Four hours later, my legs felt like jelly. We'd run almost the entire way, only slowing our pace in the last half hour, but we were still marching double-time. To make matters worse, we were heading up an incline the entire way. I was getting tired, but a quick glance over at Tristan revealed a woman who looked like she wanted to die.

"You okay?"

She glared at me. "No... I'm... not." After the words left her lips, she stopped in her tracks and heaved.

I placed a hand on her back, but Maven pushed me away. The Templar had fallen back and stuck with us when she saw we were lagging behind. Pulling a small vial out of her belt pouch, she handed it to Tristan and said, "Drink this."

Looking at the small vial in her hands as if it could bite her, she groaned. "What... is... it?"

"Stamina potion. You need it."

Nodding, Tristan uncorked it and threw the liquid back. Seconds later, her face flushed a deeper crimson, and life returned to her eyes. "Thanks..."

"There you go." Maven nodded. "You'll feel better soon." Looking over at me, she asked, "I don't have many left. Do you think you need one, too?"

"No. I'm okay."

"Good. We might need them." She patted Tristan on the back and continued up the trail.

"Thank... the Goddess..." Tristan still had her hands on her knees.

"Let me know if I can help."

"Will... do..."

I'd been thinking as we traveled how different things were now. There was no version of reality back on Earth where I could have run this far and this hard in a single night. Hell, we'd barely even rested since we left the Temple. I'd have been dead, and I was in decent shape back on Earth. Whatever magic had infused my body, it'd made me stronger and faster than I was used to.

The difference between Tristan and me was striking as well. We'd done all of our training together, and she'd always mostly kept up with me, but ever since I unlocked my class, I was far more capable of weathering labor than she was. Even with her having a few levels on me, I was stronger and more resilient than her. She had the magic light hands, which I was still super jealous of, but I could take some serious abuse. That was something.

I wasn't sure if it was due to all the training I'd gotten or if it had something to do with the [Grit] passive I'd received when I unlocked the Fighter class. I assumed that it was the latter. By the third hour of running, I'd seen the system notify me that my [Grit] passive was active. After I received that notification, I didn't get any more tired than I had been, no matter how far or fast we went. And now, even though we'd marched all night, I was still okay enough to keep going.

"We've got another mile or so, and the last bit's a doozy," Maven said over her shoulder.

Tristan groaned.

By the time we crested the final hill and saw Copperhill spread out ahead of us, the sky was just changing from the black of night to the deep purple of dawn. What had once been a thriving mining town was now nothing more than a collection of rotting wooden buildings and collapsed roofs. Weeds grew through broken windows, and the few structures still standing looked ready to fall over in the next strong wind.

"Beautiful place," I muttered under my breath.

"A shame..." Tristan parked herself next to me, hands on knees and panting. "... I heard... lots... of families... lived... here"

Voss called out at the front: "Stay focused. This place may look abandoned, but it's crawling with low-level monsters."

As if to prove his point, something skittered across the main road up ahead. It looked like a giant rat, but it walked on two legs and had glowing red eyes. It stopped and sniffed the air, its little pink nose twitching, before disappearing into the shadows. If I remembered right, that monster was called a skitterslink.

"Nasty," Tristan whispered beside me. Her face was pale, and I could see the exhaustion weighing on her shoulders. She looked completely drained.

Maven and Voss gathered the group around them as we reached the outskirts of town. "Alright, listen up. The mine entrance is on the far side of town. We're going to sweep through and clear any immediate threats, then move into the dungeon proper." She looked at Tristan and me. "When we get there, you two are staying outside."

"What? But—" Tristan started to protest.

"No arguments." Maven's voice was firm. "You're both rookies, and you're exhausted. Especially you, Tristan. And frankly, this is going to be dangerous enough without having to worry about protecting a couple of newbies.."

I wanted to argue, but looking at Tristan, I knew Maven was right. The girl could barely keep her eyes open. "Understood, ma'am. Will do."

Maven's face blanched. "Alex, if you call me ma'am again, I'll castrate you."

"Yes... Maven?"

"Good. If anything comes out of that mine that isn't us, you call out to us, and then you run. Don't try to be heroes. Just run, and once you can, get back to the village and warn them. Understood?"

"Got it."

Maven turned to the other Templars. "The mine is straight up the road. As we move, keep away from the buildings. Some of these creatures carry disease, and we don't want to deal with that right now without Na-Ya. Form up on me. Stay tight."

Voss nodded. "You heard the woman. Move out."

As one, we moved forward through the town. Like Maven said, I could see dozens of eyes peering at us wherever there were shadows, but as we walked past, the eyes seemed to shy away, leaving us alone for most of the journey. I'd read that monsters could sense how strong people were. If the monsters here really were weak, they likely knew well enough to leave us alone.

Near the center of town, a great statue caught my eye. The base looked as though it were once white marble, but decades of wear had stained the stone with rust and mud until it was brown and gray. Atop the platform was a bronze statue of an angel. The metal had long since turned brown with age, but the statue was still in remarkably good shape. The angel's great wings tucked tightly against her torso, a flowing cloak covered the figure's body and part of her face. In her hands was an orb. Etched into a placard set into the base, the word "Copperhill" could still be read through the muck.

I turned to Tristan. "Who is she?" I didn't recognize the figure.

"That's Avina, the Goddess's hand." Her gaze lingered on the statue.

"What does she represent?"

"She's the guardian spirit of lost travelers, and she reminds us where the light in our world comes from," Tristan answered. "It's said she was the one who ignited the Orb of Light at the beginning of the first age."

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That gave me pause. "I'm trying to picture a world without the light of the Tower. It's hard to imagine."

Tristan nodded. "The oldest legends say the only light in our world before the Towers came from the lights set into the heavenly spheres. Or from lightning and fire. Then, when the Goddess descended from the spheres, she brought one of the stars with her. Avina was the one who set it atop the Tower and ignited it for all to see."

Looking at the statue, I noted that, unlike the statues of the Goddess in the Temple, which all seemed to have every detail perfect, Avina's statue lacked the same detail. "I wonder where she is now."

Tristan frowned. "The Dark Lord slew her at the beginning of the fourth age. Now, no one prays to her anymore. She's just a distant remnant of a forgotten era."

"Sad." As we began moving away from the statue, I thought about how much of an impact one person can have on history. Out of everyone, all roads seemed to lead back to the Dark Lord and the Goddess.

"Don't fall behind!" Maven shouted from up ahead.

Giving Avina a final look, I jogged past the statue and back to the group.

Soon enough, our group made its way to the mine's entrance. It was set into the hillside at the far end of Copperhill, a gaping maw in the rock face held open by rotting wooden supports and rusted iron spikes. A set of doors made of iron and still intact stood slightly ajar deeper inside the tunnel. Beyond that was nothing but darkness.

"Well, that isn't ominous at all," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Tristan managed a weak smile. "Not even a little."

Voss nodded to us. "Keep an eye out. We shouldn't be too long."

"Be safe."

With a curt nod, he turned and entered the mine. The rest of the Templars followed. A minute later, the group disappeared into the darkness beyond the iron doors, and we were alone.

"I'm going to find a place to sit," Tristan said.

I looked around. Nearby was a large, flat boulder. "How about over there?"

She nodded and made her way to it. A moment later, we were positioned so that we could watch both the mine entrance and the approach from town. Sitting behind her, I spun around and pressed my back to hers. "I'll watch the dungeon if you watch the town."

"Works for me." She pressed her mail-covered back to mine, and we settled in.

Aside from the chittering of some monster in the distance, it was quite peaceful. To my right, I had a clear view of the Tower and got the distinct pleasure of watching the Orb of Light's slow change from orange to yellow. As the light picked up, even the chittering fell away, and everything became quiet and serene. It would have been idyllic if not for the fact that we were sitting on the doorstep of a monster-infested dungeon with our allies deep inside, fighting to save an abducted child from certain death. It was a real utopia, otherwise.

As I was taking it all in, Tristan shifted, and I lurched backward. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that her eyes were closed. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes shot open. "What?"

"I was just asking if you were okay."

She nodded, but I could see her fighting to keep her eyes open. "Just tired. That was a lot of running. Aren't you tired?"

I was still feeling pretty okay. I wondered if my [Grit] passive was still helping me or if I was just wired from the experience. "Yeah, I am." A thought came to me. "If you need to rest for a bit, I can keep watch while you get some shut-eye."

"No. I don't think that's smart." She scooched off the boulder and winced as she stood up. "Oooh, my feet are so sore."

A rustling sound from the bushes nearby made us both tense up. Something was moving around us, but I couldn't see what. More rustling came from the other side, then behind us.

"Alex."

"Yeah, I heard it." I looked around, but I couldn't see anything. "See anything?"

"No."

I slid off the boulder and drew my sword and shield. Keeping my voice low, I said, "It's probably just the local wildlife, but..."

"Alex," Tristan said suddenly. "We should party up."

I looked at her, confused. "Party up? What do you mean?"

"It's in the system. It'll let us see one another's skills when we use them, and we would benefit from certain passives."

That sounded good. "How?"

"Call up the system in your mind, then imagine you're asking me to join your party, but instead of doing it with your words, do it mentally."

Doing as she said, I saw words appear in my head:

Do you want to invite Na-Tristan, Groveborn Elf-Human Acolyte of the Tower, to your party?

"Yes." I still talked out loud to it. It made it easier.

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

"Your name is Na-Tristan?"

"Yeah. And shut up."

"I wasn't going to say anything." I guess it really was true that she and Na-Ya were family, then.

Not knowing if it would work or not, I willed the system to show me Tristan's sheet the same way I pulled up my own. To my surprise, more words appeared in my head:

Na-Tristan, Groveborn Human Acolyte of the Tower 2

Attributes

Strength: 6

Resilience: 7

Agility: 8

Power: 10

Will: 9

Skills

[Bless]

Talents

[Adaptable]

[Light Touched]

[Sense Life]

[Wind's Whisper]

Tasks

Acolyte (★): [Help the Helpless]: Provide aid to someone in need.

Groveborn (2★): [Nature's Whisper]: Successfully commune with a sacred spirit of the land.

Human (★): [Jack of All Trades]: Become competent in a skill unrelated to your class, heritage, race, or sign.

Tower (3★): [Bring Light to the Land]: Use holy magic to cleanse a cursed or corrupted place.

Quests

[A Shadow in Goodfield]

Active Boons

[United We Stand]

"Hey, one of my skills is active on you!"

"Nice. Now, check this out." She lifted her hand into the air. Golden light began playing on her fingertips.

[Bless]

The skill's name appeared in my mind just as the light shot away from her hand and surrounded both of us. Magical glyphs flashed in the air, then the light sank into my skin. As it did, I felt stronger. "So cool." This was real hero shit.

She laughed. "Right? And now we'll be able to coordinate better if we need to fight."

The instant she said the word fight, a shriek echoed from inside the mine, followed by the sounds of combat. Steel rang, and the Templars started shouting.

I turned to the mine. "Looks like they found something."

"Should we help?" She took a couple of steps forward.

I grabbed her arm. "Maven told us to stay here." I hated staying out here, but those were the orders. "They know what they're doing."

"Fine."

More sounds of battle came from within. Some monster screeched, but it was drowned out by the clash of weapons and the echoes of shouts. Gradually, the sounds grew quiet, save for Maven and Voss barking orders.

"Looks like they dealt with it."

"Yeah..." Tristan shuffled. "You know what? This stinks."

Her words were so unexpected, I couldn't help but laugh. "Why's that?"

She stamped her foot. "We were supposed to see some action! This was supposed to be a real quest!"

That made me laugh harder. "You were crying your eyes out a few hours ago."

"That was different."

"How so?"

"I've known Bertram and Bethany for a long time. I was worried about them."

"And you're not worried about the kid?"

"I am! That's why I want to be in there, not outside watching the entryway." She started pacing. "How are we going to get real experience like this?"

"It's good field experience..." Behind her, I could have sworn I saw something move in the tunnel. "Hey, wait."

She looked at me. "What?"

Something glinted behind the iron doors. "Something's there. I'm sure of it."

That's when I saw it. Movement deep in the shadows of the mine. Something large and dark was walking down the tunnel, moving with a strange, lurching gait. As it came closer to the light, I could make out its shape: it was bipedal, like Bertram had said, but hunched over. Its arms were too long, ending in claws that scraped against the stone floor. It had a massive snout, at least three feet long, filled with rows of sharp teeth, and wicked-looking horns growing out of its head. Its thick black hide reflected no light.

And clutched in its distended mouth was a small, still form.

"The boy," Tristan whispered.

I recognized the gloomfang from the pictures in Arden's books. "They missed one."

"Yeah."

The monster slipped through the mine's iron doors without making a sound, then silently padded toward us. By the way it was acting, I could tell it hadn't noticed us.

"What do we do?" Tristan whispered.

"Get ready."

She nodded, and we both brought our weapons in front of us.

When the monster finally reached the entrance of the mine, its head swiveling back and forth as sounds of combat began deep within the mine again, its eyes fell on us. They glowed with a sickly yellow light.

For a moment, we all froze.

Then the creature opened its mouth and carelessly tossed the boy to the side like a discarded toy. The child hit the ground hard and didn't move.

The gloomfang stepped backward, back into the tunnel. As it did, its black fur seemed to melt into the shadows, but the growing dawn light made it impossible for it to completely disappear. I could easily make out its outline, see the way it moved.

I took a step forward. "Maven said to run."

Tristan stepped forward with me. "She did."

I took another step forward. "We shouldn't be heroes."

She nodded. "Nope. We really shouldn't."

The monster's eyes were wide, but it wasn't backing down. That probably meant it thought it could take us.

"You ready?" My voice didn't waver.

"Yeah." Hers didn't either.

"On three."

"On three."

"Three."

As one, we exploded forward.

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