Levi woke up to the smell of tea and coffee. He had a restful night, not experiencing anything that was not worthy. He got out of bed, stretched the sleep out of his body, and walked to the common living area. Anza also stretched, walking next to him. Levi walked into the room and spotted his team all eating pastries and drinking their morning drink of choice. Piper beamed a smile at him, tapping the seat next to her.

“Good morning,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

“Morning, y’all,” Levi responded. “Y’all up early or am I waking up late?”

“Both,” Tycen said. “Although it is not terribly late.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Levi asked; he took a bite of a flaky pastry. “This is bomb.”

“Because you needed rest,” Anna responded. “You had the most things to process in one day, so we discussed letting you rest as long as you needed before we traveled.”

“I appreciate that,” Levi said. “I am good to go, whenever y’all are.” Anna nodded.

“Very well, it would be beneficial to go to the capital city to get some supplies before we embark on our journey,” Anna said. “I think we should stay here for a few days. Focus on getting fully recovered before we go on a potentially two month journey.”

“That plan is sound,” Tycen agreed. He looked at Levi directly. “Taking more than one night will be good for rest. I’ve known you long enough that you don’t like to rest or sit still. I understand there is time pressure, but you will not make any progress if you are not properly recovering.” Levi simply nodded. Tycen nodded in agreement.

“What kind of supplies do we need to get?”

“Camping gear like; tents, cots, sleeping bags, blankets, campfire cooking gears, etc. We may be too far from a village to rely on an inn. We’ll need to get potions, food supplies, standard adventuring things,” Anna said. “For four of us, the price can get expensive but overall we should be fine.”

“We should be fine because we have two princesses and a guy who gets his own loot,” Tycen joked.

“For your information, I do not have any money. That is not how my father operates,” Anna shot back.

“Same,” Piper said. “We have to earn every thing.”

“Besides the gear, spell books, items, potions-” Tycen interrupted.

“Yes Tycen besides those things. Why are you so insistent on belittling our accomplishments?” Anna asked.

“I’m not belittling; I’m attributing your status as a princess to helping your progress,” Tycen said with a straight face. Piper looked at Levi, stifling a smile. Levi looked back at her, smirked, and took a sip of his tea, trying to be nonchalant. They watched as the two continued to bicker.

“Yet it seems like you are invalidating those things,” Anna shot back.

“Okay,” Levi said. “That’s enough of that. Tycen, tell me, what would you consider a lot of coins?”

Tycen paused for a moment, thinking, “I don’t know, 50 gold or so would be considered wealthy, I’d say. There are some houses or land that you could purchase for half of that amount; you would be able to get nearly any gear for our rank; the higher rank, the more expensive, obviously. Yeah, I’d say 50 gold.”

“Bet,” Levi said. Levi pushed his plate and tea away to clear space. A pile of golden coins appeared in his hand; he placed them on the table. Levi did this with silver and copper coins. There were three even piles of coins sitting on the table. “25 gold, 250 silver, 2500 copper each,” Levi said. He pushed each pile of coins to their new rightful owners. “What? You were saying something about 25 gold can purchase something?” Levi had a self-righteous smirk on his face as he looked at his teammates. They all had shocked looks on their faces.

“What is this from?” Anna asked, her voice shaky

“From killing one of those dickheads,” Levi said. “Sucks that only one of them gave coins but oh well.”

“This… this..” Tycen stammered.

“But wait, there’s more,” Levi said, unable to contain his joy. Levi pulled out two of the identical swords, a spellbook, a fancy-looking sword, and some armor. Realizing that he needed more space, he looked around the room and nodded to himself. He picked up the items he had just put down, then walked over to where the couches were. He pushed the couches against the wall and placed the items down.

He put the loot from the warriors that they had killed. Then, to the side, he put the truly valuable items—the reward for completing a quest.

“And these are?” Tycen asked.

“Gear, loot, or rewards, that Levi gets from various things,” Piper said. “I just found it best to accept the gifts Levi wants to hand us.” She tapped the big avian on the shoulder as she walked over to the loot on the ground. “Anything interesting?” she asked Levi. She looped her arm in his.

“Yes,” Levi nodded. He gestured to the valuable items. “These are rewards from completing the dungeon quest. There are four, and it seems like each one is tailored to one of us. There’s a spellbook, a summoning staff, a blade, and a spear. They all have names that mean nothing to me.”

Anna looked over the spellbook. She looked up at Levi. “Did you read the item description for any of these items?”

“Nope, I just saw that I got them then passed out,” Levi said. Levi picked up the chaotic summoner staff. It was just barely shorter than Levi. It had a dark red chaos gem attached to an all-black staff. The second he touched it, dark red lightning formed inside the chaos gem. It lit the room up.

Item: Chaotic Summoner’s Staff

Legendary

3 - Star

A staff made of materials that have been seeped in chaos magic. The chaos emitting from this staff reduces any ritual materials that involve chaos magic. The staff has runes etched in it to allow summoners to direct, summon, and attack with ease. It can be used to cast spells.

Item: Spellbook of the Artix

Legendary 3 - star

A spellbook from the frost goddess Artix. This spellbook contains spells that are heavy hitters while using less mana. Spellbook is bondable to those with a water or ice affinity.

Item: Blade of Veluvius

Legendary

The blade of a sword that was once held by the 5-star summoner Veluvius. Find the rest of the sword pieces to complete the sword and unlock massive power.

Item: Arggan’s Spear

Legendary

3 - Star

A spear that was once wielded by the great avian god Arggan. The material that was used in crafting this spear was hand-selected by the god himself for aerial combat. Allows users to channel mana through it.

“These are all legendary items,” Anna said. “Thank you, Levi.”

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“Seriously,” Tycen said. “This means a lot.” He was holding the spear in his hands reverentially. It was taller than Levi by nearly half a foot. The spear shaft was golden with what looked like feathers etched into it. The spearhead was a split tip, and one half was serrated, while the other was double-edged. It looked like a truly deadly weapon. Piper held the blade with a disappointed look.

“Well… what am I supposed to do with just the blade?” Piper said. “I have to find the damn hilt.”

“Not quite,” Levi said. He pulled out a hilt from his storage. The hilt was black with a red leather grip. The black metal had a sheen to it. The edges of the guard were pointed; the pommel was a symbol that Levi had never seen before. He grabbed the blade from Piper. The blade itself was double-edged and looked like it was made from some sharp black metal. A metal that Levi definitely didn’t recognize. He touched the pieces together and pushed his mana into both.

An intense glow permeated the room. Levi and Piper shielded their eyes. Soon, the light faded. In Levi’s hand was a sword glowing with power. Levi looked at the blade to see what it was now.

Item: Sword of Veluvius

Legendary

Unranked

A sword that was crafted by the legendary summoner M Veluvius. This sword has the power of a summoning staff. It can create rituals, use spells, and summon beings. The sharpness of the blade makes even the greatest of swordsmasters envious. If bonded, the weapon can transform into any weapon that the user of the weapon desires.

“Holy hells,” Piper cursed. “Are you sure you don’t want this?”

“Positive,” Levi said. “I don’t need a sword. You do and you also use rituals and spells.” Piper shook her head. She pushed the sword into his hands. She grabbed the staff from his. She held the staff in her hands.

“Nope,” Piper said. “That’s yours, I’ll buy a sword or something. In the meantime, I will use this staff, instead of that wand.” Levi stood there speechless as he just got one-upped. Piper turned and flashed him a smile. His heart fluttered at how cute that look was.

“Thank you,” he muttered. “That’s really kind of you.”

“Sure thing,” Piper said with a wink.

“I don’t need the rest of the items here or have any real uses for them. I am sure we could sell them,” Levi said.

“I was curious about the sword,” Tycen said. “It looked like it was important the way she wielded it.” He picked up the sword and held it in the light. He examined it thoroughly for a few moments. During that time, Levi went and prepared for the day he was about to have. Piper walked into the room and gently closed the door behind him.

“I feel like we haven’t had a moment for just ourselves,” she said. She walked over and wrapped him in a huge bear hug. Levi held her tight, feeling shaky. He hadn’t realized how much he was holding on to until Piper hugged him. “We’ll get you strong enough,” she whispered. “I believe in you.” That was it—four small words. Levi felt something inside of him strengthen. A bond around his core became fortified. Levi, for the first time in who knows how many years, felt secure. He hadn’t had someone tell him they believed him. Four simple words that gave him a level of confidence that he didn’t know he could possess.

Levi held the hug long as all the stress melted away. As it did. He felt his breath steady and weight lift off his chest. A burden that he hadn’t even known was there. He nodded. “Thank you… I needed to hear that…” his voice was shaky, his mouth was dry. “I’ll need constant reminders… I suck at remembering good things about me,” he said with an awkward smile. Piper kissed him on the lips.

“I have no problem reminding you of the good things about you,” she said with a genuine smile. She placed her head on his chest, and they stood in that moment for a few heartbeats, just being together. “I love you, you stranger.”

Levi chuckled, “I love you back, babe.” They separated and then walked back out. Tycen and Anna were talking at the table, and Tycen was finally done with his sword experimentation. They looked up.

“Are you two lovebirds ready?” Tycen asked with a smirk.

“Shut up,” Levi said. “But yes…” Tycen chuckled. They all gathered outside the suite, making their way toward the ferry. The weather was overcast with a slight breeze. They approached the ferryman, a younger man who, by all the earth’s stereotypes, would not be a sailor. He was classically handsome, with a trim beard and a topknot. He had a weathered smile.

“Good day,” he said. “Off to the capital city?”

“Yessir,” Anna answered.

“Very well,” he said. “The waters are rough, it will be about a half-day journey across the sea.”

“The land is that far?” Levi asked.

“Aye,” he said. “With folks at the star rank you are, we must travel a bit slower during weather like this.”

“Why is that?” Levi asked.

“Because of the sea monsters that be lurking for fishermen who want to take advantage of casting with no shadows. Don’t worry mate, they won’t eat ya.”

“Well I wasn’t worried until you said that, how big are these monsters?” Levi asked. He laughed and ignored his question.

“All aboard, departing for the capital city!” the captain boomed. They got aboard the impressively sizeable wooden boat. Runes were etched on the sides of the boat, which Levi assumed were magical protections and potentially speed boosts. They were not the only people on the ferry, either. At least 20 other people, the majority of them humans, got onto the boat.

“The kingdom is ran by humans and are pretty…” Anna began to explain but paused. “Exclusionary to other beings or races.”

Levi shared a look with their angel paladin, who was showing off his wings. Tycen saw his gaze and shrugged. “They tolerate avians.”

“It doesn’t bother you though? The discrimination?” Levi asked.

“No, because the ones who do discriminate have the politcal power, the common folks won’t because money is money,” Tycen said. “If people want to judge me for my looks that’s their problem. If people want to enslave me or my people, they are more than welcome to try and many have tried.”

“I take it slavery is a thing here, too?” Levi asked. They felt a slight tug as the boat began heading toward the capital city.

Tycen thought about it a bit deeper: " Yes and no. Indentured servitude is a thing. People will offer services to pay debts or settle disputes. But they are under strict contracts, and if there is any mistreatment, it is seen as disrespect of the highest variety.”

“Most nations veer far away from it,” Anna said. “It becomes too sticky to deal with. Especially because of the well, tasteful individuals, who wanted indentured servants for extra tasks.” Levi nodded in understanding with a grimace on his face. It seemed that creepy people transcended all worlds. What a fun revelation.

“That being said don’t think that we will make any allies in the city,” Anna said. “We are there for a reason, get in, get out.” The group nodded.

“There is one more thing we should discuss,” Piper said. We might run into it, and I want us, mostly you, babe, to be prepared.” Anna looked at Piper with questioning eyes, and then her eyes went wide in understanding. “Yes. Anna will be treated like a princess of an important kingdom if she gets recognized.”

“Well she is one,” Levi said.

“Yes she is and that’s not something that we want,” Piper said. “We don’t want any extra attention, especially not throwing around political clout. So, Anna and I discussed how we would manage this…”

“Vapor, if you will,” Anna said. Levi’s smoke spirit appeared. “Something we learned that she can do is become a cloak.” Vapor’s form shimmered and glowed. She floated over to Anna and merged with her. A pure white hooded cloak draped over Anna’s shoulders. She put the hood on, and her face was hidden in the hood, all but blue eyes. It basically looked like a human version of Vapor.

“Vapor what the hell?” Levi said. “Since when?”

“I advanced to 3-star at the end of the dungeon,” she explained. “We have not yet discussed the details of my advancement. However, while you were sleeping in this morning, the princess approached me with this plan. I can disguise Lady Onyx’s soul enough to avoid any trackers.” The small dragon that loved to hang out on Levi’s shoulders flew over Anna’s shoulders.

“I will hide her aura,” Serenity said. Levi frowned. He loved having Serenity on his shoulders, even when he forgot about her. It was an excellent little comfort.

“What’s your name?” Levi asked.

“Silvy,” Anna said.

“Well okay,” Levi said. “Anything else, we need to know.”

“Yes, they are not a kingdom but an aristocracy. There a bunch of rich families that help keep the Qu’ant from falling apart,” Anna said.

“Lovely,” Levi said. “Lemme guess, most of them suck.”

“That’s right,” Piper said with a beaming smile. “I’ve had a run-in with a few members every now and then, mostly in the background as my father did the talking.”

“Right family of assassins,” Levi nodded.

“Yep,” she said in her usual cheerful voice. “The odds we run into any aristocrats is very low however.”

“You definitely just jinxed us,” Levi said, shaking his head.

“Absolutely,” Tycen agreed.

Piper looked between the two men and wiggled her finger, “You two becoming friends and acting the same was not something I had anticipated.” The two of them shared a look shrugged, and chuckled. Which received a solid eye roll from Piper. Levi laughed harder. He wanted to look at the water, so he made his way over to the railing on the boat. The water was peaceful, for the most part. He wouldn’t pull a Piper and actually say it out loud; that would just be asking for fate to screw him over.

“Man, that dumb ferryman had no reason to be so nervous; there is hardly anything wrong with the waters,” a male voice said.

“I know right,” a female voice replied. “It’s like he doesn’t know who our family is. He should be paying US to use his stupid boat to get to the city. The audacity.”

“Master Mateo and Lady Lyla, where are your manners,” an elderly woman’s voice called out. “That is no way to treat people who are doing you a service. Have some respect or did you forget that was why your father sent you away?”

“Sorry, Ms. Holmes,” the two presumably aristocratic children said. Levi shook his head at the interaction. He wasn’t sure if this exactly counted toward finding an aristocrat, but he was willing to bet that they would be attacked by a sea monster soon. Levi did not want to be caught off guard.

“Hey, Dameion,” he said. The veil nebula serpent appeared in front of him. It glowed brightly in response. “Is swimming a thing you can do?” it nodded its head. Okay, to say it looked like a serpent was a bit of a misnomer. Imagine someone was doing shadow art of a snake, but one was several feet away; there would be a vague outline of the snake. That’s what Dameion looked like, except instead of shadows, it was a cosmic phenomenon.

“Great,” Levi said. “Can you do a quick scan for monsters? Be discrete?” It looked at Levi, and Levi was shocked. “Did you just give me a flat look?” Dameion nodded with some attitude. “I know you’re a sneaky entity. I was just reminding you sheesh.” Levi said. “When did everyone get there own sassy personality,” Levi chuckled. Before Dameion could move, there was a massive surge of mana. Dameion flashed different colors, getting Levi’s attention. The second Levi looked at Dameion, the void entity pointed to where the mana was coming from.

“You are so helpful,” Levi said with a flat look.