“But you did take a beating,” Cellestra protested as we proceeded. “No need to play tough.”

“Okay, fine,” I said with a sigh. “I did take a beating, but I’m fine!”

“You are, for now, but next time we’ll have to be more careful.”

“True, and I already have a few ideas on how to fight when we face a Firag again. I’m kind of excited for it.”

“Why? Because of the money?”

“That, and now I’m curious what they taste like, and of course, there’s the part where the spell they use seems very interesting. I hope I can acquire it, and if I can, I am curious if I can combine it with one of my existing spells. I was able to do that with those spines, after all.”

“Shame we can’t take some of that home,” Cellestra said softly.

“I would have had I not known it was poisonous… hold on, I have an idea. Elysa, is it possible for you to show me when I eat something poisonous?”

Affirmative.

“Why didn’t I think of this earlier? Please do so, then.”

Affirmative.

“Well, whaddya know. I should have done this earlier.”

“So you’re telling me your blessing can tell you?” Cellestra asked.

“Apparently so. That certainly makes things easier.”

“Sure does. By the way, if we’re going to be hunting Firags… what are we going to do with the money?”

I shrugged.

“Honestly, I have no idea. Four gold seems to be a significant amount, and if we really want to, I have no doubt we’ll be able to hunt quite a few in a day. All that is going to add up, and we’ve already got decent armor and weapons, so the next most useful item on the list would be spell scrolls in my opinion.” I paused for a few moments. “Which would only be usable by you. They can’t misfire, right?”

“Kealyna…” Cellestra said softly, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t ever used spells that I learned through a scroll, so I can’t give an answer to that.”

“So?” I said. “We can find out if we want to. Get a cheap spell, cast it over and over and see if it goes wrong at any point.”

“What makes you think I’m willing to risk it going wrong?” She asked sternly.

“I...” I let out, realizing my mistake. “You’re right. I’m sorry for suggesting that.”

“I’ve seen enough of the carnage it brings when things go wrong,” She continued. “I don’t want to see more of that. I’ll stick with the spells you can teach me. Of those, I am certain they cannot miscast.”

“That’s fair,” I nodded, just as we reached the farm.

It didn’t feel that late to me yet, but apparently, we’d spent quite a few hours in the dungeon. It did mean that school had ended for the day, and Elira was home already, watering some flowers in a planter that seemed to be new.

My parents were watching her, but when I came into sight, I could read the concern on their faces quite clearly. My mother almost knocked over her teacup when she put it down on the table. I felt sorry for them, or at least for the fact that they were worrying over nothing, but Elira didn’t seem to care. She, as usual, simply ran up to me to hug my waist.

“Sis!” She said. “Sis, are you okay? You look hurt.”

“I’m fine,” I said, patting her head. “Had to deal with something we hadn’t seen before, and took some damage in the process, but it’s only superficial. I’m not injured.”

“What happened?” She asked.

I lifted her with my pedipalps and carried her over to the table so I could talk with my parents at the same time.

“We fought something called a Firag. It’s a large deer that shot balls of magic from its head that exploded into a sea of flames. We weren’t expecting that kind of attack, but came through it relatively unscathed. It only burned some of my hair, so I can’t complain there.”

“It looks pretty bad,” My mom admitted.

“It looks way worse than it is,” I replied. “I hope my hair grows back quickly, though. Anyway, how are things going here?”

“Same old, same old,” My father said. “I’m certain your days are a lot more exciting than ours.”

“Maybe, but I still want to know how you are doing here. Those tomatoes look delicious. No doubt you’re taking good care of them.”

“We certainly are,” My mother said. “And in that regard, you’re in luck. We’ll have some for dinner tonight. Want some tea, by the way?”

I turned my head to Cellestra who stepped off my back and removed her helm before nodding.

“We’d love some,” I spoke for us both.

My mother went inside and Elira was eager to climb on my back still, although a bit more hesitant than before, but I nodded when she looked at me, washing away her doubts. Once behind me, she took good notice of the damage the fire had caused, running her little hands through my hair, sadness in her eyes.

“So,” My father continued. “What led you to hunt this… Firag it was called, right?”

“Yep, and the reason for it was quite simple. We spoke to one of the clerks at the guild and he told us there was a big request for bison hides, so we hunted one of those. When we delivered it and got our payment, he mentioned that the creatures on the third floor of the dungeon would fetch quite a bit more, so we set out for that. The animal was quite interesting. It has both meat and a magical hide that will always stay warm. Would make for quite the foot warmer in winter I suppose.”

I looked over to my side, at my massive legs in particular.

“Not that I would need that anymore, but you know.”

“Did it hurt?” Elira suddenly asked from behind, pointing to a large black patch on my back.

I wanted to tell her it hadn’t, but I remembered my scream of pain all too well. I was also terrible at lying, or well, I didn’t know if I was terrible, but I just wasn't comfortable with it and would avoid it wherever I could.

“It did,” I said softly. “But Cellestra helped me heal. The pain went away quickly.”

She still didn’t seem too happy when looking at my back, but then again, neither was I. I wanted my beautiful white back as soon as possible.

“It’s gonna be okay,” I said soothingly. “We won’t let that happen again, and I’ll have my hair back in no time, you watch. I am amazing, after all.”

The little girl smiled widely at my words.

“Yeah, you are.”

Shadow came walking up to us from behind a wall and started sniffing one of the darkened areas, before licking it. I saw, and felt it happen and let out a soft giggle.

“Think he’s trying to help me?” I asked Elira who was watching as well.

“Looks like it.”

The cat nimbly jumped on my back in front of the small girl and curled up as it made itself comfortable.

“Well, that’s just adorable,” Cellestra said, just as my mother walked back out.

“What can I say? I’m basically a giant, fluffy cat. They like to cuddle with each other too.”

Both my parents were left smiling at that, and as my mother placed our cups, she said she'd finish dinner. I simply couldn’t wait.

“How’s your new home coming along?” My father asked, alternating his gaze between me and Cellestra who were trying to get a taste of the way-too-hot tea. “When can we see it again?”

“Curious, aren’t you?” I said with a teasing smile, causing him to chuckle.

“I’m just interested in my daughter’s life. I want to make sure that she has a nice home for herself.”

“That’s sweet,” I said with a wide smile. “It’s coming along nicely, but we’re in a bit of a hard place regarding a wall around the nest. It would be kind of neat if we could get a doorway or something if you plan on visiting more often.”

“Then why don’t you?” He asked. “Thymhil has some great carpenters. I’m sure they can get you something like that done, complete with lock and all.”

“I…” I started before falling silent. “Damn, you’re right. We could get something like that.” I shook my head before continuing with a whisper. “I’m such an idiot sometimes.”

Cellestra giggled where my father smiled.

“Happy I could help,” He said.

“Suppose we’ll be hitting the carpenter’s guild after the dungeon exploration guild tomorrow since we were planning on going to the city anyway. Where can we find them?” I asked.

“Hmmm, it’s hard to miss,” He said, “but if you’re unsure, just inquire with the guild. They’ll send you in the right direction.

“Neat. Thanks.”

“Sis!” Elira called from my back. “Can we go for a ride before dinner?”

I chuckled at her energy.

“Sure.”