The path to the castle required the careful avoidance of two nearby settlements. The point of greatest concern was a thin road between the two. While the rest of the party stayed behind at the camp, Thesa and Merijest scouted ahead to check it out.

  It was nearing sunset, but due to the solar cycle, the Astrogon sun had fallen asleep some time ago and the remaining light was less pronounced. In the shadows of the trees, little was visible.

  ***

  ***

  Sure enough, a single Horstrich pulled a covered wagon bumping along the dirt path at a meager pace.

  “It should pass shortly,” Thesa observed.

  “Why the nighttime ride?” Merijest wondered. “Should we make contact?

  “Do we really want to risk that?”

  “It could also be a good chance to get updated on some news. Not to mention, there haven’t been many chances to recruit sapient [Familiars] since we left the [Dungeon].”

  Thesa gulped.

  “You got this,” Merijest said with a soft smile, her canine teeth showing. She kissed her [Witch] on the cheek.

  Thesa gulped harder. Now she was anxious and a little distracted.

  ***

  ***

  One foot at a time, Thesa stepped into the road. The Horstrich slowed to a stop with a muttered bray but before Thesa could say a word, a pair of blade-wielding [Rogues] burst from the trees: a rat-folk and a halfling.

  They spoke at once, overlapping each other, but Thesa thought she heard “hands in the air!” from the rat-folk who she recognized as Grilby and “empty ya pockets!” from Thistle, the halfling.

  The pair looked at one another.

  “Thistle, we talked abouts this,” Grilby snapped.

  “And I thoughts we agreed to gets to the point,” Thistle replied.

  Standing between Thesa and the wagon, their attention was such that they didn't even notice her.

  Grilby put a hand to their forehead and turned back toward the still-covered wagon. “Sorry fors the confusion, friends,” they said. “We only means to takes some of ya goods. No intents to harms.”

  Thesa looked back to Merijest who merely shrugged. Thesa cleared her throat.

  Grilby leapt in the air as they turned back to see and recognize the demoness. Thistle shouted, “aye!” and somersaulted back into the trees before turning to beckon their comrade.

  “W-well hows abouts that,” Grilby muttered. “Fancy running into you agains miss ma’am yourself… We was just…”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Thesa couldn’t help but notice the inhabitants of the wagon had yet to reveal themselves.

  Grilby started backing toward Thistle.

  “Just go, Grilby,” Thesa said. “I’m not going to chase after you.”

  “Always a pleasure,” Grilby nodded a hundred times. “Wish we could meets under better circumstances, your ladyness.” And with that they turned tail.

  Thesa looked back to Merijest, uncertain how to proceed with the wagon, but the demoness was no longer there.

  The Horstritch, growing bored, lowered its head to the ground, seizing a worm between its equine teeth.

  “H-hello?” Thesa said. “Sorry that was weird. I’m not with the [Rogues]. Bad timing and all. I…I’ll let you alone, sorry.” As she moved back toward the trees, Thesa heard the cloth cover ruffle.

  Poking out between flaps of grey cloth, a stern, the head and mane of a lion-kin appeared. She didn’t speak, but looked Thesa up and down puzzlingly.

  “Sorry,” Thesa said.

  “Come closer,” The lion-kin woman spoke with a voice low and commanding.

  Thesa felt the break of sweat under her armor as she stepped forward.

  The lion-kin woman scrunched her nose. “Half of a half-elf…”

  Thesa remained confused. Who was this lady? And where was Merijest?

  The strange woman’s head disappeared back into the wagon and without another word, the Horstritch righted itself with a brief tremble before resuming its trot past Thesa and into the night.

  Could she have been referring to the [Half-Life Revival]?, Thesa wondered.

  Looking around again, Thesa found Merijest. Her cobalt skin stood out on the other side of the woods. When she approached, she found the demoness speaking with the [Rogues].

  “...and that’s pretty much whats we knows,” Grilby shrugged.

  “What's going on,” Thesa asked.

  “I figured these two might have some information we could use,” Merijest replied.

  The [Rogues] nodded and bowed and stammered as was their wont.

  “I don’t suppose you two want to become [Familiars],” Thesa asked half-heartedly.

  “Oh such an honor madam lady,” Grilby replied. “But us twos don’t have the constitution for such a…honorable and brave undertaking.”

  Thistle nodded.

  ***

  “So what did you learn,” Thesa asked as she and her demoness walked back toward camp.

  “Nothing new,” Merijest explained. “Except that the two have escaped arrest thirty times since we last saw them.” She ducked under a low-hanging branch. “What happened with that wagon?”

  Thesa struggled to put into words what had happened. “I’m not even sure,” she replied. “She said almost nothing and none of it made any sense.”

  Merijest took Thesa’s hand and deftly spun her [Witch] into a compromising position. “She wasn’t flirting with you was she,” the demoness said with a devilish smile.

  Thesa blushed. “How would I even know that,” she said, scrambling and waving her hands.

  “Good enough,” Merijest chuckled. She loosened her grip on Thesa. “For now.” She licked her lips.

  Thesa’s brain raced to understand what Merijest was implying.

  ***

  The castle looked abandoned, but like a whale-fall it teemed with strange lifeforms. Serpentine crustaceans skittered between broken battlements. Oversized reptilian insects buzzed around the wild megaflora poking through cracks in the stone flooring.

  The party was approaching on a brick walkway that extended from an internal courtyard.

  The castle was not a [Dungeon], but it had the same capacity for danger.

  Merijest’s eyes shone with excitement as she looked from one creature to the next. Thesa, for her part, couldn’t take her eyes off of the gleaming expression on her [Stake]’s face.

  “I wish we had more days like this,” Thesa said, despite herself.

  “Really?”

  Merijest looked at her [Witch] and smirked. Her giddiness paused as she took on a more intimidating demeanor. The kind of knowing glare that sent shivers through Thesa’s shoulders.

  Thesa swallowed. Merijest knew exactly how to tease her.

  “I just mean–” Thesa stammered. “It would be nice if we could enjoy ourselves more and not always be dealing with worldly matters…” She wasn’t even sure what she was saying. They were still in a dangerous area and a Knight might show up any second. But it was the closest thing to what she was feeling. She was happy to see the happiness of someone she cared about.

  Merijest’s smirk settled back into a grin. “I agree.” She kissed Thesa on the cheek. “Maybe once we're out of ItherBeau, if we find a proper place to relax, you may take me on a date.”

  Thesa felt a stirring in her chest again. Her relationship with Merijest was still so confusing. She knew they were together. At least, that was why she got to kiss Merijest sometimes. But Thesa didn’t really know how these things were supposed to progress. Knights were discouraged from romantic ‘entanglements’ and Thesa hadn’t had the chance anyway.

  “What do we hope to find here again?” Durn asked.

  “Gai mentioned a secret passage beneath this castle that leads to a castle on the other side of the mountains. That should get us right up to the shipwreck [Dungeon] northeast of here,” Witmie said. “I was just talking about this. Don’t you listen to what I say?”

  Durn smirked. “Sometimes…” She made a silly face.

  “You’re lucky you’re so cute,” Witmie shot back. “But now you have to carry me again.” She climbed on her girlfriend’s shoulders in mock anger.

  Thesa was jealous of how comfortable those two were together.

  Witmie reiterated, “Back when we were with Gai, they said, ‘I've only been there the one time, but as a [Dungeon Core] I pick up on all the rumors being passed here and there by adventuring parties. Something about the princess having a secret passage from the courtyard to that enemy castle. Should get you closer to the course.’”

  “You really are pretty good at impressions,” Durn said with a smile.

  this? Girl, your toes!

  Thanks for reading! Consider throwing me a tip on !

  Cover and Monster Art by

  Dungeon Maps by Ailish Maura using

  Region maps by Ailish Maura using IbisPaint and FireAlpaca

  Comments, Reviews, and Follows all go a long way to support my writing!