Lyra and I made our way directly to the bar when we arrived at the guild. "You know what I really miss from my old life, Lyra? Beer! Do you have beer here?" I asked with a grin.

Lyra laughed, "I'm not even sure what it is, but can I assume you mean some kind of booze?" I nodded, still smiling. Malik appeared with a smile, and Lyra ordered two of something called witch brew.

"Oh, having a party then?" Malik joked as he pulled up two mugs from a keg behind him.

I shrugged, "I don’t know about partying, but I could use a bit of downtime."

Malik glanced at Isabel with a meaningful look, "Is she riding you hard?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh no riding going on there!"

Lyra laughed, "That is not what he meant, David."

I rolled my eyes, "I know that is not what he meant, Lyra. Bloody hell, it was a joke."

Malik grinned, "Looks like you are getting along at least. So, anything interesting happen out there?"

Lyra eagerly launched into the story of our trip to the Canyon and how we found the golem. Malik smiled at first, but his expression grew serious when Lyra explained about the core of it. "Lyra, stop," Malik said urgently. Lyra went silent mid-sentence and looked at him questioningly.

Malik glanced around but no one was within hearing range. "Look, the talk about rune magic is dangerous at the best of times, and it won't do if someone hears you're suspecting an unsanctioned warlock to be running around," he said in a low whisper.

"Can you tell me how the runes looked?"

Lyra shrugged, "No idea." At the same time, I nodded, and both of them looked at me.

"I have perfect recall, remember? Do you have something to draw on, Malik?" He nodded and handed me a smooth black stone and a piece of chalk.

Then he filled two mugs with a dark liquid, and we took a long sip of the witch brew. I almost whooped in excitement, "damn, Malik, that is exactly what I needed." The drink was a little sour, but it had a deep taste of malt and something nutty. It was as close to the beer from home that, had it been served at a pub, I would not have known the difference. Lyra sighed in pleasure and smiled at Malik, and he had a pretty smug expression plastered on his face.

I began drawing out the runes I had seen, and Malik studied them closely. He didn’t say anything for a long while but then let out a deep sigh. ‘’I have seen some of this before..’’

Lyra, who had been growing increasingly bored with the situation, perked up at his words. ‘’Where?’’ she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Malik hesitated, clearly reluctant to explain. In the end, he shook his head. ‘’I can’t tell you. I have to discuss this with the master. Do not pursue this!’’

Lyra looked suspicious, but nodded slowly. Just then, Isabel called out from where she was speaking to a clerk, and Lyra bounded over to join her. That left me alone with Malik.

I watched Lyra skip away before turning back to Malik. ‘’Can I ask you something?’’ I said, hoping to change the subject.

Malik shrugged. ‘’Sure, as long as it’s not..’’

I interrupted him, knowing what he was about to say. ‘’Not about that,’’ I said firmly.

Malik nodded, and I continued. ‘’The first time I came here, Lyra mentioned that no one wanted to join their team. Why is that?’’

At my question, Malik’s expression shifted. He looked both relieved at the change of subject, and a little sad for some reason. "Those girls... Well... They have a bad reputation, David. Most people are afraid to join their team," Malik said, leaning on the bar and sighing.

"Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They've had teammates before, but they're both a little crazy," Malik said. "Isabel seems stoic and serious, but she's a true battle maniac. Lyra is a whole different kind of crazy. She seems fearless and throws herself into dangerous situations without a thought. The two of them together... they feed off each other. Several times they've put their companions in danger, charging in and forgetting that others aren't as gifted as they are."

I couldn't help but grin. "Can't argue with that, I suppose. They really are a lot of fun!"

Malik snorted a laugh. "From what Lyra just told me, you might fit right in with those two."

I nodded with a smile. "I think I will. But why doesn't the guildmaster try to help them find new teammates? It seems stupid to force them to join a team they don't want to."

"I can't speak for the master, but I have a theory," Malik said. When I prompted him to continue, he glanced at my companions before returning his gaze to me. "I think he worries. Both of them are prodigies, and he wants them to live long enough to reach their potential. Together they seem to get into one dangerous situation after another, and what you just told me hammers that point home. They need someone to counterbalance them, someone who is strong enough to earn their respect and rational enough to act as a limiter for them."

I pondered that for a few moments. "Okay, but I still think it's the wrong approach."

"Perhaps," Malik said with a shrug. "But then again, perhaps not. You're all still young. People like the master and me... well, we've seen things, done things, and perhaps most importantly, experienced loss."

Maybe Malik was right, maybe the guildmaster was right, but I couldn't accept the conclusion. Sure, Isabel and Lyra were reckless, but I didn't think they were foolish. Isabel had been so angry that I had risked myself, and both of them had worried that I wouldn't survive my injuries. I wasn't going to let the master split them up. I was going to complete my initiation, and I would do what I could to keep my friends together and at least somewhat safe. To do that, I needed to be stronger. My determination solidified inside me, and Malik gave me a small smile.

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"Keep them safe, lad," he said.

"They're both stronger than I am," I said incredulously, but then continued in a more confident tone. "But I'll do what I can."

Malik nodded, and I thanked him for the drink and the information before standing up and walking over to my friends.

As I arrived, Isabel was being handed a pouch of coins, and they both turned to me as I approached. “So, where are we off to?” I asked.

Isabel motioned for us to follow. “I am off to see Bertrand, I think I've neglected him a bit recently. Take the day off, David, focus on recovery.”

Lyra grinned mischievously. “Bertrand is her lover!”

Isabel flushed, and quickened her pace. Lyra and I had to hurry to catch up. Outside, Isabel waved us goodbye and made her way towards the keep. Lyra and I climbed into a carriage, and I asked her, “So, what are we going to do?”

Lyra gave me a sly smile. “We're going to get drunk!”

That night, we headed to a swanky place called The Regal Beaker, which transformed into a lively music and dance venue come nighttime. The majority of patrons were dressed in their finest attire, and although we recognised a few fellow adventurers, we were mostly left to ourselves. Lyra ordered some food and wine, and we spent a few hours sharing silly stories. I spoke to Lyra about Earth, and although she appeared to find it hard to believe, she listened attentively with a smile on her face.

Later on, she took me to the dance floor, and despite my lack of dancing skills in both worlds, I surprisingly had a good time. The night passed in a blur, as we visited other establishments and had more drinks. At one point, Lyra joined a table of gamblers in a sketchy dice game, where she lost spectacularly. I had to intervene and pull her away before she could lose all of our coins. The men protested good-naturedly, but I managed to get Lyra into a carriage without any further incidents. As we sat next to each other, Lyra leaning on my shoulder, she slurred, "That was really fun, David!" I wholeheartedly agreed.

Upon arriving home, Lyra wasn't ready to call it a night and dragged me to the lounge, where she pulled out a bottle. "Now, this is the real stuff!" she exclaimed, a little unsteady on her feet. She poured a dark brown liquid into two large glasses and handed one to me. "To you completing your initiation!"

"Hear, hear!" I said as we drained our glasses.

--

I groaned as sunlight hit my eyes, "That was a terrible idea," I grumbled and sat up.

"I would heartily agree!" a voice said.

I flinched at the volume. "Morning Isabel, what are you doing in my room?"

Isabel looked a little blurry, but I could see she was definitely frowning. "This is Lyra's room, David," she said with a hint of annoyance. I blinked and looked around, she was right, this wasn't my room. I glanced next to me and groaned, Lyra was passed out half on top of me. And she was naked.

"Well shit.." I said, and Isabel nodded.

Lyra stirred and looked around groggily, "what is going on?"

Isabel raised her voice, "that is what I would like to know!" and both Lyra and I winced.

"Oh, hey Isabel. Have fun with Bertrand?" Lyra said, and Isabel scowled.

"never mind me, what did you two do yesterday?"

Lyra blinked and looked at me, then down at herself, then back at me. "Um.. Not sure.. I am still wearing my bottoms though, so nothing too drastic, eh?" With intentional slowness she slowly covered her chest, and I realized I might have been staring a bit; she had a pretty great figure. Lyra smirked at my blush, "besides Isabel, what would be wrong with having a bit of fun?"

Isabel's expression hardened, "Lyra... Stuff like that... It can ruin a team."

Lyra shrugged, "oh, come off it Isabel! We didn't do anything, we got drunk, David helped me to my bed. I asked him to help me undress, and... well, he passed out. I didn't even have time to seduce him or anything!" I gave her a raised eyebrow in surprise. "Don't look at me like that, I could have easily seduced you!" she said with a smirk.

I gave her a deadpan look for a few moments before cracking a smile, "yeah... I'm pretty sure you could. I mean, you're quite beautiful after all." Lyra blushed, and I gave her a triumphant grin.

She gave me a mock glare, but then grinned. "So... breakfast?"

That day became rather busy after breakfast, Isabel, Lyra and I had loot to sell and stuff to buy after all. We visited Ygda and got rid of all the low quality stuff we had looted from the bandits and the furs from the howlers. There was only a single decently valuable item among them, which was a dagger sheath if you can believe it. Any dagger that fit into it, would be sharpened to a razor’s immediately, and Isabel gave it to me with a normal steel dagger to accompany it. As she said, everyone should carry a knife.

Next we went to a local enchanter’s shop, where they specialized in creating useful items. They were extremely pleased with our collection of crystals, and there were a lot of oohs and ahhs. We decided to sell most of our stock, but also made a few special orders. We needed a place to wash our clothes as mundane as that might sound, and this shop was quite famous in town for their household items. Apparently they would create what basically amounted to a washing machine, and a dryer and deliver them at the house in a few days. We still left with a hefty sum of 120 gold coins even after our purchases.

Next was lunch at a small shop where they sold a quite heavenly meat pie, before we were off to the alchemist. There we stocked up on potions, bandages, and a couple of interesting other things. They made these small bombs, that would cover an area in dense smoke, pretty useful if we needed a quick distraction. We also got a few vials of liquid ether, some general purpose antidotes and a few other things in that category. Finally we went back to Ygda, and Lyra, despite her complaints, was outfitted with a enchanted soft leather chest hauberk and bracers.

It was pretty hilarious watching her pout as Ygda fussed around her, fastening buckles and nodding approvingly. That cut into our earnings a bit, but Isabel and I agreed it was well worth it.

That evening, Lyra and I retired early to our separate beds, while Isabel went off to spend the night with Bertrand. We had a big day of training ahead of us, and Isabel insisted that I get a good night's rest.

For the next few days, we were consumed by training. It was a never-ending cycle of practice, drills, and exercises that left me exhausted. After each grueling session, I would take a bath and then collapse into bed, too tired to even bother with checking my notifications.

About a week into our training, Isabel called a meeting. We gathered around the table in the lounge, and Isabel began to speak, "Alright, there are only a few days left before the initiation, and I think we have prepared as much as we can. David, you are much further along than most initiates, and I see no need to keep grinding away for smaller gains at this stage. You need to consolidate now, think of strategies, and use your time testing those strategies."

I nodded in agreement, and Isabel continued, "Next is something a bit more pressing in my opinion. I spoke to the guildmaster about the golem and handed over the core to the guild. Since then, I have heard nothing. When I asked to be included in whatever was going on, I was told to leave the matter be."

Lyra and I exchanged worried glances, and I spoke up, "Malik told us much the same thing, that we should leave that matter alone."

Isabel nodded, "Something is going on, and I want to know what. So, I did a little digging, and I thought of what our next step should be. We need a list of all the people who can perform rune magic in Creston, not just now, but within the last 50 years."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise, "That would be a pretty convenient list."

Isabel gave me a small smile, "Indeed it would be, but I found out such a thing does exist. Here is the less convenient part though, it is in the Governor's office."