The rest of that day passed quickly.

Myles cooked himself a rather nice venison steak, ate alone, and then went back into the bathroom to soak before putting on his underclothes and flopping back into the mattress for a well-deserved rest while Ashra examined her new room.

The next morning began before the crack of dawn with Ashra once again prodding him unwillingly back into the waking world of the Grand Dungeon of Kess.

“The sun is rising.”

As if that mattered. Myles groaned a bit, rolled away from her, and back into his covers. He was sure he locked the door before going to sleep. Then again, magic locks were fickle.

“We need to train.”

He groaned and nodded in understanding as it sunk in. Ashra was right, and no matter how much the mattress argued with that fact, it wouldn’t be able to change it.

Today would be starting everything… again.

Opening his inventory, Myles took out the new dagger he’d gotten the other night to examine. Unlike his last one which was a simple metal edge wrapped in leather with an equally fitting leather sheath, the one from Gregor was something special according to his lore skill.

—

Dagger (Uncommon)

Value: 90

Weapon - Bladed (Uncommon)

Durability - Very High

Description: A functional close range bladed weapon.

Detail: A dagger made from polished, hardened steel. Set with a hardened steel cross guard and into a silver-inlaid, sharp deer horn pommel, this weapon will serve longer stints between sharpening and can retain an edge sharper than a normal blade.

Effect: Increased Sharpness, Increased Durability

A Token of Victory against the oncoming night.

—

It was still a metal edge wrapped in leather, but that was where the similarities stopped. The entire blade was a silvery metal, hardened steel apparently, and it felt more solid than the last dagger. The horn handle felt good in his hand, and he slipped its sheath into the place of his old blade before adding that back into his inventory again.

He wished he had some armor though.

Today, they could leave the city and explore the other regions. The forest held rabbits and wolven but would be unbalanced according to Ashra. The plains were clear, too, but everything else was ripe for the picking.

Stretching out again and making sure he was indeed dressed this time, Myles walked out of the bedroom and to the front door where Ashra was waiting patiently.

She looked well rested and recovered, minus the notch on her right ear. Her armor still had seen better days, but the blood was gone now, and it still fit well around her, protecting her torso.

Mentally, he noted he’d have to find armor for her too. Her legs were too exposed. Her arms too. The image of her bones sticking out of her skin and her legs bent the wrong way still made him shudder. He did not want that to happen again to anyone, his monster or not.

I agree.

“The town should be set up,” Myles said, speaking out loud for his own benefit rather than use their link. “We can see if there’s a blacksmith around or at least some shopkeeper. They did salvage all that armor.”

“I would prefer armor to match what I have. It doesn’t restrict my movement.”

He nodded, making another mental note as he thought about his own. “I think I need something similar. Maybe chainmail? That’s supposed to be light and protective, right?”

Ashra shrugged. “I am not sure.”

“Right.”

Myles shrugged back and opened the door. Without a need to ask, Ashra fell in step behind him until they reached the front of the house. At that point, she walked beside him, and Myles noticed her eyes moving and her nose twitching. She looked about as wound as a spring, and he really couldn’t blame her much. She hadn’t seen people before, and now they were all over the place.

Though he had no neighbors, Myles could easily see the clusters of settlement. Teams probably, and the larger town of Runner’s Plaza further in. Smoke was rising from chimneys of those lucky enough to have enough stone vouchers. A road was already being set by a few more industrious people and their geomancy, and people were moving quickly to file in and probably do exactly what Myles was. Really, it seemed as though they were well organized. He’d have to compliment Sindra when he ran into her. With hair like that, it wouldn’t be hard to find her.

Walking past the first cluster, he waved to the three people and was surprised when they came out to meet him, weapons drawn.

“Look out!”

Whipping his head around, Myles looked back at the group confused for only a moment before stepping between himself and Ashra. To her credit though, he doubted she needed his intervention with the laws of the first level still in effect. “It’s okay!”

The three looked at him rather confused, but they did lower their weapons a tad, two swords and a club of some kind, Myles noted.

“I’m a [Monster Tamer]. I train monsters to fight with me. She’s with me.”

To his surprise, Ashra stepped aside and bowed. “I serve my master. Please respect his words and know his truth.”

That drew more concerned looks, but all of them seemed to abandon the idea of saving the unarmored man.

The tallest of them, a dark-skinned woman with a long black braid, comfortable looking shirt, and short pants, completely sheathed her weapon and laughed, showing teeth so white, Myles thought they had to be pearls of some kind. “You had us there for a second, brother.”

Brother? Did she mean one of the others?

“I did?”

The second man, slightly more like a dwarf with gigantism than a man, clapped Myles on the shoulder, nearly felling him with his good humor. “A beaut she is too! Good luck with her, brother.”

There it was again. Were they talking about him or the third?

The third man just smiled, shaking his head. He was the odd one out of the group, his skin more like tanned leather than night sky, but smoother. His black hair was in woven rows and he wore the same colors as the first as he approached and offered Myles a bow. “We’re sorry for any fear we caused. You understand, brother?”

No, they were referring to him. A regional thing perhaps? Either way, if he’d waited this long to introduce himself to a new customer, his father might have smacked him.

“I’m Myles Chase, [Monster Tamer]. It’s good to meet some fellow runners.”

Each of them crossed their fist across their chests and bowed.

“Wise,” the tallest said.

“Rash,” the giant dwarf said.

“Determination,” the tanned man said. “We are the Warriors Three of the Endless Sun, at your service.”

Wise? Rash? Determination?

“And I am at yours,” Myles responded, giving them a smaller smile. “I take it you aren’t natives to Kess?”

“I take it our appearance gave us away?” Wise nodded, a wry smile on her face. “We’re from one of Kess’s southern territories, the Isles of Endless Sun.”

Isles of the Endless Sun? He’d not heard of them before which told him everything and nothing he needed to know.

Seeing his curiosity, Determination answered it. “We are a small people in the Living Sea. Protected as we are by our patron, I am not surprised you haven’t heard of us or visited before.”

“I have traveled, but I just haven’t ever been there.” Myles scratched his head a bit as he began to relax. “I don’t want to be rude, but I have to ask. Are your names a cultural thing as well?”

“Why don’t we walk and talk if you wish to get to know us,” Wise explained. “We all want to see the market. That is why you were moving this way?”

“We were getting ready to leave when you came by,” Rash said.

“They are,” Determination said as he began walking. Myles followed suit, listening to the tanned man. “We earn our names when we earn our class. I’m a [Druid] by class, and I showed a great drive, so my mother named me Determination. Deter for short if you would prefer.”

“Isea. [Spellsword],” Wise said as a follow up.

“Rash. [Beserker].” Myles looked at him curiously for only a moment. “What? I’m not a fan of nicknames. They can get confusing.”

Myles nodded in agreement before Wise, Isea, cleared her throat. “And your companion?”

He realized for the first time that Ashra had been uncharacteristically quiet. She usually answered anything important when prompted, but she stayed silent. Across the link, she answered his unasked question.

It is not my place. You are my mas... tamer. It would undermine your authority.

“What about before?”

It was to reinforce your presence and protect us. It would have weakened your stance if I did not.

Huh. That was interesting.

It is the way.

Myles said none of this to those around him and answered for her. “She is Ashra, a rare ambush rabbit monsterkin from the forest.” And so, he went into the story of how he’d run into her.

Rash laughed haughtily as Wise and Determination listened curiously. He thought it was to the story in general, but as he finished and Wise asked a question, he realized that wasn’t what they were interested in. “So, there are rare monsters that organize the weaker ones?”

Myles nodded. “Ashra explained that without her, the wolven in the area would overrun the ambush rabbits.”

“Interesting.”

That was all Wise said. Rash and Determination nodded with her, as if they all shared the same mind. It was a bit disconcerting for Myles, so he did his best to make small talk. As they walked, they talked of their homes for a bit, their favorite foods, their general jobs before the run, and made other little snippets of conversation on the way, but he kept getting distracted into silence. He could feel the unease from Ashra’s side of the connection as they continued deeper into what Myles called civilization.

As they walked, the city grew more crowded as the buildings became closer together, more organized. When his feet touched the newly built road, the other three stopped for a moment before stepping on as one. He watched curiously as they caught up to him in a moment.

He figured it was another cultural thing, but he felt… odd bringing it up again. It didn’t feel like something he should after asking about their names. It didn’t hurt things though, and with them around him and Ashra, no one else tried to attack her.

She appreciated that, but a darkness still clung to her surrounded as she was by so many potential hostile parties.

Myles looked around in awe of the progress made since he’d settled into his own new home. In two days, so many buildings had come up. If he’d been told it was no more than a large clearing before, he might have called himself a liar. It was one of the parts of the Run that alwasy impressed him. The way that the magic of the dungeon made things so much different.

The group walked for another few minutes before reaching the busiest of areas. Of course, Ashra, the Warriors Three, and himself were given a wide breadth. Myles was sure from the way Ashra tensed that a few had tried to stab her when she approached the edges of the breadth and had their attacks swayed or stopped thanks to the protection of the first floor.

This is where Wise, Rash, and Determination stopped.

They turned to Myles, smiled, and bowed once more.

“This is where we must part ways,” Determination said.

Myles was taken aback slightly but nodded. “It was nice meeting you.”

“And you,” Wise said. “We wish you well as you travel under the Sun.”

“And don’t get yourself and your ally killed,” Rash added, almost laughing about the warning.

“I’ll try not to.”

With those words, the three vanished into the throng of adventurers wandering deeper into the and out of the city which was no small task.

Alone with his monster again, Myles sighed and looked around. There were no signed yet, but he could see posts where they may grow soon enough. He needed more equipment before they went back into the wildlands though, both for him and for Ashra.

With the meeting tonight in the heart of Runner’s Plaza, it didn’t matter much if they lingered in the heart of the human’s power.

***

Darwin watched the city build and fortify itself under a surprising leader. He’d met Sindra before when she was a tiny thing. She didn’t show any potential then, but she was Kia the Relentless’s daughter. Darwin and the [Barbarian Queen] didn’t get along inside their Run, but they were friendly enough on the outside.

She was one of the better adjusted of them though, fading from the limelight after she ripped a new dungeon apart and saved a small town. The thought perked up his grin just a bit more. He chuckled thinking of her as a mayor, but her daughter was making him think again about that inside joke.

She was frighteningly efficient.

Still, he had a show to put on, and they were getting far too comfortable.

It hadn’t even been two days by their reckoning on the outside though. He didn’t have to push anything. Sorting through a few more clips of the last two days, he noted two deaths in the ruined city. They were of little interest, two warriors that had been ripped apart by gargoyles, but it was still action to fill the lull on a rather quiet second day.

No one needed to know it hadn’t been going on then, did they?

Most of the Runners were listening to Sindra and her group, and though he didn’t broadcast it, he knew why she was asking those questions. In fact, Darwin was actively suppressing the information she asked for and even blocking the questioning sessions every citizen of Runner’s Square had to take.

No, Darwin wasn’t going to let the world know what she was planning. It would be more fun that way and might even help them all survive. Besides, he loved it when he knew oh so much more than everyone else.

***

So… many… messages.

It was only halfway into the second day, and Trosana Leea was inundate with requests for interview questions and exclusives with the young [Monster Tamer] she was in charge of.

Normally, she’d be happy about that. Ecstatic even for her charge, but these… these were not the places she wanted to have to answer to…

Beast Baby’s Got Back?

PlayDungeon?

Monster Nation?

Busty Barmaids Exposed?

Really?

By the Pantheon, was that what attention a tamer got? Where was the Battle League Chronicles? The Cross-Species Progressionists? Mists, she’d even take the Dungeon League’s questions if they would advance her career. But she couldn’t even consider those smut pushers… at a mere ten percent finder’s fee.

Really? Did they think she was that easy?

Still, these were what the network sent her to reference? What did they think of Myles Chase already? Did they see something she hadn’t? She doubted it since she had first pick of the news on her charges, and nothing pointed to… to that! He wouldn’t even share his bed when she asked.

But she had a job to do all the same.

She sighed, setting the entire lot on fire with extreme prejudice and her own ire.

She wouldn’t lower her pride for that…

Well, not yet anyways…