his grip and Renalia backed away. “Yes, sir,” she said, hurrying to the house.

Two gold! She could understand now why Brodir and Brian tried to catch the lizard with sharp teeth alive. But she wouldn’t be so stupid.

She thought back on her bogling hunts. Hare, too big and fast. The digger, yes, as long as she restrained the claws. Peregrine falcon, blindingly fast, but her [Bogling Dodge] should keep her safe from most of its diving attacks till she caught it. Mama tortoise, too heavy to carry but easy enough to lead back to the village.

Baby tortoise… Losing Penny earlier in the day had felt bittersweet. While she knew that exchanging Penny with the gold in her pocket was worth it, it still saddened her. She vowed, however, not to name the next bogling she would capture.

Renalia opened the door and continued listing through the boglings she had encountered. The dragonfly would be easy to clutch to her chest if it flew at her. The worm–she shuddered–she would let it coil and wiggle around her however much it wanted for two gold coins.

So in all, only the hare and the sharp-toothed lizard were too deadly for capture. The rest she could attempt to snag without damaging them. She liked those odds.

“Uh, hi,” said Shim, snapping her attention back to the present. While lost in thought, her steps–dictated by her stomach–had taken her into the kitchen. Standing by the boiling pot, Shim had ladled a bowl of hot pottage for her, with extra chunks of beef and skirrets.

“Um, hi,” she replied, watching as he placed a hunk of brown bread on the pottage, adding a thick slice of cheese. Great, now I’m stupid and avoiding eye contact. But unlike outside with the manor lord, this awkwardness was not altogether unpleasant.

“Reny!” Marcy called, gesturing to the empty seat beside her at the middle of the table.

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Seizing the opportunity to excuse herself, Renalia muttered a quick “Thanks” and left.

Marcy leaned toward her as she sat down and whispered, “Are you two being, you know, weird?”

“What?! N-no!” Renalia said back, a little too loud for the whisper she intended.

Minnie, seated across the table with Sammy, frowned at them, wagging her finger. “No secrets.”

Marcy waved her off. “You’re too young to understand.”

“No, I’m not,” Minnie whined. “I’m five already.”

“Like I said, too young for adult stuff.”

Shim placed a bowl of pottage at the head of the table for his dad and sat down next to Renalia with his own bowl. “What adult stuff?” he asked.

Marcy leaned forward to look around Renalia at her brother. With a hand on Renalia’s shoulder, Marcy turned her to face Shim as well. “Oh, you know.”

Shim apparently did know, turning a bright red as he glanced between the two of them. He quickly refocused his attention on the bowl in front of him, taking a big bite of his pottage. Which he immediately spat out as it burned his mouth.

They all laughed, even Sammy, who had seemed sad with Penny gone.

They joked and ate, teasing each other the way siblings do, including Renalia in their merriment. She appreciated that none of them mentioned or asked about the troubles of the previous day, not even Shim.

She noticed how they tried to create a joyful atmosphere for her, as they did when Malchim had his bad days. It made her as warm as the hot pottage did. She had only been gone for half a day and she already missed the Ongock kids. She turned thoughtful, never expecting Shim and his family to number among the few she would miss if her family left the village.

After a short while, Malchim concluded the business outside and joined them for lunch.

“Listen, Renalia. I said the things outside to get rid of that lordling.” He tapped the papers he had sat down beside him. “I made sure there’s nothing in the contract that requires you to go out into the bog to hunt if you didn’t want to. It only states that if you did capture a bogling, Lord Dusne had the first right to buy it at the agreed price.”

He took a spoonful of pottage and blew on it. “Having said that, most hunters would jump at this chance of a lifetime.”

“No,” Shim said, turning to Renalia, “it’s not worth risking your life.”

Renalia shrugged. “It’s a lot of money.”

“I’ll go with you, then,” Shim offered.

“Don’t be stupid, boy,” Malchim admonished. He held up a placating hand as Shin started to get mad. “I’ve seen the two of you practice recently, and I do think you two would make a good team.”

Malchim gestured at Shim’s splint. “Once your arm heals, that is. Renalia’s greatest strength is her mobility, allowing her to stay untouched and run away if she needed to. Right now, you’d just be a burden if she had to slow down to protect you.”

“I want to help catch a bogling,” Sammy said.

“No!” they all shouted, including Minnie, who grabbed ahold of Sammy’s shirt sleeve as if he meant to leave right away.

Renalia headed into the bog, keeping Boogie close by.

She and Malchim had reached an agreement for her to borrow their dog, along with equipment for catching boglings: ropes, nets, and even various bogling leather pouches. In return, he’d receive twenty percent of what Lord Dusne would pay out. And in the more likely event that she killed a bogling, he’d give her the same rates he gave Lexi to process it, the use of Boogie included free of charge.

Renalia walked in high spirits, buoyed by the gold coin in her pocket and the promise of more. As Lexi had mentioned, she passed many groups of hunters, escorting the city-folk for their attempt at bagging their own bogling.

Malchim had cautioned that, in this environment, she would need to head deeper into the bog to have a better chance at finding a bogling. So she had announced that she would head toward Donaldson’s secret spot. Malchim had looked puzzled, but had not asked further.

She supposed hunters had some code of conduct regarding secret hunting spots. For certain, her new profession had more oaths, pacts, and contracts than peat farming did. She was indebted to Lexi for introducing her to their world and helping her navigate it.

Lexi… Thoughts of her crippled mentor stifled her spirit. She had taken on this excursion for Lexi’s sake, too. If she had enough money left over after paying off debts and setting up an empty-day fund, surely she could convince Lexi to take some for her foot. Lexi had said it was not her fault, but Renalia refused to believe that. This, too, was her responsibility.

Reminded of her motivations, she picked up her pace, leaving behind those who only played at hunting. As sightings of other hunting parties dwindled, her dread grew.

Her only solo outing had ended in such a disaster.

Renalia slowed, watching for bubbles in the water, silhouettes in the air, movement in the horizon, and trembling in the dirt. She even eyed the bushes they passed, even though boglings were not ambush-predators. They responded to signs of life, but did not lie in wait.

But boglings weren’t the only foes she guarded against. While Papa had said that the Petravian soldier would not come back, Renalia did not trust the word of lizards who would kidnap little girls.

Her apprehension continued to build as they headed further into the bog. Boogie picked up on her tension, staying on full alert. She was glad she had charted a course toward Donaldson’s fun spot, as they both needed some stress relief.

As they approached the bouncing bog, Boogie caught a scent of something and growled, body lowering into a stalk position. Renalia gripped her spear tight and activated [Bogling Sight] to examine what he had smelled.

Between them and their destination lay a smattering of rusted metal. They had corroded enough to obscure their original identity. But she spotted a more or less circular piece that might have served as a shield. Renalia crouched among the sedge, placing a hand on Boogie as she used her ability to scan the horizon.

The sky appeared spotless and the horizon still. Even the sedges and bushes remained motionless.

Renalia sniffed the air, but could not detect anything beyond the earthy smell she associated with the bog. Regretting deleting [Bogling Nose], she whispered into Boogie’s ear, “What do you smell? Where is it coming from?”

Boogie declined to respond, not breaking eye contact with the pile of degraded metal that appeared so out of place in the environment.

For Mama and Lexi, she thought. “Okay, let’s go. Slow.” Boogie crept forward and Renalia followed. She didn’t think the sedges were thick or tall enough to hide their approach, but she maintained the squat anyways, trusting the dog’s instincts.