"Everyone ready?" I took a look at my adventuring party, who'd been slowly gathering outside the upper manor. From the look of them, everyone seemed like they were. Before we left, however, I wanted to make sure. That was what good leaders did, right?

Ro looked away from Na-Ya for a moment and said, "We're all set here," before turning back to his partner.

"I was born ready." Vral twirled a dagger between her fingers.

Looking her over, I noticed that she was strapped with more blades than I'd ever seen on a single person. They were on her back. Her hips. Lining her thighs. A short sword was even jutting up over her shoulder. The thing was, aside from all the weapons, there wasn't much else. Not that I was complaining... It was a good look. Really good. I couldn't look away from those leather-covered thighs of hers.

Shaking the view of her thighs out of my head, I asked, "What did you do with all the food we bought yesterday?"

"I put it all in your pack."

"Don't you think you should carry some, too?"

She shook her head. "How can I fight if I can't move? Don't be silly. Plus, that's what I have you for!"

"True." I adjusted my pack's strap. I noticed it looked a little fuller than it had been before we went to sleep, but I hadn't realized that it was heavier. Not even a little. How strong was I at this point? Based on the few feats I'd pulled off lately, like holding a collapsing tunnel up with one arm, I had to be quite a bit stronger than the strongest people back on Earth... but how much stronger? I decided I needed to test how strong I'd gotten whenever I got a chance. There had to be a gym or something somewhere in Reial. It might be fun.

"I, uh..." Tristan stepped closer. "I also added some of my gear to your pack. It was a little too heavy for me. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all. Like Vral said, that's what I'm here for."

"You sure?"

"Definitely."

She walked up and kissed my cheek. "You put up with a lot for us."

"Oh, no," I deadpanned. "What's become of my life? Here I am, supporting the two beautiful women who've decided to stick by my side for some dumb reason. In return, they snuggle against me at night and give me more love than I deserve. How horrible for me."

"You deserve all the love, Mr."

"And you always give it."

She grinned. "Well, if it gets heavy, just think of it like extra training."

Flexing my arm, I grinned and said, "I'll never turn down the opportunity to do some extra training."

As Tristan turned to watch some passersby, I looked her over. The priestess looked good, too. Damn good. She was wearing her chain shirt and well-fitted breastplate, which definitely accentuated those curves she'd developed over the past two years, and those tight studded leather pants she'd started wearing... What I wouldn't give to have a few more days off with her...

No!

With them both. Now that Vral and I had broken the seal, we could start working on our joint relationship, and I had a few ideas about how we could speed that process up...

Head out of the gutter, Alex! Leave it for Fairview.

Walking up to me with a sly grin plastered on her face, Na-Ya posted up next to me and said, "If you stare any harder, your eyes will fall out."

"That obvious, huh?"

"Yup."

I laughed. "I was just making sure everyone was ready, is all."

"Mhmm." She wasn't buying it. "Even so, look at you, being a big, strong leader." She tapped my breastplate. "And that armor does wonders for you. You look like quite the man out here today. You've come far, my friend."

I looked down and took myself in. I did have to say, the bronze armor did look good on me. "I do look good, don't I?"

She nudged my ribs. "You do! It's a good look on you, Boy Toy." Once Na-Ya heard Vral call me that a while back, she'd never let up. Still, I'd take Boy Toy over Crybaby any day. "No wonder you've got two velán all hot and bothered for you."

"What can I say? I'm quite the catch." Once you got through her sweet exterior, Na-Ya's sarcasm was endless. And if she smelled a hint of weakness, she pounced. You either verbally jousted with her or you were prey.

Ro-Saleh walked up and clapped my shoulder. "That's my future edán." He pulled me into a side hug. "I think you've fully earned the love of those women of yours. You should be proud, brother."

Ro had been my idol since arriving in Reial. It meant the world to me to get his praise. And, before too long, we really would be family. "Thank you, brother."

He grinned. "Looks like everyone's ready. There's only one thing left to do, fearless leader."

His words rattled around in my head. Other than doing a gear check, the only thing left was to wait for Faye to arrive. What else could there be? "Uh..."

Clearly seeing that I was struggling, he leaned in and whispered, "Have everyone group up."

Oh! I was dumb. Clearing my throat, I said with as much authority as I could muster, "Alright, everyone, group up with me!"

Everyone but Vral nodded.

I did the thing, and a moment later, their entries appeared in my mind:

Na-Tristan, Groveborn Elf-Human Acolyte of the Tower 16, joins your party.

Na-Ya, Groveborn Elf Priestess of the Serpent 35, joins your party.

Ro-Saleh, Sun Elf Champion of the Lovers 38, joins your party.

Ro stuck his thumb up. "Nice work, brother."

I did the same. "Thanks, bro."

"My man."

We clasped hands and had a guy moment.

"You two are stupid together." Na-Ya rolled her eyes.

"I think it's sweet." Tristan countered.

"You've got it bad, girl."

"How could I not? Have you seen him?"

Na-Ya grabbed Tristan's hand and pulled her away. "So, tell me all about how it is when you two..." She lowered her voice as they moved out of earshot.

As much as I wanted to listen to what they were talking about, I heard Vral huff beside me. Not wanting to leave her out, I turned to find the goblin frowning. No, not just frowning. She looked outright upset.

"You alright?" I supposed this was part of being a leader, too. It couldn't just be logistics. Morale was important, too. A good leader dealt with both.

"Yeah..." She huffed. "I'm fine."

She wasn't fine. "Want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Vral..."

Ugh!" Her head snapped upward. There were tears in her eyes. "It's so dumb!"

"What's dumb?"

"Being a fucking goblin." She bared her teeth. "Not only are our lives shitty as hell, but also, not a single one of us has ever been able to see the Goddess's so-called system. Not once. And why? Because we're a fucking blight. No one wants us. No one needs us."

Her self-loathing regarding her race had been mostly gone for a while. If I had to guess, not being able to do what everyone else could was triggering for her. I'm sure it felt othering. "I want and need you, Vral."

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She froze. "That's... that's not what I meant."

"It's what you said, though."

"I..." She huffed again. "I know you want me around. It's just... it feels so bad knowing you can't ever do something your loved ones can do, especially when you didn't do anything to deserve it. I didn't choose to be..." She gestured at herself, "... this. You know what I mean?"

I loved every bit of the person in front of me, but that wasn't what she needed to hear right now. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think it's going to be incredible when you become the first goblin in history to see the system."

Sighing, she said, "That's not possib—"

"Anything's possible, and you're going to prove them all wrong."

Her red eyes fixed on mine. "You... you really think I could do it?"

"Hell yeah, I do!" I dropped to a knee, so that we were face to face. "They're going to say, 'You hear about that incredible goblin who did the impossible?' And everyone's going to know exactly who they're talking about."

I could see the wheels start turning behind her eyes. "Go on."

"The history books are going to write your name in bold letters whenever they talk about our time period. Vral Tu'Vigh: the first goblin to surpass the rest of her people and become a legend."

Her eyes began to shine, and a light smile began to split her face. "You think so?"

"I know so. Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror? You're incredible. This is just another challenge for you to overcome. And we'll do it together." I put my hand on her shoulder. "I'll always be there beside you, and don't you forget it."

Slowly, her smile widened into a grin. "Behind me."

"Huh?"

"Behind me. I want you behind me. That way, you'll always get an eyeful."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Deal."

She side-eyed Tristan, who was blushing as she whispered with Na-Ya. "I know elfie over there is an eleven, but I'm not too bad to look at, am I?"

"You kidding? You're an eleven, too."

Her ears started turning red. "Really?"

"Fuck yeah, you are. You think it was only your winning personality that drew me to you?"

"I thought it was all that abuse I threw at you, you damn masochist."

"Well, that too, but it wasn't everything."

"Then what was it, huh?" She put a hand on her shapely hip. "Tell me."

I leaned forward and nipped her ear.

A soft, low moan escaped from her throat.

Her ears were sensitive, huh? I filed that information away for later. "How about, when we finish this quest, I'll show you exactly what it was that drew me to you. Privately."

Her green face turned a shade darker, and her eyes got that fiery, lusty look they got when she was in the mood. "How, exactly, will you go about showing me?"

Leaning forward until my lips were brushing her ear, I rumbled, "Use your imagination."

As her smile grew, her ears turned red. "I can imagine a lot."

"And I can do it all. And if I miss anything, you can guide me."

That got her good. She was practically drooling. "I can't wait."

"Trust me. Me neither."

After a few moments of heat between us, she shook her head and asked, "Um... What are bold letters?"

"You know, the darker letters when you're reading a book."

"Well, the thing is..." Her eyes trailed downward. "I... uh..."

"Wait." Could she not read? "What are you saying?"

"It's not like I can't read or anything..." The goblin wrung her hands. "It's just that, you know... I never had much time to learn how to get good at it."

I'd been thinking of returning to the temple for a while, and her words decided for me. "I know an amazing teacher. He's back at the temple. When all this is over, let's go spend some time with him. I have a lot more to learn, too. We can do it together."

She nodded. "Okay!"

Just then, the upper manor's double doors swung open, and Faye walked out mid-yawn and her hair an absolute rat's nest. "Sorry, I'm late, everyone. I am very much not a morning person."

Morning? It was almost noon. "Thank you for coming."

She covered her mouth and stifled another yawn. "Everyone ready?'

"Are you ready?" I definitely expected her to be wearing some amazing, gleaming armor and a badass sword. Instead, the Hero looked like a frumpy medieval college student. She wasn't even wearing shoes! Just sandals. "We can wait if you need to gear up. And we'll be underground for a bit. You should bring some food."

The hero shook her head. "Nah. This is fine." She gestured at her clothes. "Besides the Beast of the Bowels, there's nothing down there that can hurt me. And I don't really eat much. I'll be good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." She wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Let's get going." She walked to the center of our group, yawned again, and said, "Alright, everyone. Let's do this thing."

As a group, we started up the street.

"Hold on, now." As we turned back, she gestured for us to come back next to her. "Come over and touch my shoulders. And clench your butts. My travel magic is pretty rough."

"Travel magic?"

"You think we're walking to Copperhill?"

"Yes?" Oh Goddess. "What do you mean?" I hated teleportation. "I thought—"

"You thought wrong." Her eyes unfocused. I got the impression she was scrolling through a list in her mind. "It's been, uh, almost three hundred years since I've been there, but I know I have the entry here somewhere. We can be there in a flash."

Shit. "Can't we walk?"

"Nope. You need to learn how to do this."

With a big sigh, I asked, "Is this a type of magic anyone can learn to do?"

"Nope. Just us, chosen buddy." Her eyes fixed on something invisible. "There it is!" Nodding to me, she said, "Before we go, ask the system to mark Galden. That'll help you out later."

"So, how do I..."

"I just think about it, and it happens."

"Um. Goddess, mark Galden."

Galden (The Shield) is a viable location.

Do you wish to mark Galden (The Shield) as a recall location?

"Yes."

You have marked Galden (The Shield) as a recall location.

"It worked!"

She clapped her hands. "I've never been able to mentor another chosen before! This is so great."

That didn't make sense based on the conversation I'd heard yesterday. "But your brother and Greta said there was another woman before me."

"I wasn't involved with that. That was all him and Greta, and from what I know, she was chosen before they met her." She shook her head. "But none of that matters. What matters is that I have a chosen buddy, and it's great."

Sometimes, the Hero seemed like the wisest, most put-together person I'd ever met. Other times, Faye seemed like nothing more than a young woman who was doing her best to figure her shit out. "So, what comes next?"

"Well." She grinned. "Everyone has a hand on my shoulders, right?"

The group nodded.

"Good. Because..." She whispered a word, and a white lightning bolt cracked overhead. "Here..." She cracked her neck and set her shoulders. "We..." She lifted a hand to the sky. "Go!"

Thunder rumbled around us, a crack of lightning flashed, and my entire vision went white. An instant later, I felt as lightning entered Faye's hand, traveled from her and into me, rippled along my skin, and entered my soul. Then, the world bent, and we were gone.

***

"It's okay..." Tristan's voice was so sweet as she rubbed my back.

"You've got this." Vral was massaging my shoulders.

"Tha-" I gagged, then fully hurked. "Thanks..."

"Is he like this every time?" Faye's voice was judgmental.

Don't judge me, woman!

"Don't sass him!" Vral's guard dog came out fast.

"Be nice!" Tristan was equally guard dog-ish.

I swallowed the bile down. "Thanks... girls..."

"Baby." Faye chuckled.

I looked up to find Faye grinning at me.

"Teleportation... sucks..."

"Get used to it." Faye chuckled. "It's how we do our job."

"I'll walk, thanks."

"Nope." She put her hands on her hips. "We go where we're needed, when we're needed. That's the job."

"This job sucks."

"Yeah, it does. Why do you think only travelers like us get it?"

I hadn't thought about it that way. "Shit."

"Yup."

Wiping my mouth, I wobbled to my feet. A glance revealed that we were at Avina's statue in Copperhill. Just like last time, the angel was looking east, her eyes raised to the Orb of Light. "System, mark Copperhill."

You have marked Copperhill as a recall location.

That being done, a question popped into my head. "Why did we end up in this spot?"

Faye walked up to Avina and bowed. "The magic chooses where we teleport to. All I can guess is that it chooses places dear to the Goddess. For example, Avina here," she brushed some dust off Avina's arm, "Was the Goddess's closest servant until the Dark Lord came and destroyed her physical form."

Something chittered behind me. Turning, I saw a two-legged rat scurry into a nearby building. Was it wearing a little tophat? "Her physical form?"

Faye nodded. "Yeah. Gods and the like don't live—they exist." She looked at Avina's statue. "You might be able to destroy their avatars, but they can usually manifest again in time. That's how the great hero before me destroyed the Dark Lord's physical form at the beginning of the fourth age."

"What about the Scions?"

"They're more like demigods. But they can still return with the right conditions. That's why we sealed them away instead."

That struck a chord with me. Something they'd talked about in their conversation yesterday... "So, when Greta said you killed one of the Scions, does that mean that he'll eventually—"

"Let's get going to Copperhold." Faye turned on her heel and marched north, to the hill. "Come along, chosen buddy!"

She was cagey about that. Huh.

"Come on." Tristan grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.

Soon, we were through the town and making our way up the incline to the mine. I could just make out the tunnel's mouth where Tristan and I had fought the gloomfang.

"I can't wait to test myself here again," Ro said.

"Me neither," Na-Ya responded with equal enthusiasm. "It took most of the Templars last time. You think we can do it with the five of us?"

"I mean, we have the Hero, right? I don't even know if we'll get any fighting in with her around."

Over her shoulder, Faye said, "I'm not here to fight today, just observe."

"But what if we need help?" I thought this was going to be easy with her around. Looked like I thought wrong. "We're going through two dungeons."

"Then you'll have to fight twice as hard."

"What the shit, Faye!"

"Don't get salty with me!" She chuckled. "I've got about a dozen treaties I'm already breaking by being here, and I'll break a dozen more if I get any more involved than I am. For now, I'm here to observe and mentor a fellow chosen, fight the Beast of the Bowels, and check on the Black Seal."

"But—"

"That's the plausible deniability that I'm sticking with." Her voice was sharp. "So don't ask for more, because I can't give it." She grinned. "Plus, why would I take away your opportunity to show your lovers and family how awesome you are?"

"Ugh..." Faye was a lot.

"Come along, friends. I'm excited to see what you can do." The Hero reached the top of the hill and, in three strides, was beside the mouth of the tunnel. "After you."

With a deep breath, I drew my sword and shield and stepped into the tunnel. It was go time.

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