Kaden slept so long it took Trinity dropping a dead wolf at the foot of the bed to rouse him. He couldn’t tell what time it was, the sun was high and the outside light bright, and for the first time in months he didn’t carry the weight of worrying about who would be demanding what quests.

It was like someone had lifted an invisible [Quillophant] from his chest. Kaden was fairly sure there weren’t invisible [Quillophants] but if there were, they would feel exactly like that. He crawled over to the hot-spring and washed until he simply couldn’t do it anymore. And emerged to find Sara sitting at the table, speaking with Eve and Ashi who held her pet octopus in a globe of water. Ashi pointed. “He lives!”

“I do. Thanks for the sleep. I needed it. We all needed it.” Kaden headed to the stove and took a cold steak from the pan, then applied [Match Lizard]. Burney managed to de-congeal the fat but not even warm the steak. “Ashi? Please?”

Ashi tapped a mana stone in her wraps and her shin shifted redder by the moment, then she held her hands over the plate until the steak sizzled. “[Burning Grasp] is rarely of use. If an enemy is close enough to touch, I have failed.”

“Sara was recounting how our duty to the Guild is ended,” Eve said. “We are free to take quests, but not slaves to their demands. So how shall our newfound freedom be spent?”

Kaden had an idea but before he could speak, Dominion warned him that the FarPortal activated. And of who it was. “Just a moment, I need to deal with something. Annika Kabat is here to deliver a quest report.”

“Annika comes to deliver her report in person?” Sara said, not hiding her shock. “Why?”

Kaden shrugged. “One time she thought I was mad at her. I was busy, after that she just kept coming and I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.”

A knock at the farmhouse door, and Annika Kabat stepped through.

She’d traded her traditional [Healer]’s robes for thin crystaline armor that coursed with green mana, and she carried a healer’s staff, not a mace, even if it did have a conspicuously large, spiked, weighted orb on one end. Her strawberry blond hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail and both eyes were black with bruises. “Mr. Birch, I’m here to report.”

Kaden dipped his chin. “Any monsters?”

“Rat men! Maybe some Rat Women, too, trying to move into the town. We handled them quickly, though there was some minor damage to one of the windows.”

“Sounds good. Eve, any questions?” Kaden figured he’d handle it just like every other report.

“Anyone bleed?” Eve asked.

Annika didn’t hesitate. “Several Rat Men. Also our Shield. Also our Mage, Benson, but that was because he fell through a window.”

“Blood is blood,” Eve said. “Good job. Ashi?”

Ashi thought for a moment. A moment she didn’t need because she asked the same question as always. “Did you cast any spells?”

“[Minor Mend], [Mend], [Purify] and [Find Button]. I never thought I’d need that spell, but Jotar’s entire outfit is buttons and while, yes, I’m a healer, no, I don’t want to see certain things.” Annika looked back to Kaden. “Is that all?”

“You stab anyone?” Trella asked.

Kaden let shock paralyze him for a single moment, then he lunged sweeping Trella up. And it was just her, wincing as he almost crushed her. “When did you get back?”

“A few minutes ago, but I came the long way from the city.” Trella wiggled a bit. “Eve, he broke a couple ribs.”

Eve immediately cast [Life Endowment]. “We were so worried. You said you were taking Arden back for punishment how did that become two months?”

“Later.” Trella turned on Annika. “I asked a question. Did you stab anyone? Do I need to demonstrate what stabbing is?”

Annika seemed to have lost her tongue. She shook her head. “Maybe our [Rogue] did?”

“Good enough.” Trella turned to Kaden. “You can pick me up again, just be gentle.”

Kaden didn’t mind when Trella’s eyes turned cat yellow.

Sara ushered Annika out of the farmhouse using terms like ‘standard quest report’ and ‘guild rates’ and promising bonuses. There were also a disturbing number of apologies being offered on all sides, where as Kaden saw it, everyone had a good deal.

“Kaden!” Sara shouted. “What exactly is ‘Loot Grab Bag?’”

Eve rushed to the door. “This is my favorite part. Sara needs to keep Loot Grab Bag. Ashi, help!”

Ashi joined them outside as Kaden prepared for the game that made Quest Reports worth doing. “Annika knows Loot Grab Bag. Annika loves Loot Grab Bag. Miss Kabat, the question is, does the bag love you?”

He pulled out Neganta’s Larder. “You know the rules. You pull a monster, you kill the monster, you get the loot.”

Sara stood open mouthed, staring as Annika steadied herself. “I want something big. Something I can sell, something that will fund Jotor getting resistance training.”

Kaden shrugged. “Better put a point in Luck before you draw, or keep an eye out for our next mission. Trella is here, Trella will help with monster duty. I put a bunch of new ones in the bag!”

“Luck!” Annika shouted, reaching into the bag. She fought, bracing herself as she struggled, pulling and pulling. “Almost….got…it!”

Neganta’s Larder yielded, letting Annika pull out a [Wolf Man] two feet taller than her. The [Wolf Man] landed awkwardly and fell in the grass of the Holding. Kaden had suppressed Dominion so it took Trella’s Deceptions and her leaping down on the monster with both daggers drawn—only to disappear as it slashed.

Kaden stored Neganta’s Larder, caught one claw and then the other. “All right, Annika.”

The healer darted forward to stab the [Wolf Man], then ducked away as Trella shouted “[Backstab!]”

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You have helped slay a [Wolf Man.]

You have gained experience.

Shit. He hadn’t meant to damage it at all. Kaden used [Reap Materials] to harvest a [Full Moon Hide], and pulled a silver longsword from Inventory. “Sorry, all we got today is a Full Moon Hide and sword of some sort. I got it from a siren laying in a lake who told me I’d be King. Better luck next time.”

Annika accepted both. “Thank you. I told a bunch of my fellow Party Leaders about Loot Grab Bag. Trevor insists it’s not part of the standard Quest reward set.”

“What does this ‘Trevor’ know? I bet he doesn’t know everything, and even if it wasn’t, then the standard needs to change. Sara agrees.” Kaden turned to Sara. “Right?”

Sara kept her eyes closed, and was either counting or breathing or both, both of which were great activities. She walked Annika back to the FarPortal, speaking softly, almost like she didn’t want Kaden to overhear.

Kaden had people to focus on. “What took two months?”

“Lots of things. I’m starving, I’m exhausted, and I’m so close to hangry I’d eat that [Match Lizard],” Trella said. “Can you cook me potato soup?”

“I can.” Kaden rushed to prepare the heatstone and slice ingredients, and didn’t even complain when Eve stepped in, seasoning, while Trella attempted to avoid petting Vip. Once the soup was cooking, he joined Trella. “Now. Explain.”

Trella lay back and dozed until Sara slipped in the front door—and a shadowy figure closed it. “She’s here.”

It was like Trella was never asleep. She sat up and dropped both [Inkblades] on the table. “So. Arden. Traitor. Bitch. Also ‘Daughter of the Second Sister.’ Taking her to ShadowVale took a few minutes. Testifying under [Aura of Truth] and then [Vision of the Past] and then [Thorny Lies], that took days. So did having her do the same.”

Trella paused. “We should have seen it coming. No mother was going to stand around and watch her daughter be final-executed. Second Sister took Arden and ran.”

“And you hunted her down,” Sara said.

“Me? Kaden’s the one who goes after people ten levels higher. I was tasked with running the Sister’s spy network while Senior Sister and First Sister hunted them both down. It was boring. I know secrets no one cares about. Also, the [Vivomancer’s] Colleges have a bounty on TriTerrors, one of each color.” Trella said the last to Kaden as she took his hand. *There was a lot of concern about you. About how easily you captured Arden.*

*It wasn’t easy,* Kaden answered. Being seared by multiple [Agony Clouds] hadn’t been what Kaden wanted.

*That you were able to do it at all. Aunt Triss got into a screaming match with the council, telling them they knew this would happen. That they should have expected it.* Trella’s grip on him became tighter with every moment.

Kaden had chosen the time and the place. Kaden had prepared before hand and that, to him, meant the outcome was slanted in his favor. If the sitations were reveresed?

No, he’d still have been the one hunting her. *Anything to do?*

Trella shook her head. *Don’t ever make yourself less of a threat.*

Eve hadn’t spoken. Her meticulous petting of Vip was almost vicious. “You saw them burn Arden’s corpse? You watched her final death? You have some of her teeth in Inventory for Sara’s garden?”

“No.” Trella said. “I didn’t know Sara needed teeth, or I’d have used the shovel to fill my pockets before I came home”

“Then assume she’s not gone. Did you ask Senior Sister?” Eve said.

Trella shook her head. “I don’t need to. The Council expelled Arden. And I gave up my claim on her life. If she ever shows up, Kaden and I will work together to final-kill her—and the two of us will succeed. But in return for giving up my claim on her, I never have to take a mission for the Sisters. I will take missions, but I choose.” In that moment, Trella was the nervous, shy girl Kaden grew up with. “Arden hurt all of you because of me. When you need my help, there won’t be a question of whether or not I’ll give it.”

Sara shuddered, rubbing her wrists where Kaden had broken them to free her. “You’re the reason Arden was kicked out. She’ll come for revenge. Won’t she?”

“Not any time soon. She had no dignity by the time they were done questioning her, and Arden was certain she was going to die in that hold. Baffled, frustrated, furious, and no question the last thing she’d see was Kaden’s axe splitting her skull.” Trella leaned in and gave him a kiss. “And that’s what she will see, if she ever comes back.”

“I’ll gladly use her corpse for fertilizer,” Sara said. “Now, as I showed Kaden yesterday, we’ve fulfilled our duty to the guild. We’re no longer forced to take Faction Quests or Dungeon breaks. We’re free to do as we see fit.”

“Then what shall it be?” Ashi asked.

“Kaden?” Sara asked.

His quests weren’t ready. “I have an Inheritance package to return. Mr. Dervish told me it belongs to one of the Beserker clans. I want demons to feed the [Shield Tree]. Ashi wants to go to the Iron Gear Empire,” Kaden said. “She’s going to want that spellbook page. Sara?”

Sara’s smile grew grim. “I’m not interested in my profession quests right now. The only thing I need to do for my [Summoner] quests is level. And I have a plan to do what I want to. Can we tolerate some business talk?”

There had been enough of that during his time as Party Leader. “What do you want?”

“Harrigan’s ship. I want to sell it to the Mercari. Ours will make port sometime in the next week. I already have arrangements, and we’ll stop by to see them in on the way to our next Faction Quest. The ship is too large. It costs too much to operate, it requires special berthing that’s only useful for the one ship, and that makes it wrong for everything we want to do.” Sara stopped, looking to each of them. “Leasing it out is just a longer-term way to lose money once you factor in repairs.”

“I don’t care about Harrigan’s monster one. What about my ship?” When last Kaden had seen it, it was a bare wood skeleton.

“We’ll use it for rum runs to Krevat and training. The rum route is along the coast all the way to the Targa Confederation. The profit in rum is low, the value in morale and training is high. The other two ships will sail with our partners,” Sara said.

“Sell Harrigan’s ship. Burn it. Get a lot of gold and I don’t care what you do with it.” Trella relaxed slightly as she spoke. “I learned [Sailing] just so we could ambush pirates. I don’t want to take it up as a profession.”

“Eve?” Sara asked.

Eve shrugged. “All the gold in the world isn’t more valuable than having a home. Having meals. Having friends. I never want to set foot on that ship again.”

Sara sighed, relieved. “Then it’s decided. I’ll negotiate with the Mercari and divide the profits. Kaden, if you’re still interested, we’re going to resettle your town.”

“Not with any of your money. I’m sure the ship will be valuable, but you really think it’ll cover that?”

“Consider that my problem to solve. You see, I’ve learned the Lesson of the Strong. It might not have been the lesson they wanted me to learn, but I most definitely learned.” Sara drew a notebook and scribbled a sentence or two. “I have a Faction Quest I think will benefit all of us. It came specifically addressed to Kaden, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Remember the ‘rescue’ the Mercari paid for?”

Eve grimmaced. “I remember the one they didn’t do. We rescued ourselves.”

“Payment was made. Then a civil war errupted among the beserkers. Now, I’ve been authorized to recover said payment. Kaden has an inheritance to return. The Mercari have refused to make deliveries until the beserkers pay up, so our arrival should be welcomed.” Sara looked to Kaden. “And of course, you’ll want to meet their beasts.”

“We’re out of room. If it’s bigger than a [Match Lizard] it’s not coming home,” Trella said. “Trinity used to fit. Trinity makes herself fit, but even she’s not going to be able to forever. And then there’s your wyvern which destroys everything. And Cloud. Have you seen how large Gryphons are?”

Kaden shrugged. “I don’t have to keep them all. Little Brother stayed with the Grove. Explodius is out in the ocean, and Squidvard—even I can’t bring a Raid Boss home.”

“But you want to,” Ashi said. “Your desires echo in your soul. And these are good desires. Houses can be built larger. Bonds must be allowed to grow so that you are more powerful.”

“What does it pay?” Trella asked. “And what does Eve get out of this? Eve’s going to say ‘All I need is the power of friendship and blood,’ but what does she get?”

Eve started to protest but nodded. “Well said.”

“Money. The Mercari are cutting us in for a small percentage of what we recover. They paid a near impossible amount as an investment in safe shipping. No matter how little we recover, it’s still a generous payday.” That part made everyone smile.

The freedom to take Quests as he saw fit would make up for how the Guild had driven him over the last few months. “There’s only one thing I have to do before we go. Ashi? I need your help. Trella, you’re welcome, too. Any of you could come, but it might get rocky.”

It was time to upgrade his dungeon.