Daniel looks at the chamber the members of ‘Unity of the Great Dragons’ showed him and his companions to. The Unity of the Great Dragons is a religious sect of disillusioned peoples from the various nations of the continent, including several from the east, lost and having found their way to the village. Most revere them as a cult, but their practices are a pretty straightforward worship of the dragons as the ‘original race of Zenkon’, and thus descendants of the gods or gods themselves. Daniel’s not too sure from the translated meanings.

Regardless, the villagers stop at the threshold to the chamber, which they claim was ‘the Platinum Queen’s private chamber’.

Unsurprisingly, it looks like little more than a cavern with raw ore veins visible in the walls, and a curved tunnel that loops around deeper. Daniel steps into the offset walkway, and he can feel a slight static-tingle as he passes into the corridor. When the human mechanic approaches the corner of the winding path, he can see a large space with a padded area for a large creature to sleep, and a few obvious treasures and artifacts Daniel wouldn’t know what to do with.

The villagers behind him begin murmuring. Hekate cries out, “What!? What is this!” She begins slamming her fists against something that sounds sort of like glass, and Daniel looks. No one, not even Xyreko or Hekate, seem to be able to follow him. The corridor seems designed to prevent anyone from seeing into or using magic or tools to manipulate the room.

“Daniel?” asks Treia.

“It’s some kind of automatic barrier,” explains Vaergraes as she touches the invisible surface. Hekate takes a step back and begins charging magic.

“I bet I’m stronger,” growls the feldrok girl.

“Hekate, I’m fine.” She flinches at Daniel’s words, and he says with amusement, “I’m guessing all of them guarded their rooms with barriers to keep others out, especially uninvited guests.”

“Well, I’m invited too!” whines Hekate.

“I don’t know if that’s it. I’d be more willing to guess that it has to do with me, of all people.”

The others think, and Gwenesphia is the one to get it first. “Because you have no magic! The barrier can’t react to you!”

Xyreko looks at her, and then at Daniel. She states, “Your Grace, have we ever tested your ability to pass through my barriers?”

“What? No. Why would…?” Daniel trails off as he realizes what she’s asking. “Huh… I wouldn’t think it would be that simple.”

Vaergraes is the first to begin laughing, and then Aoloan, Kera'tai, followed by everyone else. Hekate crosses her arms and says, “Fine. But, if you need help, Daniel, I’m breaking through this barrier.”

“And, I’m sure you’ll succeed. But, relax. I can’t imagine Ryuogriar booby-trapped her personal quarters.”

Hekate huffs as she looks away. “Booby-something, maybe.”

The other women chuckle at her, and Vaergraes pats her shoulder gently. “Don’t take it to heart, your Greatness.”

Hekate huffs with a “Hmph!” and she turns away. “I was hoping I could use a long stick or net to sweep all of Ryuo’s treasure out of the room, but that stupid wall is in the way.”

Meanwhile, Daniel searches the room casually. It’s humongous compared to a human’s room, which is fitting, given how large Ryuogriar actually is, and most of it is gold coins and gemstones littered about. He asks, “Xyreko, can you check with them to see if…”

“You know we are listening, Mukori…” replies Reignleif’s voice through his helmet. “Though, admittedly, I am the only one who learned about your helmet.”

“Ah! Well, then, Mukori, can you ask Ryuo what I’m looking for? Also, if it’s alright if I find a way to lower the barrier.”

“The barrier probably can’t be lowered, Mukori. There is a magic glyph set at the epicenter of the barrier, which prevents tunnelling into the perimeter. One would have to dispel the glyph, which requires magic.”

Daniel gauges his distance from the door, and he estimates that he’s close to the center. He crouches and sweeps the floor clear of dust and coins, searching until he finds the edge of a drawing on the floor. He clears the full drawing away, revealing a large magic circle with various symbols that mean virtually nothing to him, other than he can recognize them as part of a magic spell. “I think I found it.”

“Yes, that’s it. There will be identical magic circles in my own and Geira’s rooms.”

“Great. Then, let’s see what happens…”

While Daniel is searching, Hekate throws a rock across the threshold, which passes through the barrier without issue. She calls out, “Daniel! Rocks can pass through! I think it only blocks people!”

Daniel replies loudly enough to be heard, “Hang on, I’m working on it.” He pulls Nemaisol out of its sheath, though there is some resistance for some reason. Regardless, it crackles as it responds to the magic around him. He can feel the static tingle around him dissolve.

Strange… Could some effect of the barrier have caused that resistance?

Daniel inspects the blade of Nemaisol, which is swirling with a glow, mostly near the base, which is closest to the magic circle. “Mukori, will you ask Ryuo if she intends to return to this place?”

There’s a moment’s pause, and Reignleif’s voice replies softly, “If you actually succeed in defeating Ryuo’s barrier, she intends to reward you. To answer your question, no. She has no attachment to the dragon’s keep.”

“Great. Thanks. Tell Ryuo I’m looking forward to my reward.”

Daniel slashes the symbol with Nemaisol, and the sword’s blade crackles as it easily slices through the stone floor and the symbol with ease. Daniel is blown backwards by the discharge of energy as the spell is broken, and he manages to stay on his feet in a stumble. He brings Nemaisol up to block, but most of the magic energy has already dissipated. He catches his breath for a moment as the magic disappears completely, and Nemaisol’s glow fades to a faint light, illuminating the room comparable to a mere match. “Thank you, Nemaisol,” says Daniel as he sheaths the mystical magic blade, and for some reason, it almost feels like the sscabbard pulls it in. He never noticed it before, but it is a strange sword with some kind of anti-magic magic power, so he doesn’t really think too hard about it.

“Alright, try it now,” calls out Daniel.

Hekate hops forward, bracing to impact the barrier, but nothing impedes her, and she cheers. “Haha! Yes!”

Treia asks a little skeptically, “Y-Your Grace… What if the barrier was still active?”

“But it wasn’t.”

“Yes, but, what if…?”

“I had complete faith in my Darling. You could learn a thing or two from me.” Hekate puffs her flat chest out proudly,

Daniel teases, “Blind faith in anyone is like walking towards a cliff with your eyes closed.”

Hekate frowns at him. “Weren’t you the one that told me about trust exercises, Daniel?”

“Yep. And, trust is not the same thing as blind faith. I don’t need mindless minions… in… uh, hm… my, uh… companions.”

Hekate flinches, and she points at Daniel, declaring loudly, “You’re wrong! I disagree!”

“You… disagree that I don’t need mindless minions?”

She flinches, realizing she did in fact just disagree with Daniel’s statement, rather than trying to disagree with him to prove she’s not a mindless minion.

“I… Shut up!”

Daniel chuckles, and he begins scanning the room as the others enter to help him collect what there is to collect. Since the gold coins and gems are tedious to collect, they’ll gather some, but the focus is on the main treasures.

Daniel asks aloud, “So, Mukori, can you ask Ryuo what the specific thing she wants is?”

There’s a seemingly abnormally-long pause, and Reignleif’s voice finally replies. “Mukori… I never addressed it, but… is that… truly Nemaisol?”

Daniel is surprised by her question. “Huh? Have we not talked about it? So far as Xyreko claims, it’s the sword known as Nemaisol. Why?”

Again, there’s another awkward pause.

“Mukori, we’ll be waiting to reward you when you return home.”

Daniel chuckles. “So, I won the wager, huh?”

“The others are upset at me that I kept this method of communication secret. For Ryuo, her draschol’lak’barochan is against the south wall, near her nest. It resembles a dragon egg in abstract form, Mukori. I hope that makes sense.”

Daniel looks, and he finds a statue taller than he is, and judging by its size and metallic construction, easily weighs over a thousand pounds -most certainly more than six times Daniel’s weight-. “Uh… is it… made of mithril or something?”

“Correct, Mukori. A draschol’lak’barochan is made of mithril, that it might survive the ages. I think it goes without saying we don’t want you to melt them down…”

“Uh, Duh. Thanks. She told me it was a family heirloom. I wouldn’t melt it down.”

“Please retrieve all of ours, if you can. Geirahoel and I didn’t ask for them specifically, but…”

“Count on it, Mukori.”

Hekate studies the artifact that Daniel is looking at. “I don’t get it. How is this thing supposed to be important? Is it supposed to be some sort of stupid fertility statue?”

Reignleif replies through her telepathic connection, including Daniel’s helmet, “It’s a sort of family registry, for simplicity’s sake. Dragons can trace their heritage through such an artifact. It can serve to prevent blood-related relations, as well as hear the voices of our ancestors. Tales of our ancestors can be useful to even us dragons.”

“Sounds good. Xyreko?”

Xyreko steps up, stating warmly, “Allow me, my beloved Master. Yep. Looks clear of curses.”

Daniel chuckles, replying warmly, “Can you actually check it now, please?”

She scoffs, adding softly, “Of course. One moment.” She casts a spell, and after a moment, she declares, “I have truly confirmed no curses are present. You may safely take the artifact.”

“Thank you, Xyreko.” Daniel pulls out a medium-sized magic bag from his standard carry, and he stores the statue in the bag. It fills to about half-full, which is more than a single small bag can hold. “One down, two more to go. Anything else Ryuo wants from her bedroom?”

“It’s not a bedroom, Mukori. It’s… fine… It’s a bedroom. But,... Well… It’s a haven, more than anything. Or, it was. Our haven now is… Well… Collect what you want, Mukori.”

“Your haven is the Citadel, now, right? Is that so embarrassing?”

“Hmm? Mukori, focus on your mission. The longer you dawdle, the lonelier we’ll be.”

Daniel doesn’t think too hard on her words. The blue dragon is being deflective, and she’s the most shy of the three, even considering Geirahoel’s more combative shyness. If Reignleif is holding back, she probably has a reason.

“How are we doing?”

Daniel’s companions, each carrying magic bags, have gathered up anything of significant value, and they each give him a thumbs up. “If you wish for all of the treasure, your Grace,” starts Vaergraes, “it will take time.”

“Just the important things for now. Treasure is secondary. We can send golems to collect the rest at a leisurely pace.”

“Agreed,” replies Xyreko.

Kera'tai jokes, “We’re getting a cut of this, right?”

The others chuckle, and Daniel replies, “You can take that up with the lady dragons. I value my life, thank you.”

Hekate walks over and slugs his arm. “You should have said ‘ask Hekate.’ Obviously, all of this now belongs to me.”

He smirks at her, and she mumbles, twitching her tail. He pets the top of her helmet, and she hums contentedly. “It’s not the same with a helmet on.”

“Yes, but this isn’t Hollywood, it’s a potentially hostile area. We keep our helmets on until we’re home or in a controlled area.”

She nods. “Right! But… Who’s ‘Holly Would’? Someone I should know about?”

Daniel bonks her helmet. “Don’t worry about it.”

Wenlianna approaches, having put her magic bag back on her shoulder. “Daniel, these bags are pretty handy. Do you mind if I keep one after we’re done?”

“I don’t mind. I ask that you be careful with it. Living beings can be stored, and you saw what happened when Geira destroyed the other one.”

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“Y-You mean how… nothing came back out of it once it was destroyed?”

Daniel nods. “And, time doesn’t elapse inside, so, you’d never see the light of day again.”

She nods grimly.

Hekate bats his chest. “Stop scaring her, Daniel. She’s not an idiot. I have it on good authority that it’s really difficult to store yourself accidentally. N-Not that it was me.”

Daniel stares at her, and she looks away. “Oh! I think there’s something important over there.” She jogs over to Ryuogriar’s bedding, lifting one of the pads to investigate underneath.

Xyreko rises from a crouch near the magic circle. “Good news, Daniel. I have restructured the magic circle. I will now be in control of this room, allowing preservation of the remaining treasure in case we missed something.”

“Thank you, Xyreko. No rush, but when you can, please have golems begin transferring everything to the Citadel.”

“Of course.”

Daniel leads his group back out into the hall, and the leader of the group escorting them bows, saying something brief. Daniel nods, asking softly, “What did he say?”

“Simply ‘my Lord’, your Grace,” replies Vaergraes.

“Did I pass his test?”

She asks, and the man smiles and nods. He replies, looking at Vaergraes for a moment. “Yes, though he still doubts you’ll be able to open the doors, even with your magic sword.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Please ask which way to Reignleif’s room next.”

She nods and translates. The man bows and begins leading them down the hall.

As they walk, Vaergraes jokes, “To think, I was once considered a queen and a tyrant. Now, I’m a translator and a baggage carrier.”

The group chuckles, and Hekate retorts playfully, “You could be a demon empress if you want. You only need my permission. Heeheehee!”

Vaergraes blushes a little, but she keeps her composure. “Daniel does seem to be the only obvious choice in the Citadel.”

Daniel scoffs. “Trust me, I’ve noticed. I need more guy friends.”

A rock hits Daniel’s helmet, and he looks at Kera'tai. “I won’t fall for it again, Daniel.”

Aoloan snickers, and Treia asks, “What does she mean by that?”

Kera'tai brazenly explains, “In an effort to protect us, Master tried to claim he fancies men.”

“Most of Fort Peony still believes that,” replies Gwenesphia warmly.

“In my defense, I didn’t think anyone would give me the time of day, let alone consider me a romantic option willingly.”

Hekate cackles like the little villainess she plays at. “Heh heh heh heh heh. Yesss. I approve, Daniel. You properly obeyed your destiny to be brought to me. Heeheehee.”

“Does it really not bother you?” asks Wenlianna.

Hekate cocks her head. “Hmm? Me?”

“Yes. Forgive me for asking, but…”

“I didn’t like it at first, but because I was afraid of being replaced.” Hekate hugs Daniel’s back as she keeps pace with him.

“Hey now, we’re going to trip…”

She ignores him to add, “He loves me in spite of what I am and how weak I was when we met. He loves me for me. And, when I thought about it, so long as the people he loves love me, too, neither of us will be lonely ever again.”

Daniel scoops Hekate up to carry her in front of him in a seated position against his side. “Hey!”

“This is a Hekate privilege. Want me to put you down?”

The childish ruler of the Citadel stammers, but shakes her head. She giggles and hugs his neck. “I approve.”

“I thought you might.” Daniel murmurs gently to Wenlianna, “Hekate is my first priority. I owe her my life. Whatever anyone else decides or wants to do, that’s the core of it.”

Wenlianna nods gently. “I understand. Thank you, Hekate, for being willing to have me as part of your family.”

The feldrok empress nods, though she hugs Daniel gently. “Daniel… You know… we’re even in my eyes. M-Maybe… I owe you… a lot…”

“Even it is. Now then, feels like we’re getting close to Reina’s room.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Frost.” He points at the wall, where there is a white icy mist appearing, and Wenlianna’s breath is visible, as well as Vaergraes and Aoloan, who aren’t wearing full-face helmets like the rest of the group.

“I did think it was getting colder,” remarks Vaergraes.

“Do you need to hold back?”

“No, thank you. The Uhl’tall are a mountain people and favor the cold. Cold air promotes a steadier mind.”

Aoloan adds, “Don’t mind me. I’m prepared.” She withdraws a warm-looking coat from her magic bag, and Kera'tai does the same.

The villager group leader stops at another opening, and the room is similarly hidden around a winding corridor, beyond which is obscured by a foggy mist that hangs heavy in the air, rolling out along the floor, frosted over and potentially a slipping hazard from ice. It’s almost impossible to see into let alone across the room.

“Mukori, please don’t stare too much when you’re inside.”

“Stare? Reina, you know we’re here to search your entire room, right?”

“I know, but… You’re entering my personal room… It’s… I don’t know if it’s safe.”

“Safe as in, something’s going to attack us?”

“N-No… Safe as in… I didn’t have time to hide anything.”

Daniel takes a breath and sighs. Ironically enough, he probably aligns the most with Reignleif as a person. He was always fairly awkward and shy about people seeing how he lived, what his hobbies were, and what he liked to surround himself with in his comfort zone. None of it was atrocious, but might inspire judgements that he realizes probably don’t really matter.

“Is there anything we can’t touch, Mukori?”

“No… Just… D-Don’t tease me, please.”

“Oh, now I have to tease you.” Daniel sets Hekate down, and she chuckles deviously in agreement. “Go, Daniel! Open this barrier so we can explore Reina’s deepest, darkest secrets! Hahahaha!”

“I… Mukoriiii…”

Daniel chuckles at Reignleif’s impotent protest, as she hasn’t explicitly forbidden them from entering, but she doesn’t want to be teased.

“I’ll be nice about it, Mukori. Alright, I’m going in.” Daniel steps through the barrier, and once more, he can feel the static tingle as he passes through. Just to verify, Hekate touches the barrier surface, and it doesn’t let her through at all.

“Be careful, Daniel.”

Daniel inspects as far as he can see through the fog, walking cautiously. He can’t see more than a few yards ahead of him, and much of the littered treasure is frosted over, making the room like walking on icy gravel, not quite frozen solid, but potentially slick. He calls out, “Mind your footing, everyone. The littered treasure and frost make it unstable.”

Hekate asks, “Any reason Reina’s quarters are so cold? I don’t think she keeps her room this cold at home.”

Daniel finds something peculiar. It looks like a large cauldron made of solid ice. It’s clear enough that he can see through the surface, and the contents are some kind of liquid, apparently filling from the bottom of the cauldron and overflowing into a trench that flows out through a grate in the wall.

Daniel crouches, dipping his fingers in the overflowing liquid for a moment. It’s not water, by the slickness that applies to his gloves. It’s a little sticky, but not so much that it provides any meaningful resistance to his experimenting with his fingers.

“M-Mukori, it’s not what you think…”

“What do I think it is?” asks Daniel with a smirk. He actually has no immediate assumptions. It wouldn’t make sense for it to be a toilet, and as far as he knows, she wasn’t particularly ‘active’ enough on her own for it to be some kind of personal time aid. But, she also is quiet and shy, so it could be.

“I-It’s a lubricant.”

Daniel closes his eyes, resisting the urge to poke any kind of fun. He wasn’t going to assume…

She quickly adds, “F-for my scales! I-It makes my scales look shinier and keeps them from drying out too much in the cold. I-If they dry out, they get extremely itchy.”

Hekate, hearing the same conversation in her own helmet as well, asks, “Why keep your room here so cold, then?”

“I… don’t want to answer…” replies Reignleif softly.

Hekate softens her voice gently. “Understood.” She then perks up. “Daniel! Bring it with us!”

“It looks like the source comes from below the floor.”

“I-It coagulates quickly, so there’s a spell that recycles the ingredients over and over and it flows up through the cauldron. Y-You can leave it. I can make a new one if I need it.”

“Daniel, leave it!” calls out Hekate in the same tone as she used when she told him to bring it seconds earlier. He chuckles, continuing his investigation for the magic circle, in particular. As he searches, Daniel finds several stone statues of various races, each made of different types of stone, it seems like. More surprising, given what he knows is that it’s the various demon-kin and human-kin races, including a dattakorien, an elf, a dwarf, an oni, and an Uhl’tall, by the looks of it. Daniel touches the dattakorien statue. His first instinct looking at the statue is that it’s a chess piece, but chess didn’t exist in this world until he taught Hekate and Erimaya -unless Rikuto made a board first, and being from Japan, he’d likely favor Shogi, which is the Japanese equivalent-.

He wonders if they’re action figures, or just simple decorative models, given what he knows about Reignleif.

And, her voice asks, “A-Are you going to ask?”

“I know you don’t hate anyone, Mukori. Were you studying them?”

“Y-... Yes… I… wanted to understand. I wanted to know… a-art. And, idols. Heroes. Th-... Things I found… in books.”

“Awesome. Did you make these yourself?”

“A-Awesome? I-... Yes. I carved them from stones I liked… D-Do… Do you really like them, Mukori?”

“I do. They’re really detailed. You gave a lot of attention to every little piecel. If it weren’t for the stand, I’d believe they were actual people.”

“I… Thank you, Mukori…”

“May I take them?”

“Please do.”

“Daniel, you’re supposed to be lowering the barrier for the rest of us,” states Treia.

“Right, right. Let me get on that.” Daniel estimates his position, searching more diligently where he believes the center to be, which is far enough away that he can no longer see the statues, and he notices frost building up on the metal of his armor. He’s thankful his armor is resistant to all elements, keeping him warm.

“Mukori, is the source of the cold directly over the source of the barrier?”

“Yes. Sorry, Mukori.”

“It’s fine. Actually, it’s kind of helpful. I think I can see the fog billowing.” Daniel follows the icy fog until he finds where it’s coming down more than swirling across the room. In fact, once he’s in the center, it’s more clear, almost like the eye of a hurricane.

He finds a rug on the floor, decorated with a full mural. Daniel studies it for a moment, and it almost looks familiar. The mural depicts people in a circle brandishing weapons and magic, though what kind of people is unknown, other than Daniel recognizes the dragons in the back, also seemingly in an offensive posture, along with a feldrok in a terrifying pose in the center furthest away from the viewer and partially eclipsed by the center of the art piece. In the center of the circle is a humanoid figure floating in a beam of light, while even larger hands seem to be dropping the figure from the sky.

Daniel touches the image, asking softly, “Is this the first summoning, Mukori?”

“Yes… I believe so. I found a picture like that in an old book, and… I made the rug from memory.”

“This is beautiful. You’re a talented artist, Mukori. I’m disappointed that I didn’t know this sooner.”

“Sorry…”

“You don’t need to apologize. I should’ve asked. Please share your hobbies with me.”

“Y-Yes, I will.”

Daniel rolls the rug up, storing it in a medium magic bag before he turns his attention on the magic circle producing the barrier. “Alright. Let’s see if we can go two for two.” Daniel draws Nemaisol, and again, for some reason, he’s noticing a slight resistance to the draw. But, as long as he can use Nemaisol, he’ll stay focused on the task at hand. He slashes the magic circle once more, and the blade crackles as it interacts with the magic of the circle, severing and disrupting the spell.

Daniel can hear Hekate pounce forward with a “Ha! Yes!” She cackles as she jogs around the corner tunnel and towards Daniel, audible by her footsteps long before she’s visible. “Good work, Daniel! Now then, let’s loot all of these goodies. Heeheehee!”

Xyreko approaches as well, immediately setting into taking over the barrier by rewriting certain parts of the magic circle. She works quickly as the group gathers around Daniel, and before long, the barrier appears. “There. I’ve left the radius low enough to block the cooling effect. Lady Hekate, Lady Vaergraes, if you would, please warm up the interior of the new barrier.”

Vaergraes nods, and she immediately produces a red glow from her hands. Hekate, in turn, produces fire above her own hands using magic. However, Daniel bonks her on the head, and she whines, “Ow! Hey! What was that for!?”

“Look at Vaergraes,” replies Daniel.

Hekate looks at the former demon queen, who is seemingly producing simple hot wind as she walks slowly, projecting heatwaves forward.

“I… don’t know what she’s doing different! She’s heating the room up!”

Wenlianna replies softly, “Daniel is worried about fire. Fire consumes breathable air in confined spaces. We don’t yet know how air is replenished in the keep, but a fire might overtake it.”

Daniel nods in agreement. “Specifically, oxygen. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but you have to be mindful.”

Hekate huffs and crosses her arms. “Then, what should I do? I don’t know that spell.”

Vaergraes replies gently, “I can teach you, of course, but it would take time. It’s a delicate manipulation of fire and wind magic.”

Wenlianna digs through her own gear bag, separate from her magic bag. She produces a diamond that is glowing faintly red. “If… you don’t mind powering this crystal, Hekate, this should be able to produce heat using your mana.” She hands the diamond to Hekate, and Hekate gives it a try. Sure enough, it begins to get hot. “Now what?”

“If I may,” starts Kera'tai. “Try using wind magic with your free hand to blow the heat.”

Hekate nods, and she casts a simple wind spell with her left hand. Sure enough, she is able to blow much warmer air around, and she can increase both with her nigh-limitless magic power. She laughs proudly, jogging around the room to ‘chase’ the foggy areas away with her newfound power.

“Thank you,” murmurs Daniel softly. Wenlianna smiles. “My pleasure. Um, I have two more, if someone would like to help me.” She offers one to someone else, and Kera'tai volunteers. “Thank you! We’ll clear the air in no time, Master!”

As Kera'tai joins Vaergraes and Hekate, spreading out, Wenlianna lingers behind to ask softly, “Um, Daniel? How come… Do… you have slaves?”

Daniel sighs. “No. She’s the one who convinced Shek and Skloe that the three of them are my ‘war brides’. The only ones who can’t disobey me right now are the dragons, though I’m looking to remove the contract.”

Xyreko nods. “Progress is drawing near to completion, Master. I have had several successful test runs on goblin and ogre volunteers, but there is resistance based on the magic of the contracted person, which is substantial for the dragons. I need to refine the spell’s mana channeling to prevent waste and make it capable of removing the contract.”

Daniel nods, “Please continue to do your best.”

“Of course. Though, I suppose in this case, it’s more specifically the spellmaster working on the refinement process. I will review prior to application.”

“I still need to meet the spellmaster. Don’t let me forget when we return.”

“Me too!” cheers Hekate.

Daniel withdraws his water bottle as he walks towards Reignleif’s draschol’lak’barochan, her family heirloom. Like Ryuogriar’s, it looks like an abstract egg-shape, with fragments of the shell branching off and painted with various shades of dark red in various spots. He’s not entirely sure what the “addition” that’s made is when a new family member is added, but he’s certain Ryuogriar and Reignleif will explain it.

He lifts his helmet and takes a sip from his water bottle, and he coughs, shocked by the taste that hits his tongue, which surprises him.

Everyone stops what they’re doing, and Hekate asks, “Daniel!? Xyreko, it’s cursed! You have to-...!”

Daniel waves her off, coughing for a moment as he takes his helmet off completely. He wipes his face with his forearm, and he finds an alabaster creamy white liquid, rather than the water he was expecting, and it’s supremely sweet, like liquid frosting. He’s highly familiar with the taste, but he was expecting water.

Once he can speak, Daniel says -though his voice is a little raspy-, “I’m fine. Just a little went down the wrong pipe.”

“Wh-What is that?” asks Wenlianna.

“Milk,” replies Daniel. “Someone wanted to prove her wifeliness.” Daniel takes a drink, which is refreshing, even though he wasn’t expecting it. It’s extremely sweet and creamy, and it makes him feel like he’s back at the Citadel, comfortable and at home. He puts the lid back on, and he stores his bottle. He notices Hekate growling as she trembles a little. “Hekate? You’re growling.”

“She beat me again! I’m fighting her when we get home!”

“It wasn’t Ryuo,” replies Daniel confidently, which halts Hekate. “Wh-Wha-? How do you know?”

“Just a hunch.” Daniel puts his helmet back on, and he looks at the draschol’lak’barochan, digging his medium magic bag out containing Ryuogriar’s. Xyreko confirms that the heirloom is safe from curses, and he stores the large statue in the magic bag, speaking as he does, “Mukori, I have a question.”

“Y-Yes, Mukori?”

“Where is your haven?”

***