Glenn strode up the shallow cliff leading into the upper portion of the Deepscorn Woods, feeling all but invincible. He willed another Gloamwolf to appear and challenge him, just so he could test himself against an opponent now that he was at Level 5 and completely refreshed. Yet none showed.

He found an appropriate low-hanging tree branch rather quickly. Its many forked branches looked study and thick. It would have been difficult for a normal man to drag this branch without effort, but Glenn now had 14 Strength. Instead of hacking through the branch and risking more damage to his sword’s edge, he instead grabbed the thick branch in both hands.

Grunting with welcome effort, he bent the whole branch up and down, up and down. Wood creaked and splintered audibly. Finally, he wrenched almost a man’s length of multi-forked branch free.

He offered a muttered apology to the now wounded tree—it hadn’t done anything to deserve having its branch ripped off—and then dragged the whole complicated branch behind him toward the cliff. He arrived soon enough. “I’ve got a big branch! I’m going to lower it down now!”

“It better not be a flimsy little stick!” Becka shouted back. “I can’t hold a flimsy stick!”

Glenn grinned wide. “And when have you ever accused me of having a flimsy little stick?”

Silence for a moment. Then, a welcome and reassuring laugh. “I blundered right into that one. Well played.”

Glenn carefully walked to the edge of the cliff and peered over. He soon spotted Becka staring up at him from below. While nothing but monster ash remained on the ledge beside her, a waft of what had occurred before the Gloamwolf’s corpse vanished reached him even atop the cliff.

He wrinkled his nose. “That reeks.”

“As I told you!” Becka shouted. “Now get your stick down here!”

“It’s more of a branch,” he reminded her, as he slid the hefty and multi-forked branch over the edge. “And I got you a big one.”

“Oh!” Becka said. “Well ... you do know me.”

Glenn lowered the thick forked branch as far as he dared. Weight shifted, what he assumed was Becka sliding her hands and feet into the many obvious handholds. Even with only 4 Strength, he was confident she wouldn’t lose her grip.

“You on?” he shouted.

“I am!”

“Hold on!”

“I am!”

Glenn pulled the branch up, slowly and cautiously. Soon Becka’s pale face came into view, followed by the rest of her. Her eyes were tightly closed. Glenn lowered the branch and dragged her safely onto the cliff edge, then set it down.

Becka clutched the branch like she might drown. Glenn waited a moment. Then, he chuckled. “You can let go now. You’re on level ground and far from the cliff. You’re safe.”

Her brown eyes opened, one after the other. She looked around, sighed with relief, and wobbled as she stood. She stepped off the branch and shuddered before turning to beam at him.

“That was well done,” she said.

He grinned. “And look!” He displayed his Status Sheet for her to see.

Becka’s smile turned into a smirk. “You’re so proud. It’s infuriating.”

“You’ll hit Level 5 soon enough,” Glenn assured her. “And you’ll easily make to 6 and choose your first offensive spell. I’ll fight beside you every step of the climb.”

Becka’s smile faded. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I always keep my promises.”

“And what if the Blazer’s Guild claims you?”

Glenn hadn’t even considered that. “Well, I mean ... I’d refuse.”

Her eyes widened as she stepped closer. “You would not!”

Glenn knew what he’d just said sounded like career suicide, but he meant it. Becka had given up her first Skill so they could save Azalea Whitetalon. She had significantly handicapped both her permanent attribute growth and her ability to Level efficiently by taking a Ranger Skill she’d never use. Glenn would never leave her to Level alone after she’d sacrificed all that.

“I’d politely turn down their invitation,” he said again. “Besides, we’ll have no trouble finding work once we both reached Level 6, and then we’ll advance easily enough. Who needs the backing of the Blazers when you completed a big Group Quest at Level 4? We’ll be famous in Grassea.”

“Which is exactly why the Blazer’s Guild might come claim you.” Becka took another step forward, now only a pace away. “If they ask you to join them, you have to accept. That type of opportunity is one you only get once in your career. It opens a path all the way to the top.”

She was right, but that wasn’t the point. “If I took an invitation and departed Grassea to train, I’d leave you stuck Leveling to 6 with nothing but a dagger. I’d never abandon my partner like that.”

Becka sighed dramatically, likely for his benefit. “I will be quite fine on my own. And even if I find it difficult to solo, I can find another Adventuring party to help me reach Level 6.”

Glenn hid his grimace. Becka was dancing around a fact they both knew. Harmcaster was a very popular Class, which made it highly competitive. Given that each Party member in a Party took an equal share of experience, all were expected to pull their weight.

No party would recruit a Harmcaster who couldn’t cast offensive Skills. There were plenty of Adventurers who could contribute much more. Reminding Becka of that fact would only drive home what she’d given up—a whole Skill Point, forever—simply to save Azalea.

Once again, Glenn was struck by how selfless Becka had been last night. Whether the Gods decreed her Adventurer or Townsfolk, Becka had given up the Skill point she would have used to learn [-Burn-] or [-Freeze-] or [-Volt-] to save a nine-year-old girl. Would Leveling alone be her reward?

It wouldn’t. Glenn didn’t care if he had to refuse one of the rare and valuable invitations from the Blazer’s Guild to help Becka reach Level 6. Once she did that, she choose a second Skill that would allow her to level as a Harmcaster.

Glenn offered his arm again. “We’ll talk about it later. It’s already mid-morning. We need to get home and make sure Azalea made it back safe. I don’t see how she wouldn’t, but we need to know.”

Becka patted his arm before walking past alone. “Certainly. But if you get that invitation, you’re taking it. If you refuse, I’ll never Party with you again.”

Glenn stared in shock as she walked past him and away, already heading east. Could she really mean that? How could she say that after all they’d been through together?

Yet as he hurried after her, he understood her meaning all too well. Becka wanted all the success in the world for him, no matter what it cost her personally. Glenn understood how she must feel about ensuring he succeeded in life ... because that was exactly how he felt about her.

He caught up, grabbed her hand, and squeezed. She glanced at him, face still clouded.

He nodded. “No matter what happens, we make any decision together. Promise.”

After a moment of staring into his eyes, Becka smiled and squeezed his hand. It might be dangerous walking through the Deepscorn Woods hand-in-hand like a pair of besotted kids, especially with Gloamwolves on the prowl, but Glenn didn’t care.

He was Level 5 now. He could take on anything.

Given how taxing last night had been, Glenn almost expected a dozen Gloamwolves to come after them, but the Challenger Gods finally seemed to be done with them ... for now. Nothing attacked as they made their way due east. Soon enough, they emerged into bright daylight.

Glenn paused and breathed in the welcome smell of clean grass and wet stone. After so long stuck in the gloom of the Deepscorn Woods, the bright light, nice smells, and gentle breeze felt heavenly. Belatedly, he glanced at Becka, and was once again struck by the tattered state of her clothing. The only reason her tattered dress hadn’t fallen off was likely the will of Levos.

She also, Glenn had to admit, looked absurdly hot with her clothes practically torn to shreds. “We can’t walk you into town like that.”

Becka winked and sauntered toward the road. “No worse than that prank past the tavern.”

As Glenn walked after her, he admitted she did have a point. Savaged Adventurers had come limping into Wolfpine wearing less than Becka was wearing now, and a good deal more wounded besides. Even the best armor could easily get torn apart, and every Adventurer wore armor.

The Gods made no distinctions between sex when assigning and granting attributes, so men and women who undertook Balarel’s Climb were equal in all respects. Only Prowess, will, and drive separated legends from the dead. It wasn’t uncommon to see an Adventurer who’d survived a particularly difficult fight limp into town with all sorts of bits exposed for the world to see, even if they were a woman.

Yet Becka paused and looked around once she’d reached the first Safe Stone. She didn’t walk toward town. Glenn joined her beside it, more certain now that something remained on her mind.

That something that vexed her greatly. They’d needed to mind their surroundings in the woods, but they were on a Safe Road now. Would she finally tell him what was bothering her?

Becka stared at the Safe Stone for a moment. Why? Then she turned her brown eyes his way, and for the first time in a long time, she looked visibly uncertain.

“I’m going to ask you something now, and I need you to answer honestly.”

“Of course I’ll answer honestly,” Glenn said.

“You might not. Not about this. So I want you to think very hard before you commit yourself to anything you might regret saying aloud.” She opened her mouth, hesitated, then lowered her voice and pushed on. “Is it truly impossible to defy the will of the Gods? Because, after last night, I think They might not be omnipotent.”

Glenn had been prepared for almost any question, but not this one. It was a question that felt quite dangerous. There was really only one answer he could give if he didn’t want to blaspheme.

Yet Becka obviously expected a different one.

====

Guilds of specialized Adventurers and Townsfolk exist across Balarel, but none is as large or well-respected as the Blazers Guild. They alone are trusted by the governments of all three of Balarel’s provinces to hunt down lawbreakers, settle disputes, and defeat truly terrifying Monsters. The Blazers recruit both Townsfolk and Adventurers, and being chosen by the Blazers Guild is one of the few ways a Townsfolk can venture beyond the walls of their town of birth.

Competition to join the Blazers is fierce. Being selected as a Blazer ensures access to the best gear, the best mentors, and the most lucrative Quests. Yet the Blazers invite only those who have completed difficult Quests and demonstrated strong moral character, and even those must prove themselves over three years of vigorous training and Questing as a Rookie Blazer.

Some Blazers travel the world, while others settle in specific zones to act as that zone’s final line of defense. Finally, Blazers, just like Town Guards with the walls of a town, can ignore the Law of Consent when approaching a target who has broken the laws of Balarel or those of the Gods.

Unlike run-of-the-mill Adventurers, Blazers can freely arrest lawbreakers without their consent, though attempting to arrest a lawbreaker allows those lawbreakers to attack them as well. Thus, those Blazers tasked with apprehending criminals are often many Levels higher than the max Level of their assigned zone.

Yet given their skill, will, and numbers, few lawbreakers dare to challenge a Blazer in open combat. The courts and prisons of Balarel focus on remorse and rehabilitation, not punishment, and even lawbreakers are well treated. Therefore, when facing capture by a Blazer, lawbreakers often surrender rather than risk being killed in battle and meeting the forever death.