"I think you'll enjoy this gift." Elise's eyes were twinkling as she grabbed the handle of a door I'd never seen before. She'd been guiding us through the mazelike mansion for a good ten minutes but had refused to tell us where we were going, only saying that she had a surprise for us and didn't want to spoil it.

"Are you sure? You really don't have to put yourself out on our account. This isn't exactly a common luxury you're providing us." Having spent several months with Elise, she knew more about how Elise's life worked than Vral or I did. As such, Tristan had obviously figured out where we were going about halfway through the journey, but she remained tight-lipped when I tried to fish the information out of her. All I knew was that, whatever it was, it was quite the gift.

"Nonsense, Tris. It's the least I can do for you three." Elise looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Plus, I've wanted to use it for some time as well. I just needed to source some more thyralite."

"You're missing Davik that much, huh?" Tristan was grinning at the noblewoman. "Something about your man's touch keeping you warm at night, I assume?"

Elise blushed. "I enjoy his company very much. And, since we're early into our courtship, I believe it's only natural for us to spend more time together."

"It is perfectly natural. So natural that you'll have to tell me all the details when we see one another next."

The noblewoman's blush deepened, and her eyes sparkled. "That, I shall, my dear gossip-loving friend." Smiling at Tristan, she placed her hand on the small of the priestess's back, opened the door, and guided her into the room. "Now, stop delaying and get in there. I'm about to do something impressive and am looking forward to seeing your dazzled eyes watching me as I do."

Vral took a step forward but froze. "I can smell magic in there." Her nose was twitching.

"You can smell magic?" I asked. "I didn't know that."

"Sometimes. Mostly the strong stuff. Or if it's hidden. I always smell hidden treasure."

"Huh." Good ears and nose, I guessed. "Is there something strong in that room?"

"Yeah..." She started fingering her daggers. "I wonder what it is? It doesn't smell like equipment."

Elise laughed. "You'll find out if you stop delaying, silly woman." She reached out and grabbed Vral's arm, said, "Come along!" and pulled the goblin into the room.

As I followed her through the door, I saw that a large, obviously magical seal was carved into the floor of the room. Odd-looking symbols surrounded intricate geometric patterns that I didn't recognize, and the entire thing was glowing a soft blue color. "What is it?" I'd seen some magical seals before, but never one so large or intricate.

"This, my dear friends, is a teleportation circle." Elise walked to the center of the magical construct and pulled a small leather bag out of her purse. "Modeled after the teleportation circles found all over Noleian Empire far, far to the east, we've begun recreating their magic!" Untying the bag in her hand, she turned it over. Blue, sparkling powder flowed out and onto the floor. As it did, the magical seal began to almost suck all the powder out of the air and pull it into the lines. Within seconds, the seal's color transformed from a glowing soft blue to brilliant sky blue so bright that it was hard to look at. "The only issue is that the western kingdoms have far less ambient mana floating around. As such, we are forced to rely on thyralite to power them."

"Thyra-what?" Vral asked.

"Yeah, seconded," I added.

Elise and Tristan both shook their heads. Reaching a finger into the bag, she withdrew it and revealed a small amount of the glowing powder on her fingertip. "This isn't exactly accurate to say, but you can think of it like mana dust. It's used to power all kinds of magics throughout the world."

"Oh!" Vral smacked her head. "I never knew the name of that stuff. I used to buy it to charge my old daggers. Always told my guy to get me some recharge powder, and he did the thing. Well, until he got skewered by another gang for working with me. Then, no more recharge powder." She sighed. "I loved those daggers. Poison enchantments are great. Especially the paralysis kinds." Her eyes grew distant, and a lopsided smile split her face. Knowing her as well as I did, I was confident she was dreaming about her old daggers and what she used to do with them.

"Is it hard to get thyralite?" I wondered if I'd have to use it to recharge my armor at some point.

Nodding, she said, "Unfortunately, thyralite is both uncommon and expensive. Fortunately for us, we've found a large vein of it hiding under the myrshale here in Khozad'Thar!" A passionate grin spread across her face. "Normally, we have to source it from the dwarven holds out in Tharoven. But now..." She rubbed the dust between her thumb and forefinger, "... with a steady supply of it, there are so many things we can do to improve the lives of the people of Galden and Khozad'Thar. Then, if we act with courage, compassion, and wisdom, maybe we'll eventually extend those blessings to all of Calvareth. Maybe even all of Istaera one day!"

"You have big goals, but I know you'll achieve them all one day. And more."

Her eyes burned with an inner fire as she took me in. "Even if I'll never quite live up to her example, I plan to make Sophia proud all the same."

I couldn't help but admire the noblewomen. I'd been skeptical of her after she'd invited us to stay with her in her old manor. Then, despite Tristan's insistence that I try to bury the hatchet, I kept my distance. Even after she helped us escape, my negative experiences with the nobility of Istaera during my tenure in the Pit left a sour taste in my mouth. I'd thought that, even if she were a good one, she was still a noble and couldn't be trusted.

She'd done her best to smooth things over: she invited us to nice dinners, asked me out on friendly dates to go see the revitalization of the Dregs, stayed consistent in her actions and words, and was just generally really pleasant to be around. It took a good month of trying, but in the end, trust started forming between us. Vral's trust came slower than mine, but the noblewoman managed to win her over in the end, too. It took a girl's trip with her and Tristan to do it, but they came back as chummy as if they'd always been friends.

It was hard to keep pushing her away. She really did seem to have turned a new leaf. Her passion was unquenchable, and she was full of plans for how she could improve her city. Also, she looked so much happier and far more self-confident than the first time we'd met. That, plus all the blushing she did when we brought up Davik, had endeared her to me to the point that, now, I considered her a good friend, and I was happy for her. For them both.

"So, without further ado, are you three ready?" Elise's blue eyes were beginning to glow with an inner light that nearly matched the color of the seal.

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"Ugh..." I sighed. I hated teleportation every time I did it. It was the worst.

Tristan walked up to me and took my hand. "It'll only take a few seconds, love." Placing a wet kiss on my cheek, she wrapped her arm around mine. "You'll be okay. I've got you."

"Um..." Vral looked up at me and shuffled. "Me too."

Reaching out, I pulled her to my hip, causing her to squeak. Then, I said, "Alright, Elise. We're ready."

Lifting her hands, the noblewoman said, "Okay! Here... we... go!"

The air shimmered, the world bent, and everything went black.

***

"Elise?" A man's voice echoed around me before my eyes came into focus. "Is that... it is you!" Footsteps quickly approached us from the left.

Instinctively, I reached for my sword, but my eyes came back to me just as Davik dropped to one knee in front of Elise and took her slender hand in his. Pressing his lips to the back of her hand, his eyes sparkled as he spoke. "I wasn't expecting to see you for another two weeks! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

The noblewoman was pretending to be aloof, but her cheeks were bright red. She had it bad for him. "We've made swift progress with the vein of thyralite! So..." Her voice wavered, "I thought I'd bring these three to the surface and come see you all in one fell swoop." She flung her arm out dramatically, making him smile.

"I'm glad you did, but..." He stood and nodded to us. "You three agreed to portal up? I'm surprised you didn't try to find another escort job."

I shook my head. "We've decided to take a break for a bit. See the city. Relax. Take in the sights." Speaking of sights... I looked around. We were in a large hall of what had to have been Elise's manor. I'd been there once when it was mostly destroyed. It looked much better now. Still, despite their hard work over the past few months, the place seemed like it was barely half-finished. Every wall was covered in a different color of paint, and there were only a few pieces of furniture in the entire place. In fact, the only thing that looked finished was the seal under our feet, which matched the one down in Khozad'Thar and was glowing that same blue color as well.

Davik nodded. "I'm happy to hear that! You three have been grinding harder than we have, and that's saying something."

"Yeah, well, I said we should keep working, but these idiots vetoed me."

Tristan sighed. "It's good for us."

"It better be." Vral huffed.

"It will be."

"Either way, I'm at least glad you're taking care of yourselves." Turning back to Elise, Davik asked, "How were you able to charge the seal so soon, though?"

Elise poked her finger, the one that she'd pressed into the dust, against his nose. "I have my magics, sweet man."

Wrapping his arm around her hips, he pulled her close enough that their noses were almost touching. With that husky growl every guy got when he was trying to be smooth, he said, "Tell me, what are these magics of yours, sweet woman?"

Giggling, she said, "Among my many, many charms, it turns out the vein of thyralite is quite pure, so the refinement process has been both simple and efficient. I was able to completely charge our teleportation circle with the first completed batch of dust."

"Does that mean...?" He stood and cupped her cheek. "Is there enough for me to return home in the evenings?"

She placed her hand over his and squeezed. "Yes. And I'd love for you to." Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his.

Tristan squeezed my arm, leaned close, and whispered, "They're so cute."

"They really are."

Vral nudged my hip. "They're getting gross. We should go."

"So gross," I agreed as they started openly flirting with one another. It quickly became clear they'd forgotten we were there.

"And cute," Tristan added.

"Eh." Vral shrugged and turned to us. "So." Placing her hands on her hips, she managed to make looking up at us seem like she was looking down at us. "I know this town better than anyone. Why don't you let me guide us today?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." I'd never spent time topside before. If she knew the city well, why not? It might be fun.

"I agree!" Tristan took Vral's hand in hers. "That sounds like an excellent idea, Vral."

"Really?! Yes!" Vral pumped her arm. "Just you wait. You're in for the time of your lives."

"I'm excited! Where do you want to start?" Tristan asked.

Vral's fingers stroked her chin. "Hmm... let's see..." She thought for a few moments, then snapped her fingers. "Okay, I've got it! Why don't we start down at Ratskull Tavern? They always have some great games of daggerfist going on down there, and their gragtul is to die for. That and their tu'maken'gral'll make you blind before you finish the third cup! Plus, I know the owner. It's cheap."

"Gragtul?"

"Bat intestine soup. A goblin specialty," Tristan explained.

"It's the best," Vral chirped. "Like chewy noodles."

Gross. "And tu'maken'gral?"

"Ash worm brew. It's what separates the men from the boys." Vral was grinning ear to ear. "You've never had anything like it."

"You really haven't..." Tristan's tone didn't sound promising.

I was starting to worry about Vral's tour. "Okay, that's a possibility. So what should we do after that?"

"I think we should make our way over to Briskil's and play a few rounds of daggers and rats. Maybe wrestle the old rockeater they have chained up out back." She looked at me. "I'd like to see what you can do. The old monster killed a guy last time I was there."

I looked at Tristan and mentally asked about daggers and rats.

"Throwing daggers and rats."

"Ah."

"After that, I think it'd be fun to go down to Madam Phea's for a while; then, we should make our way to the Thumping Ground and break some noses."

"You go to Madam Phea's?" I had no idea she partook in that kind of thing. A pang of possessiveness washed over me. "Wasn't that place down in the Dregs and shut down?"

"It's their sister location." Vral's grin was infectious.

"Vral! I had no idea you were so libertine!" Tristan squeezed the goblin's hand.

"Huh? Liber-what now? What do you mean?" The goblin's eyebrows scrunched together.

"That kind of thing isn't for me, but the Goddess teaches us not to judge others." The priestess smiled down at the goblin. "Just let me know when you go. I've learned a spell that'll keep you safe when you..." She left the rest unsaid.

"When I what?" Staring at the priestess like she'd grown two heads, she sputtered until her eyes went wide, and she began laughing. "You think I'd go down there and pay money to break in some limp dicked dandy?! Hell no!" She threw her head back and cackled. "There's only one guy I'd ever let..." Her eyes met mine, and she choked. Covering her mouth, she pretended to cough. "What I mean is, it's a lot of fun to throw rocks at the rich losers who go down there to get their jiggly bits broken in."

I was starting to suspect that Vral may not be the best guide for Galden. "Didn't you say you've never taken time off?"

She puffed her chest out. "Never. And I was mostly down in the Dregs. But, if we were topside and we had some time after a job, the crew and I would go down to the Ratskull's and drink until we couldn't see. Then, we'd roam around until something fun came along. I figure the three of us could do the same. I'd much rather fuck shit up with you two than those losers, any day."

Tristan's sapphire eyes met mine.

She wanted me to let Vral down. I gave her a tiny head shake. Better her than me.

"Vral, I think all of these are excellent suggestions. However, maybe for our first time in the city, we should stick to the more well-traveled spots?"

"Like what?" Vral looked disappointed already.

"Are there any libraries? Museums? Markets? Those kinds of things?"

The goblin shook her head. "I don't think so. Never heard of any, at least. Galden's doesn't have much in the way of amenities."

Elise cleared her throat. "Not to interrupt your, um, interesting plans, but you might like to go down to Goldweave Market. It's quite lovely."

"There's actually a harvest festival happening this week," Davik added. "I was actually hoping to take you, Elise, if you happened up here before it ended."

"Let's do that!" Tristan and I said in unison.

"But—"

"Vral." I dropped to a knee. "We will definitely do all that stuff you said. I mean, that, uh..." What was the word she'd said? "The gragle sounds tasty, and I the... the... turnmakegill stuff sounds awesome. I can't wait to go blind with you. But, you know, let's take it easy today. See the sights."

She huffed. "Fine. But I'm telling you, we'd have fun."

"And we will. Just not today."

"Fine."

Davik looked at Elise. "Would you like to go with me sometime, too?"

She kissed his nose. "Of course I would. But first, I'd like to assess the progress of our manor. In particular, I'm interested in seeing the condition of our future quarters..." She looked at him coquettishly.

He coughed. "Of course, my dear. We should do that right away. I'm confident you'll be pleased."

"I always am."

"They're getting gross again. Let's go."

I turned and waved. "Don't do anything we wouldn't do."

"Have fun, you two!" Tristan pulled us away from them and toward the city.

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