On her way out, Ashi explained about her plan. She would offer to teach one student from each of the clans. Each would earn a spellbook through service to their clans, and the spell that would combine with the equipment to grant them [Mage] as a class.


    Most would choose fire, but Ashi was certain Ice and Water would be viable choices too for the ability to reshape ice or form structures with water.


    The [Ulf] stayed beside Kaden, and it had shifted, happiest when someone touched it, happier when it was in his presence. It would be a problem to solve. The closest Domain gates glowed blue in the darkness as he approached—and stopped. Beserkers surrounded the gate, armed with spears and bows, cheering as they shot and stabbed the monsters.


    “Ay and Ay!” one of them shouted. “This gate’s taken for the Skan, find your own.”


    Everywhere they went, the gates lay surrounded and the monsters embattled.


    Except one gate, guarded by an Ice Golem. The tall monster had range, speed, strength and durability, meaning almost anything was easier.


    “I can hurt it, but it will focus on me,” Ashi said.


    Kaden passed Thorn Caster to Sara. “Keep your distance, I’ll distract it. Mana Drain will only give me [Frost] so none of that. If things go Princess Pear-shaped, Ashi will open a portal away.”


    The [Ulf] knew its role. Harassing prey was a stalker’s first task, and it looked forward to doing its part. The size of the monster didn’t matter to it. The danger to the [Ulf] was not part of the calculation, the benefit to the group was.


    “I have found doubt,” Ashi said.


    The golem looked larger. Much larger. Before its waist had not quite reached the top of the Domain gate. Now the carved belt around its waist cleared the top with room to spare.


    [Iceloch - Mirror Warrior]


    The Iceloch was once a great warrior, but lost for ages within the ice domain it forgot everything which made it an individual. Now it reflects the attributes of those it sees and uses those in battles. To face it is to face the essence of what you are, amplified by the power of a Domain.


    Skills: _ADAPTING_


    Talents:_ADAPTING_


    Kaden shared the status with Ashi. “It’s adapting to our presence.”


    “Remember this monster and return,” Ashi said. “You desire a challenge, but this challenge is one best faced with all all of us.”


    It rankled in his soul. Trinity would not approve, but Kaden had made mistakes before, so desperate to hunt Naski he’d been headed to Hell on his own. “We’ll be back.” Even as he spoke, the world fell away around him. His eyes saw, but not anything before him. Everything was white and terror and split second moments of giant icy feet nearly smashing him. No matter how fast he ran, it was always just behind him. He saw the [Moment of Speed] end. The block of ice foot strike him. Bones broke and the world stank of copper and burning agony and a tongue that wouldn’t stop licking his eyes.


    Each gasp drew in frozen air that stung his lungs, and Kaden couldn’t see because of someone, someone with an [Ulf] tongue. He wasn’t ready to say it was the Ulf yet but it sure seemed likely.


    “Kaden.” Ashi spoke just above him. “It was a vision, was it not? [Prophecy?]”


    Kaden rolled over and vomited. “The [Iceloch] was chasing me. It caught me.”


    “Then you have gained wisdom.”


    That was a difficult thing to say. In the months since he’d accepted [Prophecy] as a Talent, it had only come on occasion and always left him with warnings that made no sense until hindsight. “Remember the [Rabbit Dagnnos]?” Kaden couldn’t forget. “Remember how they were going to overrun Verona? And I spent three weeks hunting down the nest from my vision?”


    “And you gained wisdom. You do not shout your visions from the street corners like [Prophets.] You watch and learn. So rise, walk, and learn.” Ashi helped him up. “Trella will have her essence. They bring them, you do not need to risk yourself.”


    Except they did. “Say the Skan come tomorrow and they bring eleven essence. Do you really think they demand less than ten potions? And if tomorrow, three more clans come, how will we offer them potions?”


    They passed domain gate after domain gate, all empty. Finally, Kaden made a decision. “I’m going in. I’ll hunt smart.”


    “Then you will not be alone.” Ashi headed straight for the gate. “Should we be trapped, it will be together.”


    Kaden didn’t hesitate, with the [Ulf] on one side and Ashi on the other, he stepped through. This domain gate lay on the lake of ice that stretched far to the north. South lay a winding river mouth, east and west were staggering cliffsides. There should have been monsters. The entire domain was alive. “Where are the monsters?”


    “Be still.” Ashi’s grip on his hand tightened. “Do not move quickly. But look up.”


    High above the lake soared creatures with wings like wyverns, flesh stretched tight over thin bones, with long beakes filled with teeth that jutted out and scaley bodies. Their tails stretched, thin and flat, behind them, ending in a flat paddle. With twists and turns they used the tails to steer, gliding on the constant winds.


    [Stealth Aura] wouldn’t engage, a mistake and a lesson he’d remember now. “Let’s go back through the gate and use [Stealth],” Kaden said. “As in, run. Now.”


    His [Ulfen] boots, and the [Ulf’s] claws had no issue with the frozen lake, but Ashi’s light shoes slipped as she tried to flee. Kaden picked her up and leaped to the gate right as a cry from high above said they’d not only been spotted, but now had attention.


    For the briefest moment, Kaden found himself blind in the dark of the night, then he picked a side--left—and darted for it. Thirty seconds later, one of the soarers heads poked through the gate. It crawled forward, using wing-tips like elbows, moving in stunted, stuttering ways. As a monster, it didn’t understand there could be a difference between the Domain and the dark.


    “Get it before it is airborne!” Ashi said, shoving him.


    Kaden burst forward with [Moment of Speed], aiming for the wing membranes with the [Levicon Blade]. The [Ulf], thorugh [Pack Tactics], had chosen the other side, and raked with claws, tearing the vulnerable wings.


    In that position and that moment, Kaden held the advantage. This was a monster born to fly, making itself smaller to fit through the gate. The [Ulf] snarled as it positioned itself on the monster’s back, biting at the spine, while Kaden carved ruinous gashes in its wings.


    “Flee!” Ashi called. Her skin shifted from deep blue to glowing red, and her hands glowed. In one hand, she held the thinnest spellbook Kaden had ever seen. The other hand wove patterns in the air. “[Fire Lance!]”Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    What emerged wasn’t a gout of flame, but a spear of molten stone that Ashi threw.


    Her aim was not good.


    Her strength was abysmal.


    Her range left everthing to be desired, but the lance sank through the monster, spearing its leg to the earth.


    “We’ll work on that one,” Kaden said, drawing [Remembrance]. This was barely a battle against a wounded, trapped beast. The hammer felt lifeless in his hands. Which wasn’t to say it didn’t smash or cut, but only with his strength.


    The [Ulf] approved. Trapped, wounded, weak prey were the best prey. One could starve to death on a diet of honor. It chose to gnaw and scrape and dig at the monsters’s spine until a combination of poison from Thorn Caster and gashes from Remembrance killed the beast.


    Kaden pulled the entire corpse into Inventory. “Nine essence will have to do.”


    “I am sorry. My spells are not yet fixed, my book does not know what I need. It tries to serve,” Ashi said. “Burning that creature cost us Essence.”


    Perhaps.


    “Nine is better than none. Nine gives Trella room to work. Nine buys Eve leverage to say ‘Why not an alliance between us?’”


    The [Ulf] approved of alliances. Wolf paws often joined together to kill larger prey in the Domain. Lost in thought, Kaden acted on instinct, slashing at the movement in the dark—through a mana bird. Sara’s green parrot landed on his arm. “I met with the Mercari and asked the right questions this time. I’m helping Eve with negotiations and would appreciate the backup if you’re not deep in the Domain.”


    Ashi was already sending a mana-dragon in response. “What do you believe, of my plan to train [Mages]?”


    “You can do almost anything,” Kaden answered. “Try it. If all it costs is scrolls and books we stole from the Emporium, then the cost is actually nothing. The question is, how do you get an equal exchange out of this?”


    The System penalized pure gifts most of the time, though starting someone toward a class was such a minor gift it rarely registered. Families and Party Members could bypass some of those restrictions, but this was different.


    “I have a plan. Evelyn approves and will assist.” Ashi seemed quite sure of herself.


    The crowd at the Resyr village had, in fact, grown. Eve stood near a fire surrounded by a half-moon of beserkers, speaking in quiet, confident tones. Sara and Drokor were involved in a shouting match.


    Kaden headed for Trella’s lab.


    She hunched over her table, a string of potions to one side. “They’re bringing essence in far faster than I can brew, and the expectations are ridiculous. It took ten of Drokor’s clan to force one woman out of here and I’m certain she stole a potion.”


    “Here. These don’t come with expectations.” Kaden gave her the Essence. “How long has it been since you slept?”


    “A while. I’m fine.”


    No woman in the history of the world had been ‘fine’ when fine was claimed. Sara was a master businesswoman. Eve could negotiate with the Administrators themselves. Kaden knew how to take care of his family. He headed out, raising his voice to silence the crowds. “Our [Alchemist] is exhausted. She’s going to get some sleep, eat, and recover, because at this point, odds of a failure that waste your harvested essence are going up with every minute. Eve and Sara will handle distribution of what’s been brewed.”


    The ugly undercurrent in conversation grew louder by the moment, but Sara’s sharp nod said she approved, and Eve was already heading toward him to collect the available potions. She trotted down and appraised the situation, then returned. “Gather and listen. I want one representative from each oathsworn clan. If you have yet to swear an oath of peace-by-the-day, I’ll be happy to receive it afterwards.”


    As far as Eve was concerned, everything was already settled. The [Ulf] moved over to lay beside her, a silent support whose presence would lend weight to everything Eve said. Kaden summoned Vip and headed down into the groundhouse, where he found Trella asleep at the table, still clutching a fresh potion.


    He turned off the burner, bottled the potion and pulled a bedroll from Inventory. It wasn’t asking too much to stay beside her. To lend her warmth. Looking at Trella brought a thousand feelings along with the memories. She wasn’t an unclassed girl with fear as her foundation anymore.


    In fact, if anyone held the power here and now, it was Trella. Men would kill at her command, clans would go to war for her favor. And yet what she wanted was the experiences. He’d make sure she got them.


    ###


    “Where did you put my equipment?” Trella asked as she half chewed, half gulped fried [Razor Goose].


    Kaden tapped his ear. “Sorry, I can’t understand a word you’re saying. Maybe after you’ve eaten some more. Sara, did you see any Alchemy equipment?”


    “I did not, but I’m certain it will show up at some point,” Sara answered. “How many hours were you awake and how many hours did you sleep?”


    Trella put a hand on Kaden’s. *Where?*


    He shrugged. The [Rogue] code for *Hard to Say* was literally *Trap in Mouth*, but she knew what he meant. “Where’s Ashi?”


    “She went to get equipment,” Sara said. “As much as Trella wants to go back to being a potion slave day and night, I’d like to explain what I learned from the Mercari.”


    She didn’t hesitate, beginning with the original quest, to ensure beserker clans acknowledged their debts. That Quest remained active, and the Mercari weren’t even remotely surprised or upset that some of the clans had refused to acknowledge debts.


    Also not surprised or impressed that Sara had extracted acknowledgements from the weaker ones, ones who owed little to begin with. What had impressed her Quest Broker was the knowledge that another group was paying parties to prolong the crisis.


    “The Mercari aren’t remotely interested in who winds up leading, they are interested in repayment as a general principle and reestablishing trading. Keep in mind, if other clans had FarPortals, and we had been assigned to, say, the Fen, the story would be told from their point of view,” Sara said.


    Eve pointed to Trella and then Trella’s plate before commenting. “From the Fen point of view, they were being sacrificed. Their warriors used to fight other people’s battles for agreements the current generation never made or benefited from. Kai Fen may be a terrible leader but he’s the man who broke the accords for his clan’s benefit.”


    “The clans must be allowed to work this out to whatever end they agree on. Stationing Adventurers here is to prevent genocide and make everyone pause before launching all-out war.” Sara sounded less happy about the first part. “If they agree Kai Fen is the new leader, we depart. It wasn’t our right to decide what happened in Xiao. It’s not our right to decide here.”


    “So do we surrender attempts to negotiate peace?” Eve asked.


    “No. Working to get clans to agree isn’t taking their right to decide. The Mercari aren’t ones to directly confront, and there are any number of Factions who might benefit from war. I frankly don’t expect help. I absolutely expect them to honor the terms of our Quest, anything else would be bad business.”


    Trella stretched and stood. “I need to go for a run before I do anymore alchemy. I’m not built to sit still for days. Sorry, Kaden, you can’t [Shadow Walk] and I honestly don’t want to be with anyone. Alone would be good.”


    “And if Kai Fen were watching? Waiting?” Eve asked.


    “Please. I’m a [Shadow Blade]. Even in the daylight I’m hard to catch, and if Kai Fen were dumb enough to take me hostage? The other clans would march on him.” Trella slipped on her [Snow Stalker] gear. “Tell you what, I’m going to make the same speech to our friends.”


    Kaden went with her, ignoring how he wanted to keep her close so she’d be safe. Trella’s speech was brutally quick and went straight for the vital organs of the matter. She was going on a run. Following, harrassing, kidnapping, or murdering her wouldn’t be tolerated.


    Several of the women volunteered to go with her.


    Kaden recognized the [Huntress] who Trella had trained with, but not any of the others. Most of them wouldn’t be able to keep up. Kaden was built for distance, capable of speed and still struggled when Trella truly ran. And he suspected she’d be going all-out.


    Trella’s Deception appeared beside Kaden, pale in the bright light. “We’ll be back. I know you’re worried. She knows you’re worried. We all know. We’ll be back.”


    In the blink of an eye it melted away—and with it went Trella, sprinting, leaping over the snow like the world’s largest, most deadly rabbit. A rabbit armed with [Ink Blades] and shadow skills and [Agony Cloud] potions. Generally speaking, the kind of rabbit one would avoid hunting because the line between you hunting it and it making a stylish and tasteful nest in your bones was razor thin.


    With her gone, Eve worked in a cold and efficient manner, distributing potions to be ferried back to the clans, and explaining to two more groups the rules by which everyone would operate. Days of no initial aggression in return for [Fire Soul] potions, and of course, a lengthy treatise on how the clan members were welcome to make their own decisions and welcome to find alternatives.


    Sara spoke with both, explaining the Mercari demands—and who could vouch for a clan. Her patience exceeded Kaden’s. Then again, she knew they’d return.


    His worry was distracted by an urgent Quest Prompt, one on the Party Leader interface. Ydra had tagged him when she issued the Quest, and it was issued to him—and only him.


    Quest: Monkey Business - Someone has been poaching crystalline cappuchins. Help the druids identify the culprit. Reward: 1x Naturi Faction Token, Faction Favor, 1x Crystal Cappuchin.


    Kaden accepted the Quest and headed for the FarPortal, gently directing the [Ulf] to protect Eve, protect Sara, or sleep. Preferrably not by tossing Sara and Eve into a pile and sleeping on them, but if that was what had to happen, he’d understand. It was time to deal with some poachers.