“Reed!” A deep musical voice calls out from the darkness.

“Gorm! Is that you?” I yell out.

“Reed, where are you? Are you okay!?” Graem calls out.

“I’m fine.” I yell back. “Full health, full mana. Only issue is I don’t know where I am! Where are you?”

“Nearby, looking for you!” Gorm calls again laughing.

“Don’t move anywhere Reed, I think I can see the light from your locket.” Laela calls out.

I spin in place searching for a sign of Laela, but there is nothing but grey craggy rocks in every direction in the area illuminated by my locket. Past the lockets periphery there is only inky darkness.

“Are you sure you see me, not someone else?”

“Hmm, good question. Well, I don’t know. Are you the dancer pirouetting on the spot?” I can hear Laela’s mirth in her tone.

I pause mid turn. “Where are you?”

“Nearly there, rookie. You’ll see us soon.”

“Which way?”

“Right behind you, Reed.” Graem calls.

I twist again and find myself mere metres from the rest of my group.

“And what in the world are you doing holding a decapitated smashed in goblin head!?” Graem looks at me awkwardly.

“Holding what?” I look down and my eyes gaze down at the bloody pulp in my hands. Oh god I forgot about you. My fingers lose strength and the goblin head falls limply to the ground. “I just. I didn’t know how to get the ears off with just this.” I brandish my pointy rock still retaining some gruesome remnants of goblin brains. I drop it too, unsure why I even kept it.

Laela walks over and picks up the head. “You don’t have any spare water?” I ask her realising now how dry my mouth is. She throws me a waterskin. After taking a swig I pour some on my hands and wipe the itchy blood and dirt off my fingers.

Laela smirks at me. “Don’t waste too much it’s quite a walk to the river.”

Keeping my eyes off the head in her hands, I return her waterskin. “How were you able to see me?”

Laela pulls out her knife and lays the head down. “I told you rookie, I have an ability that improves my senses. That includes seeing in the dark.”

“You know it’s kind of creepy that you can see me while I can’t see you Laela.”

“You really want to talk about creepy when you’ve been walking around for goodness knows how long carrying around a smashed-up goblin head?” Laela cries in mock outrage. “Besides rookie, if you want real creepy, think about all the monsters out in the dark that can see you while you can’t see them.”

Graem rolls his eyes. “Sis, don’t you think Reed’s suffered enough fear for one day?”

“Oh true, I forgot we were in the presence of a hero!” Laela smiles at me. “Jaed told us all about the risk you took earlier to lure away the goblins.”

“Very brave.” Gorm nods his agreement.

“Yeah, you really saved the day with your quick thinking there.” Graem adds.

My cheeks are warming up. I ruffle my hair and look down to hide my embarrassment. “I mean, it wasn’t that impressive.”

“You’re wrong.” Jaed huffs. Her straight blonde hair shuffles with her shaking head.

“Huh?”

Jaed sighs loudly before repeating a little louder, “I said you’re wrong.”

“I heard you, I just don’t understand what I’m wrong about.”

“She’s saying it was impressive Reed,” Laela chips in having finished chopping off the ears.

Jaed nods quickly and gives Laela a small smile.

“I mean, I just did what any of you would have done.”

“Maybe.” Graem shrugs. “But, you did it. You made the hard decision and took all the risk on yourself to protect the rest of us. That means something Reed. That is impressive.”

“I guess so.” They are all looking at me so cheerfully. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I do!” Laela grins. “Three cheers for the hero! Get him Gorm!”

Gorm grabs me in a bear hug and throws me into the air.

“Who delves through dungeons dark?” Laela calls out.

“Reed!” They cheer in unison.

“Who is strong, and brave and smart?” Laela continues.

“Reed!” They cheer as Gorm throws me up again.

“Who fights with all their heart?”

“Reed! Reed the adventurer!” Cheering and clapping resonate through the dungeon as Gorm lowers me back to solid ground.

“I’m guessing you didn’t come up with that while looking for me?”

Graem gives me a knowing look. “It’s the adventurers cheer. It’s practically ancient, been around since the first adventurers began delving to fight back against the monsters and protect the commonfolk. You’ve really not heard it?”

“I’ve not heard it.” I shrug and turn to Laela. “So, I’m strong and brave and smart?”

Laela’s wraps her arm around my neck warmly. “Don’t push your luck, rookie. You don’t want to be paying for your own ale tonight.”

“You’re buying drinks?”

“Of course! Today marks the day we finally killed a hobgoblin, and it’s all thanks to our newest member. If that doesn’t call for a feast in your honour, I don’t know what does!”

My stomach growls. “Seems like your stomach agrees.” Laela smirks.

Right, I haven’t eaten in two days. “Yeah, I’m practically starving. I guess if you want to pay for my food, who am I to say no?”

“Then we had better get back to town.” Laela raises a fist before stomping off in the direction from which my companions had appeared. However, she stops and glances at me while wrinkling her nose. “But, before that hero, you really need a bath.”

This draws laughs from Graem, Jaed and Gorm. Despite my best efforts at acting indignant their laughter is infectious and I can’t stop myself from laughing too.

“To the river then to the ale!” I cheer and am met with a chorus of agreement.

We arrive at the dungeon entrance and once more step into the light. It looks to be late-afternoon, we must have spent the whole day in the dungeon. To my surprise Braed and the Jester are not manning their post either side of the porticullis. Instead, a gruff looking bearded dwarf and some kind of androgynous lizard person stand in their place. While I observe them silently, Gorm passes the dwarf our large sack of goblin ears, from which the dwarf begins counting dutifully.

At least a couple minutes pass before the dwarf places the final ear on the pile he’s been placing on the ground .“Ninety-eight goblin ears and two hobgoblin ears. Spectacular haul today.”

“It’s thanks to our newest group member,” Graem replies. “We were able to spend less time resting between goblin fights.”

“New member?” The lizard person’s slanted eyes lock on to me, a forked tongue slips out its mouth. “May I see your locket?” Freaky, it speaks with a hiss.

“Sure.” I reply raising the necklace over my head and hand it over.

“F rank with a twenty-six silver outstanding loan to the guild.”

“Oh, that’s a pity.” The dwarf says. “In that case, the guild will take our fifty percent cut for F ranks which is forty-nine goblin ears and a single hobgoblin ear. We’ll also be taking an extra forty percent from the fifth your newest member earned to repay the loan so another eight goblin ears.”

“What!? Another eight ears? I thought the repayment was only forty percent for loans?”

“No need to raise your voice, lad.” The dwarf dryly chastises. “At F rank half your loot is taken as the guilds cut to pay for guild expenses and forty percent for the loan. That’s ninety percent for your share? The guild’s cut decreases with your guild rank. Didn’t you read the brochure?”

“The brochure?” He must mean the one from the guild. I search my pockets, but realize they are torn to shreds. “No, I’m afraid I didn’t.”

“Then maybe before complaining, you should do so.” The dwarf glibbly replies.

I turn away from the obnoxious dwarf to the lizard person. My locket is glowing in their scaled hand. Returning the locket, the lizard person speaks, “look on the bright side, the remainder of your loan is decreased down to twenty-five silvers and two coppers.”

Opening the locket, I find the outstanding loan details inscribed inside has been modified to reflect the new value. Robotically, I turn to the rest of my group holding the two goblin ears I’m left with.

Graem stares at me while scratching the back of his neck. “I suppose we should get going then?”

“Good, let’s. I’m starving.” Gorm replies.

I turn to Graem as we leave. “So, these are worth about a copper each?”

“There’s a pet store in Favel which buys twelve ears for a silver. So, a bit less really, but the guild is nice enough to give a better price on monster loot for loan repayments to help poorer adventurers.” Graem replies.

Yeah, take ninety percent of my effort and give a fraction of a copper back as reimbursement, real nice. “So, are we heading to the pet store then?”

“It’s closed at this time of the day, but we’ll head there at opening time tomorrow. Until then just make sure they don’t rot by leaving them out to dry”

I can’t help sighing. “I guess we’ll have to postpone the feast.”

“What, why?” Laela asks.

“Because I’m still too poor!” My eyes rest upon a loose rock aggravatingly placed in the middle of my path. I kick my leg forward and the damned rock skitters away.

“Reed?”

“What is it, Laela?”

“I already told you, didn’t I!? Tonight’s feast is on us!” Laela grabs my arm and starts hurriedly towing me down the hill. “Come on, you need to wash away your foul mood.”

“Wait for us.” Graem cries as he and the rest of the group hurry to catch up.