Telsa tapped a finger against her arm, biting her lip. “Uh, we could… no. He’s too big for that. We could…”

“I could try and find some oranges. Not sure if any of the perrens I know in this area would be free right now though,” Pina said, staring out the window, frowning.

“Lifting young Adam here would not be ideal either,” Galeen added, shaking their head. “His body is… vulnerable, currently. I would move him with Faastran, but I am unsure my stretcher or our personal strength could support him. If I could afford an enchanted tool, however, that would be another case.”

Theo fussed with the buttons of his vest, his mind spinning. Enchanted stretcher? The air cage, maybe? No. I don’t have the control for that. It could crush Adam. His eyes widened. Wait, there’s always…

He turned to address the room. “Galeen, you need a stretcher? I have an idea. Pina, could you run and grab my inscribing stylus from my shop? The rune book with the faded red cover too. As fast as possible, preferably. Oh, and some Fundamental stardust crystals, please.”

Pina nodded, moving for the door. “Got it. Neat crystal stick, dusty old book, and some other crystal chunks. I’m sure I can tell what those are.”

“The crystals are labeled!” Theo called out to Pina as she dashed out the door. He sighed, wincing in pain as his ribs reminded him of their existence.

“Young Theo, your… vague plans intrigue me, but we must discuss your condition. I had little time to advise Pina as Faastran and I needed to tend to young Adam further,” Galeen said, gesturing to the warrior on the bed.

“What about my condition?” Theo asked, his heart thumping again in anticipation of further unfortunate news.

Waving a hand, Galeen indicated for Theo to take a seat. “Nothing worrisome. I just wished to impress the importance of no healing potions. My inspection of your body indicated a buildup of vindiya root toxins already. Your body cannot handle more considering the procedure I performed on your ribs. You must allow natural healing until the toxins clear out of you.”

“Oh. I was aware of the toxin buildups, I usually warn adventurers about them, but how did they build up so quickly?” Theo asked, forcing his hands to his sides as he realized he was still fussing with the buttons of his vest.

“That was the question I intended for you. Have you had significant physical injuries lately? May I perform a further inspection of your body now that you are conscious?” Galeen asked, approaching Theo.

Theo didn’t have to think for long. “Physical- yes, there was, unfortunately. Maraz um - you know, the man from the merchant’s guild? Everyone seems to know him. He visited my shop. There was an… incident, with an enchantment I made overloading with mana. I believe I incurred some heavy physical injuries from that. You can… look- inspect, whatever it is.”

Galeen nodded along with Theo’s explanation. “There is your answer, young Theo. Your body is not used to processing potions. Even that single injury created many toxins in you once the potion repaired the flesh.”

Frowning, Theo glanced down at his own body. “But I test healing potions all the time! Shouldn’t I be a bit more resistant?”

If Galeen had eyebrows to raise, they likely would have been. They raised their hands, a soft green glow flowing from them onto Theo. “You must listen, young Theo. This was a considerable injury you incurred. You may test on a small cut or a bruise, but you have never introduced this much to your body at once. Now, be silent, I must assure none of your ribs have shifted during your recovery.” Bowing their head, Galeen went still aside from the movement of their arms.

Precious, guilty minutes passed by. Galeen finished their inspection and left to talk with Faastran. Telsa leaned against a wall in Adam’s room, silently watching Theo. He paced the room, wincing each time he took a large breath - Galeen’s orders.

Pina burst back into the room, presenting her bag to Theo. “Got all the stuff! You didn’t tell me the stylus was in a box. It took me forever to find it.” She pouted, crossing her arms once he took the bag.

Theo sifted through the bag, finding the box that contained his inscribing stylus. He opened it, cradling the slender crystal with care. “My apologies, Pina… My head, it hasn’t been in the right place. I’m sorry.”

Pina frowned. “No- I’m sorry, Theo. I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Ah,” Theo muttered, sitting down on the floor and pulling out the key object to his plans from his own bag - the Bastion Plate. “As I said, I have a plan. I’m going to modify this Bastion Plate enchantment with some of the aspects of my air cage enchantment. My hope is to make an enchantment that allows us to lift Adam while negating the forces that may otherwise jostle him so that we may transport him with relative ease. Galeen’s mention of a stretcher inspired me.”

Telsa nodded, letting a small smile show itself. “Well, if anything, I know I can depend on you to always have some kind of scheme cooked up, Theo. Get to it then. Let’s get Adam home.”

“Oh, I meant to address that. Where will Adam be staying?” Theo asked, eying Telsa carefully.

The rogue girl shrugged, her teal hair following the motion along her shoulders. “I figured our place? Adam and I live together. But… I’m gonna have to pull some solo jobs, maybe some duos or trios with Deskan and Nils. We’re low on cash.”

“He could stay with me!” Theo blurted out, covering his mouth just seconds too late. He brought his hand back down to his lap, tugging at the bottom of his shirt. “If um, if that’s easier for you.”

Telsa and Pina shared a look, grinning. “You do work from home, sorta. Probably better than us for taking care of him constantly. You… wouldn’t mind?” Telsa’s grin only grew more wicked.

Theo felt his face flush with heat. “It would- I mean, yes. I think it’d be for the best. I’ll have to tend my shop, but I can check in on him whenever I don’t have customers. I’m sure Galeen can give me some suggestions.”

“I could give you some too, Theo,” Telsa said, winking at him.

Theo was sure he felt steam coming out of his ears. “Um, no thank you. I’m sure Galeen’s will be enough. Now, if you don’t mind. I- I have an enchantment to work on. This may take a few hours.”

“Have fun, Theo. I have to go do some deliveries, okay? My boss is already gonna be soooo mad at me for taking this much time off,” Pina said, one foot already out the door. “Okay, see you later bye,” she said at rapid speed, exiting the room at the same velocity as her words.

“You need my help with anything?” Telsa asked, glancing between him and Adam.

“I shouldn’t, no. I have everything I need here. Thank you, though,” Theo said, trying to smile at her.

Telsa didn’t return the gesture, her eyes staying on Adam before she turned for the door. “I’m gonna go make myself useful, then. I’ll return in a few hours. Don’t try to move Adam until I’m back. I’ll hopefully have Nils and Deskan with me to help out.”

“Good plan,” Theo muttered, cupping his chin as he flipped through the pages of his rune book, orienting runic formulae in his head.

It took longer than he thought, the sun was about to set. Theo exhaled deeply. It hurt, but less so. The pain diminished somewhere around hour three of working through the enchantment. It turned out to be harder than he’d expected to combine both runic formulae into one working concept and apply it to the plate.

“Telsa? Nils? Deskan? I’m finished,” Theo called out to the adventurers sitting in Galeen and Faastran’s common room.

Noises of commotion filled the room. An anxious group of adventurers followed suit.

Deskan crossed her arms. “That thing gonna work?”

Telsa elbowed the archer in the side, glaring. “Of course it will. Theo’s a great enchanter. He fixed your arrow, didn’t he?”

“It works, I assure you. I tested it on myself already, of course,” Theo said, slotting in a Fundamental stardust crystal into his newly named Weightless Cradle. Thinking up names wasn’t exactly important, but he’d had too much frustrated time working with the formula to not come up with one.

“Now, I simply activate the enchantment and… Weightless Cradle.” The air around Adam shimmered. Theo lifted the plate of metal and Adam’s body followed the motion upward. “See? Absolutely weightless.”

Deskan muttered something that earned an elbow from Telsa again.

“Now um, I can’t see very well, could someone help me get Adam through the door?” Theo asked, cursing himself that he hadn’t planned this part better.

“I can,” Nils offered, moving into place. “Just a bit to the left, Theo. Carefully now, not too fast.”

Adam incurred a few, hopefully harmless, bumps against walls and furniture on the way out. Each one earned Theo a scornful look from Deskan.

Nils tugged uncomfortably at his robes, backing up inch by inch through the front door of Galeen and Faastran’s home. “Now, Theo, watch your step. The stairs are steep.”

“I will be,” Theo said, glancing at Deskan in his peripherals to make sure she wasn’t disapproving too much at his navigation of the stairs.

A collective sigh of relief left the group once they reached the road. Theo, however, grunted a moment later. Checking the metal plate, he realized that it already required a new Fundamental crystal. He swapped one out with nervous speed, only partially trusting the runes to hold enough mana for him to make the switch.

On the walk, several eyes turned on the group, staring at the floating body in front of Theo. Nils moved to reassure several who approached. He spoke to them with kind words, and probably a bit of magic, Theo thought.

It came time to swap the crystal - again. Theo sighed, checking his bag. Not enough. I didn’t realize it would be this expensive… Hm, perhaps?

“Telsa? Deskan? Do you think you could try and supplement the Fundamental mana for the enchantment? I’m burning through crystals faster than expected and I don’t think I’ll have enough for us to make it back to my shop,” Theo said, his ears heating up at the admission.

Deskan huffed. “Of course you don’t. Sure, I’ll help.”

Telsa, however, stopped walking. “Deskan, cut the fucking attitude. He’s trying to help.”

“Yeah, we’re all trying to help. Was he trying to help when Adam nearly died? It’s not like it’s my fault. I wasn’t there,” Deskan said, clenching a fist.

Telsa stood taller, glancing at Theo’s crestfallen face before scowling at Deskan . “I asked if you wanted to go on the picnic. You said no. It’s not Theo’s fault either. So if you’re gonna have a pity party here about it-”

“Oh, I’m the one having the pity party, right,” Deskan snapped, her tone acrid.

Nils turned to Theo. “I’m sorry, Deskan is, ah… young. She cares about Adam a considerable amount. He helped her in a tough place and-”

“I don’t need you spilling out my personal shit, thanks,” Deskan interjected, moving over to place a hand on the enchanted metal plate. “Let’s just get this over with, okay?”

“Fine. Let’s do this, Theo,” Telsa said through gritted teeth, placing her own hand on the metal as well.

Theo swallowed, looking between the two girls glaring daggers at one another. “Okay… so, just carefully feed mana into the enchantment. We may need to walk a bit slower while you both get used to the flow…”

“I know how to control my mana, thanks,” Deskan said, pulsing Fundamental mana into the enchantment.

Pulling mana to his eyes, Theo watched Telsa feed mana into the enchantment as well. Deskan noticed the flow and her own increased in.

“Wait, Deskan, that’s too much!” Theo shouted, watching the runes glow far too bright.

Nodes along the runic formulae fizzled, burning up with the excess mana. The shimmering around Adam flickered. He slowly fell to the ground as gravity took hold once more through the failing enchantment.

The four of them gasped. Just before Adam’s body hit the ground, he slowed, reaching a stop. After a tense moment, his body rose back up.

“That was a close one, wasn’t it?” a voice asked from behind them on the street. A voice Theo recognized.

Turning around, Theo spotted Maraz in his typical suit, grinning with his perfectly white teeth. “Wh- Why are you here?”

Maraz checked his nails as if he didn’t have a care in the world. A ring on his finger glowed, a small trail of shimmering air extending toward Adam. “Oh, you know, just on a stroll through the city. Listening to all the little birds. They may have told me I’d find you here.”

“And you just happened to be here at just the right moment to catch Adam?” Telsa asked, stepping in front of Theo. Deskan and Nils followed suit.

“That,” Maraz said, pointing toward Adam. “was just good timing after your little catfight. As I said, I just happened to be taking a stroll in the neighborhood.” He smirked, adjusting his suit. “Theo’s little spell he showed me was… inspiring. I had an enchanter create something similar for me, just… better.”

Theo pushed past Telsa, meeting Maraz’s gaze with an intensity of his own. His legs shook, but he clenched a hand. “How did you even replicate my enchantment this fast?”

Maraz chuckled, tsking. “You think you’re the first person to come up with a spell that traps people in air? The use of Infusion magic was moderately novel, I suppose, but my enchanter already had a basis for something even better.”

Theo mulled that comment over. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, it stung a bit. That idea took him a considerable amount of time and planning. And Maraz could just buy something better? “What do you want, Maraz? Why are you here?”

Maraz shook his head, his shoulders bouncing with a light laugh. “Theo, do you really need to ask me why? You know what the answer is. But, I’ve decided to… change up my methods a bit. Keep things interesting, you know?”

Telsa placed a hand on Theo’s shoulder but he shrugged it off. “I’ll handle this, Telsa. Please.”

She stared at him for a moment but nodded.

“What did you have in mind?” Theo asked, hating himself for even entertaining the man, but he wasn’t sure that even the three adventurers behind him could take the brute on.

“Dinner. Just the two of us. Tonight. After you deal with this… unfortunate piece” Maraz said, gesturing to Adam with an upturned hand.

Theo steeled himself, his knuckles whitening as his clench intensified. “No. I’ve told you no numerous times already. You won’t change my mind.”

“Unfortunate.” Adam dropped to the ground once more as the glow on Maraz’s ring faded. His body suspended upward once more, higher. The glow resumed.

Theo’s eyes widened. He looked between his boyfriend and Maraz.

“You get it now. Just dinner. I promise I won’t hurt you. We’ll just talk,” Maraz said, inclining his hand just a hair higher, Adam’s body following the motion and drifting with it.

Both Tesla and Deskan stepped forward. Telsa reached for daggers that weren’t there. Deskan had her bow in her hands in seconds.

“No, Theo won’t let you force him like this. You’ll stop if you know what’s good for you,” Tesla said, venom leaking into her voice.

Deskan nocked her beacon arrow on her bow.

A soft blue glow came to life from Nils’ staff as he raised it into the air.

Maraz’s smile widened. “I welcome the challenge. Oh, but your daggers broke, didn’t they?”

Telsa stepped back, her eyes widening. “How did you-”

Theo held out his hands in front of Telsa and Deskan. “No. No violence, please. Maraz, I’ll join you for dinner. On one condition.”

Maraz raised an eyebrow. “And what would that condition be?”

“You help bring Adam to my shop. We’re uh, out of other options,” Theo said, blushing anew as the group of adventurers stared at him as if he’d grown another head.

“Theo, are you sure about this?” Telsa asked, frowning.

“I’m not sure I see any other options,” Theo said, mirroring her expression.

“I have to agree with Theo, Tesla,” Nils muttered.

“Simple enough. Let’s get this on then, hm?” Maraz said, turning his back to all of them and walking forward with casual ease. Adam’s body drifted with him, floating down the street. With Maraz’s presence, no one gawked like they had been before.

The whole trip home dragged on. Theo’s mind spun with the possibilities Maraz had in store for their conversation. Speaking of, the man’s ring didn’t require a single replacement stardust crystal to power it during the entire walk, giving credence to Theo’s theory that it was a dungeon gemstone - a high tier one at that.

If I had materials like that… the enchantments I could make… Theo mused, a number of ideas running through his head.

At last, they reached Theo’s shop. Maraz smiled, waving a hand toward the door for Theo. He felt eyes on his back the whole time as he approached to unlock it.

Inside his shop, Maraz took the opportunity to saunter through the door into the house portion. It disturbed Theo that the man immediately opened the door to his room. It was a fifty-fifty shot, but still.

Theo grimaced at how… familiar Maraz seemed with his home, and turned to the three adventurers beside him, keeping a side eye on his room through the doorways. He lowered his voice. “Would you all mind staying here to take care of Adam while I… deal with this?”

“I am not one who is dealt with. I do the dealing, Theo,” Maraz called out from his room.

“How did he hear me?” Theo whispered to confused faces.

“Body enhancers don’t just enhance muscles,” Maraz said, rolling his eyes as he strolled back into the shop room. “May I ask why you have so many vests? At least half of them are just brown.”

Theo crossed his arms, wincing when his ribs protested. He suppressed the reaction as best as he could and kept his arms there. “They’re different shades of brown.”

Maraz opened his mouth to comment, but smirked and shook his head. “Let’s just go. I know a good restaurant. It’s a bit of a trip, but we can talk on the way.” The smirk grew an intimidating edge to it. “Oh, and don’t follow us, Vanguard’s Grip. I’ll know. Little birds and all that.”

Telsa stepped forward, grabbing Theo’s hands. She met his eyes. “Be safe, okay? Come back as soon as you can.”

When her hands left his, Theo felt a smooth object in his own. He closed his fingers over it, masking the act of slipping it into his bag as he turned to Maraz. “I’ll be back soon.”

As the two of them left the shop, Maraz looked down at Theo. “Now, wasn’t that easy? None of those… admittedly entertaining attempts at proving you’re stubborn.”

Theo frowned, doing his best to not meet the man’s eyes. His legs threatened to shake again, so he started walking instead. “Let’s just get to it, Maraz. What do you want from me this time? You already know what my answer will be.”

The man grinned, his teeth catching the flickering light from a street lamp. “Come now, Theo. How about we wait for dinner to have that talk.”

Frustrated, Theo took a deep breath, forcing down a pained yelp. “I’d rather be with Adam right now so I can take care of him.”

Maraz ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “You’re no fun. Avoid that, it’s the only reason I haven’t resorted to my… usual methods. Let’s just say I have an offer you may find difficult to refuse.”