Not long after she woke up, we stepped outside, everything packed and strapped to my back. I took some time to survey the damage on the outside, but I couldn’t find any, leaving me happy with my skills as a nest builder.

As we walked to the farm, I allowed the spikes on my legs to drop to the ground. I didn’t want to accidentally hurt someone in the city. Neither did I want to appear more threatening than before. People were still getting used to me after all. No need to show changes like these.

We arrived at my parents’ residence, but there was nobody outside, which was rare. It didn’t, however, take long before the door opened and Elira ran out, almost stumbling over the steps.

“Sis!”

“Someone is happy to see me,” I said, grinning as she ran into my pedipalps.

“Yes,” She said excitedly. “I can’t wait to see your house!”

“Well, calling it a house is probably a bit much, but I did my best,” I said as I patted her head.

My parents walked out the door and greeted us as Cellestra stepped off. We politely asked for breakfast and some more to take with us, which they were happy to provide. Some fresh bread, a few apples, some cheese, and a few hard-boiled eggs disappeared into her backpack as we thanked them, deeply.

After a quick meal for Cellestra, the five of us headed to the city in unison once again. Elira, of course, was riding on my back in front of the brunette and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. That was, until we reached the guild hall in the bustling city where we made our stop. My mother lifted the girl off my back as they would continue onward to Soranir while we finished our business here.

“Bye, sis! See you soon!” She said as she waved, following our parents who both smiled.

“She’s precious, isn’t she?” Cellestra said as she stepped off as well.

“I never knew how much I wanted a little sister until I met her,” I replied. “She’s just the sweetest.”

Cellestra giggled. “Cute.”

She then looked at the door of the guild and seemed to speak her thoughts.

“I wonder what rank we achieved.”

“Don’t leave me waiting,” I replied with a sly smile. “Go in already.”

Cellestra giggled and walked through the door, leaving me with brimming anticipation. I wondered if we were allowed to enter the other dungeon…

We hadn’t gathered too much information about it yet. Hell, we didn’t even know where it was. It would be sensible to at least get to know a few things before entering it. I hadn’t considered it earlier, but it would be an idea for us to team up with someone else, at least for the first time in an unknown dungeon.

Then again, I didn’t need more people to know about my abilities, especially my devour one. In that regard, it was probably safer to stick with Cellestra and just run if we ever got in trouble. At the end of the day, speed was by far my greatest asset.

The door opened again, and Cellestra walked out, a huge smile on her face. One that made me question what exactly happened. This wasn’t just because of our rank, I could feel it.

“I have good news,” Cellestra started before an ominous pause followed. “And good news. Which do you want to hear first?”

“Hm, tough choice. Let’s start with the good news.”

“We are in the D minus tier, which gives us a good amount of freedom and allows us to enter the other dungeon. It’s not too far from the proving grounds, it’s like a ten-minute walk from there.”

“D minus? No idea what that means,” I said.

“Me neither. Except that rankings go from D to C to B to A. We’ll have a ways to go before we get there. Though, Felmar did mention he would have placed us higher, but this is as high as new recruits can be placed. He said it’s to prevent the luck factor, and possible injury that might arise from you being allowed to enter a dungeon that’s technically too tough for you.”

“Fair, I guess. I’m sure we’ll get there if we really want to. I hope that whatever we can do will be meaningful enough to be of any help with this whole obelisk affair.”

“I’m sure Len Asari will have the answer,” Cellestra said. “Now, the other good news.”

“Oh yes,” I said, suddenly remembering. “What is it?”

“Three gold coins for each of us, meant as a bonus to get equipment and consumables for dungeon exploration.”

“That’s amazing,” I said. “So we have eight gold coins now. Is there anything we need, though?”

“Please don’t make me carry more than I already am,” Cellestra said, pouting to which I grinned.

“I won’t. We’re still working on your armor. Can’t just be adding things like that. I’m starting to run into an issue though.”

“Which is?”

“My mana reserves. I have no way of increasing it naturally as I can only learn spells through my blessing. Do you have a way of increasing yours?”

“I’ve never had the need to increase mine,” Cellestra replied. “I know mages struggle to increase it, but because of my… well, ailment, I don’t have any idea how to pull anything like it off. I don’t even know if I could if I wanted to.”

“That just means we need to get more efficient. A good place to start would be my version of spells. Those earthen spikes did great. I’m looking forward to teaching you more.”

“But healing will come first. We should do some more of that today.”

“Sure,” I said. “But for now… what shall we do?”

“Put on these!” She said happily as she pulled out two silver bracelets. They were simple ring bands with clasps that fit perfectly around the wrist.

“Where did you get these?”

“They are from the guild,” She continued. “They correspond with our rank. When we get to C rank we’ll get golden ones. Don’t you think they look nice?”

“They look great,” I said as I put mine on and observed it. Despite its simplicity, it was still stylish, and an easy way of recognizing that I was a member of the dungeon exploration guild.

“They do, right?” She exclaimed. “As for what to do. Hmmm, I’m not sure. What if it takes that long again before your parents can see Soranir?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

I sighed as I checked the main square, my eyes trailing over the market stands and their goods. Perhaps there was something that I didn’t know I needed.

“Our shelter is warm enough for you, right? I mean, you’ve started sleeping without the pelts.”

“It’s more than warm enough. Your silk seems to insulate very well.”

“Hmmm,” I let out as I thought. “Anything you think would look neat in our home?”

“We have a bathtub. I reckon a dresser would be nice. Can’t easily be taken, either. Especially if you anchor it. Would help me get rid of some of the weight on my back.”

“That sounds like a decent investment,” I said. “There is one thing I’m more afraid of than anything, though, and it’s the fear of someone setting my nest on fire. If we’re going to furnish it, I think I’ll take the spiderling enhancement so they can guard it when we’re away.” I sighed after saying it, not looking forward to the process.

“That…” She started. “That sounds horrible. I hope there’s nobody who would do such a thing.”

“So do I, but you know, just in case.”

“And where would we find something like that?” Cellestra asked, looking around.

“I don’t know, and I don’t intend to get lost in the city, so I guess we’ll ask my parents when they get back… which kind of defeats the point of looking around for things.”

The brunette giggled. “If nothing else, we can just wait here and stare at the fountain.”

“I suppose that works,” I said as I placed my weapon against the wall.

Silence fell over us for a few minutes, but it was broken when we noticed Selleron appear in the crowd on his way to the guild.

“Morning, Kealyna, Cellestra. Do you have your ranks already?” He asked as he approached.

“Morning, Selleron. And yes, we do. D minus, which is apparently the highest he can give.”

“Good,” He said. “That is in line with what I expected. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Cellestra and I both said politely.

“Well,” He continued. “I’ll go do my daily round now. I was hoping I could see more of you, but it appears I won’t get to anytime soon. Good luck on your adventures.”

He waved and disappeared inside, leaving me behind with a smile.

“Seems like he has some catching up to do,” Cellestra suggested as a possible explanation.

“Seems so. I wonder just how many things he had to put aside to fuel his curiosity when it came to me. I’m glad we had him with us, though. He’s a nice person.”

“A lot,” The brunette replied with a giggle. “But who can blame him?”

“I don’t think anyone can,” I replied.

Silence fell over us again, a smile on my face as I thought about how many others would be eager to see me in action.