With Richter, Kona, Serenity, and Mika of all people off in the city, Rachel and Sonny practice a few dance steps from Victoria, a level 14 Dancer from her time in boarding school. Rachel also explains how she used to take ballet and jazz-tap when she was in elementary and middle school, making the thought of her accident more painful in my mind. I can see the spark of passion in her eyes as she dances with Sonny. Nearby, Elsbeth and a few citizens are working on arrows and wooden structures.

"…second position. Very nice. Now, third position. You're, like, too perfect at this." Rachel commiserates as Sonny demonstrates the flexibility and perfect positioning of a Machina. They cycle through five different positions as I watch with interest.

"It's true that my limbs don't have the normal limitations of tendons and muscles," Sonny says as she stands perfectly straight, her heels together and feet pointing in opposite directions. Her upper body swoops down in a full circle while her lower body barely even twitches.

"See," Rachel exclaims, "Like, that shouldn't even be possible yet!" Rachel's movements are similar, her high Dexterity an obvious advantage. "Oh. I forget where we are." All three of us laugh since Sonny is in on the inside scoop that there is an outside world where all the Travelers are originally from.

"That, like, gives me an idea! There's something I've always wanted to try." Rachel's movements become slow and fluid. Intentional. Provocative. Her arms and torso moving in waves. Bellydancing. The avian Faunus is bellydancing and after a few moments, Sonny is imitating her.

Rachel draws out Spindle's ornate daggers while Sonny floats Meteora above her head with her will, both of their eyes close. The three of them move in sync to music only they can hear, mirroring each other. Little by little, they speed up their flow, weapons coming inches away from shaving HP. They're fighting, in a way, moving with and against each other. Hypnotizing me with each slash, each kick, each thrust. Their movements are perfectly timed, like gears in a watch. I know this feeling. I've felt this way before. There's a ringing in my ear. The feeling that a small object has my attention comes over me. A flash of gold. Of feathers.

Black blades.

Dark skin.

Grey cloth.

Turquiose.

A heavy elbow leaning on my shoulder snaps me out of my daze. I shake the bats out of my belfry and look up. It's Elsbeth. She's smiling down at me in a knowing sort of way and she pats me on the back. "Thanks, El." I wipe the edge of my mouth with my sleeve.

The two Dancers slow down and Rachel stows her weapons. "That was so intense," Rachel says, giving Sonny a hug, her voice somber and low. "Thank you so much. It's been a long time since I've danced. I, like… was afraid to try it here."

Players are unable to cry, but I know the tears would be flowing right about now. Rachel excuses herself and leaves us. Sonny turns to me and smiles.

Seeing Elsbeth, Sonny signs, "How are your projects?" El motions back in a positive way. "May we see?" She nods her head and leads us over to the crafting area.

Using some of the basic lumber, the citizens explain to us that they're building basic furnishings: a chicken coops, above ground root cellars, and frames for cabana style structures so there could be a sense of privacy in the vardo. I smile and nod at this. The chicken coop would allow us to finally use the dormant eggs and have an infinite source of food. The root cellars are going to be experiments, seeing as there is a light from above that we believe comes from outside. It does adjust and darken at night, everyone using magical sources of light when needed.

Elsbeth pretends not to notice two strange looking piles of wood, metal, and gears. I'm about to ask her about them when something else catches my attention.

Dawn's apprentices are currently smelting the Shadow materials I brought back as well as the old iklwas. I ask them to pass me one of the Shadow Scythes for me to craft with and they comply without protest. I place it into my storage for later, not knowing when I'll be able to get to it. I look at the busy crafters and the full scope of activities comes into focus.

I realize that there are more people crafting than I thought, including some of the soldiers and many other citizens. They all prepare materials into more refined states: hides into leather, timber into lumber, and stone into bricks. Meanwhile, cooks and impromptu servers deliver food and drink. The vibe is less like a sweatshop, however, and more like a quilting party. There is boisterous laughter, retelling of our adventures, and even open flirting. Someone discovers the instruments in the storage crates and searches for appropriate players. Soon, there is music and singing and a break in the work.

Did I just walk into a musical?

I'm grinning like a fool, clapping my hands on the sidelines to the upbeat song when someone grabs my wrist and pulls me into the midst of the dancers. Not having nearly enough beer or tequila in me, I get nervous as I realize that the person lacing their fingers with mine is Victoria.

On the battlefield, she is a vicious and calculating leader. She was taught and raised to be a level 14 Dancer with many years of experience as both warrior and artisan. But, in this vardo, on this floor, she allows the inept stumbling of a suddenly shy Traveler to lead her in a dance.

The crowd around us blurs, her sapphire eyes sparkle and smile as I avoid stepping on her feet more than anything else. My flaming head must be a deep crimson by now, but Vic is having a such wondeful time that I can't possibly pull us away from this moment just because of the stupid way I feel. I attempt a twirl, lifting her hand above her head and she spins twice, as graceful as the seasoned performer she is. My heart skips a beat when I pull her in, dipping her like I've seen done in movies. We straighten up and continue our dance.

Suddenly, I can feel an instinct in my limbs. My high level of Dexterity wants to show me how to move. How to dance. This must be what happened to Rachel when her Dexterity and Agility kicked. I wonder if this is what happens during battle, our bodies running mainly on instinct and reacting in time or even before our brains can voluntarily command it. I want to impress her. I want to match her level. I want the ability to show her off. She can see a struggle in my eyes and in the subtle changes in my movement. Her smile falters slightly.

I suppress this urge. I don't want the game to take over right now. I don't want the game to dance with her. I want to. In my hesitation and transition back into the driver's seat I step on her foot, but she neither whinces nor stumbles. She knows that the real me is dancing with her. I don't think I've ever seen this smile on her face before. She's on the verge of crying and laughing and screaming and all I see as I lead her through the crowd is a wide toothy smile and watery eyes. She pulls me in close for a hug as the music stops in time.

We don't rip each other's clothes off on the spot. We don't run off to our hotel room or some secluded spot. We don't even kiss. But I get the feeling that we've never been closer, never been more intimate with each other, and never been so exposed to one another until this dance. There are cheers erupting all around us. I know they're not for us, exactly, but it kind of feels like they are. The music picks up again, albeit slower, but still happy.

[Reputation +100 with Victoria Grandersil!]

We don't stick around for another dance, emotionally and psychologically spent. I thank her, not knowing what else to say, just thinking that I had to say something. She's still smiling, glowing. Glowing like she did in the battle with the Mermadins, but this glow is a bit brighter. No one else seems to notice, distracted by the energy swirling around the room.

Her hand squeezes mine tighter, lifting it to her chest. The glow turns from brilliant white to blue. The same blue as her eyes. The same blue as my flames. She notices it too and searches my face with worry.

"I… I've… I've earned a new Feat…" Vic says in a whisper. It's not the words I was expecting to hear, not that I was expecting her to say anything at all. She brings up the description screen and shares it with me, her glow dissapating in pulses like a weakening heartbeat.

[Valkyrian Bond: Required: Reputation status 900+. Create a bond with a Traveler. If that Traveler were to die, double your base Strength, Dexterity, and Faith stats for 5minutes. Afterwards, reduce the same stats to 1 for 30minutes.]

We're both too shocked to speak. Vic closes the screen and holds my hand tighter. I know I don't die often, only twice since I've started playing, but this Feat brings up a strange element of strategy. Vic clears her throat, but her voice is still hoarse and choking back tears, "Don't think I'll let you die that easily again…"

She kisses the back of my gloved hand, bringing it to her cheek. I use my other hand to wipe away a tear. "Please," she implores, "Please don't tell the others that I'm…"

I'm not sure why she wouldn't want her lineage to be known. I do know that Lady Anne didn't say the word out loud, nor did she want me to bring it up with Vic directly. I simply nod my head to her and hold her close.

I was wrong.

This. This is our most vulnerable moment. Her other hand wraps around me, clinging onto me as if I were a lifeline. As if I would vanish again if she released me. Something tells me there is a history behind her Race, behind the hot tears wetting my collar. But now is not the time to ask.

We continue to move away from the festivities as she pulls herself back together. My hand has yet to let go of hers.

"I'm sorry. I--"

"Nothing to be sorry about, Vic. We'll go back when you're ready, okay?" Her weak smile is enough for me and this time I can't help but to let her go, grasp the sides of her head, and kiss her forehead.

Later that night, I'm sitting on the side with Dawn and Victoria during their update meeting with everyone. I'm working on my second mug of Frost Dragon Ale and trying to figure out what I want to do with the Shadow Scythe in front of me.

According to the Tailors, our entire stock of sellable items went that day. A total of 4 Platinum, 32 Gold, or 432 Gold, was profit, including stall rental and merchant fees. Most of which, was due to the head of the security force in Kes Solomas buying the entire stock of Dual Needles. Using the blueprint, we were able to reproduce more during our travels. The weapons' one charge ability to ignore Armor was worth a lot to people who've never seen anything like it outside of the rare weapons specialty stores and in such large amounts. The Linqs clothes, too, were very popular due to their unique design and use of colors that were still considered to be fashionable.

Richter, who lead the Alchemists on a trek through the city, had a bunch of good news as well. The main part of his haul included 3 barrels of Red Herbs, a barrel of Blues, and a barrel of Yellows. Instead of costing us around 250 Gold, we got the lot for 100. A huge discount. When I asked how, he whispered that Mika threw in a vial of the Glorious Dawn Elixir. She told him that the single hit vial might not be worth that much, but the extreme rarity of finding someone willing to part with that one vial makes it great trade fodder. Mika also explained that a Purple Runestick is a Scribed piece of wood used to cast ritualistic magic. There are other colors, but they all usually go for around 3 silver each. Ric tosses me one he got on the house.

They also obtained more alchemy grade vials and bottles, of course, and restocked all of the necessary minor ingredients to craft. As Alchemists, we have abilities to magically make Minor Potions, but in order to make the "good stuff," we have to craft them by hand.

He also found the local Adventurers' Guild, sharing the list of available Minor Quests. The toughest quest available had a minimum level of 17, so only those of us in the main group could participate, everyone except for Sonny. Also, the party size is set to exactly four. The reward itself seemed good and of course we could keep what we found during the Quest so Dawn agreed that we would probably end up taking it.

The crafting party was also very successful. Including the new eggs purchased, we had three dozen chickens in their new coops and enough feed for a year. Richter will be in charge of the above ground root cellars since he decided he needed to be a Farmer in Arc. They are filled with soil and potatoes and carrots, ready for this odd experiment.

Using the frames and newly purchased canvas, a total of eighteen collapsable cabanas were put up. Families of three or more had one to themselves, along with married couples. Everyone else was asked to share, which they had no problem with. The soldiers chose not to use them at all, preferring to be battle ready in their Minor Survival Craft sleeping bags and pads, which, I learned, are still more comfortable than anything the military ever provided. I think they're at the level for tents, but they still choose not to use them either.

I bring up the blueprint for the cabanas, mentally accessing the Goblin Modulation Feat and a screen of lists appears nearby. With my knowledge of available materials in storage, I can easily see how I would need to modify either the blueprint or the materials in order to build something. By shrinking or growing the size of the building the number of materials needed would adjust accordingly, and vise versa when I try to alter the amount of materials. I can even swap out the wood frame for bone, metal rods, rocks. The Feat tells me exactly what I would need to do to accomplish it.

Dawn slides me one of the remastered iklwas, explaining how they did it through a combination of Dawn's Forging level and experience and the fresh eyes of her apprentices. They combined the designs for Dual Needles and the original iklwa, essentially splitting the long blade by an inch or so.

[Ace of Spades. Advanced Journeyman.

[Durability: 190/190

[Strength/Melee, Throwable/1

[Base Damage: 19

[3charges/recharged at midnight. 1charge/Upon a successful melee attack, deal 50% piercing damage of your attack to another hostile within 10feet of the original target.]

I close the screens, turning my attention back to my project and get an idea. I find Elsbeth and ask her to draw up a simple blueprint for a violin, which she reluctantly does. Based solely on her inherant knowledge given to her by her Carpenter level 11, she hands me the screen with an uneasy smile. I thank her profusely and run over to Victoria. I apologise to Dawn and borrow Vic's attention to the drawing, asking her to use her expertise as a Musician level 14 to smooth out the faults of the drawing and to give me any hints on how one would get a better sound from the instrument. Finally, I use one of the nearly forgotten Nightmare Cards to summon a Nightmare. The docile creature seems almost robotic, like the things that pull the vardo, as the monster awaits its rider. I "access" it and find a short menu of actions.

[>MOUNT

[Breed (requires stallion)

[Familiar

[Return to Card

[Cancel]

Before I return it back to card form, I carefully use a claw to cut the hair from the Nightmare's tail. My shoulders drop and I let out a held breath after not seeing a damage notification. The predatory horse disappears into a card in my hand. I resummon it, seeing the tail having grown back like nothing happened, and dismiss it a final time tonight.

I use my Modulation Feat to get a feel on how I can swap materials out so I can accomplish what I have in my head. I use Manascorched Lumber and Cosmic Slime for the main parts, the blunted and modified Shadow Scythe and Nightmare Hair for the bow, and the Dridersilk for the strings. A large Wyvern Scale, dyed black and cut to fit, accents the back. I carve out the F holes with a finger claw according to Vic's advice and admire my handy work. Vic and Dawn are hovering behind me, having joined me some time ago when their meeting ended.

Both Vic and I gain experience when I finalize my creation. I'm sure Elsbeth did too, but seeing as I'm the only one that doesn't have a corresponding Artisan Class, I get regular XP.

[Artisan XP ineligeable, converting to Class XP]

[You Received 370XP]

[Success! You have crafted an Expert Item!]

[This item does not have a pre determined name. Would you like to name it Y/N?]

Through a combination of El and Vic's knowledge and insight, and a little goblin ingenuity, we've come up with an Expert item. I cackle to myself as I name the item, feeling the uneasiness of my curious spectators. Their feelings change when I bring up the item's description.

[Wyvern Sonnivarius, Advanced Expert.

[Durability: 360/360

[Arcane/150 feet/0

[Base Damage: 20

[Requirement: Bard Class

[Increase Willpower by 30% while playing this instrument. Increase Agility by 10% while wielding this instrument. Able to attack 2 seperate targets while playing this instrument. Attacks with this instrument may be considered psionic, slashing, or piercing.]

"Oh yes," I say, practically drooling over the dark hued instrument of war. Not only do we have an Expert ranked item, but we have a blueprint for it. Meaning, we can easily craft another if we have the materials and I can simply swap stuff out if we don't. I get a fist bump from Dawn and a flame ruffle from Vic.

"Better than your last naming. Mind if I deliver it?" Dawn asks, "I have a small errand run for her."

"Does it involve being in the city?" I excitedly turn in my seat.

"Actually," Victoria adds, "If you're free, you can accompany her, make sure she doesn't get into trouble. I mean, if you dont mind playing babysitter." She gives my arm a playful punch. Of course I don't mind. With her combat prowess I probably don't have to protect her from anything. It's her lack of real world experience that we have to watch out for. She's not naive, but there are subtleties that she needs to learn for herself.

A short while later, Sonny and I are exploring the city. She places Meteora in storage since it's so conspicuous and wears one of the Linqs cloaks. It's a dark grey, hooded cloak that drapes below the knee, perfect for covering the new armor she was allowed to wear without disrupting her racial Feat. A pinstripe design of her signature sword in turquiose runs down the side.

With a combination of my tunic's hood, mask, and the tricorn hat, my flames and black skull are well hidden from view. We stroll down the street, both of our eyes devouring the sights of Kes Solomas. She elbows my arm, guiding my attention to a store selling Machina equipment called "Cogney and Gearos." She implores me with puppy dog eyes and I give in. We're not too far from our destination so a short detour shouldn't be a problem.