Arek waited until an hour after brunch to tell his friends about the doomsday clock that had etched itself back onto his claws. After all, there was no point ruining a perfectly good meal with a problem as mundane as imminent destruction.

Once everyone but Ming had finished eating, Arek drew their attention to himself. He ignored the pit growing deeper at the bottom of his stomach and held his hands out so the others could get a better look as they spoke. The gentle pulsing green glow of the runes left backed his words up, leaving no doubt that his magic had returned.

“That’s kind of cool,” Ming said, finishing off the last piece of apple pie and licking her lips clean. “Not the uncontrollable insanity part, but... at least you’re strong again. Magic is fun.”

“I have an enchanted dagger,” Belmont said. Arek noticed that the man had a hand wrapped around the hilt of his bright pink staff, no doubt prepared to summon a shield if Arek went insane. The thought was oddly comforting. “We could etch the runes off again. Or do you believe that you’ve already lost control? Actually, if you had, would you even know?”

“Relax, Belmont,” Malissa said. “If Arek had already lost control, he’d be slinging magic everywhere. Judging by the fact that he’s just sitting here, I suspect that he’s fine for the time being. That being said, we should probably contact Magus.”

“That would be a good idea,” Arek agreed. “I’m certainly feeling the desire to use magic again, but I don’t believe it’s enforced by anything other than my longing to, well, use magic. It doesn’t seem to be influenced by an external force, which is somehow more concerning. As for the dagger, it’s worth giving it a shot.”

“I’ll go find Magus,” Ming said, pushing her chair back and rising to her feet.

“Don’t channel a huge amount of pure magic in the middle of the city!” Malissa called after Ming as the small mage darted away. Ming cackled in response, running out the door and disappearing into the morning crowd.

“Well, that’s not good,” Malissa said. “How did things go so wrong so quickly?”

“Sorry,” Arek said.

“It’s okay. We’ll deal with it,” Malissa said. “We’ve gotten this far, so don’t you think for a moment that we’re going to get brought down by a bunch of fancy green lines.”

“Less talk, more stabbing runes,” Belmont said, sliding a dagger across the table to Arek. The blade shimmered with a faint blue light. It would have been impossible to notice if the orc wasn’t intentionally looking for it.

Arek lifted the dagger and pressed the tip into his claw. He drew a deep breath and gritted his teeth against the pain. The orc increased the pressure, ignoring the pain that shot through his hand as the blade bit deeper into his hand. He dragged it along a claw, carving a thin line through dozens of miniscule runes.

“Well, that seemed to have worked,” Malissa said.

The runes lit up. Before any of them could react, the furrow Arek had carved into himself lit up with the same color as the runes. When the light faded a moment later, the cut was gone.

“You ruined it,” Belmont grumbled. “You are a bad luck charm. First you walk next to the river and get yanked in, and now this.”

Arek peered at his claw. His brow furrowed and his lips thinned.

“It never did this before. That arch did something to the runes. They’re different.”

Belmont stood up and made his way over to stand beside Arek. He kept a good bit of space between them and kept his staff clutched tightly in one hand.

“Let me take a look,” Belmont said. “I might recognize some of them.”

Arek offered him his hand. Belmont took it and raised it to eye level, examining the runes with a frown. Several adventurers sent a glance in their direction, and one of them let out a cheerful whistle.

“Nothing I recognize,” Belmont sighed. “They’re strange. The style seems similar to the rune on the arch, but more modern. It’s like a mixture of the two types. I’m sure Magus will be of more help.”

“You’re quite friendly with Magus,” Malissa said, tilting her head slightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you complement someone so seriously or without looking like you sat on an anthill. What happened between you two?”

“Absolutely nothing. He’s just a very capable mage,” Belmont said, crossing his arms. “He might have also given me a book or two, but that’s a topic for later. We need to make sure our chef doesn’t explode.”

Just as the last word came out of Belmont’s mouth, a dull thrum ripped through the guild. It was just a noise, but it passed with enough force to make Arek feel like his bones were shaking.

Belmont leapt to his feet, raising the staff and preparing to summon a shield before the group. The other adventurers in the tavern reacted similarly, although they were slightly slower to the draw than Belmont.

Ming strode back into the tavern, a sheepish smile on her face. Magus stormed in behind her. A cute nightcap sat askew on his head and he wore a long, flowing bathrobe. It might have looked regal had it not been bright pink.

“What is it with you lot and summoning me by mimicking an explosion in the city?” Magus snarled, pausing to break down coughing for several moments before resuming his tirade. “Have you never heard of a message spell? You don’t have to use enough magic to blow up a dungeon!”

“I don’t know a message spell,” Ming said meekly.

“I’ve got a bubble and a healing spell,” Belmont said.

“Some basic summoning magic for my daggers, but that’s it,” Malissa added with an embarrassed grin.

“I know one, but I don’t think it would be wise for me to be using any magic at the moment,” Arek said.

“You know one? And you still let this little goblin call me with a pillar of pure magic in the middle of the city? What is your prob – wait. YOU know a spell?” Magus asked, his eyes narrowing. The mage flicked his hand, summoning a dome of energy around the group to block out the watching adventurers.