With the heavy tome hand, a window appeared in the air in front of us containing the spell's detailed description. As I read the information, I bobbed my head in appreciation of the soon-to-be addition to my growing repertoire.

[Gnawing Blizzard]. Create a localized blizzard within 50 feet of the caster. Within the storm rages piercing crystalline shards capable of puncturing through most magical defenses up to enhanced tier, as well as non-magical armor up to rare quality. Within a 30 feet area of effect, hostile targets are inflicted with the debuff, “Biting Ice”, which causes 200 plus 2.5n damage immediately and then every 6 seconds thereafter, where ‘n’ equals Intelligence. Additionally, afflicted hostile targets suffer a movement speed penalty of 20%, and suffer melee and spell haste penalty of 10%. These effects are compounded further with each minute hostile targets remain in the area of effect, though the effects are immediately dispelled when the spell expires. Cost: 500 mana. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cool down: 10 seconds. Duration: 168 seconds (base 120). Plus 1 foot maximum range and area of effect, plus 20 base damage, minus .33% movement speed, and minus .1% melee and spell haste per spell level.

Note – Once cast, the spell effect cannot be moved from its original location.

Note – Friendly targets and party members are immune to this spell’s deleterious effects, only seeing a ghostly impression of the spell.

Stella and I looked at one another, equally impressed with the evocation’s description. Thankfully, the spell was clearly a DoT meaning all of my bonuses from being a Necromancer and Wraith would positively modify the spell’s damage and total duration. Better yet, the spell’s AoE wouldn’t hurt or hinder friends meaning I would not need to be discriminate when using it.

“It’s a nice spell to add to your collection,” Stella commented after moving to sit on my shoulder. She graciously accepted several affectionate strokes from me as we neared the inn. While the streets were bustling with people coming and going, only a few appeared to be lingering around the two-story establishment. A sign over the double door depicted a bucking unicorn over the words ‘Wild Stallion.’ Stella pressed on with thoughtful consideration, “If these last battles were any indication, being able to dole out damage across a wider area will be incredibly helpful as we continue to advance.”

“You’re not wrong. If my math is right, between Ripley’s necrotic aura, the area damage from my new pyroclastic torrent, and this hailstorm… we’ll be doing slightly over twenty-five hundred damage with every spell tick.”

Pausing the group for a moment, I had us hug the tavern’s reinforced wood siding. Sensing my intent, a message popped up inquiring if I wished to learn gnawing blizzard. “Give me a moment, guys,” I said to curious glances. “I’d like to learn this spell, sooner rather than later.”

Selecting ‘yes’ on the prompt, it suddenly felt like I had a massive brain freeze. The System downloaded a deluge of information into my mind, and, for whatever reason, added a chilling sensation that carried from my head to the bottom of my spine. While not painful, it set my teeth to rattling. When the arcane formulas and information were successfully imprinted, the bulky book disintegrated into fine particles, drifting away on a light breeze between the two nearby buildings.

“Frosty,” I mentioned, my exhale forming a puff of cold air like we were in the dead of winter. “That’s something new.”

Stella revealed the System sometimes added effects like what I experienced, essentially to 'spice up things up' for the audience. I tucked the useless nugget away, chalking it up as yet another oddity of being a Hunter.

“Wish I could learn a spell as quickly as you can,” Tallos chuckled a self-deprecating laugh at my side. “I’ll need at least eight hours, if not more, to cast mine.”

Patting him on the back good-naturedly, we rounded the side of the building and entered the Wild Stallion’s front door. Even before we entered, a pleasant aroma of burning incense and wood from a crackling fireplace wafted out from the place. Once indoors, we were politely hailed by who I assumed was the inn’s proprietor from behind the bar. The common area had dozens of tables, ringed by stout wooden chairs. Striking paintings of horses, unicorns, and other equine creatures covered every square inch of the banquet hall's timber walls. From the lofty ceiling banners of all shapes and colors hung, most depicting an animal of one sort or another. The place had an inviting feel, welcoming to everyone and anyone.

The innkeeper was a sightly middle-aged woman with sandy blond hair tumbling over her petite shoulders. She wore lightly colored clothes with a hide apron embroidered with foaming beer mugs across her chest and waist. She wore a friendly smile and waved us closer. She must have been thrilled to see our group enter her establishment as the place only had a handful of people at midday. Mostly cloistered around a pair of tables, and chatting amongst themselves, the other patrons were easily identified as off-duty guards. None wore their plate armor, though still carried a sheathed long or short sword.

Several men must have recognized us as calls to the barkeep said they would buy our first round of drinks. Tilting our heads in appreciation at the remark, we approached the tavern owner.

“Welcome to the Wild Stallion, you lot seemed to be well known,” the woman noted with a nod at the soldiers across the room. As we approached, the bar top caught my attention with its smooth polish, and rich cherry lacquer. “You look like adventurers in need of a warm bath, a comfortable room, and a hot meal. I’m Heraclea, but everyone calls me Hera. What can I do for you?”

“Nice to meet you, Hera,” I promptly replied, resting a shoulder on the beautiful bar. “Hopefully all three, if we can.”

“Bath’s first,” Stella blurted before Hera could respond, then flinging a paw in my direction. “Especially this one. He smells of someone who enjoys rolling around a pigsty for fun. I will take one as well, but only to get the dirt that has flaked off this one.”

Our host declined to poke fun at my expense but readily nodded to not overlook Stella’s comment. “Of course, baths are three coppers each. Towels, soap, and individual basins are down the hall, there. We also provide cologne for the gentleman and exquisite perfume for the lady for an additional copper.”

Fishing out a silver piece and several copper coins, I placed them on the counter. “We would like a room, preferably with at least two beds. We’re planning on leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Wait, I don’t need…” Tallos started to say but was interrupted from a scowl from Stella. He had only half been paying attention as his face was buried in his book. “Never mind, I could enjoy a nice soak.”

Hera smiled before winking at the hovering Stella. “Of course. We have fine rooms which will certainly meet your needs. For the day and evening, it will be three silver pieces.”

Handing over four, the coins were quickly scooped up with a radiant smile as Hera passed us a room key. “When you return, simply ask me or any of our waitresses and we'll happily provide you with lunch. Dinner tonight is roasted quail or, for the adventurous individual, an exceptional slice of steak prepared by our renowned chef. Your room is up those stairs to our second floor. You have the final room on the right.”

The bath that followed was incredibly refreshing, removing the layers of dirt and debris I didn’t know we had acquired over the last long few days. The water was blissfully warm and, when combined with jasmine bath salts, aches I hadn’t even noticed fade into nothingness. The cologne had a scent I couldn’t quite place, but at Stella’s forced promise I applied a few sprays of the bottled stuff. It had a floral aroma, with perhaps honey and some cinnamon.

Passing through the common room on our way to our rooms, the clink of plates and silverware reminded us it had been a long while since we last ate. My stomach audibly growled at the reminder. Stella, fresh and prim from her own bath, made me promise we would come right back down once we were settled in our room. The room, we discovered, was more like a suite in actuality. Far larger and grander than I had been expecting. It was wide enough to comfortably accommodate a party twice our size, with three different types of coaches. One was leather, another a dark fabric, and the last a cotton blend. The side room had a pair of lavish beds with enough spare blankets and pillows to make a makeshift fort like when I was a child. Also in the living room was a walnut rolltop desk, and padded chairs around an ample card table.

The room’s windows ran along the south side of the city, granting us an expansive sightline over the distant grasslands and fields. The sun was high in the sky with a small spattering of rolling clouds providing minimal shade for a half dozen tillmen plowing and seeding their fields. Opening several windows, a crisp scent blew into our room reminding me of vanilla and hints of citrus.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“If you want to head down for lunch, I’m going to remain here,” Tallos said from one of the leather couches. His legs were fully extended down the cotton sofa, his back resting against the plush armrest. In his lap, he held his tome of minor snare as he gradually flipped from one page to another.

“We’ll have something brought up for lunch if you’d like,” I offered, hiding a quirk of a smile. Tallos had said his lifelong dream was being able to cast spells, and he was in no mind to delay that from happening now that it was so close to bearing fruit. I couldn’t blame him. We did have plenty of free time until our planned departure tomorrow morning. I remembered only so many days ago when I learned my first spell, courtesy of Stella.

“Please, it would be appreciated,” he replied with another turn of a page. Tallos looked to be three-quarters through his book, though based on what was commented earlier, he would probably go through it at least a few more times before he was ready to attempt a casting of the ensnaring roots.

Returning to lounge area, more off-duty guards had since arrived, their group taking up close to half of the available space on the lower floor. Not wanting to grab more of their attention, I led our crew up a nearby half-hidden staircase which led to the room’s second floor overhanging the main bar. A waitress spotted us heading up, so followed close behind. Setting up at a high table in the corner, we were asked what we would like for lunch. After hearing what was offered, we ordered a platter of cooked meat, steamed vegetables, and a healthy sample of the house beers.

“You’ll love the honeyed mead,” our willowy waitress assured us before departing.

We were the only ones on the upper level, and I enjoyed the time away from all the attention our recent efforts had garnered us. As much as I enjoyed helping others, sometimes you just needed to take a break. I intended to follow through on the thought.

Stella reminded me of ordering something for Tallos, so I ventured back down the staircase, asking our waitress to add it to our order, but delivering it to our room instead. Glasses clinked, and dozens of lighthearted conversations created a jovial atmosphere as I returned upstairs. Delicious aromas of grilled steak, spices, and yeasty beer drifted up to us as we chatted. When the food arrived, we dug in hungrily. The meal was intensely savory, Stella and I filling our bellies with salted ribs and spiced chicken. Even the roasted vegetables were delicious, the right amount of salt popping with each bite.

Leaning back in my chair, I let out a satisfied burp. The beer, especially the honey mead recommended by our waitress, helped smoothly wash everything down. “Well, that was absolutely delightful,” I murmured to Stella who was finishing off the last of her barbeque glazed chicken wings. She had me crack open a jar of her favorite ‘Marv’s delectable barbeque’ sauce. I suppressed a smile as she gleefully doused the savory stuff across her meal adding a nice tang of flavorful, or so she said as she slopped the barbeque around her plate. I hadn’t the heart to tell her she had a generous amount of her favorite sauce caking the sides of her snout.

We spent another hour or two relaxing and simply enjoying the atmosphere. We didn’t drink too much as I wanted to avoid becoming inebriated. I had hoped to check out some stores, but my hope was dashed when Stella reminded me most had been locked up as the city responded to the dwarven attack.

“We may have better luck tomorrow morning once everything has truly settled down,” Stella stated as she lounged backward, hovering an inch above her high chair. She had a proudly extended belly, her front paws resting comfortably across in satisfaction.

Paying our tab to the waitress, as well as leaving a generous tip, we returned to our room. Tallos hadn’t moved from his spot and as we opened the door, bore an excited look across his chiseled face. A plate of food rested on the sofa table nearby, looking hastily picked over. I was glad he had eaten as much as he had. By the look of it, the engrossed ranger had rushed through the delicious spread it to get back to his reading as quickly as possible.

“You look happy,” I commented as we sat on the leather sofa. Ripley stood near the front door, like usual, with Lowki jumping atop Tallos’ legs on the other side of the leather couch.

“I’m close. Maybe another few hours, a half a day at most,” he replied enthusiastically. “I can feel it.”

“Don’t let us slow you down, I’m happy for you,” I replied with a friendly grin. “We’re going to rest for a few hours before heading back down. Say, Stell, how long do I have before I can cast my spells again?”

“Another four hours and some change,” she replied as she snuggled into a padded armchair. “I’ll let you know as soon as it’s been restored. Now, quiet, all of you. I’d like to take a small nap if it’s alright with you.”

Not complaining, with the luxurious sofa under me, I closed my eyes, soon drifting into a light nap with spotty dreams I wouldn’t recall. I woke several hours later feeling quite a bit better. Tallos still appeared not to have moved in the slightest as I dozed, though Lowki had at some point moved closer to the young man, resting his wide back against the ranger’s legs. Tallos politely moved a tentacle aside as it drifted lazily around the cramped couch.

Stella was still sound asleep, with soft snores escaping her lips as she twitched in a dream. With nothing else to do, I pulled up my inventory screen. I had been curious to see the status of the wands we pulled from the boss dwarf’s compatriots. During the battle with the catapults and dwarf guards, both had expended all available charges.

Sadly, the wand of the undulating fire serpent hadn’t regenerated any charges. Looking at its description, I was reminded it recharged only a single use every twenty-four hours, so we had a bit to go before it could be used again. The other wand, the fire stream one which created a devastating fan of fire, showed one charge meaning it recharged far faster than the serpent wand.

My thoughts wandered as to our parties next steps. The notion of returning to the silvern travel node was instantly quashed when I vividly recalled the cramped confines of the often-narrow tunnels leading deep below the city. Even if we used the node to jump however many miles to the west it carried us, there was no guarantee we would be able to find a path to the surface. It was too much of an unknown to be used reliably.

From what I recalled in my conversation with Tallos, an elven kingdom city was at least a ten-day journey to the east, located in a sprawling forest commonly known as the High Thicket. Briefly inquiring with my friend, I learned the kingdom was called Galanlenor, named after its first ruler.

"I'll be leading us to the city of Quarris, which is near the northwestern corner of the High Ticket," Tallos explained earlier that afternoon. "Though not as large as the grandest city in the fifty mile woodland, it has its own wonders."

Ten days on foot was a noteworthy period of time, it seemed daunting, so I tasked myself with hopefully acquiring some horses in the morning to speed up our hunt for Duke. With our recent gains, we could afford a pair of draft horses, for sure. If we took the time to sell off the numerous magical items, rings, and jewelry, I was confident we had more than enough. Stella was beginning to stir, uttering something which sounded awfully like, “Bacon…” so I propped myself up.

My movement woke Stella who had since moved to my chest. She stared bleary-eyed, her gaze slowly beginning to focus on Lowki’s slumbering form as she mumbled something unintelligible. “Is it dinner time already?” she finally muttered coherently after several long seconds. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Lowki must have sensed her indirect stare. A feline eye peeked open, an ear twitching in Stella’s direction, but was quickly closed seeing no threat.

Feeling refreshed, everyone beside Tallos, who opted out once more, walked down the hall towards the common area for more food and good company. I had pressed the elf to join us, but he assured us he was close to an understanding of his new spell. Promising him we would send up another platter of food, he buried himself back into his work. He had started muttering arcane words as the door closed behind us, so I believed him.

The bar was half again as full as earlier in the afternoon, though nowhere near to max capacity yet. The sound of beer glasses tapping against wooden tables from overhead clued us to our previous table on the second floor was likely taken. The overhang was only a quarter of the size of the main floor, though did offer a nice view of the common area so I wasn’t surprised it had been filled in our absence.

Finding a table on the far wall away from the burning fireplace, the heat was a bit too much for me at the moment after coming out of a comfortable nap, we quickly ordered several helpings of the dinner’s roasted quail and exclusive steak Hera told us about when we first arrived at the Wild Stallion.

The T-bone steak was so delicious and tender, even the overly zealous Stella hadn’t bothered adding a helping of her favorite barbeque sauce to the delectable meal. The garlic butter was divine and the meat veritably melted in our mouths. Throw in roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes charmingly called ‘purée de pomme,’ several foaming beers and you have a recipe to be completely satisfied. Ensuring an order was sent to Tallos, we paid for the dinner and joined the growing crowd. A small band was setting up in the corner near the bar, so we knew we were in for a wonderful evening.

An interesting bit of information we picked up over the course of the evening, overheard from a group of guards, was that the capital had sent a moderately sized group of soldiers who arrived the afternoon before the dwarves sneak attack. When word had reached Allerton of former Magistrate Ussek’s apprehension and abdication, they saw fit to send a detachment to reinforce the city during possible unrest among the citizens.

“Thank the gods those capital soldiers arrived,” one boisterous man called out, his beer mug overflowing as he rocked on his heels. “Along with the Hunter and his team, we probably wouldn’t be standing here now if not for them.”

Another round of drinks was called by an unknown individual. The crowd loved it and friendly pats across backs swirled around the place. Hearing the news our actions with Ussek further benefited the city and helped quash any remaining doubt I had been carrying over our actions in the Silvern mines. In a way, the city had been reinforced by us, though only indirectly. Indirect or not, it still made a difference we could be proud of.

Long after nightfall, we returned to the quarters. Stella continued to mumble the lyrics to a newfound favorite local song as she lightly pranced across my shoulders. Tallos and Lowki rested in one of the twin beds, looking not unlike an uncomfortable jumble of limbs and twitching tentacles. Tallos’ dinner plate was on the floor near his former couch, no doubt a gift Lowki appreciated considering not a drop of food remained this time around.

Settling down for the evening, I quickly fell asleep, ready for whatever tomorrow brought us.