The morning spent with Yae was time Jake never knew he needed. The stress of the world around him had weighed him down quite a bit and he was finding it difficult to keep moving forward. Time was flying and the whirlwind of the Ravine had kept him moving at a sprint compared to how his life was prior. In a matter of months, he’d met Chul, lost Chul, learned magic, and found himself stuck in the Ravine. Now he was at war with an enemy he had never heard of until recently. Along with that enemy came dozens of allies, friends, and a place he could consider a second home. On top of that, there was Yae. Someone who was willing to give him a place to forget it all.

Truly it was a mix of a miracle and something Jake could only denote as fate. While he didn’t quite like using such words to describe his circumstances it was difficult to ignore the potential existence of a meddling force in his life. One that he couldn’t control. Control or not, he would use his own hands to deal with whatever came his way. Leaving those decisions up to an invisible force was stupid, foolish, and asking for death to come early. Regardless of whether or not someone was driving him in a certain direction, Jake would make sure to never let it be the end of him. His survival was originally based on luck. No more.

“Where to next?” Yae asked as the two walked down the long alley, the street bending and turning with the buildings as they wandered. Jake didn't have a particular destination in mind. At least not in the village itself. His morning tasks were complete. Now came the more difficult part of his day.

He let out a huff, a tad disappointed that he had to end their outing so soon. “Somewhere you can't go," he murmured. He picked his words to play with her, knowing she might worry about him running into the tunnels again so soon. However, the effect was the opposite.

“Well, just don’t be out for more than a day this time.” Yae leaned her head on his shoulder and he felt the pressure of her body on his side increase. Jake furrowed his brow as he peeked down at her. He couldn’t see her expression, hidden by her hair and likely on purpose as she looked away from him.

The boy smirked and the two reached the end of the alley, stepping out onto the main road. “Remember when I said I would be making a team?” They turned for home, walking tight together along the side of the busy road. “I planned to start talking to people today about it. I have a few in mind but I’m not sure convincing them all will be easy.”

Yae adjusted so she could look up at him. “Why is that?” Jake shrugged.

“Call it a feeling.” While the Warriors would likely be easy to persuade, it was the scouts Jake figured he would have the most trouble with. The warriors loved battling the Maedra. It was why they existed and gave them life. For Scouts, dealing directly with the Maedra was far more dangerous of an affair. From the data Jake had been shown by the Council, the casualty rate for the Scouts was almost sixty percent. Of that sixty percent, thirty percent were killed whenever an encounter occurred. Even among the Red Teams, the casualty rate was high if not higher due to the intensity of conflict compared to the lower teams. If Jake pitched to the teams a guarantee that they would not only be finding one group of Maedra but nearly a hundred of them, he could already predict what most of them might say.

“Do you think you can do it?” Yae asked after a bit of silence. Jake shrugged again, truly uncertain.

But, if he did have a chance, he would take it. “I might be able to. I came back, didn’t I?”

Yae let out a giggle and rolled her eye. “Okay, Mr. I’m Different. Remember, the other scouts aren’t like you. Right?” Using his own words against him, Yae stabbed at his reasoning without pause and in a way that Jake could not deny. She wasn’t wrong. Jake’s survival and victory came because of his being an Apostle and his magic. The typical Scout and Warrior team wouldn’t have such strength. What they would need, though, was consistency.

“I made it out with brute force, that’s true.” Jake agreed and nodded. “But, if all things worked as planned, even a medium-sized force of warriors could have handled the nest.”

Indeed. If the Catalyst’s explosion hadn’t separated Jake and Darius. If the spell on the paper hadn’t been torn. If a full platoon of warriors and salted fighters had joined Jake in the fight. If the Maedra were weakened by the spell and more heavily damaged by the catalyst. If all those things had happened- Jake was certain his presence would have been just another minor detail in the fall of the nest. He wouldn’t be sure until seeing it actually happen but he had seen the Warriors fight even with the Maedra before. So long as the numbers match, the Warriors can win. It’s only when the Maedra have overwhelming odds in their favor that victory becomes slim. From what Jake could estimate- one well-trained warrior was worth ten regular Maedra. A formidable asset that was simply improperly used.

“I hope you’re right, Jake. I do.” Yae lowered her head down to his shoulder again and sighed. “This village could use hope like that.”

The words struck a chord and Jake realized what she meant. While the village was loud with the chorus of life, evidence of impending doom was hidden beneath the surface. Dozens of handicapped scouts and warriors loitered in the alleys. Orphans ran amok without supervision, taking whatever scraps they could scrounge up. Many heads hung low, fearful of the potential that this might be the day Ewana finally gets attacked. Even those who were hopeful of another safe and peaceful day were tense with fear.

“Yea.” Jake couldn’t protect the village on his own. It was impossible and he wouldn’t let himself become that singular pillar that they would rely on. It was on them to develop their own strength to fight the Maedra and survive. Mur had said it himself. Ewana and the Oryx had survived this long without him, and they would need to continue to do so into the future. Otherwise, there was no purpose to any of this. It was on them to win their own fight.

Jake wouldn’t be here forever.

The rest of the walk back to the house was done in mostly silence. Yae would point out a detail every now and then, mention she would like to stop by somewhere or point out a dish she liked from a particular restaurant. Jake made a few mental notes of places to return to and things to buy but mostly he just enjoyed the warmth of her against him. A fleeting moment he wished to savor. Upon reaching the house, Yae detached herself and Jake was reminded of the chill of the Ravine.

Helena and Lydia were waiting inside, both sitting around a lit fire pit in the center of the living room. Helena was reading, and Lydia was sleeping. Upon hearing the door open, Helena looked up to watch the pair return. Xul and Tul were nowhere to be seen or heard, likely having gone to the Scout Compound for their day of harsh and abysmally difficult labor.

“Welcome back,” Helena called out in a moderate whisper. Careful not to wake the halfling lying on the floor beside her. Jake quietly nodded and pulled the door closed without a sound before removing his boots. Before he forgot, he stepped up to Helena and passed her the strip of fabric. “Oh, a gift for dear me? Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jake rolled his eyes at her bit of teasing. Seeing Helena begin to use the fabric to cover her eyes, Yae let out a low hum.

“I was wondering why you’d bought that…” Her voice trailed off as Helena tied the fabric behind her head and beneath her hair in a neat and small bow. The woman then hiked up her skirt and pulled a sharp black knife from her thigh. Jake’s jaw tensed when he saw the weapon appear. He wasn’t ready for that but he didn’t blame her. Due to the size of the knife, it was no more than a contingency weapon.

“I’ll be sure to repay you, Jake.” Helena cut off the excess and then returned the blade to her leg. Her long, pale legs vanished beneath the black of her skirt as she covered herself again. Yae sat down on a set of cushions and made herself comfortable beside the low table. Helena had made tea and laid out crackers. Yae helped herself.

With so much to do, Jake didn’t join her. “No need.” Jake turned away and stepped out of the room. He left the women to chat and instead returned to his room. He adjusted his large rucksack and reorganized the equipment in it. He took some time to take inventory of the gear and spread it out on the floor.

His inheritance from Darius was more than Jake thought he would ever need. It helped him recognize just how important it was to have proper gear before going out. Not only did he have his weapons, but he also had the supporting equipment to sustain the trip. If he was going to be traveling for a long period of time, such items were key to not just survival but comfort. Comfort. Something Jake never thought he would worry about.

Taking stock, Jake laid everything out in an organized fashion on the floor of his room. At the bottom, he placed the two rucksacks and his own pack. He left space for the missing weapons at Hulgrok's forge, as well as the receipt from the seamstress for his future clothes. Noting that, Jake then removed the second rucksack. Everything he owned would need to fit into one rucksack and one pack. Thankfully, he didn’t need much.

One dwarven spellsword. Two elven knives. Four elven short-swords. A sharp fillet knife for cutting meat. A fire-starting kit. Water purification tablets. A single-person tent and a sleeping mat. Rations for three days. A rope. A bar of soap. Bandages, wraps, and what looked to be a clear bottle of alcohol likely used to clean a wound. A small shovel. Two small pieces of dried wood and a tiny bottle of oil for the making of a torch. A canteen for water. A water-resistant tarp used to cover a person and protect them from heavy rain. It looked much like Jake’s own hooded cloak but the material was thicker and tougher.

Finally, in Darius’s pack, Jake found what looked to be an amulet of some kind. It was originally gold from what he could tell but the years had not been kind to it. The amulet was dented, tarnished, and had lost much of the fine details in it. It was clearly elven from how it was made but Jake didn’t know any more than that. Even so, he planned to carry it with him from now on. Just as he carried a piece of Chul’s mana crystal and his mother’s gem.

Once he’d laid out the gear, Jake inspected all of it. He checked the fire kit for its contents and then checked to ensure it was all usable. He counted the number of purification tablets left in the bottle, though he doubted he would ever use them. He checked the tent for holes, checked the stakes for bends, wear, and counted them to see how many he had. Though he didn’t know how to put the tent up, he would learn. Jake then looked over his mat for any frays or tears. The soap was left in its small container, but he briefly sniffed it to verify that it was soap. He didn’t mess too much with the bandages or medical gear, only ensuring it was sterile, clean, and unused before he returned it all to the small red sack Darius had organized it all in originally. He checked the shovel for dents and cracks in the handle. Then, he looked at the wood and the oil. There wasn’t much to see but he made sure the wood wasn’t being eaten by insects or rotting away. Finally, he checked the tarp for holes and frays.

While he wasn’t exactly sure how to use the majority of what Darius had left him, Jake was certain he would become familiar with it all in time. He also wasn’t quite sure what to check or look for when inspecting it, so he mostly did what he thought was correct. Again, he figured time would be his ally when it came to the task. For now, he just wanted to make sure he could use the gear should the need arise. When it came to the weapons, however, Jake was well-versed in their maintenance.

One by one, Jake worked through the blades. He checked their edges for chips or breaks. Inspected the spines for cracks. He ran his hands over the handles to check for frays and to make sure they were secure. If the weapon passed, he then cleaned the blade and proceeded through the process of sharpening it. The extra Elven blades hadn’t been used in a long time from what Jake could see. They were still in near-perfect condition and their edges had retained much of their sharpness. Though handling them didn’t draw out Jake’s mana like the other two had. It seemed Darius’s main pair had some kind of special attribute to them. Jake would ask Hulgrok about it later.

After finishing the last blade, Jake neatly packed up the gear into the rucksack. He placed the items he would use the least towards the bottom and worked to balance the weight as much as possible. Near the top, the inside of the ruck had loops for the blades to be slid into so Jake waited until the end to put them away. Once everything was packed up, Jake pulled one elven blade free and placed it on his hip beside his spellsword. He adjusted the blade belts to make them sit comfortably together on one side and then tightened the belts to keep them from coming loose. He tucked his gear away in the corner of the room and then headed back downstairs.

Still sitting in the living room were Yae and Helena. Lydia was missing. “I’ll be back later. Do you need anything while I’m out, Yae?” The two women looked up from the books they were each reading and stared at him. Yae hopped to her feet and hurried into the kitchen. She returned with two cloth wraps cradled gently in her hands.

‘

“No. I have everything for dinner already. These are for Tul. He has a mission today but left without food. Try and find him, please?” Yae passed the wrappings and Jake nodded, carefully handling the meal.

“Sure.” After a brief pause and some fidgeting, Jake stepped out. He felt eyes on his back until he finally stepped out beyond the privacy wall surrounding the plot. Only then did he let out a sigh and release the tension in his shoulders. As expected, he felt awkward around her now. How could he not?

As he stepped out onto the main road, the boy paused and looked down at Ewana. He pressed his lips together and his fingers pressed down on the cloth wraps. For just a brief moment, he relished in the idea that this was… perfect. Whenever he thought of the grand adventures his father used to tell, Jake originally believed they were full of grand scenes and battles with friends who were like family. He originally thought they spanned hundreds of miles, days of traveling with plenty of activity in between large and bustling cities.

He still believed that such things were true but now he understood why his Father was so fond of not the fighting, but the moments of quiet. The stories told by the fire were his favorite. The small moments during their travels made him laugh the hardest. The jokes and the bond were what he had missed the most. It wasn’t the battle. It was the people he spent his time with.

Without a word, Jake turned away from the village and headed for the Scout compound. As he was walking towards it, he spotted the familiar face he was looking for. Convenient timing.

“Tul!” Jake shouted, snagging the scout’s attention. The Oryx looked over from within his team of six and excused himself. A few whispers followed behind him as those he left stared at Jake. “Here. Yae said you forgot it.” Jake passed the food and Tul rumbled.

“I told her I was fine.” The boy grumbled and took off his pack so he could put the food away. Jake chuckled and watched.

“You know how she is. Should’ve just listened.” Jake patted Tul on the shoulder and then continued towards the compound.

Tul picked up his pack again and then tapped his spear on the ground. The Oryx stared at Jake’s back, his eye narrowing ever so slightly. “So should you sometimes but we both know how that is.”

Jake only grinned and waved. “Safe travels.” He didn’t look back, leaving Tul to his work. Well, until he reached the archway of the compound. Only then did he turn to watch his friend approach the intersection of the compounds. When he was with his team, Tul seemed more serious and tense. A far cry from when he was alone with his siblings and Jake. The team around Tul seemed tight-knit as well, but more relaxed. Hopefully, their lax attitude didn’t carry over into the tunnels.

The compound's training area was rather quiet compared to how it typically was in the morning. With most of the teams having already left for their daily missions, those left behind were either taking a day to rest or teams needing to spend time training. Mur’s Hall was crowded and noisy, as usual, and the Scouts loitering around it fit the everyday scene. Downtrodden, broken, and too injured to continue training. Outcasts who would be forced to live normal lives. It wasn’t all bad, but to have made it that far certainly wasn’t an easy outcome to face.

The boy withheld the desire to try and help some of them, instead tearing his eyes away from the sight to focus on his original destination. After entering the main building, he navigated to the hallway of the Red Teams. From the hallway, the Pharos Squad room was quiet today. Hopefully, they weren’t out. When Jake opened the door, he was greeted by a familiar set of faces. Only a few days had passed since he’d been inside but it felt much longer than that.

Nuro’s expression remained rather flat as the dark elf stared down at the boy. Mora rolled her head to stare from her couch. Tau was actually sitting next to her, his elbows on his knees as if he was in the midst of a conversation. Wyicks and Pari were standing in the sparring space, walking through their techniques with one another. Fien and Lao were both missing.

“Look who’s back.” Nuro sat up, lowering his feet to the floor as he adjusted the chair beneath him. Jake nodded and shut the door. When he turned to look at Nuro again, the man was on his feet. “I seemed to have underestimated your stupidity but it’s good to see you alive.”

Jake sighed and adjusted his footing to stand comfortably. At the same time, he placed a hand on top of his spellblade. Doing so brought Nuro’s eyes to the boy’s waist. Nuro noticed the second weapon and his expression changed.

“What’s that?” Nuro asked, pointing at the second sword. The Elven blade.

“A gift from a friend,” Jake made the mental connection and then his hand moved to grab the elven scabbard. He pulled it free from the loop holding it and then approached Nuro’s desk. Nuro eyed him closely as the boy placed the weapon down in front of him. “Met with an Elf named Darius-”

“Delmuth,” Nuro interjected. He reached down and ran his fingers over the silver scabbard. Jake nodded.

“Delmuth. I went with him into the tunnels and we cleared a nest. Sorry it took so long.” Jake stepped back, giving Nuro some space. Though, unlike Hulgrok, there wasn’t much emotion from the man. Nuro simply touched the blade, stared for a few moments, and then he tossed it back to Jake.

“A nest? So that fool is still challenging death, I see.” Nuro huffed and shook his head. “Idiot. He’s going to get himself killed. I bet he went with just you and that woman of his. I should remind him that he’s still a mortal.” Jake let the dark elf ramble, instead concentrating on feeding the scabbard back through the hoop on his waist. Once Nuro seemed to be finished, Jake looked up and met his golden eyes.

“He’s dead, Nuro.”

Tau sat upright and Mora’s eye widened. Nuro’s expression finally changed. Subtle, but Jake could see his jaw flex.

“...Well, it was bound to happen at some point with how careless he was.” Nuro’s eyes peered down towards the blade on Jake’s hip again. Then, he decided to sit down in his chair. “So? You said you cleared the nest?” Not wanting to get stuck in the moment, Nuro pressed on. Jake appreciated the lack of a pause.

“We did. Darius utilized some mana crystal and we destroyed the nest with it. Helena also had a spell of some kind but we weren’t able to use it, so we had to kill the Beasts the old-fashioned way.” Jake omitted the fact that he’d cleared the nest on his own. He also left out the details of Darius' death and the fact that Helena was practically useless. Though, the latter was due to Jake not wanting to have to worry about her being attacked.

“And?” Nuro placed his hands firmly on the desk. He straightened up as if waiting for Jake to drop the bomb.

Jake looked over at Mora and Tau, meeting both of their eyes. “I’d like to start hunting nests." Wanting to ensure his words had been understood, Jake stared at Nuro firmly. The dark elf hummed lightly to himself.

Pharos Squad was one of two potential Scout teams that Jake wanted to recruit for his nest-hunting team. Their unique organization made them formidable in a fight with the Maedra in formation alone. Tie in their experience, camaraderie, and Nuro’s battle sense as a field commander, and Pharos had the highest rate of success compared to any other team when it came to direct action against the Maedra. Individually, its members were top-tier. As a whole, even without Jake, they were reliable and mission success was almost guaranteed whenever they were sent out. Their reputation was well earned.

If Jake could get Nuro to agree to be a part of the team, their success rate would jump quite a bit. However, Nuro had made his intentions as a team leader clear before Jake decided to visit the council. Scouts had their tasks. The duty of a Scout team was to find the Maedra and then call up the Warrior teams. While Pharos could handle both duties without much support, depending on the Maedra's strength, Nuro was firm in the separation of work.

At Jake’s proclamation, Nuro let out a sigh. “You’ll need a skilled team to do that. Especially if Delmuth is dead. I’m not sure if anyone in Ewana could replace him.” From how he spoke, Nuro seemed to not quite say whether or not he would help. However, Jake wasn’t deterred.

“I plan to recruit not just individuals but teams as a whole.” Jake gripped the pommel of his spellblade, leaning against it to ease his nerves. “I’ve been given permission by the Council to create a special Nest Hunting squad, and I plan to teach them the tactics necessary to destroy the nests.”

Nuro’s ears twitched and the elf leaned forward, his fingers interlacing as his forearms pressed on the wood. “A team? And who will it include?"

Jake paused and looked at Mora and Tau. They sat in silence, their eyes staring at him. Wyicks and Pari had also come over, both of them loitering just behind Nuro. Jake swallowed the lump in his throat and organized his thoughts. He could practically feel the pressure on him now but having their interest was good enough. At least that’s what he told himself.

“Two or three red Scout teams, three warrior teams, and then two support teams comprised of healers, runners, and workers carrying collector stones to set along the cleared route.” Once more, Nuro let out a hum and then turned toward Tau and Mora. Tau placed a hand on his chin and stared down at the floor.

“That’s enough men to clear a significant amount of a tunnel, but an entire nest?” Tau mused, speaking out loud for all to hear. Mora nodded as if agreeing.

“It’s a lot but a nest has several of the beasts. It’s a breeding ground so they’re far more aggressive. We’ve also heard reports of new types showing up in the tunnels, so they’ll likely be at the nests too.” After her words, Nuro looked at Jake.

“You must mean the Guardian and Arachkin types, right?” Mora nodded. “Both can be defeated. The Arachkin types are similar to commanders. They sit in the back and give orders without being directly involved. You can kill them with magic or ranged attacks. The Guardians are big but slow. Get their attention and then attack them from the sides. Their actual bodies are much softer than the usual Beast.” Jake took the moment to describe the new threats he had come across. He also described how he believed they could be beaten. It would take actual battlefield trial-and-error to figure out the proper methods but he would offer what he could for now.

“I know of the catalyst as well,” Nuro leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “Using one of those would lower the Beast numbers considerably. If we brought two, it would lower their numbers even more. The problem is procuring them.”

“Is the method hard?” Jake still hadn’t been introduced to the person who could make the catalysts so he wasn’t sure what it would take.

“No, but it’s the materials that are tricky to come by. The heart of it is a Beast crystal. One that is pure, unbroken, and stable. It requires extracting the crystal from the Beast’s body without damaging it. Only Delmuth was dumb enough to get them.” Nuro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “With him dead, we’ll need to find another source.”

Jake raised an eyebrow, confused. The crystals fueling the Maedra were simply mana crystals. “Is there something different between the Beast’s crystals and a regular mana crystal?” They had found raw mana crystal outcroppings at the recent outpost. Why not use those?

“It’s… complicated,” Nuro huffed. “Beast mana crystals aren’t like normal mana crystals. They’re capable of utilizing raw mana and turning it into usable fuel for magic without changing the mana itself. The mana remains unfiltered and gives the beasts the ability to cast magic. The magic types use that mana for their spells, just instead of collecting the mana in their core crystals, they collect it in their arms to use. They can only gather so much, though, and they’re too stupid to not use their own life source when their original stock is used up.”

“So then why does it explode?” While he understood how mana crystals worked and he could relate it all to mana sources, the large explosion didn’t make sense.

At that moment, the door behind him opened. Eyes turned as Lao and Fien entered the threshold. Lao was carrying a handful of random items and Fien looked disheveled. Jake stepped out of the way, clearing a path for the two to walk.

“What timing.” Nuro chuckled and shook his head. “Lao. Explain to the boy how your crystals work.”

“What?” Jake blinked as the words registered. “You made them?"

“Huh?” Lao stopped before he entered his workspace. Fien, not paying attention, stumbled into him and the two toppled over. Spare parts, various tools, and what looked to be a few rolls of bread were scattered. “Ah! Now you’ve done it!”

Fien let out a whine. “Why did you stop?" The two yelled at one another as they began to clean up the mess. Lao berated her for a few breaths before, having had enough, Fien smacked him with a book and then left him to clean up himself.

“Lao!” Nuro barked.

“Wha-! Oh. What do you wish to know?” Lao shook off the hit and then continued to clean up, first fetching the bread rolls.

“Your catalyst. How does it work?” Jake asked. He walked over to help clean up, thinking it was a fair exchange for knowledge.

“Ah, that catastrophe of an experiment.” Lao groaned. “I discovered the fragility of Beast Mana Hearts. They are excellent conduits for raw and unrefined mana. However, they have a limit on how much mana they can contain. By filling the crystal to its breaking point, the mana destabilizes and threatens to break the crystal apart. If you overload the crystal further and apply a spark to it, the mana inside will ignite and the whole thing explodes brilliantly.”

Lao let out a sigh and set down his armful of items on his desk, immediately starting to work on sorting it all out. It seemed he was dividing up the pieces to his various experiments and new creations he was working on. “A failure of an experiment to find an alternative mana source for the village but a success since we found a new potential weapon.”

It was an artificial mana explosion. That’s all it was. It was not a magic spell or a chemical mix. Just too much mana in too small of a space suddenly being expended all at once. With raw mana being more volatile than regular mana, the explosion was significantly more dangerous. Likely a surprise result that Lao wasn't expecting, but one that Nuro and the village could use.

The problem seemed to be implementation. With most battles taking place in close quarters within the tunnels, the bomb would effectively destroy the tunnel and kill everything in the vicinity. When attacking nests, though, it was the perfect tool. If it was difficult to make because of the lack of crystals available, that also explained why Darius only brought one. Maybe it was the only one he had or he didn't have many in the first place and wanted to be prudent with their use.

Now that Jake understood the process, he could change that.

“Is there a special way to get the crystal out of the Beast? Is there anything specific we need to do?” Already planning on adapting the extraction process to his plans, Jake asked for more information.

Thankfully, Lao shook his head. “Nope! Any old beast's heart will do. So long as it is intact and without cracks! The core must be undamaged or it’ll leak the mana we feed it. If you can get the heart of a Mage-type, it’s even better. Crystals like those are excellent mana conduits. The arms would be fine, too. I can make three bombs if you bring me an intact and decent-quality arm.”

Jake turned to Nuro. “If he can make several of the bombs, I know of a spell that will cleanse the mana around a nest. It makes the air poisonous to the beasts and makes them easier to kill. Once we clear the nest, the beasts won’t be able to return to it.”

“I’ve heard of such a spell. That woman, Helena? Delmuth told me she knew of it but thus far she has been unwilling to teach us.”

“She’s willing now. After Darius passed, she told me she would teach me how to use it and I’ll make sure I get her permission to teach members of the team. It does take a lot of mana, though.” When he thought about it, Jake was reminded of just how much mana was required to trigger the spell. It wasn’t enough to knock him out but the amount felt significant. More than the average mage might have. Helena and Jake were obviously not average. If that were the case, then it may be impossible for the Oryx to use it anyway.

Nuro seemed unphased as he looked at Fien. “What do you think?”

Fien blinked. “Think of what?” “Can you handle the spell?”

“I would need to see it first, but I don’t see why I couldn’t.” Fien shrugged and then looked at Jake. “I’m nowhere near his level of mana capacity but I have plenty of potions mixed together that could make up for the difference.”

“Well then. It seems we might have something here.” Nuro leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms and hands on his desk. “Find me your warriors and another Scout team, boy. Do that and I think we may be willing to lend you a hand.”

Nuro’s words caused Jake to stop. He stared at the dark elf and then looked around the room at the others. All but Lao were staring at him with slight smirks on their faces as if they had been waiting for a moment like this. Wyicks grinned and turned away, walking towards the sparring area.

“What? Really?” Jake had truly believed Nuro would be against him. However, with the potential for success being set before them and the biggest issue being manpower, Nuro seemed not to be very reluctant. Or had Jake misunderstood from the beginning? “Why? What happened to Scouts only doing Scout things?”

Nuro’s brow lifted for a moment before he laughed. “Oh, that? I was mad at you because you brought attention to yourself, not because you cleared out to the outpost. I was actually quite happy about that.” Nuro stood up from his chair and walked around to the front of his desk. He lifted a leg as he leaned into it. “The Council has been on its last leg for several years, bleeding the favor of Ewana’s people. In recent months, that tension has only grown tense as casualties in the tunnels have increased. When you cleared up to the Outpost and showed off how strong you were, you provided them with an out. You and your success will help the Council regain the trust of the people. By becoming their tool, their hand that defeats the Beasts, the Council will say that they have found a way to change the tide of the fight. They will also say that they have recruited someone skilled to protect the village.”

Oh, so that was why. Nuro was upset because Jake had essentially become the ‘hero’ the Council was looking for. Now instead of Jake being able to live his own life and go into the tunnels freely without scrutiny, the Council would be taking any of his accomplishments as their own. All because he now carried the purple card which practically screamed ‘Council’s Lapdog’. How foolish he had been…

“Either way, what’s done is done. We are all working to ensure Ewana's safety. The Council’s meddling aside, if there is a way to beat the Beasts and protect this village then we have no reason to not give it a try.” Nuro looked toward Tau and Mora with a smile on his face. “What do you all think? Shall we return the favor for once?”

Tau nodded firmly. “It would be nice, for once.”

Mora gave the Oryx a nudge. “Don’t be so down about it, Tau. We all know how delighted you are.” Tau rumbled and stood up, excusing himself as he left to join Wyicks. Mora giggled as she splayed out on the couch. “I, for one, am happy to hear about it all. Fighting and losing all the time is boring."

“There you have it.” Nuro clapped his hands and smiled down at Jake. “So long as you can recruit the other teams, you can add us to your numbers.”

Jake immediately bowed his head and squeezed the elven blade on his hip. “Thank you. All of you.” Before he could stand, Nuro’s feet appeared in his vision. The dark elf placed a hand on the back of his head.

“This is all on you, Jake. Don’t thank us.” Nuro’s hand lifted and Jake straightened out. The dark elf’s smile widened. “I should be thanking you. Delmuth always wished that the village would one day be able to fight for itself properly but he just never knew how to do it. He didn’t have the connections or the social ability. He was always so timid when it came to negotiating, but you, you are different.” Nuro leaned forward and gripped Jake’s shoulder.

“The village knows of you. The Scouts are already whispering about you. The Warriors have told stories of a new Human Scout who will fight beside them. It’s lit a fire in some of them and they are starting to believe just a little bit that they can find a way forward.” Nuro pulled back and returned to his desk.

“Give them that ability, Jake.” Nuro stopped beside his desk. “Give them the ability to have hope again. Something they’ve needed for a long, long time.”

Jake’s hand tightened around the hilt of his weapon.

“Yes, sir."