I strained to push the rear of the three-meter wide cart forward, trying to ignore the awful smell of the two guards beside me as they groaned and cursed. The cart was moving like a snail as we pushed from the back to help it across the last part of the slope leading to the temple road.

"Almost there, just a little longer!" Haltir shouted from his spot at the front of the wagon. A deep, rumbling moo came from the same area, as the Charbull strained as much as we did.

A section of a massive tree trunk lay on a long cart meant to haul cargo to and from the ships. The metal reinforced wooden wheels groaned under the weight, the sound mixing with the chatter of dozens of people walking beside us, laughing and pointing.

Why don't you all just go and fuck off?

These people had been following us the entire trip through the city and even cheered when it seemed the cart would roll back down another steep slope to crash against a building. When I managed to stop it, they had the gall to boo.

I'm going to memorize everyone's faces... I grumbled as I took a quick look to my left. A dozen well-dressed people were taking wagers on how long it would take for us to push the wagon the last ten meters. There was a bonus for those willing to bet we wouldn't make it at all.

Ten minutes, that's how long it took. That, and two notifications from my status window later, we finally pushed the groaning cart onto flat ground, and the charbull finally continued to pull it by itself again. As the cart rolled forward, away from my hands, it took all my willpower not to just fall on my knees like the two guards.

Looking at them, their heavily muscled bodies glistening with sweat, and their bovine faces showing they were ready to lie down and never move again, I wondered how strong I actually was. These guys were both a head taller than me and twice as wide, but somehow I was still standing, and they weren't. I should really compare my stats with Eliandra when we got a chance, and then arm-wrestle her… or just wrestle her. My mind began imagining things that would probably get me slapped, and I grinned wearily as I turned to the two guards.

"Thanks for the help. I'd like to offer you something, but the temple doesn't have anything yet."

The two minotaur guards just nodded, their eyes closed while puffs of white condensed air came from their thumb-sized nostrils.

Taking some deep breaths, I waited until my legs stopped shaking before walking after the wagon. It wasn't going too fast, and I could hear the Charbull's laboured breathing. It had earned a healthy rest after this if I had anything to say about it. Thinking of the almost unconscious guards, I guessed it would get one. They didn't seem up to the task of bringing it back anytime soon.

As I moved, I felt my energy slowly return, and by the time the wagon had made it to the temple, I had caught up. A quick look at my status had shown that pushing the wagon through the city for half a day was a great way to get stronger. I had increased my muscle mass and stamina by two and was slowly closing in on my cap. I still felt somewhat sore, but the skill levels had still helped enough to take most of the edge off. Walking around the wagon, I wondered for a moment what would happen after that. Was there some way to increase my maximum strength?

"Where did you get this?"

Eliandra's surprised shout made me look up, and I saw her walk from the entrance of the temple. A fire flickered behind her, and I saw figures moving around. Even if they hadn't found any wood, they had at least done something.

"Some bunch of goofballs called the Vegetirs," I said, turning to Haltir and watching him gingerly climb from the seat. "At first, they started screaming when I asked for half of one of their biggest trees. Then I began turning some blue, massive acorns into seedlings one by one, and they came around."

Haltir laughed uproariously as he hobbled towards Eliandra and me. "You should have seen it! I think their high priest, or whatever that guy was supposed to be, almost pissed himself! Ahh, such a glorious sight!"

Eliandra looked between us and finally shook her head. "And how do you two fools imagine we get that thing inside?" She moved to the tree, measured it with her arms, which took almost their full length, and then held them to the sides of the entrance. Split in half, it might just fit.

I looked from the tree to the entrance and back and felt like screaming. Seriously? All of that, and then this? No. No, no, no. I took a look at the tree and began thinking about how I would carve it and what needed to go. Slowly an image overlapped the tree, one of Rathica, holding an ax with the tips on the ground and a shield on her back. Not a pose of immediate action, but without her arms up and her legs a bit closer together...

That would fit! I grinned as the image crystallized in my mind. I barely realized how easy it was and something I had never really done before arriving in Kernstalion.

"What are you grinning about now?" Eliandra asked as she wrapped her arm around me and squeezed me.

"You wouldn't happen to have a good carving knife, would you?"

Eliandra shook her head, and I shrugged. "Any of those… soulwood fragments I heard about?"

"I have some, but not a lot. I'm not sure we can buy a knife with what I have," Eliandra said as she unconsciously touched her pouch.

"I can get you a knife," Haltir said, and I looked at him expectantly.

"Does it involve pushing another cart weighing as much as a house through the entire city again?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Haltir barked a laugh and shook his head. "No. It's just someone I know from when I was in the army. He quit before things went to hell and has a weapons shop in town. He owes me a favor, well multiple actually, and I'm sure one should cover a knife."

I nodded, perking up at the prospect of going into town to shop. I hadn't done that here since... wait. Had I ever done that since coming here? Pulling Eliandra closer, I grinned.

"Wanna go and do some shopping?" I said, holding back the guapa that usually followed that. Somehow it didn't feel right, but I couldn't put my finger on the why.

Eliandra's arm tightened around my waist. "About time! Too bad you don't have any cash on you. Leaching off of others again, my my. Another world and nothing's changed!"

I grinned and bent over to kiss the tip of her nose. Neither of us had ever mooched off of others as far as I knew, but we sure as hell had friends who did. If you could call them friends. More like acquaintances, really. It took me a few seconds to remember their names. Mell, Hank, and Jerry. I wondered for a moment how they were doing. Taking a quick look at Eliandra, I knew it was being with her like this that had dragged up the memories. My gaze wandered around until it fell on Haltir.

Haltir was gazing at us with an odd expression, and when he saw me look, he pointed back to where we had come from. "Let's go. If we leave now, we can get back before dark."

We followed him, moving slowly so he could stay ahead of us. A content feeling set in as I felt Eliandra's warm body pressed against my side. It wasn't as soft as it had been, but then again, I wasn't the same either. Looking her over, when I got to her eyes, I saw she was looking at me.

"Always with the looking. Didn't your mama teach you it's not polite?" She grabbed my waist and squeezed as her eyes twinkled. "No flab to pinch. I'll have to find something else when we get time."

As her soft, hazy voice whispered in my ear, the accent peeking through slightly, I swallowed and nodded, trying to find a reply.

"That sounds like a great plan. I'm sure I can find some parts of you to examine," I finally managed weakly.

Dammit, fool. You can do better than that! I cursed myself.

Still, my reaction seemed to be enough as Eliandra bent over and gave me a lingering kiss. When she pulled back, my mind was foggy, and I realized how long it had been. Far too long.

The trip down to the shopping district probably took three times as long as it could, but I barely noticed.

When we finally walked into a crowded, narrow street, the sky was a light orange, and a happy chatter surrounded us.

Following behind Haltir, I realized we had turned into a dead-end street, and Haltir was heading towards the end of the street and the small shop that covered the back of it. With grimy windows and a cracked board above the door, it looked like it had been closed down years before. Only the soft glow from behind the windows and the slightly ajar door showed otherwise.

As we closed in on the door, the buildings beside us cast their shadows over us as what remained of the sun dropped behind them. With the disappearance of the orange light, I tensed slightly. Eliandra released me, and she too was all attention now.

"Haltir… are you sure we're at the right place?" I asked as I glanced through the windows. I saw some vague shapes, something that might be a person bent across a table, but I couldn't be sure.

"I'm sure. Wait outside," Haltir grunted as he pulled the door open and walked inside.

I glanced inside, curious but also a bit on edge. Something about this place gave me a bad vibe. A murmured conversation came from inside, followed by something that sounded an awful lot like a fist slammed on a table. The conversation continued for another minute, and then Haltir's voice came from inside.

"You can come in now."

I looked at Eliandra, who shrugged, and then we both stepped inside.

Tables with glass tops filled the right side of the shop, while a desk with a candle stood to the left. Haltir stood before it while a stubbled man sat behind the desk. His elbows leaning on the table, he stared at Haltir with piercing eyes. The shop was ordained and neat, but a thin layer of dust covered everything.

The only other thing of note was a door behind the man, closed, but like the tables made of wood. The outside of the shop belied the relative wealth inside, and I wondered for a moment if it was intentional.

"Est, this is Darlo. Long ago, he was one of my finest scouts, but he has been wasting his time here for the last decade. Darlo, this is the guy who needs a knife."

That's one way to put it, I thought as I inspected Darlo. His clothes were wrinkled, and a unpleasant smell came from where he was. It reeked of drink and vomit. Combined with his unkempt hair, he looked more like a vagrant than an honest businessman. Still, as I gazed into his grey, heavily lidded eyes, I felt the same feeling when looking at a Wirg. Danger.

"Speak. Combat, hunting? What knife," the man said bluntly. His voice was cracked as if he had screamed for a long time.

Between the smell and the way the guy spoke, I had already had enough of this place, but I did need a knife.

"Wood carving," I replied.

The man's eyes narrowed as he looked at my ax, then my physique. For a moment, I thought he'd make some snappy remark, but he just sniffed and pushed himself from the table. As he pushed himself up, his body kept going up and up until the tallest, thinnest man I'd ever seen towered over us. He groaned as he moved, and I heard his knees creak, and his joints pop.

Like a scarecrow, he stilted towards the far end of the store and removed one of the tables' glass cover. He picked out a dark knife that seemed half the size of his hand. As he moved back, his movements quickly became more supple, and a step before me, he suddenly lunged forward, the knife flashing towards my face.

I hadn't expected the attack, but my body moved by itself as I turned to the side, my hand rotating the ax handle, so the blade protected my face while I dropped to a battle stance. Eliandra cursed, and I heard her move, then stop.

Something cold and smooth was pressed against my throat, and I saw Darlo was now pressed almost flat against the ground, his obscenely long arms and legs making him look like a spider. He was staring at me with an intense gaze.

"Darlo…" Haltir's voice carried a warning.

The knife remained on my throat for at least a dozen seconds before it was slowly withdrawn. The man rose from the ground, his movements like those of a snake, and he flipped the knife up, catching it by the tip. He handed it to me as he examined my ax with distaste.

"Cumbersome and slow. Doesn't your kind prefer daggers?"

I slowly lowered my now raised ax and carefully took the knife. I had a cold sweat on my head and moist palms.

That guy is way too fast, I thought. A soft growl came from the man as he stared at me with narrowing eyes.

"Darlo, enough! Have you still not managed to curb that infernal bad habit of yours?" Haltir said as he stumbled forward, slapping his leg as he glared at it.

"Answer," Darlo said, still staring at me and ignoring Haltir.

Weirdo, I thought and tried to recall what had been asked. The knife thing again. Should I reply? Looking at the others and remembering his movements, I guessed it might be for the best.

"I'm not like the others," I said. Darlo just frowned, still looking at me. "I seem to have a knack for axes. My skill levels faster than normal," I added, annoyed that some random hobo made me answer his questions. Just on the surface, I corrected myself. This guy was definitely not someone normal.

Darlo nodded, and, with a hard-to-follow move, turned and jumped back to the desk where he folded himself back into his inconspicuously small shape.

"Leave," he said, closing his eyes and putting his head on his arms.

I looked at Haltir in confusion, but he motioned for the door while pulling Eliandra with him. Just before we stepped outside, Darlo's voice rang out from behind.

"That covers our debts, Haltir. All of them."

It sounded final and somewhat ominous, and Haltir seemed surprised. Then he took a deep breath, exhaled, and nodded.

"Fine. Don't make me come after you."

Wondering what the hell was going on, I followed Haltir outside. He slammed the door closed and stomped away towards the still busy intersection.

"That was weird," I muttered at Eliandra.

"Yeah," she replied before pointing at the knife still in my hand. "But you have your knife."

I nodded, raising the knife to examine it. It was as long as my hand, with a black leather-wrapped handle and a blade made of dark, dull metal. Even just looking at it, I knew that testing it with my finger would result in a cut. Turning it around, I found an odd inscription in the pommel that looked like a chicken with an eye where the talon should be.

A loud ping from my status window started me awake, and I realized I'd been staring at the eye while Eliandra was calling my name. Blinking, I looked up, seeing her examine me worriedly.

"Are you ok? You were just staring at that thing, completely zoned out for a minute… Haltir is shouting that we need to hurry."

I nodded, took another look at the knife, and suddenly wished I had asked for a sheath. It wouldn't do to just walk around with it like this, would it? Well, I didn't have much of a choice.

We walked back, Eliandra taking the occasional glance at me while I pulled up my status window.

> You have come into possession of a Corlon dagger

Corlon’s again, I thought, remembering the torturous training I had done with the little book on Corlon alphabet magic. My shock must have registered, because Eliandra tugged my arm.

"Est, what's wrong?"

With a dry mouth, I looked at the dagger.

“That's a long story,” I muttered before grinning at her. “But I guess I can tell you as we go back.

"No more shopping?" Eliandra asked, and I heard the disappointment.

"Let's go back, so I can get started, and in the morning, we can go get breakfast and do some shopping?" I said as I put my arm around her and drew her away. "Perhaps after that, I can show you Lark?"

"Sure, sure. But you'd better not have another excuse tomorrow!"

I hope not, I thought, as I began telling her about the Corlon alphabet and the things I’d done while in the library.