Dread. Fear. Anxiety.

All those things and more were what Jack felt looking at Ava’s grin. He knew she wouldn’t let up. And he knew everyone in Helmrest would know about it the second she came back home. Yet he was too tired and, honestly, too freaked out by what just happened to do something about it. He figured he’d just accept his kicks and move on.

“Regardless of what transpired, Jack mentioned he has obtained what we need.” Brom said, moving the subject to what was relevant.

Because he was a price among both men and dwarves.

“Yeah. I do.” Jack said and showed him the dark pearl.

“That’s…. I can feel that.” Yva said. “Even from here, it can tell it’s a part of the Night.”

“I can too.” Ian laughed. “Look at the thing. How dark can it get?”

“It appears to be absorbing light. You should incorporate it into a bracelet or some other type of apparel, Jack. I imagine it would be all but invisible during the night.”

“Oh, I have a piece of leather string.” Yva said, getting up.

“Fine, fine. We’re being serious.” Ava said. “What’s it do?”

“The goddess said it will allow me to communicate with one person per day, as long as that other person has some shadows or darkness around it.”

“Oh. Like Yva’s trick with the bottle.” Ian muttered.

“Yup. And it needs a night to recharge itself, but other than that, I can use it daily.”

“I see. And did you receive this as a gift?” Brom asked.

Jack winced.

“Not exactly. It was more of an exchange. I got this in exchange for a promise. And the artifact will keep working as long as I honor that promise.”

“And the promise is?”

“To keep Yva and her child safe. In perpetuity.”

“What?” Yva asked, after having just re-entered the room. “The Night has… asked you to promise my safety?”

She looked awed. But, then again, Jack thought that was how most people would have reacted if they knew their actual God took a personal interest in their well-being.

“She did. She apparently really loves her children. Or, at least that’s what I read from her behavior.”

Ava smiled, almost shily and placed a hand over her mouth, muttering something. She was now fully dressed and had cleaned herself up. Without all that ichor… there was nothing scary about her now. Just a smiling woman, loved by her husband and protected by her Goddess.

“I’m happy for that, Jack. But I’m sorry as well. I don’t know how you will be able to assure our protection, especially at a long distance.”

“I’ll think of something, Yva.” He said. “No worries.”

“We need to drink to this!” Ian grinned. “I’ll find us a bottle.”

“Fine, but just a bit. We need to be fresh tomorrow. We’re contacting Mrk.”

He saw Ava nod seriously to that, but Brom just looked pensive.

“You mentioned that the artifact charges itself every night.” The dwarf said.

“I did. At least, that’s what the Night told me, but I have no reason to doubt her.”

“I bet you don’t.” Ava grinned and Jack ignored her.

“But, when she gave you the artifact, was it not already charged?”

“I mean, she made it from scratch. From a strand of her hair.” Jack said, before thinking about it himself. “You think we can already use it? And tomorrow again?”

“I believe… just this once. Yes.”

There was an instant change of atmosphere in the room. They were joyful before. Even playful. But now they were tense. Especially Ava, Brom and himself.

“How do we use it?” the satyr asked, quietly intense. “Did she tell you?”

“She didn’t? Yva, any ideas?”

“Oh, I- I never received a gift from my God. But, if it’s anything like what I can do, then you just think of who you’re trying to talk to and whisper to the darkness.”

“Whisper. Not talk? Do I have to know where my target is?”

“I just whispered. And no, I don’t think so.” The Nocturnal answered. “It’s not something I ever took into consideration.”

“Give it a try, lad.” Ian urged him.

He shared a look with Brom and Ava, who both nodded.

Almost hesitatingly, Jack placed the dark sphere on the wooden table, while still making contact with it. He tried to channel magic into it, but have up after noticing everything he did only managed to waste magic. It was like the thing was absorbing it.

“Mrk. Mrk can you hear me?”

They waited, tense, but no sound came from the sphere. There was a dead silence in the room. Even the faintest of whispers could have been heard. Yet… nothing.

“Mrk. It’s Jack. It’s not a trick. Can you hear me?”

Nothing. Perhaps there was no darkness where they were keeping him. Or… no. Jack couldn’t entertain that thought. Wouldn’t. He looked at Yva, hoping to ask for more advice when a faint sound come from the sphere.

“Jack?”

Ava opened her mouth to shout in glee when Brom clapped a hand over her mouth. He gave her the universal sign of ‘be silent’ and the satyr nodded, warily.

Good. Mrk might not be alone.

“Mrk. You’re alive!” Jack whispered, relieved. “Buddy, are you alone? Can you talk?”

“Jack?” he asked again, his voice sounding faint. “Where is Jack?”

“I’m not there, buddy. I’m using an artifact to talk to you. Can you talk?”

A slightly longer pause this time, until Mrk talked again. But when he spoke this time, Mrk’s voice was stronger. It still sounded off, but not as weak as before.

“Mrk can talk. This magic?”

“Kind of. It’s a long story, buddy. This artifact works by darkness. If there’s darkness or shadows around you, then this will work. Only once per day, though, excepting this time.”

They heard an odd sound. It took Jack a second to understand that was Mrk laughing.

“Always dark where they keep Mrk.”

“Are you alright, Mrk?” Brom asked. “Have they hurt you?”

“Brom there?”

“We’re here, Mrk.” Ava said. “All of us.”

“Mrk happy hear you all. They… hurt Mrk. They beats me, burns me. But I no break. Mrk don’t break.”

He sounded proud and broken at the same time. It lit a fire like nothing else inside Jack. But he had to keep it together. This device didn’t work for long. They needed information.

“Buddy, keep holding on for as long as you can. What do they want from you?”

“They wants Mrk make baby.”

Ian’s throat made a weird sound, before a look from Yva shut him up.

“Buddy… given the circumstances, would that be such a bad thing?” Jack tried to be diplomatic.

“No. But… I thinks after make baby, they kill Mrk. So me no makes. They try. I refuse.”

Damn it.

“Got it. Then hold on for as long as you can. We’ll talk daily. We’ll get in contact with you again tomorrow. If you can’t talk, just say… uh…”

“Mrk not hungry.” Ava said, before seeing odd looks sent her way. “What? It can’t be something too obvious, right?”

“Mrk say that.”

“Good. In that case, tell us where you are buddy. We’re coming to get you.”

Mrk did. Or at least tried to. He didn’t get to the part where he told them where he was, as his rambling was slightly incoherent, but he did manage to tell them the mouseling took him north, past Helmrest, past Amenor. The general location seemed to be o the northeast of Amenor. That’s as far as he got before the conversation winked out.

As soon as it did, the artifact lost some of its unnatural darkness. It was still black, but it didn’t seem to be absorbing light anymore.

“If it’s anything like a magical artifact, the longer the distance, the shorter the conversation until its mana storage depletes itself. We will know better tomorrow.” Brom said.

“That’s that, then. At least we know he’s alive and have a general location for him.”

“And we have a method of contacting him.” Brom added.

“True. Well. It turned out as well as it feasibly could.”

“Jack.” Ava said, smiling gently. “I know Mrk’s not free yet. But we’re one step closer. We came here hoping to find a way of getting clues. Instead, we got an artifact capable of letting us talk with Mrk directly.”

“Yeah…. Yeah, you’re right!” he said, smiling. “Sorry, it’s just been a long day.”

“Well, since you’re probably leaving tomorrow, let me make it up to you.” Ian said and filled his glass with a type of spiced wine.

His glass and all the other glasses too. Except Yva’s. She just had tea.

“To Death’s Bane.” Ian said. “All four of them!”

“To Mrk!”

Hey toasted and drank and eventually managed to unwind a little. Ian was talking with Brom about blacksmithing and Ava was talking with Yva in hushed giggles. Jack took part of a conversation here and there, but in general, he spent his time thinking. The artifact was precious. Both now and in the future, since it allowed communication with anyone, not just Mrk. And all he had to do was make sure Yva and her baby were safe. Now and forever.

He thought. And thought. Here were monsters and bandits. Them moving to a near settlement, like Ian wanted? That meant fewer dangers of the above types, but more thieves. Corrupt officials. Even more disease. And he liked them. He honestly liked them, not just because they were Ava’s friends, but because they seemed like a near-perfect couple to Jack.

How would he do it? How could he protect them, when he was so far away?

The answer came to him the very next morning, as he watched Nole arrive back with the carriage.

***

“You want us to what? Now?” Ian almost shouted.

“It’s a good idea. Think about it.”

“Lad… Jack. I know I have to make a change. But now?!”

“Yva’s belly will only grow from here on out.” He said.

“I agree with that.” The woman laughed. “And I think we could no it.”

“But… now?” the man asked, already knowing the answer.

It was near lunch and they were all seated around a table. Nole too, the man looking tired, but happy to see them. Happy to be served hot, tasty food as well. He had been just a little scared by Yva, until Ian laughed at him about it. The two then hit it off like wildfire. Which was normal, since they were both family men, hardworking men and both were dedicated enough to get Classes in their respective fields.

Yet it was Nole who was the cause of Ian’s shock right now, because it was Nole who gave Jack his idea. See, Jack woke up and immediately called Mrk. The others were there too. They finally got the confirmation of the warren’s location and they understood where to look for the entrance. Mrk also detailed that he saw other ratlings, not from his warren, before they threw him into his cell. They were armed. He didn’t know if the mouseling was still there, but she didn’t look in any rush to leave. One more important thing. Mrk still had Lola’s necklace. He hadn’t used it, not yet, but he had it. In case things got bad, that was his way of putting up a resistance. That was about the entirety of their talk, before their connection dropped again.

Jack felt better after hearing that. They had information on their opponents. They had the location and a way of spotting their entrance. Now, they just had to get there. And a way to solve his second problem. It was as he saw Nole arrive that he figured it out.

Why can’t my solution to my first problem be the solution to the second problem as well?

“But we’d be leaving…. Everything. The cow, the chickens. Who would feed them?” Ian asked.

“A normal carriage will come back for them, Ian.” Ava consoled him. “Then, you can decide what you want. You could keep this house or rent it or sell it.”

“Sell it?!”

“Ian, my love.” Yva started. “This house has emotional value, yes. But you always said you wanted to move to a town. Well, Helmrest is a town. A good one. It’s protected, it has Skilled workers and a growing economy. And it’s in need of people with Classes, isn’t that right Jack?”

“That’s right. Elia would pay gold to have you. Especially since your Skills work on multiple fields at once, right?”

“That’s right… but… And this Elia would just give us a house and farm of our own?”

“For a |Farmer| willing to use his Skills to help others? Of course.” Brom said. “Your help could increase the food output more than ten other farmers.”

“We could keep this farm and own another, Ian.” Yva said. “And that’s on top of living in a town with ties to both a local barony and a dwarfhold.”

The man looked stricken. Jack could emphasize. Here was his life’s work. But they already knew what decision he would take. And he knew it too. Which is why he spoke, not before long.

“Alright. We’re leaving. Today. But I won’t sell this! No, I will rent it. To a good farmer or a hard-working family.”

“Of course, my love.” Yva said, sounding relieved and winking at Ava.

“You say you could get us to Helmrest by the night?” he asked Nole.

“Even faster. Luckily, you’re right on the road, otherwise I’d have had a hard time finding you. It’s a bit to the north than where I left them.”

“Yeah… well…” Ava winced.

“Add another day and night for a normal carriage and someone from Helmrest could be here by tomorrow evening.”

“I suppose that’s not too bad. The animals won’t suffer.” The man said.

Yva stepped next to him and kissed him, before placing his hand on her belly.

“It’s time, my love. Time for a new chapter.”

“Yes. Yes, it is. For all three of us.”

***

They found themselves on the road soon after that. All of Ian and Yva’s precious belongings fitted into a single large trunk. The two sat inside the carriage, with Ava. Partly to give them time to talk and partly because Brom and Jack wanted to talk about what happened with the Night without a grinning and teasing Ava.

Jack retold his story to Brom, including all the details he might have left out for Ava.

“|Gift of the Night|” Brom said. “I do not know of it. Yet I did not know of Rosa’s gift either.”

“Yeah. And wasn’t that a surprise? I wonder what does it do, though.”

“The gift of bloom created giant fighting vines. Though you said the nymph mentioned such a power can take different forms for different users. With different needs. Perhaps such is the nature of these ‘Gifts’. And this one is no different.”

“Yeah, maybe. Still, given that I might need to use it, I thought it best to think about what it could do.”

“True. Perhaps it acts like a |Darkness| Spell.” The dwarf guessed.

“Maybe. Or maybe it puts everyone to sleep?”

“Like a |Sleep| Spell. Darkness, sleep… what else is the night characterized by?”

“Beauty.” Jack shrugged, before figuring out what he just said.

The dwarf took in a deep breath, before approaching the subject.

“Jack. What happened in there?”

“What do you mean? I told you.”

“You did not tell me everything.” The dwarf pointedly said.

“Right. Uhm, I think the goddess was hitting on me. And… I kind of let her?”

“I see. Jack, I must tell you that I believe you have a problem with your taste in partners.”

“What do you mean. I mean, I didn’t even have any partners until now. That I remember.”

“That… is not what I was referring to.”

Brom sighed, took a look over the carriage to ensure Ava was still caught up, before launching into his argument.

“I will tell you what I have observed. Please do not interrupt me until I have finished.”

“Alright?”

“Good.” Brom nodded. “Lola has been hinting and wanting something more from you since the first time I have known you both. As have many other girls and women in Helmrest. Even Ava had, when she first met you. You have not noticed any of their advances.”

“Uhm… look- Wait, can I talk now?” he asked and Brom nodded. “This is kind of embarrassing, but I was… drawn to them that way. I mean, the way you’re hinting at. Just never strongly. I guess never enough for me to actually look into it.”

“No. You misunderstand. You may have been drawn to them too little to actually care, but they have been drawn to you strongly. They have made it evident. And yet you do not notice. At all.”

“Uhm… right. So, there’s something wrong with me?”

“Not wrong with you, but wrong with your outlook. I believe you do not notice their attempts because you do not much care to see them. You are not attracted to them, so you give no thought to any attraction on their part.”

“I think I get it. But, what’s wrong with that? I don’t have to be attracted to someone just because they are, right?”

This was probably the strangest conversation Jack had ever had. That being said, even he knew such subjects should be discussed and since Brom was more down to earth than most, he was strangely glad they were talking.

“You do not.” Brom nodded. “That you are not attracted to them is not unusual. What is unusual is who you are attracted to.”

“Who?”

“Jack. Mrk told me of your behavior with the nymph. I have seen it myself when you were speaking to her. Melena. The dryad too. I know how you related to Rosa. And now, you do the same to this goddess of the Night.”

“Woah, woah. I mean, I sort of get what you mean with the Night, but I never bent that way for Melena or Rosa.”

“You may not have noticed it yourself, but you did. You spoke to them differently than you do with even Lola. Gentler, closer. And the oddest thing is that they spoke the same to you. I saw it, Jack, don’t contradict me.” The dwarf insisted. “You may not have been aware of it, but I saw. Melena, Rosa. These two powerful beings were speaking to you not necessarily like an equal, but like to someone they cherished. I heard it in their tone and I saw it in their gaze.”

“Alright. I believe you. But… what should I do about it?”

“Until now, I would have said nothing. There is something odd here, something that causes this attraction to appear between you and these beings. Yet such things are dust in the wind. Or have been. Now… Jack, you understand why it is dangerous to attract the lust of such beings, yes?”

“Wait, lust? I mean, I was attracted to the Night and maybe she was to me too, but-“

“Lust.” The dwarf stressed. “Not love. Not from beings such as them. At the very least, not this quickly. But lust. Perhaps it is this invisible fate that those like them are able to perceive, that looms ahead of you. Perhaps it has something to do with your missing past. Perhaps something else. But it is attracting them.”

“Look, Brom. I mean, it kind of makes sense. But only for Night. Rosa and Melena weren’t like that.”

“That is why I have opened the subject.” Brom nodded. “It is only a thought, but… Jack, when talking with this goddess, did you lean into your desire for her?”

Jack thought back. To how he felt and how he acted. When she told him not to say sweet things again and he just… didn’t care about her warning.

Well, I certainly didn’t lean away from it.

“I guess.”

“Jack.”

“Yes, alright. I leaned in. I shouldn’t have, but I did. What’s your point?”

“The reason Rosa and Melena didn’t act like this goddess, I suspect, is because you weren’t giving in to your instincts back then. Now, more confident after certain events, you are.”

“So, what, if I’d been back then like how I am now, Rosa would have… ‘leaned’ into me too?” he asked.

“Perhaps. Think of it. Would you have liked her to?” the dwarf shrewdly asked him.

Well, she was Rosa. Maddening, primal. Jack thought about it, about how infuriating she had been, about how she treated Melena, about how he wanted to take her and-

“Yeah. Yeah… uh, Brom, buddy, I think I have a problem.”

He nodded.

“I think so too. Understand, this is not about judgment. We dwarves to not judge such petty things. But we have our own stories. Of dwarves who had fallen in love with beings found deep underground. Who loved the personified roots of the mountain, men of liquid gold and women of crystalized water. And we know of what became of them.”

“I’m guessing nothing good?”

“In the best of cases, their follies doomed only them. In the worst… Well. Suffice to say affairs between mortals and beings such as them rarely end in happiness. If ever. And your case is even worse.”

“Because I’ve already a nymph, a dryad and a goddess?”

Brom blinked, before frowning.

“That too. I have not considered it, but… circumstances have been oddly favorable for you, in that regard. But no. I believe your case to be worse because in such legends, only the mortals fell in love with such beings, beseeching them. In your case, Jack, the attraction seems to be mutual.”

“Right… Right. Got it. What do I do, then?”

“You do nothing. You restrain yourself. If the urge remains or grows stronger, try to release such pressure by pursuing mortal races. There have been enough throwing themselves at you, that I have seen.”

“Uhm-“

“If you consider such behavior below you, then restrain yourself even further.” He said, before sighing. “You are an honorable man, Jack. I understand why you might not wish to treat others as simple releases. And I and others respect you for that. But if you wish to pursue this path, then ensure that you do not misstep the next time a goddess in the flesh steps toward you.”

“I will, Brom. And thanks for letting me know. I… have no idea what’s causing this. Maybe we’ll be able to stop it.”

“Maybe we will. It seems is ever getting fuller.”

“Mrk would probably think that expression to be a good one.”

“He would.” Brom laughed, which set of Jack as well.

“Hey!” Ava said, climbing atop herself. “What are we all laughing about? Come on, spill it!”

“We’re laughing at you being friends with an old couple.” Jack grinned.

“Oh, look who’s finally ready to get made fun of for getting frisky with a god!” she warned.

“I’m curious, did you hear them when they talked about buying a few goats?” Jack asked, while Brom himself grinned. “And if you did, did you have any good advice for them?”

“You liked that black lipstick, didn’t you, you manly bimbo? Is that the kind of thing you’re going for?”

“I mean, she had the sort of qualities I liked. Immensely powerful, mysterious, good looking, no horns.”

“Wow! Low blow. I’m honestly hurt. And I’ll have you know, I have massively beautiful horns. Isn’t that right, Brom? He likes them. Tell him, Brom!”

“I would like to refrain from being included in this conversation.”

“No, Brom, tell me.” Jack caught on to Ava’s game. “Tell me about Ava’s horns.”

“Yeah, tell him, Brom!”

“Please-“

“Look how pointy they are, Brom!” Jack said. “Don’t you just adore that?”

“Tell him you love my horns, BROM!” Ava hollered, grinning.

They still had an hour or so until they reached Helmrest, but they didn’t feel the time pass. They had a lot on their plate. An ever-heavier plate, as Brom would say. But they would deal with their problems, one at a time. Their town was growing. Their friends were multiplying. And for their closest friend, they had a plan to bring him back.

Jack might have been a |Jack|, but his team got him back in the game.