Ed returned to the inn just before nightfall. Ren sat in the inn’s common room, dressed in the clothes he had left for her in the morning. It had quieted down for the time being, so Ed and Ren sat at a table in a secluded corner.

Ren filled Ed in on her discussion with the apothecary.

“So, the missing kids are probably getting snatched up by these convoys?” Ed said, scratching his chin.

“That’s the only lead I have so far. What about you?” Ren asked. She leaned in, eager for Ed’s updates.

Ed took a moment before speaking, his gaze steady. “I spent a lot of time around the miners, plus some locals and people around the market. Spent a few silvers buying drinks to keep people talking.”

“And?” Ren asked, drumming the table with her fingers.

“Miners are concerned about the convoys. They don’t trust some of the workers. Apparently, some ores and other materials have been skimmed.”

Ren glared at Ed. “What does that have to do with the missing children?”

“Well, nothing until you shared what you learned with me,” Ed replied. “I started asking around about the convoys, and things got weird. Most people gave me an uncomfortable look and refused to talk about it. But a few did talk. A group of mercenaries are hired to work the convoys who have been flaunting their wealth. Way more that they should be getting paid.”

“So, the mercenaries are skimming and selling supplies from the mines. What does this have to do with children, Ed?” Ren was getting frustrated.

“I also talked to an enclave guard. He was recently fired for looking into the missing goods. Turns out, it was the enclave guard’s union stealing for themselves.”

Ren’s eyes widened as she realized what Ed was getting at.

“Yep. Two things are missing in Silt. Supplies from the mines and children. Two groups getting paid handsomely: the guards and a band of mercenaries. So that means–"

“Yeah, I get it,” Ren said, hushing Ed. “So, missing kids on days the convoys come through town. And mercenaries working those convoys making too much money.”

“The mercenaries are southern, from the Seventh Spring region,” Ed said.

Ren grinned. “Ah, nomads. Your kind of people then?”

“No,” Ed snapped. “Real nomads don’t do stuff like this.”

“Oh, that’s right, you call them drifters when they dabble in crime.”

Ed shot up from the table, glaring at Ren. His nostrils flared with anger.

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand,” Ed said, storming off to their room.

She had no idea what she was talking about. She didn’t know him or anything about his way of life.

Ed returned to his room and kicked off his boots. His feet were sore from the new pair of shoes the innkeeper’s wife had sold him. He’d break them in soon enough.

He opened a book he had bought from a small shop in town, trying to distract himself. Ren’s words hung heavy in his mind still. He couldn’t shake them, frustration welling up until he started tossing in his bed.

He felt foolish, like an angry child. How could she be so narrow-minded? How could someone so pampered pretend to know anything about the world?

“Throwing a temper tantrum?” Ren said as she entered the room.

Ed blushed, embarrassed. He didn’t say anything.

“Turn around; I need to wrap my bandages,” she said.

“Whatever,” Ed replied, rolling over and facing away from her.

He heard the rustling of fabric as Ren applied her bandages. He focused on his book. It was the story of the Vassar family and their rise to power. Ed had been excited to see books on sale in a town like this until he realized this was the only book being sold.

He calmed himself, letting Ren’s comments slip from his mind. Ren may be angry, but he wouldn’t allow her to rub off on him that way. He was better than that.

He would try to be, anyway.

Sometime later, Ren spoke up.

“Ed, I’m sorry, but can you help me with this damn wrap?” she asked, sounding mortified.

Reluctantly, Ed put his book down and turned to assist her.

“Stupid apothecary sold me faulty bandages or something. I can’t get them to stay in place,” she mumbled.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

“Have you ever dressed a wound before?” Ed asked.

Ren just looked away, waiting for him to assist.

I’ll take that as a no.

As he helped her with the bandages, his eyes inadvertently caught sight of her muscular shoulders and abdomen. He didn’t know stomachs could look like that… chiseled and rigid like a slab of sandstone. A testament to her life as a warrior, he supposed.

The contrast between her physical strength and vulnerability caught him off guard. Though it was covered, Ed could see bruising all around her chest and sides. The coyote’s impact ability was more potent than he had imagined. Ed winced at the thought of taking that blow himself.

Ed realized Ren was looking at him. He blushed.

“Aren’t you married?” she jabbed.

Ed couldn’t tell if she was joking. He quickly averted his eyes, focusing intently on the bandages. “I was just concerned about your injury,” he stammered, trying to mask his discomfort.

Ren laughed, which eased the tension. “Well, your concern is noted. Thanks for the help,” she said as Ed secured the last bandage in place.

He nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and awkwardness. “We should get some rest. Convoys come through tomorrow, so we need to be ready.”

Ren agreed, and they settled in their respective beds. The room was quiet, sans the sounds of partying miners downstairs. As Ed lay in the dark, his thoughts drifted not to the dangers of the next day but to the complexities of lying a few feet away from another woman.

What would Lila think? She was always the jealous type, though Ed would never dream of betraying her. His love for Lila was bottomless and true from the day he had met her. Even then, he found her jealous streak to be endearing. He felt a pang of guilt thinking of her reaction to him sharing a room with another woman. Not just any woman, but Lady Ren Farrowsteel.

“Ed,” Ren spoke up through the darkness.

“Yeah?”

“We need to talk about our new powers. About being Netheryn,” she said quietly.

Ed agreed. It had only been a few days since they shared space in the Nether with a god—only a few days since they’d been granted incredible powers. Ed hadn’t summoned his skeletons today, though he hadn’t had a reason to. And he doubted the people of Silt would have received that well.

But a part of him felt empty, hungry. A new pit in his stomach he had never felt before.

“I leveled up when we fought the coyotes, but I haven’t actually done anything with it yet,” Ed whispered, fearing someone would hear and think them insane.

“Likewise. We need to decide how we will allocate those new runes we got also,” Ren responded.

“Let’s figure this out first thing in the morning,” Ed suggested.

Ren agreed.

In the morning, Ed awoke to Ren wearing her black leather armor again. She had apparently had it cleaned since the day before.

“Good morning,” she said, tossing three small stones onto his bed.

The spoils from their battle with the coyotes. Ed prompted the system to remind him of what they were.

[Item names: Contact Rune, Shield Rune, Impact Glyph]

“I already learned about the runes from the System,” Ren said. “Contact can only be cast when you physically touch your target, but it does heavy damage in return. Shield seems to be the same thing as that coyote that caused me to almost break my scythe. And Impact is the glyph. It causes the spell to explode.”

Ed's eyes widened. “Explode?”

Ren nodded. “I asked the System about that. Apparently, these different components are very flexible. What explode means depends on the spell you are crafting. If I combined it with my scythe rune, my attacks would cause an explosion at the cost of extra sanity.”

Ed was intrigued. “It could turn my skeletons into traveling, exploding bombs… I wonder how it would interact with the Shield or Contact runes?”

“Shield, I’m not sure,” Ren replied. “But Contact seems straightforward enough. Touch an enemy, and they blow up.

“Sounds messy.”

Ren cracked a smile. “I like messy.”

Ed decided he should level up and see what options he had. His available insight and total sanity would be essential factors in how they proceeded.

[You have leveled up!

Level: 1 > 2

Stat points gained: 6

Insight maximum: 2 > 4

Primary rune advancement available.]

Ed was curious about the primary rune advancement but wanted to allocate his stat points first. He checked back into his status screen.

[Name: Eddarion Key

Netheryn Class: Netheryn

Rank: Initiate

Level: 2

Experience: 112 / 220

Faction: None

Stat Points Available: 6

Health: 80 / 80

Sanity: 90 / 90

Insight: 2/4

Strength: 1

Dexterity: 2

Resistance: 1

Wisdom: 3

Faith: 1

Perception: 2

Equipped Spells: Summon Dual Skeletons]

What determines my maximum health and sanity numbers?

[The six stats are split into two groups: Body and Mind.

Body: Strength, Dexterity, Resistance

Mind: Wisdom, Faith, Perception

Each point in a body stat grants 5 health points, while each mind stat grants 5 sanity points.

All Netheryn are granted 60 base health and sanity points.]

That was interesting. The biggest issue for Ed so far was the draining sanity cost for his summon spell. He would need more sanity if he wanted to add another spell to his belt.

He spent the available points and rechecked his stats.

[Health: 85 / 85

Sanity: 115 / 115

Insight: 2/4

Strength: 1

Dexterity: 2

Resistance: 2

Wisdom: 5

Faith: 3

Perception: 3]

A refreshing sense of calm and comfort washed over Ed as he advanced his level and spent his stat points. It was like the first dip into a calm oasis after weeks in the desert. When dry, cracked skin met the crystal-clear water.

Ed decided to go for a more even spread in the mind stats while giving resistance a bump. He wasn’t sure how this worked yet, but having extra sanity felt like the right move for now.

“How did you spend your stat points?” he asked Ren.

“All into strength and resistance. I won’t be knocked out cold again by some stupid animal,” Ren replied curtly.

“Makes sense. You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Ed reassured her. “So, how do we want to split up these runes? I think you should take the Shield.”

Ren nodded in agreement. “I’m glad you said that. I was going to let you have the first choice, considering you saved my ass in the process of obtaining these. But I wanted Shield for myself.”

“That leaves me the Contact rune,” Ed said, rubbing the back of his head.

“Doesn’t exactly fit with your whole summoning thing, does it?”

“No. But I got up close and personal with those coyotes. My thralls pack a punch independently, but they work just as well as distractions. Sneaking up on someone and blasting them sounds like it could work,” Ed said.

Ren agreed, handing the Contact rune and Impact glyph to Ed.

“The glyph too? This would fit perfectly with your scythe,” Ed argued.

Ren smirked at him.

“I’ve got a new trick up my sleeve. Have you advanced your primary rune yet?” she asked.

“No, not yet.”

Ren was surprised. “You’re going to want to do that, trust me.”