Kaden lay back against the trunk of his tree, listening to fire crackle and enjoying the smell of roast goose, while Trella, pleased as could be, juggled daggers to entertain children, passing them off to her deceptions.


    “See, here’s the thing,” Kaden said to Sigrun through a mouth full of goose. “I don’t need a tree. I’ve got a whole forest, and in fact, the magic of FangWood probably regrew this one in minutes. You do need a tree.”


    Sigrun had recognized her poor bargaining position from the start but that didn’t stop her. “But here is my thing. Your tree is in the middle of my village. I’m going to charge you for storing it. For guarding it. For protecting it from [Ice Beavers].”


    “I have an axe and a powerful need for a pile of woodchips,” Kaden answered. “You don’t want to aggravate me. I’ve always wanted to tame an Ice Beaver.”


    Sara had watched the entire exchange, arms crossed, pseudopods arched over her head to protect her from the snow. “Ice Beavers aren’t an actual Beast.”


    Actually, they were, according to [Beast Knowledge]. Maybe that wasn’t relevant. “We’ll think on it. We’ll negotiate.”


    [Makur] meat was rich and strongly flavored and so gamey the film stayed on Kaden’s tongue for hours after the meal, but [Razor Goose], that was a meal. He waved a nearly-gnawed wing to Trella. “Which one did you shoot?”


    “I tried to tell you I didn’t shoot any of them,” she answered. “They have a skill that projects an illusion of them a few feet away.I had my Deceptions slash everything in four foot circle.” She held up a feather. The sharpened edges gleamed in the firelight. The long, blue feathers were prized as work knives. They didn’t rust, and about the time the enchantment let them dull, the feather disintegrated. Letting the Resyr claim them was an easy surrender.


    *What do you actually plan to do with the tree?* Sara asked via [Mind Speech]. Her range and control was so much better from years of practice at Dervish’s Summoning Services.


    *I can’t give it to them. That’s not allowed and even if it were, I wouldn’t,* Kaden replied. *Do they have anything we can trade?*


    *Mead. Verdant Vineyard will produce high quality mead. Theirs is better. This would be sought in the same way a [Phoenix Feast] is.* Sara’s face didn’t betray the conversation inside. *In a week, everything will change. Clans will want to trade for what we have—and that’s before Trella’s [Fire Soul] potions.*


    That reminded Kaden. He drew the [Alchemist’s Eye] from Inventory and tossed it through the air at Trella, who snatched it without even looking—then shouted as she slipped it on. “How much did this cost? Whoops, I mean, probably not a ton. No reason to look at me. Just a woman celebrating some jewelry.”


    The shadows beside him bubbled as Trella rose and then sat beside him. “Do any shopping today?”


    “A little.” He took her hand. “It’s supposed to make inversions more manageable. Not ‘easy.’”


    Trella fiddled with the [Alchemist’s Eye]. “I can set it to show me reaction rate and both aspects, that will let me gauge the appropriate inversion point. I’ve just been guessing and developing a good feel from the color. This lets me measure.”


    “What about other potions? Anything you could use to raise your quality rating?”


    She closed her eyes. “I’ll need to do a search. Actually, I’ll just ask Nieman. Did you get the supplies?”


    “Already stored. I had to take a break earlier. Sigrun was an inch from throttling me and Gunar was worried.” Kaden checked his inventory. “You know how you brewed Attribute Potions from Cloud’s manure?”


    “Gryphon shit is the good shit,” Trella said. “You…got more?”


    “From the Ice Dragon. I traded it for the eyepiece.”


    She seemed lost in thought. “It will be a good trade. Measured through the years of use I get from this? I’ll make it such a good trade.”


    “Never doubted it.” Kaden lay back and dozed until moonrise.


    Sara was already dressed, Trella wore her [Snow Stalker] gear, and Ashi had added white fur to her mana wraps, though she seemed distant and out of sorts. Kaden couldn’t sense her emotions the way she could his, but he’d seen her worried before.


    Trella was already preparing. “Tonight, we’re going to hunt domain creatures, and if we can, we’ll do it without going in. There’s plenty of time to hunt inside but tonight is about caution and making sure we gather more essences than we need for [Fire Soul]. That means I’m using Deceptions, Sara’s using a bow, Ashi and Eve are all ranged.”


    Kaden patted the [Ulf]. “He can’t get [Frost]. He and I will keep them off you. Sara, you can use Thorn Caster for poison.”


    Sara gladly accepted his bow. “Tonight, we not only hunt, we harvest. Just so you understand, I submitted an alliance plan to the Mercari last night. My hatred for them doesn’t extend to the gold they offer.If Eve can broker an alliance between three clans, we all receive a hundred gold. Four clans, two hundred gold. Five, five hundred gold. Each.”


    Eve’s jaw dropped. “I asked—”


    “Gold is cheap, war is expensive. But you haven’t recognized the cut-throat truth. They do not care who leads the clans. Only that the civil war ends. I assure you every party out here has received the same offer.” Sara’s horrors pointed to the darkness. “We have an advantage bought by each of you. Kaden brought back their dead. Trella holds the key to removing [Frost], Eve’s status cleansing has made her a goddess. Let’s press the advantage.”


    ###


    Six hours of hunting had them dozens of miles from the Resyr village. Between Trella and the [Ulf]’s scouting, every domain gate except two had met the same fate—an agony cloud, a [Moon Strike] Barrage, Ashi unleashing [Big Boom] and Sara relentlessly loosing arrows at the monsters. The two exceptions were an Ice Spider the size of a house and a living storm even Ashi wasn’t sure how to damage.


    Better to leave those to dawn and the fading of the Domain’s power. Instead, they pushed north east, where Trella had spotted set of domain gates so close a single [Agony Cloud] would send all three running.


    Ashi had taken to soaring up and then activating [Hover]. All spell costs increased while [Hover] was active but it made her death from above, firing precision blasts of fire and lightning to confused monsters who never knew if their enemy was the one before them or behind.


    “Eve, the [Ulf] got hit hard by those [Polar Trolls].” Kaden felt the pain through the Soul Bond.


    “Of course.” Eve pressed her hand to the [Ulf]’s side. “I prefer Vip, but there are definite advantages to size and ferocity. And thick fur.”


    The [Ulf]’s emotions said it didn’t understand this healing. The way of its kind was to fight and feel pain, to live with that pain until it dulled, and then fight again. It shook the blood from its muzzle and whined.


    Trella—was missing. Then again, she might be setting up for an [Agony Cloud].The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The shadows beside him warped into Trella’s form, and spoke in her voice. “We’re not alone out here, and you can assume they’re not here for hugs. They’re stalking you, I don’t think they’ve spotted Sara and Eve.”


    Kaden relayed the warning to Ashi, Sara, and Eve. Then moved closer to the nearest domain gate, using the glowing blue to outline himself. The spawn here were like wyverns, walking on two legs, but without wings. Their stubby fore-legs ended in misshapen three-clawed hands, and only thick tails kept them balanced.


    [Identify] failed each time Kaden used it, showing garbage and _EXTINCT_ENTITY_. But their behavior said they were uncomfortable in the wide expanse and more concerned with defending the Domain Gate than hunting those at the edge of the gate’s soft blue glow.


    “Come on out and say hello!” Trella’s voice behind him made Kaden jump. “We’re hunting Domain Beasts, but there’s plenty for everyone. Of course, you were headed east toward that clan. Under really pitiful [Stealth].”


    “Randal, you failed us. You’re supposed to be our assassin, keeping us safe from all the others.” The voice was rich and hearty, and the man it was attached to materialized out of the darkness, a [Knight] in heavy polished silver plate, and beside him, a rotund [Paladin] wearing armor that might really be gold. Just behind them stood an [Archer] whose bow gave off a blazing red light, and a curious man with a bald head and brown robes whose [Identify] didn’t seem right. Each time Kaden used it, it gave a momentary discription that flickered out.


    Randal was the assassin wrapped in white rags knotted up and down their arms, who dropped into the snow like he’d been flying. “We didn’t see you there. [Stealth]?”


    Trella hadn’t moved since she spoke.


    Kaden took the lead. “My name’s Kaden Birch, we’re with the Resyr clan south. Lots of [Makur] to trade and also one tree. Sara said there’d be a meeting next week, so it’s good to meet you. Who’s the party Leader?”


    The [Paladin] looked briefly unsure, exchanging glances with the knight. “That’s me. You’re not marked as a leader, so I’m not sure what you’d want.”


    The Quest Panel and leader exchange was still available, and Kaden focused on him until [Identify] finally worked. “Oh, there you are! Richard Run. Good to meet you, Richard. I just sent your contact information to Sara. She’ll reach out.”


    “You said no one would be able to [Identify] us,” the [Knight] whispered.


    [Keen Hearing] made it so he should have shouted it.


    “Hello?” Sara’s voice rang out at a distance. “Kaden! Trella, where are you?”


    “That’s our Party Leader,” Kaden said. He didn’t see Trella, but he felt her close and reached out with [Mind Speech]. *Their Assassin is gone. Don’t know where he is.*


    Trella didn’t answer, but Kaden didn’t doubt she was aware, and the [Ulf] had stopped moving. It hid off to Kaden’s left. [Pack Tactics] struggled because Kaden was human, but it worked just well enough through [Beast Soul] to say the [Ulf] would strike the mage, the [Vampire Healer].


    Kaden froze. [Identify] had briefly locked on and showed the right information. He shared the information to Sara. “What’s a [Vampire Healer] do? We have a [Transfusionist] who can burn three thousand health in one go. I bet it’s similar.”


    The night wind howled, as the [Knight] and [Paladin] exchanged an unspoken conversation.


    “Odd, I don’t see you on the registry,” Sara said. “I just relayed your information to the Mercari to have them fix it. You, [Archer], you’re Jana Mel, correct? Which means the Eclipse Hunter must be here somewhere. I checked your Quest Logs, you’ve always taken jobs together.”


    Kaden was counting steps to the [Knight] and planning to use the man’s armor to crush him. There was still a chance this wouldn’t end in blood, but the chance grew smaller by the second.


    “We’ve been out all night,” Richard-The-Paladin said. “We need to get some sleep to be ready for tomorrow night.”


    “Which clan are you working for? I’d like to know where we can count allies.” Sara’s question held the slightest threat.


    “Our employers are concerned only for their safety,” Richard answered. “You can understand hownervous everyone is. We have standing orders to attack any clan members who approach.”


    If it bothered Sara, she didn’t show it. “I understand. That said, I’ll be visiting every clan by order of the Mercari. I’d appreciate you not attacking me, since I’m operating as the Mercari representatitive. By appreciate, I mean there won’t be consequences as long as you mind your own business.”


    She didn’t need to state there would be consequences if they did.


    This had obviously been planned as a sneak attack on another clan, but if it was a regular occurence or the first strike, Kaden couldn’t say, but he did know how to find out. They’d head east toward the clan that was being attacked and find out. And though Kaden wanted to label clans ‘friends’ or ‘foes’ there were arguments here that had carried for centuries. Friends might see this as a chance to settle old stores just as much as enemies.


    “I said, we go.” Richard nodded to the others, then looked to Sara. “Follow us and I’ll assume it’s an attack. You’re not even level thirty, don’t borrow trouble.”


    “Of course not. Then again, the nice thing about higher level adventurers is the great loot they drop. We’re going to hunt these Domain Beasts. You may want to move clear,” Sara said. “Everyone, take the closest gate, full force.”


    ‘Full Force’ was a phrase Sara had never used, so Kaden took it as “Be impressive.”


    An [Agony Cloud] exploded behind the closest of the three Domain Gates, sending the mutant [Wyverns] fleeing out into the night. Kaden met the closest one with [Moment of Speed], striking it in the knee. He twisted to avoid the mouth full of teeth that would have crushed his ribs and delivered a second blow.


    Brutal Blows has delivered a permanent injury!


    The monster’s knee caved in backwards and it thrashed in circles.


    Kaden ignored it since Sara could use her range, and instead moved on the one which hadn’t run toward the other gates. He unleashed the [Eldritch Shield] and [Shield Bashed] it for the minor stun. Ashi, Trella, and Eve hadn’t attacked at all, but it was fine by Kaden.


    He dove out of the way as Sara loosed arrows. Every time the beast recovered, [Shield Bash] left it stunned for another arrow or three. It was the slowest way to kill a monster ever, but a very effective way to kill the idea that his party was an easy target.


    The second Domain Gate crawled with wasps the length of Kaden’s arm. With no nest to defend and no direction to the nest, they’d stuck close to the gate, as ‘darkness’ and ‘wasp attack’ were rarely terms that one used together. [Speeding Wind] added just the slightest edge, but Kaden appreciated every advantage.


    Now, Kaden needed them to make a point. *Use Anthem,* He sent via [Mind Speech], then used [Moment of Speed] to burst toward the wasp-gate and [Shield Bash] three of them. The other five—make that nine, would follow. A swarm erupted in the night air and Kaden dodged the fifteen that now attempted to land on him to bite and sting.


    All twenty—the damn things were emerging from the gate by the fistful knew only that they wanted him dead and that he was not yet dead. Nothing attacked the nest and survived.


    Kaden’s mana burned away as he used [Moment of Speed] to dodge sting after sting.


    He wasn’t ready when [Anthem of the End] struck.


    Sara’s pseudopods had flared open their four-way jaws and now belted out a dirge for existence, for every drop of matter. Every star it would devour and even the empty space it would consume. This wasn’t AOE damage, it was AOE destruction.


    Kaden activated [Destruction Aura] as he dodged wasps. Attacking was not an option, not when his opponents were numerous and fast, but as his vision turned red and Kaden spewed blood from his mouth, every second was an attack.


    [Anthem] ceased for the slightest moment, just enough to throw the wasps off balance, then blasted out again, a pattern that had the ground crawling and creaking with five foot wasps. Wasps who weren’t flying. Wasps who were, in that moment, prey.


    Sara moved among them, using swords to mangle wings and letting her Horror feast as it saw fit, and Kaden, too, used boots and Remembrance to dispatch them, snatching each into Inventory as it died. His legs ached where a stinger had pierced the armor, and a wasp head hung from his arm, the mandibles still locked.


    Oh, and his health had dropped by eighteen hundred, which would be a real problem if the other party decided now was the right time to attack. Kaden drew a healing potion and swigged it, then tossed the remainder to Sara. “We lost some wasps. They flew out into the darkness.”


    “There’s always a few random wasps somehwere,” Sara answered. “Well, that was an invigorating hunt. Not challenging, but fun.”


    Kaden leaned on Remembrance and listed with [Keen Hearing]. *They’re not speaking. I don’t know where they are.*


    *Anthem has a way of disrupting plans,* Sara answered. *I don’t want to reveal Eve or Ashi until we know if there’s going to be full-contact negotiations.*


    Kaden began to dispense wasps and [Reap Materials] from them, collecting a poison that would slow the victim. Trella might be able to refine it further. The thought made him brave enough to return to the wasp-gate and smash the ones who clung to it, burned by the [Agony Cloud].


    The sun’s first light banished the domain gates and the monsters it spawned.


    “Good news!” Kaden called as he returned to where Sara stood. “The wasps killed one of those deformed wyverns. Free essence!”


    A mount of snow shook and rumbled, and the [Ulf] rose up. Beneath it lay Eve, completely covered by its stealth. Trella faded into existence beside him as Ashi plumeted from the sky, dropping lightly to the ground.


    “The last did not leave until dawn,” Ashi said. “They watched and waited, and I do not know where the [Assassin] is.”


    “I know where he is. We had a meet & greet when he went after Eve.” Trella answered. “I threw the corpse through the Domain Gate, it will keep his party guessing. Did he run off? Did he get attacked by monsters? Let’s get back to the village. I have [Fire Soul] potions to refine.”


    Kaden handed her wasp poison. “Some kind of Slow?”


    Her laugh was musical. “So slow Vip would puke. When we’re back, I want to talk about what I learned from their assassin. He was the chatty kind, and it affects all of us.”