“Oh, young Master Kettering, just you and Mr. Davone on the contract today, then? It’ll take a few moments to put together the details, but—”

  “Don’t forget to add our teammate.”

  “Ahh, who’s taking the young Lord’s place today?”

  “No substitution, the real deal, Bertinelli.”

  Albert looked at Dustin for a second with a blank expression before surprise dawned on his face.

  “You jest.”

  “You would think so, but man, do I have a surprise for you.” Dustin motioned over to the other end of the contract hall, where Thad was perusing contracts that lined the board as Neil absently looked over his shoulder.

  “This isn’t a mandate by the director, is it?”

  “No, he volunteered.”

  “I believe the last time you were here, Master Davone mentioned head trauma.”

  “You share our suspicions, then.”

  “It would give context, however, early congratulations for accomplishing something more difficult than an actual contract. Good luck with this one.”

  “No luck needed, we got this.”

  Thad looked over the approved contract in his hand. The parchment contained a map, a description of the monster, and witness reports.

  “A Tree-frog?” Thad mused, studying the sketch of a frog that looked very different than the ones from his home world. It was almost like a Pokémon with tree branches growing from the frog’s head and shoulders.

  “It’s kind of cute,” Thad said, which earned a wide grin from Dustin.

  “Right! That’s why I chose this one!”

  “You chose the contract because you like frogs?” Neil said, giving Dustin an exasperated look. “I thought it was because it was an easy one?”

  “I mean, there's that too, but my motives can have layers. Like a cake.”

  “Or an onion,” Thad added.

  “What’s an onion?” Dustin asked only to be waved off by Neil, who held out his hand to Thad to give him the contract.

  “Let me see that… Dustin. Why did you choose a contract so far out?”

  “How far out is it?” Dustin asked only to be smacked in the arm by the contract. “Ouch.”

  “I guess we'd better start walking, the weather's great for a hike.”

  “Good one, Thad.” Dustin laughed, only to stop when he realized that the young man was being serious.

  “If we want to make it there and back in one day, we’ll need to hire transport,” Neil said, putting the contract in his dimensional bag.

  “Doesn’t my family have stables?”

  “They do, don’t know why you had to ask, but don’t you hate the Heidels?”

  “It’s a time of new beginnings. And there is no point in wasting time or money. But I’m still down for hiking, so if you don’t want to take the heidels—”

  “To the Mercer estate!” Dustin said, walking past both Neil and Thad with purpose.

  Thad couldn’t think of a reason why Jason and Clive hated Heidels so much. It was like a unicorn and a dragon had a two-headed baby… which was pretty freaking rad.

  Thad smiled as he tentatively held out a treat in each hand and watched the Heidel take the snack politely. So cool! He gently petted the Heidel’s left head, noting the skin's texture was more like a snake, smooth and shiny. The other head lightly breathed into his hair as he reached over and patted the side of its face, not wanting it to feel left out.

  -Why do they like you? -

  Why not? I’m a delight; besides, animals are just the best. No ulterior motives, if you respect their boundaries, they’ll respect yours.

  -I can’t believe I’m saying this, but do you need the file on how to ride them? -

  I’m guessing it’s the same principle as a horse.

  -I don’t know what that is, but sure, whatever. Just ask if you need them. –

  -Personal Assistant Has Disconnected-

  Thad wasn’t sure why Clippy was so grumpy today, but shrugged it off as he saw Neil and Dustin come into the stable, followed by the household staff with gear.

  “I think they like me,” Thad said with a grin as one of the heads gently nudged him for more pets.

  “It appears so,” Neil said, looking at Thad like he was trying to figure out a magic puzzle.

  “Neil, you owe me two spirit coins,” Dustin said with a laugh, earning a scowl from Neil as he walked past Thad to another Heidel’s stall.

  Thad ended up being correct on most aspects of riding heidels, except for the reins, which proved to be a little more complex but easily understood. It had been years since he had ridden a horse, though, so it did take some getting used to. By the time they’d made it out of town and onto Bridge Road, he was keeping up with Neil and Dustin, who were themselves not used to riding, having avoided it since Thadwick had banned it years ago.

  They rode for roughly two hours before the town where the contract had originated came into view. It was not a large town, but it did offer a few amenities, including an inn, a general store, and a small-town hall.

  Getting off their heidels, they led them towards the inn as a small child rushed from the door, her tiny elf ears sticking out of messy hair that was half undone.

  “Are any of you healers?” The girl said with desperation in her voice.

  “I am. Where do you need me?” Neil said, handing the reins to Dustin as the little girl led Neil away.

  Dustin and Thad tied off the Heidels at the post and walked into the modest inn, which held an empty bar and tables on the bottom floor. Thad could sense Neil's Aura from upstairs, and both men made their way to a room where they saw Neil looking over a human woman lying in bed, her face pale and her arm and chest wrapped in linens that were soaked through with serous fluids and blood.

  Neil set about cleansing the woman to rid her of any infection present before healing, and then, as he unwrapped the arm and most of the chest, Thad sucked in a breath, seeing the burned skin.

  He knew what he would do if she had come into the emergency room, but he was aware that modern medicine was not well known in this world. Nor was it the most efficient method of healing.

  “How did this happen?” He asked as Neil went about addressing the skin, the woman already looked much better despite her brow furrowing from the healing sensation.

  “The frog spit on her!” The little girl said, holding onto the side of Neil’s robe as he worked.

  “That doesn’t look like something a tree-frog could do,” Dustin said, a look of concern coming across his face.

  “I know what I saw.” The girl insisted as Neil took a step back.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  “It could be another monster in the area, but regardless, she’ll be ok,” Neil said as he walked over to the sink built into the side of the room and washed his hands. The sound of pounding footsteps came into the room as an Elf Woman ran in with more linens and what looked to be potions.

  “Tonya, I… who are you?”

  “Mommy, they saved Momma!”

  The little girl ran up and hugged the woman, who looked both shocked and anxious.

  “I want to say Thank You, but I don’t know what Annette’s promised you.”

  “Nothing, I’m just glad I could help,” Neil said, which made the woman break into tears of relief as she went to check on her wife, who had started to stir.

  Neil turned to the team and noticed Thad staring at him with a look of awe and respect. Unsure how to handle such attention, he walked out of the room to give the family privacy.

  “Thank the Healer, we came out when we did,” Dustin said to Neil as they sat at one of the inn’s tables. They had been served complimentary juice by the little girl, Annette, who looked much more put together, her mother having obviously caught her with a brush before letting her leave the room.

  “Yeah, Neil, you were incredible. It’s nice to see you in your element,” Thad said with a smile.

  They all turned to glance as footsteps came towards them, belonging to the Elf who had introduced herself as Max.

  “I want to say thank you again. I take it, based on your clothes, you’re in the adventure society. Are you here for the contract, and if not, can you please help?”

  “We’re here for it, so don’t worry,” Dustin said, which made the woman seem more at ease.

  “Thank goodness, we’ve been trying to get rid of tree-frogs for weeks, but they're so low on the contract list that no one has come... It was quiet for a week, and we thought they'd left, but now livestock has started going missing, and you saw what happened to Tonya.”

  “Has anyone else been injured?” Thad asked.

  “No, thank the gods. But I know the town will want to see you if you’re willing,” Max said, looking towards the healer, who nodded.

  “I’ll see anyone who needs it before we leave,” Neil said, which caused Annette to run out of the inn immediately.

  “Whatever you need’s on the house,” Max said as she went to refill their drinks.

  Due to the team spending another two hours waiting as Neil tended to a few minor injuries, and then recovered enough mana to be ready for their encounter with the monster, the Mangrove swamp was now cast in deep afternoon shadows as they walked along Bridge Road.

  It had been decided that bringing the heidels further into the swamp would only bring liability, and they had left them at the inn under the care of Annette and Max.

  Thad stopped at the edge of the road and looked out at a small grassy embankment surrounded by Mangrove Trees. He glanced up at the Map widget at the edge of his vision and then down at the map the locals had drawn.

  “I think we’re here.”

  Dustin took the map from him, trailing his finger along the crudely drawn road.

  “Well, I don’t know how, but you actually didn’t get us lost this time,” Dustin said as he handed the map to Neil, who glanced at it and then placed it into his dimensional bag.

  “A broken clock’s correct twice a day.” Neil quipped.

  “Oh, good job, Thad, you got us here in record time, Thad. You guys were the ones who gave me the map in the first place!”

  “You just seemed so excited to try, who were we to take that from you?” Dustin said, lightly pushing past Thad, who made a face at him before following behind.

  “For the record. I know more about navigation than you think.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Neil said with a laugh.

  Suddenly, the group went silent as they sensed the monster’s aura. It felt much stronger than a basic iron rank monster, and there was only one, not several, as initially reported.

  Dustin saw the monster first and motioned. It was a tree-frog with small mangrove branches framing its head and shoulders. It sat at the edge of the water, its eyes unblinking, its stare vacant.

  “I see it on the wind,” Thad whispered, targeting the frog.

  - Time till Window of Opportunity: [15.00 minutes] -

  Something was wrong. The weak points were not visible. And there was a connection at the base of the frog to the water. He racked his knowledge of Pallimustus Flora and Fauna, suddenly realizing their mistake.

  But it was too late. The tree-frog flew forward towards Dustin, much too fast for him to react. The connecting tether wrapped around his shoulders as he struggled to free himself.

  “It’s not a tree-frog, it’s an angler toad!” Thad yelled as a spear materialized in his hand.

  “I can see that!” Dustin bellowed as he was yanked off his feet and thrown in the air.

  Dustin flew, an astounding feat on its own merit, the world spinning in a dizzying arc as the ground came into view, and all he could think was back to his words with Bertinelli, “No luck needed, we got this”.

  We so don’t got this. Dustin thought as he slid several feet before coming to a stop, the wind knocked out of him as he propped himself up on his elbows, coughing and gasping for breath.

  An Angler toad was a high-ranked iron monster, almost bronze, which was only given to more seasoned teams. They had fallen for a major adventurer pitfall; local reports don’t equate to accuracy. However, the girl's story now added up.

  Dustin heard a yell as he saw Thad dodge the puppet-like lure of the angler toad, still hiding in the water, with Neil shielding a further attack. Dustin stood up and ran back towards the group, an axe of ice forming in his hands.

  “We have to get the toad out of the water if we stand any chance of killing it,” Dustin yelled as his axe contacted the frog-like lure.

  “On it!” Thad pointed his hands at the sky and then the water.

  “I command the heavens!” A bolt of lightning flashed into the swamp, and with a roaring croak, the toad jumped out of the water directly at Thad, who teleported into a nearby tree.

  Thad scanned the angler toad, which was about the size of a monster truck. The eyes, stomach, and joints all glowed faintly in his vision as he saw that a minute had passed. He shouldn’t have used such a large spell as an opener; now he would need to hit the toad several times before he would be replenished enough for another large spell.

  Gripping the spear in his hand, he looked at the clearing above the toad that had now turned its attention on Dustin. With a crack of electricity, he appeared above the monster, his spear aimed directly at its right eye. The toad sensed his appearance and angled its face away, the spear slicing the side of its face as Thad kicked off its bumpy hide and landed near Dustin, who held up a shield of ice between them.

  Thad felt his mana start to recoup as a crystal appeared floating around him, and he glanced back at Neil, who brought forth his summoned chrysalis golem.

  The toad narrowed its eyes at the two men and shot its tongue out at them, with Dustin intercepting it with his ice shield.

  Dustin let out a grunt as the shield was tugged towards the toad, the tongue frozen to the ice. Thad slid around him, slashing his spear down across the tongue, which released it from the shield. This brought an angry shriek from the monster, who jumped towards them, each hop shaking the ground.

  It was at this time that the golem made it onto the battlefield and slammed a crystalline fist into the side of the toad’s head. Seeing the opportunity, Thad jumped forward and landed several hits on the monster's legs, dodging around it as it tried to take out the golem and him respectively.

  -Behind you! -

  Thad teleported reflexively above the toad and saw the lure landing with a heavy crunch on the ground where he had just stood. As he fell, he took another swing at the toad's eyes and ended up contacting the left one. Blood poured from the eye as he swung off the spear, landing on the toad's back and sending several more hits towards the monster, each decreasing its resistance to his attacks further. His manna and stamina surging.

  The Toad didn’t take this well and bucked Thad off, causing him to land in the swampy water with a splash. He watched as the toad turned its one good eye towards him and shot out its damaged tongue that wrapped around his wrist, yanking him out of the water and directly towards the toad's open mouth.

  Dustin flew in to intercept and severed the monster's tongue.

  Thad fell to the ground and held his shoulder for a second as he stood up, grunting in pain from the dislocation.

  “Imbue with life!”

  Thad looked over to Neil as the pain in his shoulder sharpened and then disappeared, giving him a small thumbs up, which Neil returned with a confused look.

  The toad, now on the back leg, jumped towards the water, causing Dustin to curse and throw his hands out, turning the large service area of the swamp into ice. The weight of the toad, however, was too much, and with a crack, it made its way back into the water.

  Thad jumped into action and ran to the edge of the shattered ice, plunging his hands into the cold, murky water.

  It wouldn’t be as strong, but he sent out his electrically infused aura into the swamp, which in turn brought the Toad lure directly into contact with him, causing him to fly backwards and roll across the ground, dazed but not severely hurt. Standing up, he saw the desired effect was still gained as the toad left the water once more in a beeline towards… Neil.

  The toad's mouth bulged for a second, and then a stream of acid shot out towards the healer.

  Thad teleported, intercepting Neil, knocking them both to the ground, as the acid flew past them.

  After the initial shock of being taken off his feet, Neil looked up to see Thad straddling him from above, a hand firmly placed near his head as the other young man looked back towards Dustin, who had once again pulled the monster's attention.

  Neil sucked in a breath, feeling a weird sensation in his chest as golden eyes turned on him.

  “Are you ok?”

  “Me?” Neil said, surprised that the other man cared enough to ask.

  “Who else?” Thad said with a slight smirk.

  “If I could have some help over here, that would be great!”

  The request from Dustin snapped Neil out of his stunned state as he pushed Thad off him, the other man letting out a small note of surprise as he lost balance.

  Neil stood up, casting his spell, Cornucopia, feeling as the boons marked his teammates, and their mana and stamina started recovering.

  -Boon applied. Time till Window of opportunity has been reduced from [5:35 minutes] to [0:00 minutes] remaining. Window of opportunity [4:00 minutes remaining].-

  “Oh, I’ve got this.”

  Neil turned to see Thad standing up and walking in front of him, a look of determination on his face, his eyes glowing faintly as he started to cast.

  “No Cost To Great.”

  Neil sensed all the ambient magic around him disappear; it was disconcerting.

  He’d felt the spell a few times in the past, mostly before Thadwick unleashed a string of powerful spells, but it had never felt this intense. It was almost as if he was casting it at a higher rank.

  “Into the Void.” Thad pointed above the swamp as a black hole appeared, pulling water, debris, and the toad towards it.

  “I am the tempest.” The sky above the void opened, pelting the monster with shredding wind, slicing hail, and lightning.

  -You're about to run out of…-

  “I command the heavens.”

  -Mana. You dumb Redacted.-

  The toad let out a final roar as a massive bolt of lightning fried it, the spells finally dissipating as the toad fell into the shallow water below, dead.

  Neil stared as Thad turned to him with a stupid grin.

  “Hey, Neil, do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else.”

  He then crumpled to the ground unconscious.

  “What?”

  Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else.

  Shrek meme in there, if you can find it.

  Scene of Neil and Thad from the fight

  Updated Thad Design