"Again!" Renard, the old Dwarf paladin who trained all of us recruits at Light's Hope Temple, barked out the command with enough force that the ground shook.

Tristan, the beautiful quarter-elf acolyte, my constant companion since I arrived in Reial, and my semi-secret girlfriend here at the temple following our quest in Goodfield, narrowed her eyes at me. "You really think you're going to win this round?" She twirled her large, padded two-handed mace and pointed it at me. "I've been catching up to you, you know? You need to step it up."

I took a step closer, shield raised and practice sword ready. "You think so, do you?" I looked her up and down. "After a few rounds, I'll leave you tired, panting, and sore."

She smirked. "Cocky."

"Baby, you know it." I grinned. "What'll you give me when I win?"

A man began sputtering at the edge of the dirt mound we used for sparring. "While I never!"

Without looking, I knew the voice belonged to Ennel, one of the new recruits here at the temple. He had a massive crush on Tristan, and since we hadn't made things public due to the awkwardness of everyone at the temple being functionally Tristan's extended family, he was constantly trying to impress her. That wouldn't be so bad, but he was also a massive white knight. It drove her, and me, crazy.

"Do not speak to a woman of the cloth in such a tone!" Ennel's voice broke as he chastised me. "Have some respect!"

"I can take care of myself perfectly adequately, thank you very much, Ennel." Tristan shot him a look that could have wilted flowers. She hated being treated like she was some flower to be protected.

"I was just—"

"You heard the woman." I chanced a glance at the young blonde and shook my head. "She can fight her own battles."

"It's just... just... so uncouth!" The man sputtered more.

His short blonde hair waved in the wind as he fought against whatever feelings he was feeling. He was some rich kid and a future baron from one of the fiefs south of the temple. I liked him. Kind of. A little. He had a big heart and meant well, but he was pretty annoying. And, he had all the natural talent in the world and had already been made a full Templar after only two months of training.

The asshole.

Renard yelled over Ennel's tantrum, nearly shaking the very foundations of Reial with his voice. "If you two don't start training in the next second, I'll have you running to Galden and back ten times on your hands and knees!"

"Sir!" We both shouted.

I nodded at Tristan. "Wanna show him what you've got?"

She smirked. "Absolutely." Raising her weapon, she said, "But don't cry when I win. I'm going all out today."

Before I could respond, she thrust her hand toward me.

[Holy Light]

My eyes stung as bright white light erupted from her fingers, then pierced the air as it hurtled toward me. Shaking off the blindness, I dodged to the side to avoid the bolt of divine power she'd tossed at me.

"You're so predictable!" What I didn't expect was the burst of speed she suddenly had as she sprinted at me. I barely had time to raise my shield before her mace crashed down on my head.

"You've gotten fast." I stabbed under my shield, catching her in the thigh.

"Ow!" She stumbled backward, sweeping her mace in an arc to keep me back, but it wasn't good enough.

Ducking under her mace, I crouched in a ball, then sprang upward, shield ready to parry her weapon's return strike and sword aiming directly for her neck. There was no way she'd get her mace back around in time. I'd won.

A breath before my sword reached her, however, she dropped her weapon and held her hands in front of her.

[Barrier]

A glowing white barrier of energy appeared in front of her. Behind it, she was grinning.

My practice sword struck the barrier. Bouncing away like my blade was made of rubber, I stumbled sideways as I lost balance. "Not fair!" I yelled. "I want magic, too!"

She dropped down, picked up her mace, and held it up, ready to attack. "Tough." With zero pity in her cold, black, beautiful heart, she swung with all her strength at my head.

[Iron Skin]

An instant before the mace struck me, I felt my skin harden, turning to living steel. Tristan's blow landed, her practice mace shattered, and I was thrown to my side, but aside from the dull ache of my brain getting rattled, I took a blunt object being slammed into my head like a champ. Just as fast, my skin turned back to skin, and I sprang back up and spun to face her.

"And you said my magic was no fair!" Tristan was backpedaling, trying to keep distance between us, but I wasn't about to let her fight on her terms. I lifted my shield and charged.

As I rushed toward her, I grinned. "What? I worked hard to unlock that skill!" Renard had us training from sunup to sundown every day for the past two months since we'd gotten back from Goodfield. It had been grueling work, but it was paying off. Between his training and some small quests we'd gone on with Maven, I'd reached level ten, and Trisan was level nine now. He'd only agreed to let us go on the quest Faye gave us when we both reached levels in the double digits. We were close. So close.

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[Holy Light]

Light erupted from Tristan's hand again. Keeping my shield raised to block the flash, I felt as her spell connected with the wood. The shield bent around my arm, then shattered into a million toothpicks, but I didn't stop. "Good try!" As I closed the final steps, I swung with my practice sword.

[Barrier]

A new shimmering wall of light appeared around her, but this one was weaker. When my sword struck it, it dug in a good inch and got stuck.

"You were saying?" She lifted her hand and pointed it at my face.

"Mercy?"

"Go in the light." Her hand started sparkling.

I closed my eyes.

[Holy Light]

I could see words in my head, could see the light of her spell through my eyelids. Throwing myself forward onto the ground, I felt a prickling feeling on my back as her white energy shot into the sky harmlessly above me. Throwing myself back up and forward, I collided with her torso, threw my shoulder between her knees, and lifted her off the ground in a fireman carry.

"Hey!" Her feet kicked harmlessly in the air.

"Do you give up?"

"No!" She was clawing at me like an angry cat. "This isn't over!"

I turned to the east, toward the old shed the Templars used for storage. Behind it, there was a small pond fed by a thin, icy rivulet. "Last chance."

Her head turned toward the direction I was facing. She froze. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

She screamed and flailed on my shoulders, but I wasn't about to stop now. I was a man of my word. With my newfound strength and speed, I crossed the distance in ten strides. The second I hit the edge of the pond, I planted my foot and jumped with every ounce of strength I could muster.

"Aleeeexxxx!"

We soared through the air for a dozen feet before falling toward the water. I heard her shriek as the icy water engulfed us.

***

That evening, I was sitting in my bed, trying and failing to read a book called Wings and Flame: A Critical Look at Dragonkind Throughout the Ages, when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in." Sitting up, I placed the book down and waited for whoever it was to enter my room.

The door opened, and Na-Ya, the gorgeous grove elf and Tristan's cousin, entered my room. When she saw me, a smile crossed her face, and her sapphire eyes, which were so similar to Tristan's, lit up. She wore a flowing green dress that matched the color of the foliage outside, accented with leather cords and beads. "I heard what you did today." Her smile grew. "Serves her right for getting so cocky lately."

I laughed. "You're not wrong."

The woman's smile faded. "When you're ready, we're meeting out in the great hall. Renard asked for you to come, too."

I pulled my sheet off and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Standing, I walked to the corner of the room, where I'd stashed my new pair of slippers. "I'm ready now."

"Good." She disappeared out the door and left it open for me to follow.

A minute later, we were standing under the Goddess's statue, surrounded by a gaggle of familiar faces. Renard was talking to Ro-Saleh, Jorn and Maven were bickering in the corner, Voss and the other Templars who we'd traveled with two months before were sitting on the pews talking quietly with one another, and even Ennel, Nel, and Nivan—the youngest of the Templars—were sitting on one of the pews in the back and looking confused.

When I entered the room, Renard looked up and nodded at me, then returned to his conversation. It was only when Tristan stepped up beside me and nudged my hip that the old paladin finally broke away from Ro. To my surprise, however, it wasn't the dwarf who spoke but the sun elf.

"Thank you all for coming." Na-Ya's partner lifted his arms out in supplication. "As many of you are aware, Alex and Tristan will be leaving on their quest for the Hero soon. However, reports from Galden haven't been great. With Count Baelgrim vanishing, a few factions have been vying for control of the city. The mayor of Galden has asked that we dispatch a team to maintain peace in the city."

Silan, one of the senior Templars who stayed with us in Greta's house, stood up. "Why should we get involved with this?"

Ro sighed. "I know. We don't normally do things like this. The problem is..." His gold eyes focused on the floor. "They think the Crimson Kingdom might make a play for Galden."

The group of Templars on the pews murmured, and both Na-Ya and Tristan shuffled beside me. I could feel the tension radiating off of both women.

"As you know, Galden is the biggest source of glowstones and myrshale in Istaera. If they gained control of that, then it would be nearly impossible to root them out of the region."

I was lost. I had no idea what the Crimson Kingdom was or why it mattered. "Um, quick question. What's the Crimson Kingdom?"

Ro's golden eyes met mine. "Arden can explain more, I'm sure, but basically, they're a criminal syndicate based out of Cragheart that primarily sells and transports slaves. They also deal in dark magics and have been reported to be working with the Noleian Empire for some time."

I heard Ennel's voice behind me. "Filth. All of them. My father has been fighting them for years."

Ro continued. "With how important and central Galden is, if they took hold of the city and its resources, it could have severe ramifications for both us and Eastern Istaera."

It wasn't that I didn't understand the severity of what he was saying, but I could tell it was bad. "Are they strong?"

He frowned. "Yeah, they are."

"Then we'll have a good fight ahead of us."

Tristan looked at me and shook her head.

"What? You said a few months ago that this was our life now. I was just confirming."

She sighed at me, but I could tell she was more tense than normal.

"With all of this information, we've come to a conclusion: we'll be accompanying Alex and Tristan to Galden. Once there, we'll do our best to root out the Crimson Kingdom and restore stability to the city. However, while there, we are not to interfere with their quest. Alex and Tristan's quest is theirs and theirs alone. The Hero herself has ordered that we leave them to their own devices. After we've helped stabilize Galden, we'll return to the temple, with or without them. Do you understand?"

A chorus of grunts followed.

"Good. We'll be leaving in three days. Prep your gear, heal any lingering wounds, and say goodbye to your families because this might get messy."

Another round of agreement followed.

"One last thing. Once the count went missing, strange things began happening in Galden. Apparently, the mines have been particularly active, and multiple undead attacks have occurred near the catacombs. We may need to go on a dungeon dive while we're there. Plan your equipment accordingly."

The Templars began standing and talking among themselves, and several broke off into the hallways and toward their rooms.

I turned to Tristan, who was whispering with Na-Ya. I leaned in and said, "Ready for another adventure?"

Her face stayed flat. "Honestly, no." She sighed and looked at the stone floor. "I've been enjoying these peaceful days of training and going out on our simple quests. I'm not looking forward to this at all."

Just days before, she'd been saying how excited she was to go on Faye's quest. What changed? Before I could ask, Ro marched up to us.

"Know that we'll assist you any way we can."

"Thanks, Ro."

He turned and walked away with Na-Ya.

Turning back to Tristan, I said, "Want to come sneak over to my room tonight?"

Without any hesitation, she shook her head. "Not tonight." Without looking at me, she walked to our hallway, turned left, and disappeared.

I shook my head, entered our hallway, and turned the other way.

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