The feeling of a cold stone floor upon her back came as something of a relief for Lucinda. Her other senses were slower in returning to a usable state, but they too quickly confirmed her surroundings as being decidedly normal. A smooth, plain ceiling sat above; simple stone walls around; and far more importantly: no ominous fog or hideous monstrosities. There was just one nagging detractor: her connection with Marrow still appeared to be blocked in some manner.

“Are you okay?”

A spark of anger flickered to life at the simple question – a desire to reach out and throttle the young Wizard looming over her soon followed. Blowing out a weary breath, then taking a few moments for some deeper ones, Lucinda managed to dispel the aggressive notion and calm herself down.

“I’m…” Lucinda’s breath caught as the memory of an impossibly long tongue darting outwards towards her played back through her mind. Her body convulsed at the thought; an icy shiver running up her spine as her hands snapped to her chest in search of wounds. “…fine,” she finished as she confirmed just that. There was no sign of damage upon her armour, or otherwise. “I’m fine,” she reiterated.

Angrad offered a short nod, then ceased her looming with a step backwards. Deciding she had spent enough time half-lying, half-sitting upon the cold floor, Lucinda opted to rise to her feet. A strange spell of dizziness struck her as she did so. Her arms shot out for external support, just barely finding a wall in time to prevent a fall. Steady once more, she turned towards the young Wizard.

“I have some questions…” Lucinda stated with some lingering annoyance in her voice.

“Can they wait? I need to get us out of here.” Angrad finished her reply by pointing past Lucinda.

Following the gesture, Lucinda found the familiar sight of another so-called device. There was no mistaking that it was a new one, for the room they were in was not somewhere she had been before: a dimly lit space of no more than a few metres in any direction, with but a single door on the wall opposite.

“Aren’t we in the tower?” Lucinda asked as Angrad stepped past her. “And safe?” she added hopefully.

“Yes. Maybe.”

Another spike of familiar anger struck Lucinda at the terse reply. A few more steady breaths soon quashed it; yet, her overall mood stayed far from positive.

“Angrad,” Lucinda said levelly. “I think I deserve an explanation here – don’t you? After all that happened back there… Me almost dying; me saving your life!? Those little things…”

“…Let me just…”

The young wizard said no more as her hands rose into the air to begin drawing magical symbols. Lucinda could only sigh heavily as frustration welled up inside her. A few seconds more of not-quite-glaring at the turquoise robed girl passed before she turned her attention inwards.

Are we really back? …What kind of answer is ‘maybe’?

“Marrow? Can you hear me?”

Another sigh escaped Lucinda’s lips as her attempt at mental communication failed silently. Her attention fell back upon the crouched Wizard just in time to see her shoot to her feet and spin towards Lucinda. Angrad’s expression was deeply pensive, and somewhat troubled. Her gaze flicked towards the door, then back to Lucinda, then the door once more.

“Wha…?”

“Okay: This is my master’s vault; an alarm triggered when we entered; him finding us here will be very, very bad; the device is locked – We need to open the door without touching it or using magic.”

Lucinda was left staggered by the rapid-fire utterances. “Umm… What?” she stammered out in reply.

A pained noise sounded out from Angrad’s throat. “This is my mast…”

“I got it,” Lucinda interrupted. “I’m just… Ahh, never mind. What’s with the door?”

“There should be a key to the device in the room behind it. It’s trapped – I read my master’s notes.”

“I see… I guess.”

“I’m thinking we could use our clothes as a lasso, or…” Angrad said thoughtfully. Her gaze then snapped to Lucinda. “Did you summon a small dragon back there?”

Crap… So much for keeping that a secret. And what else might she have figured out?

“…Yes,” Lucinda revealed with a quiet sigh. “I could summon one again. But isn’t touching it bad?”

“No, no… We can’t touch it – whatever does will almost certainly perish. You’ll have to keep summoning them until the magic is exhausted.”

It’s my job to save her again? Ah, I guess she did save me too… Even if it was her fault we were there in the first place!

Another shudder of mortal terror passed through Lucinda as the all too fresh memory popped to the forefront of her mind again. She suppressed it as best she could, focussing her efforts instead on escaping the newest predicament. A quick spell cast brought another dragonling into existence within the small room, allowing a simple mental command to encourage it towards the door.

“Are you a Shifter?” Angrad asked in a casual tone. Lucinda couldn’t stop herself from flinching at the question.

“N…” Her immediate denial cut short as she realised how convincing it would likely sound. Some rapid pondering brought her to a possible alternative response. She delivered it after an only slightly unnatural pause. “Are these ‘devices’ to do with teleporting? That’s what you almost said back in the tower – It’s supposed to be a secret still?”

Angrad met her gaze with a steady stare atop a neutral expression. Their eyes fixed upon one another, neither girl paid much heed to the sudden burst of light and sizzling hisses brought on by the conjured dragonling’s attempt to interact with the door. Lucinda still refused to turn away even while she conjured another for their continuing escape attempt.

“A mutual agreement to silence on what has transpired here today?” Angrad offered at last.

Lucinda hesitated only briefly before nodding. “That could work. Ah, but… I wouldn’t be surprised if Bryn figured it out already.”

Angrad’s expression turned pensive once again. It stayed that way even as one of her hands shot out towards the far wall. “The door,” she encouraged.

“Right, sorry…” Lucinda offered a sheepish smile as she directed her second conjuration towards almost certain doom.

“I could… offer a bit more gold – if she has figured it out.” The young wizard woman promptly sighed. “But if my master finds out what’s happened here even that won’t matter. Not to me at least.”

“Will it take long for him to return? …He won’t kill you will he?”

Angrad scoffed. “No, nothing so mundane. He would send me away, cutting off my access to the knowledge I need to further my studies. Then I’m sure he would make it known I wasn’t to be trusted as an apprentice. He’s well connected in the Wizarding community; I’d have very little hope of finding another mentor anywhere on the continent.”

“Huh… I see,” Lucinda replied as she summoned yet another dragonling.

Maybe if we hadn’t met like this I might feel more sympathy for her…

“As to how long – ten minutes? An hour? I’d rather not find out exactly.”

It was Lucinda’s turn to sigh. She did so as she encouraged her scaled ally forwards.

“Could you maybe tell me more about what happened back there now?” Lucinda nodded towards the still closed door. “I’ll be out of mana soon…”

“Tell you more about the topic you are supposed to be keeping a secret?” Angrad retorted from behind a pair of sharply raised eyebrows.

“…I did save your life back there.”

The turquoise-robed woman held her gaze for several long moments. “Very well; If I must. Just tell me when you run out – I have potions.”

“Thanks,” Lucinda offered alongside a nod.

“Then let’s start with teleportation,” Angrad began. “It is a fact, that of the classes available to us only Wizards are capable of long-distance, near instantaneous travel between two points: Teleportation. But even then, far from all Wizards possess that ability. For many, many years – starting long before either of us were born – a search for some way of enabling that form of travel for more than a skilled Wizard and whoever or whatever was in arm’s reach, has been under way. The prototype device you are likely familiar with at this point, is my master’s solution to that problem.”

“Oh… Umm, but isn’t it pretty much the same still?” Lucinda asked. “I mean, it only caught us two? Not Marrow or Bryn, or anything else in the room….?”

“It’s a prototype. Easily scalable once it’s ready. The most important part is that it doesn’t need a Wizard to activate it.”

“It doesn’t…? Umm…”

“Yes, I know what you’re going to say,” Angrad replied tersely. “Just trust me on this, okay? What you’ve seen today is far from normal… Another of the many problems we’ve run into. Another I’m to blame for too…”

A sniffle brought Lucinda’s attention away from the door to the young Wizard beside her. She caught a glimpse of moisture in the girl’s eyes before they were swiftly wiped dry.

“How does the Plane of Shadow fit in?” Lucinda asked. “And I’ll be almost out of mana after two more, by the way.”

A small blue vial appeared from within Angrad’s robes at the latter comment, but remained in her possession.

“That’s how it works. What it relies upon, in fact. Regular teleportation has no need for it, which is likely why it has taken so long for a solution to be reached. We weren’t looking in the right place. …I say ‘we’; I’m just an apprentice.” Angrad sighed loudly, then plopped herself down on the floor. “The devices simultaneously act as anchors and conduits; a reference point at either end, with the ability to draw in the magic required to make the transfer possible.”

“A transfer? Through the Plane of Shadow?”

“It’s quite safe.”

Lucinda could only stare in puzzled disbelief at the claim.

“Usually,” Angrad hastily added.

“Uh-huh…”

“Well, anyway, does that satisfy your curiosity? I expect you to forget all about that regardless. That’s what we agreed upon.”

“I know. Thanks. But what about the Plane itself? What we saw in there…”

“For that you can go read a book on the subject,” Angrad interrupted. “I think it’s my turn for questions. Such as: how come someone with a western accent, possibly even a Prilemian, came to be a Shifter? Wait, never mind that; hearing about the shapeshifting process would be far more interesting… It’s completely fascinating from a technical standpoint!”

“Umm, okay, I guess… What do you want to know exactly?”

“Literally everything!”

“I’m not sure there’s much to tell. I just… Oh, I think the trap’s dealt with.”

A sour look flashed across Angrad’s face at the announcement. For Lucinda there was nothing but relief. The looming threat of the unknown Wizard was a definite concern, but even with the verbal agreement in place an intense scrutinisation of her class wasn’t much less so.

“Should we be doing something now?” Lucinda soon prompted as Angrad’s unhappy expression lingered, and no further action seemed to be forthcoming.

“…Yes. Yes!” The young Wizard bounced into action anew, dashing over to the door with haste.

Lucinda wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but it mattered little, for whatever lay beyond was shrouded in darkness thanks to a severe lack of illumination. She moved to join her robed acquaintance all the same; coming to a stop just slightly behind her; her conjured dragonling present at her side.

“Crossing the threshold would be a terrible idea,” Angrad warned without looking back.

“Is that from the notes too? I can’t help but wonder if that’s a good way to keep a Wizard vault secure… Leaving them about, I mean.”

“They’re coded with a complex cipher, of course. That I happen to know it does not make it… Hmm, a light spell should be safe enough.”

There was almost no time for Lucinda to protest the action, had she wanted to. A few quick motions in the air in front of the young Wizard brought a familiar ball of white light into existence, and from there, a simple gesture launched it forwards into the space beyond.

The sight of a similarly undecorated room packed full of jumbled items of all kinds brought a quiet snort from Lucinda.

I think Bryn was right about him… Isn’t there a Wizard spell for tidying things up? Or some spare gold lying around to hire a maid?

A brief scan of the clutter lying strewn all over the floor and few pieces of barely visible furniture seemed to indicate Lucinda’s latter thought was highly probable – the glint of gems and jewellery aplenty was impossible to miss.

“How does he find anything in that?” Lucinda asked. “…How are we going to find that key?”

“He has a system,” Angrad replied; her voice hinting at mild annoyance. “It’s… complicated, but it’s there.”

“Was that in his notes too?”

A brief pause followed Lucinda’s comment before Angrad turned about to deliver an irate glance. “Would you mind staying quiet? I’m trying to concentrate here…”

Forcing a fresh dose of her own annoyance aside, Lucinda somewhat reluctantly did as she had been asked. Diverting her attention to her temporary ally provided some comfort; at least until she attempted to pet it, bringing her nothing but the chill of icy cold scales, and mindless indifference to her attempted affection.

I was so excited for this spell… It’s been useful in combat, but they’re so… Ahh, I can’t wait to be with Marrow again. At least she responds to me!

After another depressingly futile attempt at contacting her companion, there was little left to occupy Lucinda. Her eyes soon turned back to the room, then began seeking through the mess with greater care. There was much more to inspect than expensive-looking baubles, but doing so from a distance proved to be a paltry source of entertainment. That was, until a certain item caught Lucinda’s attention in full.

That looks like…

A quick glance down at the brooch she wore seemed to confirm her suspicion. Sitting in a small pile of other random items on the remains of a wooden dresser, what appeared to be a gold signet ring sat in plain view. Though a fair distance from the door, there appeared to be a carving of a wildcat upon its surface.

It’s probably just a coincidence. Lots of people like cats – even wild ones! But… what if it’s not?

Lucinda stared intently at the distant item as her thoughts raced. The scant information she had learned of her grandmother since starting her adventure helped little; yet, that she held a strong desire to know more was an irrefutable fact.

Ahhh, this is stupid… What am I going to do – steal it? From a Wizard’s vault… In front of his apprentice… Who said the place is trapped! Oh, I guess I could…

“Do you know anything about that ring over there?” Lucinda asked aloud. “The one with the…”

“No,” Angrad stated firmly.

“…wild cat… Oh. Okay.”

“But,” Angrad continued distractedly. “I think I’ve got it…”

Peering back into the room with its haphazard contents, Lucinda could not fathom what, if anything, represented the key to unlocking the device. However, despite the events that had taken place since arriving within the tower, she was willing to trust the robe-wearing girl. That there didn’t appear to be much choice in the matter certainly helped with the decision.

Angrad dispelled her magical light, then encouraged Lucinda to do the same with her dragonling via a simple gesture. They were soon standing beside the latest device, where a powerful wave of concern found Lucinda as she waited for the newest act of teleportation to whisk her between anchors. Knowing she would somehow traverse the Plane of Shadow in the process did not make things easier to swallow by any means, and as the all-too-familiar stretching sensation began, her heart was beating at a rapid pace within her chest.

“I’m coming, Marrow… I’m…”

Just as her surroundings seemed to warp outwards infinitely, so too did her attempt at mental communication. Like before, her consciousness faltered temporarily during the transfer. But as it returned, her attempt resumed without difficulty, even before her more mundane senses had reacclimatised to the seemingly abrupt change.

“…coming.”

“Friend!? Friend! Marrow fight!”

“Marrow! You’re okay?

Elation filled Lucinda’s being at the simple message, making even the discovery that she was back within the upper tower room of only minor interest in comparison. Sparing just enough attention to determine she was likely safe for the time being was about as much as she could manage; the rest she devoted to directing affection and relief through the mental link she shared with her companion.

“Marrow!”

Lucinda laughed out loud. The confidence present in the large bird’s mental words was as potent as ever.

“Of course you are,” she replied. “I didn’t doubt you! …But what happened here? What did you fight? And is Bryn okay?”

The voice of Angrad sounded out within the tower, barely registering in Lucinda’s mind so intense was her inward focus; yet, the sound of another, deeper voice could not be ignored so easily. Delivered by person unknown, in tones both unwelcoming and sharp, Lucinda was forced to sit up and take note.

“Ah, my apprentice,” the voice began. “There you are, at last. Good timing really, all things considered. Now, would you mind telling me, what the BLOODY HELL happened to the BLOODY WALL!?”

Lucinda’s throat grew dry in the blink of an eye. There was no mistaking the identity of the man standing over at the far end of the tower, even if not for his words, for his attire was undoubtedly that of a Wizard. With short dark hair, a three-pronged moustache and beard combination, plus a serious darkness of the eyes, he struck an imposing figure. That he was likely a spell caster of immense power, and that his ire was currently directed at the young woman not more than a metre away from Lucinda herself did not help matters in any sense of the phrase.

“Master… I…” Angrad stammered out in response.

“LOOK at THIS!” the man continued with abundant anger, making a stabbing gesture towards the wall behind him. “You could fit a BLOODY WAGON through here!”

It was only then that Lucinda managed to take note of the apparent cause of the distant figure’s unhappiness: A large, gaping hole that offered a rather pleasant view of the surroundings.

“I left you here to look after things! Not BLOODY RUIN my BLOODY TOWER!”

“Yes, Master…. Sorry, Master!”

“Quit your stammering and BLOODY explain yourself, GIRL! And who is this BLOODY with you!?”

Stuck before an increasingly angry Wizard, a strong desire to shift into something small and attempt to slip away unnoticed struck Lucinda in that moment. If not for the sound of approaching boots, and a similarly rhythmic clinking she easily recognised, she may well have attempted something of the sort.

“How about you let me explain things?” a new voice called out from over by the stairs leading down.

“Who in the…!?” the Wizard shouted as he spun towards the newcomer.

“Bryn! Marrow!” Lucinda added.

“Hey,” Bryn offered to her specifically with a warm and encouraging smile to match her voice. “You can bet you had me worried.”

“I was worried too…”

“What the BLOODY WELL is going on here?” the Wizard roared loudly. “Who are you people? I demand an explanation this instant!” The fresh burst of shouted words brought a noticeable redness to his face. Unlike Lucinda and Angrad, Bryn seemed largely unfazed by the situation. “I am not a patient man. Speak quickly!”

“I said you’d get your explanation and you will,” Bryn replied calmly. “Let me just give these two a quick hug and we’ll get right to it.”

“A hug…?” Intense confusion racked the Wizard’s face as the confident Archer woman strode right past him. “Yes, well, if you must…”

“Oh I must.” Bryn offered Lucinda a cheeky wink as she approached. Rising quickly to her feet, Lucinda accepted the follow up hug with great enthusiasm. The simple gesture proved highly comforting, helped along greatly by the situation diffusing attitude the offerer had assumed. “Had fun?” Bryn asked quietly as she squeezed her arms around Lucinda’s back.

“Not really…” Lucinda replied with a half smile on her lips.

“How about you?” Bryn asked again as she turned her attention to the younger and far less hostile of the two Wizards present.

“Uh, I don’t really need…” Angrad stammered out just before the lithe Archer wrapped her in a similarly tight embrace.

Having waddled over just slightly behind the sword-wielding woman, Marrow wasted no time in demanding a hug of her own. Wrapping her own arms around her feathery companion helped ease any lingering worries Lucinda held in an instant.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, Marrow!”

“Marrow!”

Though heavily occupied with dishing out heaps of affection to her beloved companion, Lucinda did not entirely fail to notice some faint whispering from the two other nearby women.

“Are you done over there?” the male Wizard soon called out, still sounding far from happy. “I am quite a busy man, I’ll have you know. A busy man with a hole in his tower, I could add.”

“We’re done,” Bryn offered as she released Angrad and turned to face the tower’s owner.

“I should hope so. Then, Apprentice, would you be so kind as to go outside and collect…”

“No need,” Bryn interrupted. “Thought you might want your bricks back, so we did that already. Left them in a nice pile outside your front door.”

“You did…? Well, that’s…” The Wizard blinked a few times. “Who is this ‘we’, exactly? Ahem.” He shook his head twice before turning back to his apprentice. “Your task for today will be researching a spell for restoring things to how they should be. Head downstairs and start at once.”

“Yes, Master,” Angrad replied dutifully before departing.

“Now then…”

“Name’s Bryn,” Bryn supplied. “You?”

“Waltzing into my tower without even knowing who you are dealing with,” the man muttered quietly but still loudly enough to be heard. Another brief shake of his head preceded a more conversational tone. “I am Fepran. A Wizard of great renown within Chakog’mar, and possessed of many powerful allies.”

“Could we have some chairs?” Bryn asked. “This might take a bit.”

A dark frown quickly passed over Fepran’s face. As it faded, he performed a very quick spell cast, easily demonstrating his expertise at doing so. The result of his efforts manifested as a fabric covered seat that looked exceedingly comfortable. He promptly sat upon it.

“Alas, my work keeps me far too busy to devote time to anything more than this. Will the floor suffice?”

“That’s alright – we’ll grab a table.”

Lucinda struggled to suppress some laughter as she watched the smugness on the Wizard’s face abruptly sour. She managed to just barely retain her composure as she followed her new ally over to a likely candidate for a sudden repurposing.

“Careful with those!” Fepran called out as Bryn began shifting the set of crystals from the chosen table to the floor nearby. “You sure have a lot of nerve… Did it cross your mind for even a minute that some of the items here might be dangerous? Or valuable?”

Bryn rolled her eyes for Lucinda’s benefit as they took an end each and began carrying their prize back towards the seated Wizard.

“Bet you would have warned us, if so.”

Her words brought a quiet harrumph in reply. A clearly displeased look lingered upon Fepran’s face as the table was plonked into place and Lucinda climbed up beside Bryn upon it.

“The explanation – If you please,” the Wizard prompted.

Bryn took a fair few moments to wiggle and shift upon the table’s surface before she showed any willingness to proceed.

“Not very comfortable,” she finally commented. “Expected a bit more from the furniture of a renowned Wizard really.”

Lucinda failed to stop herself giggling, though she tried her best to hide it behind a hastily raised hand. Fepran, on the other hand, reacted with an obviously angry widening of his eyes, and recurring redness of cheek.

“I do not purchase tables based on how comfortable they are to BLOODY SIT UPON!” he bellowed. “Now explain yourself! Any more of this absurd delaying tactic and I’ll be more than happy to show you another part of this tower: the BLOODY DUNGEON!”

The cheeky smile Bryn held onto throughout the angry outburst almost brought Lucinda to another bout of giggling. Her amusement was only tempered slightly by the possibility that Bryn’s treatment of the powerful Wizard might somehow be a mistake.

“So,” Bryn began, her voice sounding clear and steady. “We’re adventurers, as I bet you’ve guessed…”

Fepran nodded impatiently. “It was either that or thieves.”

“…You were also wondering who ‘we’ included: That’s me and my Druid friend here, naturally.” Bryn turned a grin in Lucinda’s direction. “Plus our two friends outside: A Paladin of Jalavot, and a… Fighter. We were on our way back from a job in Prilemia. Camped not far from here overnight – couldn’t find the village in the dark. We were riding past in the morning when Etmer, that’s our Paladin, caught a whiff of ‘something unholy’, as he put it. I was of half a mind to ignore him, truth be told, but I’m sure glad I didn’t.”

“Yes, I expect wrecking my tower came as a great source of entertainment for a wandering band of adventurers. That is where you are heading, is it not?””

“We only had the village’s best interests in mind. It was Etmer that led us here to your lovely home, of course.” Bryn paused briefly as Fepran’s lip curled unpleasantly.. “Finding it was a Wizard’s tower that was the cause didn’t come as much of a surprise to any of us. Didn’t stop us attacking the horde of shadow men we found assaulting the villagers neither.”

“Horde of shadow men? What nonsense is this?”

“It’s true,” Lucinda chimed in. “I’d never seen one before… Those red-eyes, the claws…”

An intentional recollection of her time within the Plane of Shadow proved more than enough to elicit an obviously fearful reaction for the Wizard listener’s benefit.

“A serious threat for a small village like this,” Bryn added. “But you can bet we dispatched them easily enough.”

“No doubt. And where was my apprentice during all this? Off lollygagging!?”

“Off helping a farmer find the key to his cow shed actually. She met up with us shortly after we secured the area outside the tower. Didn’t take us long to realise there were more inside; didn’t take us too long to clear them out either though. Had that been the end of it your wall would have remained as you’d left it.”

“Then out with it, woman! What was the cause?”

Bryn shot Lucinda a sidelong grin before continuing. “A greater shadow beast.”

“A greater…!?” Fepran shot out of his chair. “Utterly preposterous! I've had quite enough of this… I don’t know what your game is, but rest assured I’ll get to the bottom of it.” A very quick spell cast brought a small green gem into the Wizard’s hand, seemingly from nowhere. He peered down at it, his other hand primed for another spell cast; yet, a short silence passed before he looked up towards Bryn again. “Last chance; tell me the truth or so help me…”

“Funny that you don’t believe me really – one look at the state of my armour should be evidence enough. These deep claw marks, the nice coating of stone dust…. Had a few cracked ribs too. So, there was a greater shadow beast here. It knocked me through your precious wall, then leaped out after me. But if that’s not enough proof for you…” She chuckled suddenly. “We’ve got its core outside. Etmer’s quite keen to take it to the nearest temple; let them have a nice a look at it. You can bet they’d have some questions that’d need answering…”

The Wizard’s countenance turned dark as Bryn trailed off. “I see,” he eventually returned in a voice that held no hint of his previous anger.

“Or we could ignore his overzealous paranoia and leave it here with you; perhaps in exchange for a small sum of gold. What do you think?”

Another stretch of silence filled the upper room of the tower. “You seem to have avoided any explanation of where this… beast, came from.”

“Oh, I don’t think we need to get into that, do we?” Bryn remarked around a wide grin. “I’d much rather forget about the whole ordeal anyway; Over drinks at the nearest tavern, ideally.”

“Yes, yes, you have made your point.” Fepran released a loud sigh as he leaned back in his chair. “It seems I may have misjudged you.” He sat silently for a few moments before continuing. “Bring me the core and that can be the end of it. I suppose I can offer some recompense as well – I would not wish to hamper your later revelry.”

“So generous of you. We’ll go get that core and be off then.” Bryn hopped to her feet, then turned to smile back at Lucinda. “Come on, we’re done for today.”

Stunned as she was by the strange way in which an apologetic explanation had turned into a seeming extortion, it took Lucinda some time to acknowledge the words directed at her. “…Right,” she managed at last, before joining Bryn in returning the table to its rightful place.

“Nice meeting you,” the confident Archer called out as she led the way towards the stairs. No response was forthcoming.

There were a great deal of questions bouncing around Lucinda’s head; yet, a silent gesture from Bryn the moment they were out of sight silenced her for the time being. Instead, she was left to frantically ponder by herself as she, Bryn, and Marrow began their descent down the tower. They didn’t make it far into the second floor before the silence was broken.

“Hope you’re not too busy for a quick chat, Angrad,” Bryn called out.

“…No. Just trying to find a solution to an impossible problem. I’ve never even heard of a Wizard fixing a wall with magic!”

“I’m sure a smart girl like you’ll find a solution. Right, Lucinda?”

“Umm, yeah,” Lucinda offered.

“Oh!” Angrad cried out suddenly, whirling away from the array of books spread across a nearby table. “What did he say? Did you…!?”

“I think he took it well,” Bryn replied. “I spelled out how it wasn’t anything to do with you as best I could. Looks like you’ve got enough on your plate as it is.”

“You can say that again.” Angrad’s attention drifted back to her books.

“So…” Bryn continued, glancing back briefly at the stairs as she extended one hand outwards, palm up.

“Hmm? Oh… Sorry!” The young Wizard girl hastily fished a small pouch from out of a pocket in her turquoise robe. “Payment for… uhh…?”

“Saving the village from an unfortunate outbreak of shadow monsters; which you did your best to assist with.”

“Yes… That.”

Sensing the exchange was largely concluded, Lucinda took the opportunity to ask a question of her own as best she could.

“Did he…? Back there in the…?”

While Bryn turned a bemused look upon her at the vague inquiry, Angrad’s expression revealed the message had been enough for her, and that she was as unsure of the situation as Lucinda herself.

“I don’t know,” she verbally confirmed. “It looks like he can’t have, but… he really should have!”

“Distracted by that new window up there I’d wager,” Bryn offered.

“We weren’t there that long…” The young Wizard girl sighed unhappily. “It’s probably best if you hurry and leave.”

“Then it was nice meeting you too,” Bryn said. “Best of luck.”

“See you,” Lucinda added.

“Bye,” Angrad replied. “…And thanks.”

Little else was said as Bryn and Lucinda descended the remainder of the tower. Trime and Etmer were waiting just outside the large stone building, looking somewhat worse for wear too; if far less so than their leader.

“You’re not hurt?” Lucinda asked under the warm, late afternoon sun.

“Not now,” Bryn replied with a small smirk.

“That’s a lot of bravado for someone who almost snuffed it,” Trime commented, before turning to Lucinda. “Glad to see you made it back in one piece though, lass.”

“Indeed. Not a moment went by where I did not fear for your safety!” Etmer added.

“You almost died?” Lucinda asked. Her eyes then shot up the tower, seeking the opening in its side. She found it easily, and only then realised just how high up it appeared to be. “From that?”

“As if,” Bryn laughed. “Falling isn’t a danger to any experienced adventurer. Although, being hurled through it did hurt a bit…”

“…That actually happened?”

“Of course!” Bryn replied adamantly as Trime burst into a hearty bout of laughter beside her. “It’s going to make a great new story too.”

“For the next young woman you’ll be trying to chat up at some tavern?” Lucinda asked with a grin.

“Exactly!” Bryn returned Lucinda’s grin, then turned to address the other two members of the group. “Etmer, run back up there to our friend and trade that core for something else of value. Don’t let him screw you over.”

“Right you are,” the Paladin replied before dashing off as commanded.

“Trime; the horses.”

“’Bout time,” the bald Rogue replied. “I’m dying for a drink. Have been for a few hours now.”

“So do it quietly – Lucinda and I have some things to discuss.”

“Oh aye, what did happen back there anyway?”

“Shut your trap and she’ll tell us.” She turned to Lucinda with a warm smile. “Assuming you don’t mind. Can’t say you looked too happy when we met up again.”

“I don’t mind,” Lucinda offered as she absent-mindedly reached down to pet her fluffy bird. “It wasn’t a whole lot of fun though.” Steadying herself with a deep breath, she glanced up at Bryn before continuing. “I guess I’ll start at the beginning….”

Riding in front of Bryn once more on the journey back to Basarl, Lucinda described the events she had suffered thanks to their young employer in as much detail as she could manage; occasionally stopping to answer the few questions that arose; and stopping only a single time due to the resurgence of more troubled feelings. The ample encouragement she received along the way, both physically and verbally, helped see her through to the part where their paths rejoined.

“Quite a story of your own you’ve got there,” Bryn said finally.

“Maybe I’d be a bit happier about that if I hadn’t nearly died…” Lucinda replied glumly.

“Try to focus on the being alive part. Although you know that makes the tale all the more interesting?”

“I had a feeling you’d say that.” Lucinda’s remark brought loud laughter from the Archer woman, jostling them both about on the horse’s back. “…What was that thing anyway?”

“A greater shadow beast, of course. Same thing me and the boys fought.”

“You mean… you killed that thing? How?”

“Teamwork, strategy, and guts!” Bryn’s confident declaration managed to bring a faint bit of giggling from Lucinda. “Marrow helped out a bit too.”

“Marrow!” the flying companion chirped in agreement from her position in the air nearby.

“But… What are they exactly?” Lucinda asked. “The shadow men were pretty much as described… That was more like some horrible mix of different animals.”

“That’s exactly what they are. Would have thought you’d have known about them really, but that’s okay.”

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be.” Bryn reached up to deliver a quick pat on Lucinda’s shoulder. “So, you know of the Rackled at least?”

“Mmhmm – animals infected by Raklatok. I’ve fought a wolf like that before. It was… horrible.”

“I can only agree there. Maybe you don’t know why it’s best to burn their bodies though?”

“To stop it spreading?”

“There is that, sure. But the other reason is to do with what happens when a rackled animal manages to infect a few others, and then keep them company for a while as the infection grows…”

“Oh… You don’t mean…?”

Lucinda’s chest grew cold as realisation dawned within her. Recalling the full details of the monstrosity from within the Plane of Shadow made it all too clear as to the implication behind Bryn’s explanation, and the likelihood of it’s veracity.

“That’s… even worse…” Lucinda eventually managed. “Why!? …Why does such a thing exist?”

“I’m not sure there’s an answer. Evil Gods are just that.” Bryn followed on from her words with a brief hug from behind that Lucinda was undeniably grateful for. “If you want more than that, you could ask Etmer; religious stuff is more his thing than mine. He also played a pretty big role in taking that beast down.”

Having no real desire to dwell upon the topic she dismissed the idea of enquiring further. In the silence that followed, she let her gaze wander about the surrounding scenery to further appreciate the fine greens of the trees, and more varied shades of the other flora in view.

A pleasant stretch of minutes passed by before an idea for a new avenue of discourse came to her.

“…I guess I’ll have to congratulate him on his impressive deeds later,” Lucinda said around a faint smile, immediately prompting a brief snort from her similarly mounted friend.

“I wouldn’t. He’d be asking for your hand in marriage after something like that.”

“Being wed to a dashing Paladin doesn’t sound so bad…”

Bryn burst into more open laughter. “Lucinda, Lucinda, Lucinda… What am I going to do with you and your wicked teasing ways?”

“I don’t know. Maybe…”

Lucinda was cut off suddenly as a pair of hands wrapped themselves around her bust. The hard armour she wore almost prevented her from feeling the subsequent squeezing she received there; but did nothing to stop the light kiss that landed upon her exposed neck at almost the same instant.

“…Hey! No fair!” Lucinda shouted out, bringing another, far louder bout of laughter from the woman behind her. “…I was going to say you could give me a nice big share of the gold when we get back. Maybe I should be asking for more after this molestation!”

“Do you require assistance, my dear!?” the voice of Etmer shouted out from behind.

Bryn burst into yet more laughter, and Lucinda was only slightly behind. Their shared mirth continued on for a time, helping to ease the lingering stress and worry from an overly eventful day. That Etmer was still watching with a concerned expression when Lucinda regained her composure finally, didn’t quite manage to cause another round of giggling at his expense, though it was a near thing.

“I’m okay, Etmer,” she offered instead. “Thanks.”

“I am gladdened to hear so, my dear,” the dashing Paladin replied. Nodding politely, he then guided his borrowed horse back to its previous position.

“So,” Bryn began a short time later. “In case it wasn’t obvious already – you passed. You can bet we’ll be spending a fair amount of time bringing you up to speed with adventuring knowledge and know-how, but that’s to be expected when recruiting someone new – and young. You did good.”

“Thanks,” Lucinda replied, her face lit up with a pleased smile.

“Which brings us to your thoughts on things. So, what are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I need to find a nice bed and sleep in it…”

A light jostling took place as Bryn laughed behind her. “I hear you. Let’s leave important talk for tomorrow then – town’s not far.”

Turning back to view their surroundings once more, Lucinda didn’t manage to escape imaginings of the desire she had just expressed for a few long minutes. The shock and worry that hit her when she finally did was far from pleasant.

I still haven’t told her… I have to! Soon!

Even being as reluctant as she was at that moment, she couldn’t fail to notice how the road and countryside around her was deserted; not counting Etmer behind, and Trime a short ways in front of the horse she shared with Bryn.

It’s either now or back at the crowded guild hall… Or I leave it for another day. Again…

A few more minutes passed before a decision was reached.

“There’s something I need to tell you…”

It was a good start, but continuing past the simple opener quickly proved itself to be a difficult task.

“Take your time,” Bryn eventually encouraged.

“Sorry… I’m just…”

Argh, I should have told her sooner! Why did I leave it so late? Why do Shifters have to be so hated!? …Ahh, just say it!

Lucinda took a series of steadying breaths as she continued to internally push herself towards action. Even then she struggled; thoughts of losing a friend, and missing out on the opportunities the group provided flicking through her head all the while.

“Marrow!” her bird companion encouraged.

“…I know. No matter what I’ll have you. Thanks, Marrow…”

“I wasn’t entirely truthful with my class…” Lucinda finally continued. “I’m… a Shifter.”

Lucinda’s body tensed in anticipation of whatever reply she might receive. She could not shake the idea that she would be forced to flee at a moment’s notice. However, as the seconds passed by, and a continuing silence lingered in the wake of her revelation, confusion began to overwhelm her.

“…Bryn?” Lucinda asked, twisting atop the horse so she could face the other rider. A large grin met her seeking eyes, which then grew as the owner burst into laughter. An unhappy pout soon spread across Lucinda’s lips. “…What’s so funny?”

“Sorry,” Bryn replied breathlessly. “That’s unfair of me, but sort of amazed it took you so long.”

“What? …You knew!?”

Another burst of laughter escaped Bryn’s lips before she managed to get herself under control once more. “…Strongly suspected,” she belatedly replied. “There were a few clues here and there, but you were a bit careless with that story from earlier too. That sure helped.”

“I… Oh… Whoops.” Lucinda could only grimace as she realised her error.

How did I remember to leave out my dog shapeshift but forget that I hadn’t told her about deer? If I really had to keep my class a secret I’d have failed miserably already…

“So it’s not a problem for me if you’re still wondering,” Bryn said. “I’m sort of a bit disappointed you didn’t feel comfortable sharing it earlier, but no one would blame you for that.”

“…It’s really okay?”

“That’s what I said, didn’t I? It’s stupid that Shifters get lumped in with those other classes. What sane person thinks summoning the dead, or specialising in murder, are the same as turning into different kinds of animals? …No one I’d like to share a drink with, that’s for sure.”

“I guess not… What about the others?”

“Trime’s not going to care. I’d happily wager a whole bag of gold on that. As for Etmer – Well, there might be some resistance there. We’ll talk him around though, don’t worry.” Bryn leaned forwards to give Lucinda another sort-of-hug. “Have to say I’m pretty psyched to hear what abilities you really have. Oh yeah, I haven’t told you yet: My dad left me this book that he wrote. It’s full of information about what he got up to on his adventurers, and happens to include details on most classes. Guess which one wasn’t covered much?”

“…Shifters?”

“That’s the one.” Bryn laughed and patted Lucinda on the shoulder. “So, how’d you feel about officially signing up for heaps more fun, wild adventures galore, and lots of cold hard gold?”

A large wave of relief passed through Lucinda in that moment as her mind finally accepted that her worries had been for nought.

“What do you think, Marrow? Does that sound good to you?”

“Bones?”

Lucinda laughed out loud at the reply, despite it not being too unexpected.

“I’m sure there’ll be plenty of those too. I wouldn’t let you go hungry!”

“Marrow!”

Another quick bit of giggling took place before Lucinda offered a reply to her Archer friend. “Marrow approves,” she began at last. “And so do I.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.” A hand landed upon Lucinda’s shoulder once again. “Welcome to the group, Lucinda the Shifter!”