“Wait, so what are these creatures called again?” Bronwyn sat cross-legged in front of Olivia, drawing on a sheet of paper while listening to the stories and descriptions Olivia read from the blue crystal.

“The first ones to arrive on the planet were called ‘Rehavash,’ which was a colloquial term that meant walking nightmare.” Olivia’s eyes had a blue glaze over them as she “looked” into the crystal. She said it was like a fancy database UI with folders filled with images, first-hand accounts, and even histories of the people that used to live in the world where they’d found the portal.

“And they killed everyone?” Morgan asked, eyes closed as he charged another crystal.

“No. Are you two listening? It started when some mages from Unu, the world where we found this dungeon, were trying to open a permanent gate to another world. They had allied with the people from Inisellia and wanted to have a standing portal for trade and travel, rather than using the City Stones and paying the exorbitant fees the System extracted. They, um, missed and opened the portal to what they called Ruqeel, which is a term that’s synonymous with hell.”

“Then what?” Morgan asked.

“Well, the first thing to come through was one of the flying Rehavash, a big one; the person who wrote the report said it was tier-eight. Morgan, that thing you thought was a dragon was probably one of them.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah. It destroyed the city and killed everyone that didn’t flee, and they had some strong Energy users. After that, more and more of the creatures flooded through, and the high-tier ones were smart; they started attacking other cities, breaking the System City Stones. The more powerful people who could create portals or afford the System rates to travel off-world fled ahead of the Rehavash. Those unable to flee were slaughtered.”

“And the city we found?”

“That’s where things get really interesting. There were some heroes there, in the city of Nightmarch—high-tier Energy users that built wards into the walls and held off the Rehavash for a long time. They used most of their wealth to help citizens flee the world through their City Stone, but some of them, led by, get this, Keeper Te’quil, refused to abandon their world.”

“Keeper? Like my armor?” Morgan knocked his knuckles on his breastplate.

“Exactly, and my crown—Nightmarch.”

“Well, keep going!” Bronwyn said. “What did they do?”

“Alright. Ahem, Keeper Te’quil and dozens of others created this dungeon after they’d evacuated as many people as possible. They, literally, put their souls into it. The monsters are creatures that came from Ruqeel, and the treasures are gifts from the heroes. This gem has kept track of time since the dungeon was made; it’s been thirty-eight thousand years.”

“Is there more?” Bronwyn asked, her voice hushed. She suddenly felt like she was sitting in a cemetery.

“There’s so much more! This gem holds accounts of tens of thousands of years of history for the various peoples of Unu. I’m barely scratching the surface of the most recent entries—the narratives of their destruction.” Olivia’s eyes lost their blue sheen, and she blinked rapidly, apparently done reading from the gem for now. “We’re so lucky the Rehavash were mostly dormant or gone when we showed up!”

“Yeah, no shit!” Morgan said, popping his newly charged gem into his storage ring.

“Why a dungeon?” Bronwyn asked.

“It was a way to get the System to help protect their legacy; I’d guess,” Olivia said.

“Makes sense,” Morgan said. “I mean, the System will help them to generate or duplicate loot and keep the dungeon from disappearing. I doubt we’re the only adventurers that will ever pull one of those history gems from a chest.”

“Which brings us to the next big question: do we stay here and watch Morgan grind out more Energy crystals so we can make a portal home, or do we keep exploring the dungeon?” Olivia looked from Morgan to Bronwyn, and Bronwyn felt like she knew what Olivia wanted to do.

“You want to keep exploring, don’t you?” she asked.

“I do. The people who made this dungeon were far more powerful than anyone I’ve met on Fanwath, and they gave up everything to create this legacy. I’m curious.”

“I feel better about extending our stay now that I know Issa’s doing alright, but I still want to get back. I’m torn,” Morgan said. He was sitting on the chest, his folded wings hanging behind it. He’d had a small fit when he tried to sit on the ground, and the wings kept getting in his way.

“What about a compromise?” Bronwyn asked. “We could camp here, practice our skills, and give Morgan time to fill as many gems as we’ll need. Then, we can try to push on into the dungeon. If things are too hard, we can just leave.”

“It would give you a chance to get better with your wings, too, Morgan,” Olivia added.

“Yeah, that sounds good, actually. Nice plan, Bron.” Morgan’s smile seemed forced, but Bronwyn could tell he was relieved.

“Can you scry Arthur now? I want to get a look at things back home,” Olivia asked Morgan.

“Yeah, hang on. It takes two thousand Energy, and I’m still low from that gem I filled,” Morgan said, standing up and stretching. “Gimme like twenty minutes.”

“C’mon, Morgan. Let’s spar a little while we wait,” Bronwyn said, standing up and brandishing her two hatchets.

“Sounds good; I can use the exercise.”

“Just weapons! No Energy,” Bronwyn admonished, flipping her hatchets in the air and deftly grabbing the handles. Morgan just nodded, and then they were at it. Bronwyn knew he was holding back; his sword skill was at the advanced tier, and she still hadn’t moved past improved with her hatchets. Still, she gave him a good run for his money, making him work hard to stay out of reach of her dual blades.

Fighting with two hatchets seemed like a no-brainer; she blocked with one, hacked with the other, or alternated them in hacking motions. She kept wondering if she’d get a dual-wield skill, but so far, she hadn’t. Either it didn’t exist, or she hadn’t gotten good enough to trigger its acquisition. Maybe there was a specific type of movement she needed to do, but she wouldn’t know until she spoke to an expert or found a manual on the Town Stone back home.

After a good, sweaty workout, Morgan announced that he had more than enough Energy to do the scrying spell. Olivia stood up and came over, and Bronwyn hung her hatchets on her belt. They watched Morgan while he concentrated for a moment, then the weird crackling destruction of air, sound, and light filled Bronwyn’s ears, and she grimaced, moving to look over his shoulder. In the space between Morgan’s outstretched hands, she saw Arthur sitting at a tavern table, drinking from a foaming mug. Maria Rios sat across from him, laughing, the corners of her eyes crinkling with lines while she rocked back and forth.

“Huh, who knew Arthur could be so funny?” Morgan smirked.

“Well, at least we know things must be going okay; I doubt Arthur would be drinking and laughing it up if the colony was burning down,” Olivia said.

“Yep!” Bronwyn smiled and then moved away. She didn’t want to be close by when Morgan closed the window; she hated that sound almost as much as when he opened it.

#

Issa walked along the smooth brick pavers leading from the cobbled road to the new clinic the Humans had constructed. She admired the rows of flower beds some green-thumbed volunteers had planted along the pathway. It was quieter over here, on the western edge of the colony, and she was glad to be out of the bustling, jostling crowd that seemed ever-present around Bronwyn’s Hill. She smiled at the name—the council had officially named the hill in commemoration of when Bronwyn had planted the Colony Stone.

She liked the idea of a clinic—a place for doctors to gather to see patients in one area. In Tarn’s Crossing, doctors had their own offices, and, while that worked fine most of the time, she thought it was nice to have one central location for those who needed medical attention. This way, if the doctor someone wanted to see was busy, maybe there’d be someone else to help. Or, in Issa’s case, if she had no idea who to speak to, hopefully, the right person would be at the clinic.

The glass-paneled double doors were propped open to let in the fresh summer air, and Issa walked into the lobby to be greeted by a friendly, dark-skinned woman with a nametag on her shirt reading, “Sherlene.”

“Hello,” Issa said, unintentionally putting a hand on her belly before catching herself. She nervously moved it to her hip, sliding her palm on the fabric while she continued, “Um, is there a physician who I can speak to about childbirth?”

“Childbirth?” The woman stood up and moved around the corner to approach her. “Are you pregnant, Miss?”

“Issa, my name’s Issa, and yes, I think so.”

“Issa, I’ve heard that name! Aren’t you one of the heroes that saved us from the Urghat?” The woman warmly took her arm and directed her over to the little grouping of sofas on one side of the reception area. “Don’t you worry, sweetie; I’m going to go and find just the right doctor to speak to you.”

“Thank you,” Issa said with a relieved smile. She sat on the mustard yellow couch, admiring how it was firm, but giving and just the right depth for her long legs. She grew up being average-sized, at least for an Ardeni, and her new height had taken some getting used to, especially when it came to furniture and doorways.

The woman disappeared through swinging double doors in the back wall, and Issa sat quietly. She closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her face and breathing in the rich fragrances of grass, flowers, and the occasional whiff of food being cooked that drifted on the breeze through the doors. She was startled out of her reverie when a soft, feminine voice said, “Issa?”

“Oh, yes?” Issa’s eyes popped open, and she blearily blinked up at the small black-haired woman. She wore a white coat over tan-colored pants and a pale blue blouse and had an exceedingly friendly smile on her rather plump, round face.

“I’m Dr. Cho, Issa, and I’ll be so happy to answer your questions today. Won’t you come with me?”

“Yes, thank you!” Issa stood, towering over the little woman. Dr. Cho held out her hand, and Issa took it, gently returning the squeeze.

“This way,” she said and led Issa back through the swinging door, down a short hallway, and into a small room with a tall padded table and two chairs. Dr. Cho pointed to a chair and said, “Have a seat; you can speak freely here. This room is quite private.” Then, she shut the door and sat down in the other chair. “So, tell me, what brings you in?”

“Well, as I was telling your receptionist, I’m fairly sure I’m pregnant, and, I’m not sure you know, but my mate is human. Morgan Hall.”

“Oh?” Dr. Cho’s eyes widened, but her smile didn’t falter. “How exciting! Imagine! How strange that we’d be so compatible considering the vast distances between our worlds!”

“Yes, but I’m very happy for it,” Issa said softly.

“Of course you are! Of course! Still, we should be sure of things, don’t you think?”

“Yes, that’s why I came here. I also wanted to talk to you about help with the birth when the time comes.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now,” Dr. Cho reached out and took Issa’s hand, “I don’t have half the equipment I used back on Earth, but I do have some exciting new skills. I spent a lot of time tending to injuries and helping with exposure to poisons and toxins in our new environment here, and when I reached level ten, the System gave me a Healer class. One of my skills allows me to diagnose my patients. Would you mind if I used it on you?”

“No, of course not; that’s why I came,” Issa said.

“Right, okay, dear, let’s get you up on the table.” She stood up and motioned to the tall, padded table.

“You want me to lay down up there?”

“Yes, I want to do a physical examination as well. Nothing invasive, sweetie; I’m just going to press on your abdomen a little.”

Issa stood and awkwardly hopped up on the table, lying flat on her back, her legs still hanging off the edge. “This table is such a nice work of craftsmanship—far nicer than the mass-produced stuff we had back in my old clinic. Watch this,” Dr. Cho said, then she slid out a recessed extension under Issa’s legs, so they were supported comfortably. “Isn’t that nice?”

“Yes. Did someone craft that here?”

“Yes, one of our very own—Tom Hollins. He’s making quite a name for himself, crafting furniture. Alright, relax now while I get a look at you. Sorry if my hands are a little chilly.” Dr. Cho gently lifted Issa’s blouse and rested both of her warm hands on her belly. She moved her fingers around very gently, pressing into her abdomen slightly. A moment later, Issa felt the tell-tale warmth of Energy being used, and then Dr. Cho’s faint smile grew very wide, and her bright teeth gleamed as she leaned over Issa to say, “Oh my goodness, sweetheart! You have two very healthy little babies growing inside you!