The hearth in the abandoned dwelling crackled and hissed as it fought valiantly against the chill wind that blew through an unshuttered window. The four occupants of the dilapidated house huddled around the ashen floor in front of the warm fire as Jor traced shapes on the ground with her finger.

"So, this is the mouth of the valley."

The Archer pointed to a rough approximation of the valley’s exit she had drawn in the ash.

"It’s the most direct route west toward Honeydew. With the horde moving through this area, it’s no longer safe to travel."

"Why not? They’re gone now, aren’t they?" Asked Ben.

Jor glanced toward the young man and shook her head.

"If it truly is a migration, then there will be more, maybe smaller groups, I can’t say for sure. But what I do know is that it’s a natural chokepoint. All the undead, monsters, and… things from the West will pass through this area. There’s no other way to the Vale of Moons other than by ship or by scaling these surrounding mountains." Jor indicated the area on her ashen map where the sea met the mountains that hugged the valley.

"Unless the bastards further south, are heading for the steppes," Ainsle added. Her coarse tone was thoughtful.

"Maybe," said the Archer. "But we don’t know if the Tear in Karillia is undergoing the same phenomenon as the one in Moonvale. That’s why we need to get to the port as soon as possible."

Ann, who had remained silent during the Squad Leader’s briefing, nodded her head and met Jor’s gaze.

"I assume you found another route west? Perhaps the pass of Shattered Tooth Mountain?" She said impatiently.

Ben’s brow furrowed at the address.

Things are getting a tad frostier between these two.

He thought to himself. The young man noticed that Ann had warmed to Ainsle since she began training him. The same could not be said for Jor.

The Archer held the Priestess’ gaze with her big, green eyes for a beat before answering. There was a touch of venom in her reply.

"Of course. That’s what I’m getting at." She inhaled a deep breath, laced with frustration. "I scouted out a few trails and found traces of what I thought to be a roving goblin tribe. Bone arrowheads, buried stool, and the like. They seemed fresh, so I followed a trail and found a camp." She paused and put her hand on her chin, gazing upwards as if trying to recall details. "No. Camp isn’t quite right. I’d say it’s closer to a fortified village."

Ainsle let out a low chuckle and spoke.

"A bloody goblin fortress? Jor, you really do know how to make an old girl weak in the knees." She rasped a laugh. "Did you see any hobs?" The Berserker leaned forward conspiratorially.

"Ain, we don’t have time to go goblin slaying. And yes, there were hobs. The… village seemed to be about a hundred strong-" Jor glanced at Ben and seemed to speak for his benefit. "-but it’s hard to tell with those things. They reproduce too fast to gauge their numbers by their dwellings."

"Aw, don’t be such a prude. Lover boy here still needs to wet his co-"

"-Ahem." Jor swiftly interrupted with one of the worst impressions of a cough that Ben had heard during his time spent with the woman.

"Squad Leader. Is there a way around the village or not?" Ann asked.

"No, there are no paths that skirt the village. We’d have to travel straight through it, which I highly recommend against doing," Jor replied.

The Priestess considered Ben with her soft blue eyes. Her furrowed brow and pursed lips suggested that she was debating whether or not the risk was worth it. She turned to Ainsle and asked.

"Do you think he’s ready to face those goblins?"

"Fucked if I know." She grinned as she shrugged her shoulders, then relented. "He should be able to handle the little ones. I’d keep an eye on the hobs, though." She tilted her head towards Jor. "Any Shamans?"

"Uh, what’s a goblin?" Ben interjected.

The Archer’s jaw dropped in disbelief. She ignored the young man’s question.

"You’re not serious about this, are you? He’s only just picked up the staff, and you want him to go goblin slaying?" She paused to compose herself. "Besides, I didn’t think I’d have to say it… But as you probably felt, I’m without an Avatar."

Wet wood in the fire hissed to punctuate the silence that followed. Ann moved to put her hand on Ben’s before retracting it immediately, her head dipped and she averted her gaze. Ben was worried that he may have pushed her away during their conversation the day prior. He guessed that the Priestess found comfort in her affections and that he may have ruined that connection between them.

Make it right.

He silently chided himself at the memory.

He took Ann’s hand and placed it in his own. She was startled by the gesture, and she faced him with questioning eyes.

"You wanted to say something?" Ben asked while holding her hand between his palms.

"I… wanted to ask what you thought," she spoke in a soft voice.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The two soldiers noticed the exchange but didn’t comment. Jor suddenly gazed out the window at the stars in the night sky. Ainsle, however, stared at the two with a smiling eye and her usual mocking grin.

"I’d like to pull my weight if that’s possible. If fighting through these… goblins would be the quickest way out of here, then I’m all for it," Ben said, voice firm without breaking eye contact.

The Priestess held his gaze for a heartbeat, then smiled her familiar, comforting smile.

"Then it’s settled. I can deal with any goblin Casters. Let’s just say it’s my specialty."

Her smile turned into a dangerous grin, and Ben felt his cheeks flush with heat.

"Well, looks like some people aren’t getting any sleep tonight," the Berserker teased.

Ben let go of the Priestess and scowled at Ainsle, which prompted a chuckle from the old woman. Jor seemed to accept the decision, as she didn’t object or protest further. She stood and regarded the party.

"Then we’ll leave at dawn," the Archer turned to Ben and tilted her head to the room she and Ainsle had shared. "If you have a moment?"

Ben hesitated before nodding. He stood and followed Jor to the room, where she sat on the bed and began removing her vambrace and steel chest plate. Ben sat on the second of two chairs in the village and waited for the woman to speak.

"Ben, thank you," she said as she removed her boots and sat cross-legged on the straw bed.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"The Priestess and I had a bit of a… an argument this morning while you slept. I gathered that neither you nor she is happy regarding my decision to ask for her aid."

Ben frowned and decided that it would be best to be honest with her.

"Asking for aid is putting it lightly, don’t you think?" Ben spoke calmly, and the Archer winced. He continued. "Sure, I’m lacking a lot of important knowledge about this world, but I understand that you deliberately put her at risk for your own benefit."

Jor’s expression shifted as her big green eyes squinted at the young man.

"My own benefit?" she asked rhetorically with raised brows. "I know you have no vested interest in the fate of the Empire, but surely you’re reasonable enough to figure out that getting word to the capital takes precedence over anything or anyone. If the Empire falls to the blight, then everyone falls to the blight," she said, her tone firm.

"I haven’t considered that to be honest, but even now with your perspective, I still feel off about the whole situation. What was the plan before you found us in the clearing outside the blight woods?"

The Archer didn’t miss a beat. "We would’ve taken our chances. We had to. Finding the Priestess there improved our odds of making it through the woods. Convincing her, and you, to travel with us wasn’t a choice I made on a whim."

Ben had a fleeting thought of soldiers knowingly heading towards certain death in service to their country. It was one of the fragmented memories that had begun to appear less frequently as time went by.

"Okay. I think I understand," he said after a pause.

Jor seemed to hesitate. "Just like that?"

"Just like that." He tilted his head and took a moment to formulate his words. "I don’t know whether you care or not, but you’ll make an enemy of me if you put her in danger again."

Jor drew a short breath and subtly shivered, her green eyes widened by a fraction. Ben thought she recalled the experience with the beast and regretted the way he phrased the statement.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t think the two of you were really…" she trailed off and dipped her head.

"We’re not. She’s just… very important to me, that’s all."

Her expression remained unchanged as she nodded slowly.

"Right. Well, I hope you manage to get some rest," she said.

"Alright, same to you. Good night."

Jor nodded, and Ben left to find the two women sitting silently where he had left them. Ainsle was slumped in her chair and appeared to have fallen asleep. Ann sat on her knees in front of the hearth as she combed her long blonde hair with what appeared to be an old comb made of bone with several tines of varying lengths. She turned to him with questioning eyes.

Yeah. Still no telepathy.

"Everything all right?" He asked.

The Priestess stopped combing her hair and nodded as she smiled with softening eyes.

"You’re making it hard not to fall in love with you." She raised an open palm to stall his hesitation. "You’re kind and thoughtful. Firm. I look forward to getting to know Ben."

Ben relaxed and returned her smile. "Likewise."

"We should rest. It’ll be a long day tomorrow," she said.

He nodded and stretched out a yawn. The young man decided that the narrow bed of straw was too small for the pair to share comfortably, so he set several rough-sewn sacks on the floor in front of the warm fire and laid his body down to rest. The Priestess sat quietly, plaiting her hair into thick twin braids next to him. Ben felt the fatigue of the day’s excitement begin to lull him to sleep as he began to drift off to sleep. He hoped to find himself in the dark clearing with a cave in the forest, but unfortunately, he dreamt a mundane dream of being chased by three murderous women.

The sounds of heavy objects being dragged along the hollow floor of the dilapidated house startled Ben awake. Ann had decided to stay in front of the hearth with him for the night, as he felt her loud snoring vibrate against his chest. He peered down with half-open eyes to see her blonde head resting on his chest. Ben turned his head toward the source of the commotion and found that the two soldiers had been removing debris from the hastily erected barricade in front of the door. He watched as Ainsle effortlessly lifted the door from its resting place and put it against a perpendicular wall.

Huh. Why did she need my help to move it last night?

Ben thought.

"Good morning," Jor said. Her eyes deliberately not meeting his.

The young man realized that the scene of him and Ann entwined in front of a cozy fireplace may have warranted the reaction. He decided to ignore it.

"Morning, Jor, Ainsle." He spoke with a rumble, deep from waking.

Ainsle nodded with a wink of her eye. He gently disentangled himself from the Priestess, who groaned in protest before curling up in a ball.

He stood, stretched, and picked up the empty, heavy pot before going to attend to his natural needs outside the dwelling. The sky was a pale blue, the sun hadn’t awoken yet, and despite the destruction of the road, Ben found the view of the valley, surrounded by tall mountains and evergreen trees, to be quite breathtaking. He scanned the field below the village for any remnants of the horde that had passed through the evening prior, yet he saw nothing but a flattened, muddy path carved through the neglected crops.

After a battle to endure the icy well water as he washed his body, Ben began his return to the dwelling with a filled container of water on his shoulder when he met a sleepy-eyed Priestess on the road. The pair exchanged smiles and greetings as she went to attend to her morning rituals. The young man arrived to find the living area of the house empty. He rekindled the fire in the hearth and attempted a vegetable soup for the party to break their fast.

He heard the dull thuds of the Berserker’s footsteps enter the room.

"Aren’t you charming?" Ainsle teased, arms folded, as she observed his cooking.

"Hey, Ainsle," Ben said while slicing a green vegetable into the pot with Ann’s dagger. "So, last night I tried to, uh, go to the place." He hesitated as he couldn’t find the words to formulate his question.

The Berserker placed a hand on her scarred jaw. "You tried to get in, but you don’t know the way?" She asked surprisingly thoughtfully.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Hmm. As I said, Miss Sunshine’s breathing exercises won’t work for bruisers like us." She paused for a beat. "I think that the trip today will be good for you." She grinned menacingly.

Ben shuddered at her tone before realizing something important.

"By the way, what even is a goblin?"