The frigid air of Frostmire Clearing was rapidly being replaced by the heat of victory and roasting meat.

  Huge bonfires crackled, casting dancing shadows over the scene of Eirik's triumph. Tables groaned under haunches of roasted boar, steaming stews, and mountains of black bread. Men clustered around fires, tankards raised.

  Eirik stood near the largest bonfire and surveyed his domain. Good. The mood is high.

  The moment couldn't be wasted.

  A commotion arose near the forest edge. Four of Olaf's burliest recruits emerged, lugging a heavy, iron-bound chest between them. They carried it deliberately across the clearing, weaving between clusters of feasting men, heading straight for Eirik's bonfire.

  All eyes followed the chest. Conversations died down, replaced by murmurs and pointing fingers. The Talons nudged each other, eyes gleaming.

  The chest landed with a heavy THUD beside Eirik's table. Olaf stepped forward, planting one boot on it like a hunter claiming his kill. He looked at Eirik, who gave a single nod.

  Olaf drew a heavy key—the key Garrick had been forced to relinquish—and jammed it into the lock. The click echoed in the sudden hush. He heaved the lid open.

  Firelight caught the contents, sending reflections dancing across crowded faces. Silver. Not neat stacks, but a chaotic, glorious pile of silver talons stamped with the Stormcrow raven. A thousand of them. More wealth than most had ever seen in one place.

  A collective gasp went up. Followed by a low, hungry roar.

  "ONE THOUSAND!" Olaf bellowed over the noise. He held up five thick fingers. "ONE THOUSAND SILVER TALONS! LORD GARRICK'S PLEDGE! DELIVERED BY SUNDOWN, AS ORDERED! COMMANDER STORMCROW'S PROMISE IS KEPT! WE TAKE HALF FROM IT!"

  The roar intensified. Tankards slammed on tables. Men whooped and cheered, pounding each other's backs.

  Eirik stepped onto the table, worn wood creaking under his boots. He raised his hands. The cheering subsided slowly, replaced by eager silence. Hundreds of eyes fixed on him—scarred street fighters, weary Fenrir guards, all now bound by shared victory and gleaming silver.

  "TALONS!" Eirik's voice rang clear and cold. "You heard Olaf! Five hundred silver talons! YOUR reward for standing firm! For facing down polished tin knights and granite-hard veterans and WINNING!"

  He paused, letting the word sink in. Win. "Each man who stood in the line today gets TEN silver talons!" A murmur of disbelief and fierce joy rippled through the ranks. "Proof of your courage! Paid NOW!"

  He gestured towards Olaf. "Olaf! Leif! Organize it! Distribute the coin! Every man gets his due!"

  Olaf grinned ferally. Leif moved forward with resolve despite his discomfort. They began calling names from Harkin's muster roll. Men jostled forward, forming rough lines. The heavy clink of silver hitting palms became counterpoint to the fire's crackle.

  Eirik watched the distribution, his mind ticking. He signaled Harkin and trusted Talons. They cleared space near his table, placing stools. "Olaf! Leif! To me once the coin is flowing."

  As silver flowed, a lively tune erupted near one of the fires. A former pickpocket had produced a lute, joined by another man singing a bawdy ballad about a milkmaid and wayward knight. Laughter and raucous singing swelled around them.

  Eirik allowed a small, cold smile. Good. He sat at his table as Olaf and Leif joined him, wiping sweat despite the cold.

  "You did well," Eirik stated, pouring three cups of potent Fenrir ale. "Both of you."

  Olaf slammed back the ale in one gulp. "Aye, Commander. We showed 'em. Pretty boys and granite blocks both."

  Leif took a measured sip. He couldn't quite bring himself to praise Eirik directly.

  Eirik leaned forward, lowering his voice. "We aren't just men who won a fight. We're a company now. A mercenary company."

  "Already?" Olaf repeated. "Under the Stormcrow banner?"

  "Under my banner," Eirik corrected. "Eirik Stormcrow's Talons. Cedric gave me the men, the authority, and now," he gestured to the emptying chest, "thanks to my dear brother, the funds to start."

  He met Olaf's gaze. "Olaf. You know these men—the street fighters, the brawlers, the survivors. Effective immediately, you are Captain of the Talon Foot. You organize the infantry. You train them. You make them harder than Stormkeep granite."

  Olaf's chest swelled. He slammed a fist on the table. "Captain Olaf! Aye, Commander! They'll be harder than diamond shards!"

  Eirik turned to Leif. "Leif Fenrir. You have discipline. You understand formations, logistics, command structure. You know the lands, the politics. And today, you proved you can lead under pressure."

  He paused, letting the praise sink in. Leif looked stunned. "Effective immediately, you are Captain of the Fenrir Guard contingent and my lieutenant. You handle supplies, scouting reports, liaison with Stormkeep logistics. You manage the war chest."

  Leif blinked. Lieutenant. A flicker of something besides resentment entered his eyes. "Lieutenant Leif Fenrir," he murmured, testing the title.

  "Good," Eirik said. "Captain Olaf. Lieutenant Leif." He raised his cup slightly. "To the Talons."

  Olaf raised their cups in return. "To the Talons!" Leif slowly did likewise.

  The bard's tune shifted to a slower song, creating momentary quiet near the command table. Yorick the scribe seized the opportunity, leaning closer. "Lord Eirik. A word about the funds? Before celebrations… cloud the accounts?"

  Eirik nodded. Time to tally the cost of victory. "Go on, Yorick."

  Yorick pulled a small leather ledger from his tunic, pages filled with neat columns. "The One thousand talons from Lord Garrick—that's secure." He traced down the page. "House Fenrir's contribution, delivered this afternoon from our vaults…" He swallowed. "Lady Isolde managed one thousand, two hundred talons."

  1,200. Less than I hoped, but given the circumstances, monumental effort. "Acknowledged. Fenrir's commitment is noted."

  Yorick’s finger moved down. "Then… there were the wagers." He lowered his voice further. "Lady Isolde took everything—the Fenrir coin, jewels she couldn't immediately pawn, even borrowed against future wool shipments… and placed it all. On you. To win outright."

  A cold flicker of satisfaction cut through Eirik's fatigue. "And the payout?"

  "One thousand, five hundred talons, Commander. Cleared discreetly this evening."

  1,500. Eirik kept his face impassive. Either way, it paid. "Add it to the chest."

  "It's included here," Yorick confirmed. "Total inflow: Garrick's 1,000. Fenrir's 1,200. Winnings 1,500. Total: Three thousand, seven hundred talons."

  3,700 silver. Significant sum. Seed capital for his company. But Eirik felt a cold stone settle in his gut. He knew what came next.

  Yorick flipped a page, expression turning grim. "Expenditures. Fisk's alchemical components, his fee… The blacksmith for climbing gear, extra ropes… Jens and his trappers for the logs, traps, hazard pay… Basic provisions for fifty men for a week… Replacement gear… The feast tonight…"

  The list went on. Eirik listened, mentally tallying. Every copper spent was necessary.

  Leif finished. "Total expenditures to date… three hundred and seventy talons. Minus the five hundred talons paid out tonight."

  3200 - 870 = 2,330.

  Yorick closed the ledger, knuckles white. "Leaving two thousand, three hundred and eighty talons in reserve after tonight's payout, Commander. And if these men do decide to join the mercenary company, we need to pay them wages on a weekly basis."

  Eirik stared into the leaping flames.

  [Tutorial Quest #3 (out of 7): Build A Warchest]

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  [Quest Type: Stewardship]

  [Objective: Amass 5,000 Silver Talons (2,330/5,000)]

  The number mocked him. After all this, he was not even half way to the target? The feast roared around him—men celebrating ten talons like kings, unaware of the immense gulf still separating their commander from his goal.

  Five thousand. How?

  Garrick was bled dry. Fenrir was tapped out. The wager was one-time. He had a company to feed, equip, and pay. Mercenary contracts would bring income, but slowly. Too slow.

  He needed bigger gambles.

  Eirik looked up, meeting Yorick’s gaze.

  "Enjoy the feast tonight, Yorick. Tomorrow, we will talk about building a real warchest."

  He drained the bitter ale in one long pull. The feast roared around him: firelight, roasting meat, spilled ale, and voices.

  Olaf moved through the throng. A few others peeled off from groups, tankards raised, lumbering towards Eirik's table. They didn't bow – that wasn't their way. They slammed fists against chests, nods sharp and fierce.

  "Commander!" Edvard, or Forty-Two, the burly brawler who'd held the left flank, grunted. "Never seen a fight like that." He hefted his coin pouch. His gratitude was rough but genuine. Eirik acknowledged him with a curt nod.

  "Stormcrow," a wiry man with flint-chip eyes approached. Thirteen. "Cliff climb. That were… somethin' else. Never figured climbin' could win a war. You've got stones, Commander." Eirik raised his mug in a silent toast. The man grinned before melting back into the crowd.

  Even some Fenrir guardsmen approached hesitantly. Their salutes were crisper yet formal.

  "Commander Stormcrow," a grizzled sergeant said. "The shield wall held, sir. Because you put us where we needed to be." Eirik met his gaze. "You held. Sergeant." The man's posture straightened before he stepped back.

  Eirik watched them celebrate, cataloging faces, gauging morale. Then, His gaze snagged on the outlier.

  Leif Fenrir stood near a secondary fire, separate from the revelry. He held an untouched tankard. His posture was rigid.

  As the latest well-wisher, a wiry trapper who’d helped rig the logs, staggered away, Eirik caught Isolde Fenrir’s eye across the clearing. he saw his glance, and her gaze darted pointedly towards Leif.

  Perfect timing, Lady Fenrir, Eirik thought. He raised his mug slightly to her.

  Isolde reached Leif. She didn't speak immediately. She simply stood beside him, looking at the same fire, letting her presence be the first rebuke.

  Leif didn't turn to face her. "Leave me be, Mother."

  "No, Leif," Isolde Fenrir carried the unmistakable weight of command he'd known since childhood. "I most certainly will not."

  He whirled around. Firelight from the distant feast flickered on her face, highlighting the deep shadows under her eyes and the firm set of her mouth. "What do you want? To tell me to be grateful? To thank him for not having my head on a spike?" Bitterness choked his voice. "He used us! He forced your pledge! He used Grandfather as leverage!"

  Isolde stepped closer, her eyes like chips of frost. "Look at yourself, Leif Arnson Fenrir," she hissed, her voice low and intense. "Look at what you've become right this moment."

  Leif blinked, taken aback. "What?"

  "You are sulking," she stated flatly. "Like a child denied a sweetmeat. Like Garrick Stormcrow when the attention isn't solely on him. Is that who you are? Is that the heir Stalwart Arn Fenrir raised? The heir I poured every hope, every resource, into preparing?"

  Shame warred with anger. "I am not sulking! I am angry! He humiliated me! He humiliated House Fenrir!"

  "Did he?" Isolde cut him off. "Or did you humiliate yourself? And us?" She took another step, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Let us review, since your memory seems clouded by self-pity. Who, Leif, drew a dagger after losing a fair duel? Who invoked lethal magic against a Baron's son? Who committed treason in the Baron's own training yard?"

  Leif opened his mouth, but no defense came.

  "Who," Isolde pressed relentlessly, "faced execution by the axe? Who would have left his mother utterly broken? Who would have condemned his grandfather to rot forever in the Ice Mines?" Her voice cracked slightly on the last point. "Who stood shackled in the Great Hall, weeping like a terrified child?"

  Leif looked away. The memory of that cold stone floor, the chains, the crushing weight of his father’s ghostly disapproval, flooded back. He had wept. A memory he’d like to never recall again for the rest of his life.

  "And who," Isolde continued, "stepped into that ugliness and pulled a miracle from thin air? Who turned your certain death into service? Who not only spared your life but secured Brynn’s freedom? Who gave House Fenrir, shattered by your actions, a chance at redemption? A chance to stand tall again, alongside a rising power?"

  She pointed a finger towards the distant glow of the feasting fires.

  "That man out there, Leif. The one you sneer at as a bastard, as an upstart. He did that. He fought Garrick and Gunnar Stormcrow with fifty scarecrows and jars, and he won. He didn't just win; he annihilated them. He used their own pride and discipline against them. He climbed an icy cliff with a piece of iron, for Frost's sake! Do you have any idea the sheer will, the cunning, the strength that took?"

  Leif stared at his mother. The image of Eirik on that ledge, hurling shields and spears, directing the battle with terrifying calm, flashed in his mind. The impossible climb... He hadn't really processed it before, lost in his own misery.

  "That man," Isolde jabbed her finger emphatically, "his name will be sung. Not just in Stormkeep, Leif. Beyond. He is forging something here. And he offered you a place beside him. Lieutenant. A position of trust."

  She leaned in, her voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "Is this the gratitude of Arn Fenrir's son? Is this the honour I raised you with? To spit on the hand that saved your life, your grandfather’s life, my life? Do you truly think I would have survived your execution? The shame?" Tears glittered unshed in her eyes. "He gave us back our future, Leif. All of us. And you stand here in the shadows, pouting because he gave extra coin to a man who fought like a demon? Because he didn't bow and scrape to your wounded pride?"

  "Grateful? Are you jesting, mother?" Bitterness choked Leif’s voice. "What about the sword? What about my future? Lady Astrid... that betrothal Grandfather worked for... it's dust now! Who would marry the fool who lost his family's honor and its treasure to a bastard?"He glared at her, years of pressure boiling over. "I've carried this House since Father passed! And now you ask me to throw it all away? To bow and scrape to the thief?"

  Isolde didn't flinch. Her eyes blazed with an icy fury that silenced Leif’s outburst.

  "Throw it away?" Her voice cut through the cold air. "You fool. This is the only future our House has left!" She stabbed a finger towards the distant Stormkeep, barely visible through the trees. "Cedric Stormcrow? That man locked your grandfather in the Ice Mines to save his own pride! Your father died serving him, and what did we get? Pretty words at the funeral, Leif! Pretty words, and not a single silver talon in compensation for his widow or orphaned son! Do you understand? He does not care for Fenrir! He uses us and discards us!"

  Leif stared, stunned. No compensation? But... the Baron always spoke so highly of Father... The thought tangled with his anger, confusing him.

  Isolde leaned closer. "Think! Where would we be if you stayed that 'nice little noble'? Begging at Cedric’s table for scraps? Hoping Garrick’s boot didn’t land too hard when he passed? Cedric would throw us under the sleigh the moment it suited him! He already did with Brynn! House Fenrir is dying playing Cedric’s loyal dog!"

  Leif felt the foundation of his anger crumble.

  "Our House’s future, Leif?" Isolde looked towards the bonfires where Eirik held court. "It lies with him. With Eirik Stormcrow. Thus, you must follow him. Wholeheartedly. Not as a prisoner. Not as a sulking child. But as Lieutenant Fenrir. Serve him with your mind, your sword arm, and your loyalty. That is how you carry our House forward now. That is your duty. Stop being like the brat Garrick Stormcrow wanted you to be, and the loyal yet disposable noble Cedric needed you to be. Become that man," she points to Eirik again, "who earns respect instead of whining for it!"

  Silence stretched between them, heavy with the scent of pine and the muffled roar of the feast. Leif closed his eyes. He saw his father’s stern, proud face. He saw the Ice Mines. He saw his mother’s tear-streaked face as she begged for his life.

  She was right. Utterly, painfully right.

  He opened his eyes and met his mother’s with a single, slow nod.

  Isolde reached out and squeezed his arm. "Go back," she said softly. "Do your duty. Not as Leif Fenrir the wronged heir, but as Lieutenant Fenrir of the Talons. Earn your place."

  Leif took a deep, shuddering breath of the cold air. He straightened his tunic, wiped a hand across his face, and turned back towards the light and noise of the feast.

  Eirik watched Leif emerge from the shadows, his mother a step behind.

  Leif approached the head table. He didn't meet Eirik's eyes immediately, focusing instead on the half-empty ale mug before him. He cleared his throat.

  "Commander." Leif’s voice was flat. "Apologies for my… absence. There were matters requiring attention." It was a thin excuse, but it was an effort. "The coin distribution is complete. Harkin has the final tally." He gestured towards the old guard, who was carefully locking the now significantly lighter chest containing the remaining war funds.

  Eirik nodded curtly. "Noted, Lieutenant." He emphasized the title. "See that Harkin secures the chest under guard for the night. Olaf will assign men." He paused, then added, "Your direction of the shield wall was crucial today, Leif. Timely. It sealed the victory."

  Leif froze for a second. The unexpected, specific praise, devoid of mockery or condescension, struck him. He looked up, finally meeting Eirik’s cold, assessing gaze. There was no warmth there, only acknowledgment of a tactical fact. Yet, coming from this man, after everything, it carried weight. It felt… earned.

  "Thank you, Commander," Leif managed, the words feeling strange but not entirely unwelcome. "The men… the Fenrir contingent… they fought well."

  "They did," Eirik agreed. "Because you led them. Remember that." He let the statement hang. "Now, see to the chest and the guard detail. Report back when it's done."

  "Yes, Commander." Leif’s response was crisper now. He turned and strode towards Harkin and the chest, issuing orders to nearby Talons with renewed, if still slightly brittle, authority.

  Eirik watched him go.

  He turned his attention back to the feast. The energy was starting to wane, men succumbing to full bellies, potent ale, and the draining aftermath of battle. Olaf was still holding court near a large barrel, regaling a rapt audience with an embellished account of cracking a veteran's shield with his head. Yorick the scribe sat nearby, carefully noting something on a scrap of parchment, perhaps capturing tales for future recruitment. Harkin fussed near the supplies.

  Eirik took a slow sip of the bitter ale, watching the flames dance, already planning the morrow’s negotiations.

  His mind replayed the wargame: the choking clouds, the chaos. Effective, yes. But non-lethal. There were situations where chaos wasn't enough. Situations where you needed walls gone, supplies burned, morale shattered with primal terror.

  Fire.

  But medieval fire weapons were crude, dangerous, unreliable. He remembered history texts from Blackridge – petrol bombs, Molotov cocktails. Simple. Brutal. Perfect. But no petrol. No refined accelerants. But what limited that idea in his world was glass. It exists, yes, but the technology for mass-producing it hasn't arrived. Glass was fragile, expensive, hard to source in bulk.

  A different thought crystallized. He visualized the ice dagger, the ice arrow. Solid, transparent. Replace the glass bottle. An ice vessel. Holds the fuel. Shatters on impact. Creates the initial burst. Then... the fire.

  He felt the possibilities ignite. Fire and Frost, wielded together. It was audacious. Exactly the kind of weapon that could tip scales and fill coffers. But how?

  A name surfaced on his mind.

  Fisk.