"Stop touching it," Hellene snapped, slapping my hand away from my ear. I hissed in pain, the throbbing ache radiating through the side of my head.

  "I told you not to poke at it for at least a day," she lectured, glaring at me from atop her dappled gray mare. "The flesh needs time to settle around the earring or it'll get infected."

  I gingerly touched the rim of my ear, wincing at the sharp sting. Hellene had insisted on piercing my ear herself after I admitted to having no idea how to put on the enchanted earring she'd given me. I could still hear her muttering about 'incompetent men' as she'd threaded a needle and shoved it through my earlobe with surprising efficiency, ignoring my yelps of protest.

  We rode on in silence for a while, the countryside rolling by in a patchwork of green and gold. The rural landscape had gradually given way to more populated areas as we neared the capital. Farmland still dominated, but I could see the occasional cluster of buildings in the distance – villages and small towns that marked our progress.

  We were only a single day’s ride from the capital, one more night at an inn and we’d arrive at Zephyria.

  Duncan rode up beside me, his white stallion's coat gleaming in the sunlight. He'd been quiet for most of the morning, his brow furrowed in thought.

  "Will," he said, breaking the companionable silence, "you mentioned a Four Sigil dungeon near the capital. Could you please give us more details on where it is? Also I’m curious as to why you didn’t use it when in the Heroes Party."

  I shifted in my saddle, considering my answer. To some people it would appear extremely strange for Duncan to only now be asking for details about it considering the dungeon was our destination. But knowledge of a Four Sigil dungeon wasn’t just a prize because of what was inside the dungeon, it was a prize because of how much money you could get for sharing the location.

  The Adventurer’s Guild offered a five hundred gold award for informing them of a verified location of a Four Sigil dungeon. That was enough gold to basically buy a noble estate twice the size of what Duncan owned with title and perks.

  It was understandable why Duncan was hesitant to ask for specifics because the answer itself was worth a fortune anyone would love to have. I couldn’t stop the twinge of guilt I felt. I was so used to keeping this secret, it practically felt instinctive not to speak about it.

  "I apologize, I should have given you the details way before now," I said, seeing Duncan’s expression soften at my words. "I found the dungeon's location by scouring old records in the Church of Divine Light's library archives. As a Hero, I had unrestricted access to all their texts, even the ones normally only cardinals could access."

  I thought back to those long hours spent hunched over dusty tomes, my eyes straining to read words from faded ink. It had been tedious work, but it had paid off in the end.

  "It turned out to be a great strategy for finding dungeons," I continued. "I found four Three Sigil dungeons, five Two Sigil dungeons, and fourteen One Sigil dungeons with reading old books. But this Four Sigil... there’s something different about it."

  Hellene urged her horse closer, her violet eyes alight with curiosity. "Well don't keep us in suspense, boy. Where is this mythical dungeon of yours?"

  I cleared my throat, gathering my thoughts. "It's called the Water Reflection Dungeon and it’s under Sunveil Monastery," I began, finally speaking its name after holding this secret felt strange. "A place where monks live and do charity work for Zephyria's poor. It's just half a mile outside the city, near the gate that leads to the poorest section of the capital."

  Duncan nodded, recognition flickering across his face. "I've heard of it. They say the monastery has a magic fountain that can cure poison and disease for anyone who drinks from it. But I certainly didn’t hear of any powerful dungeon under it."

  "It’s well hidden from what I understand," I said, my high Intelligence stat allowing me to recall the words on an ancient book. "And according to a text I found, published over two hundred years ago, a party of adventurers called the Silver Swords discovered a hidden passage in the monastery that led underground to the Water Reflection Dungeon."

  Hellene leaned forward in her saddle, her violet eyes intense. "And? What did they find inside?"

  I took a deep breath, deciding to skip to near the end details. Speaking about all the dangers of the dungeon could wait later until after I explained the main issue.

  "After defeating the final boss, the reward was a living goldfish that swam in an underground pond. The pond seemed to be connected to the fountain above." "A living fish as a boss reward?" Duncan frowned, confusion evident in his tone. "What were they supposed to do with that?"

  “Caw! Have it as a traveling companion of course! Us animals make great companions,” Osirus said from above. I couldn’t stop the grimace as I recalled what actually happened, Hellene instantly noticing my expression.

  “I’m guessing they did NOT make the fish a travelling companion.”

  “No… they um… ate it.”

  Osirus took a long look at me from above, gliding on the air as he gave me a hard stare.

  “Will… you are not allowed to eat me.”

  “I wasn’t planning to!”

  “Who’d want to eat you anyway, raven meat tastes horrible,” Hellene said with a snort. Did I want to know why Hellene knew what raven meat taste like? Osirus gave an angry squawk as he turned his glare to Hellene.

  “Take that back! I bet I taste delicious, not that you’ll ever find out!”

  “I think we’re getting off track,” Duncan said with a shake of his head, but I noticed the half smile on his lips.

  "Right, right," I continued, noticing Osirus flying lower to listen. "The leader and most of the party decided to kill it and eat it, thinking it would give them something special."

  Hellene snorted derisively. "Of course they did. Adventurers always think with their stomachs."

  I decided it was best not to point out to Hellene we were also adventurers as I kept talking. "It turned out their assumptions were right. Eating the fish gave them a passive ability called Divine Vigor, which made them immune to disease, poison, and most ailments."

  For a moment, we all rode in stunned silence, the implications sinking in. An ability like that could change everything for an adventurer.

  If I had that status effect, it might cause me to regrow a new hand…

  I mentally smothered the idea. There was no guarantee it would do anything of the sort. And I definitely didn’t want to cause a repeat of what happened after the goldfish’s death.

  "When the Silver Swords returned to the surface, they found that the fountain had lost its magical healing properties." Duncan's eyes widened, his half-smile gone.

  "The magic of the fountain was linked to the goldfish?" I nodded grimly. "It seems so, so the boss prize the dungeon offered was basically what was considered the source for the magic fountain."

  “But the fountain does heal people. I heard stories about it just recently—”

  "—The Four Sigil dungeon reset ten years after the Silver Swords conquered it. With the reset, the fountain went back to having its magical healing properties.”

  We rode in heavy silence for several minutes, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

  Finally, Duncan spoke, his voice quieter. "What happened to the Silver Swords after that?"

  I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

  "According to the text, they were worried that everyone would find out they caused the fountain to lose its healing abilities. So they fled to the Foekin kingdom, hoping to escape the blame."

  "Typical," Hellene muttered, rolling her eyes.

  "Not all of them," I corrected, remembering the final pages of the story.

  "One adventurer, consumed by guilt, decided to stay behind. He was the only one who didn’t eat the goldfish meat. He became a monk at Sunveil Monastery and confessed to the church what had happened." Duncan shook his head, a mix of sadness and disgust on his face. "I can't imagine the burden he must have carried, knowing his party's actions had such dire consequences."

  “You may be exaggerating the burden, it’s not like they knew for sure eating a fish would rip the power away from a magic fountain,” Hellene pointed out with an arched eyebrow.

  “There was writing carved on the wall near the goldfish, stating ‘Divine Gift For The Poor and Meager’,” I said, looking ahead, “The writing caused a debate which is why one adventurer refused to eat the goldfish.”

  “Well then I take it back- they were bastards,” Hellene said, frowning in disgust.

  Duncan snorted in amusement, but didn’t say anything

  "But why keep the dungeon's existence a secret?" Hellene asked, her brow furrowed. "Surely the church could make good use of a Four Sigil dungeon."

  I shook my head after glancing her way. "The cardinal who handled the issue two hundred years ago believed the Adventurer’s Guild would force the church to give up the monastery. They would have compensated them of course, but the guild would have pulled every string they had to make the church sell the property whether they liked it or not."

  “Which meant selling the fountain as well,” Duncan added with a frown.

  “Right, the fountain lost its power for ten years. So far back in history that no one remembers anymore, but if the Adventurer’s Guild had learned of the Four Sigil dungeon—that fountain would never have been used to help the sick and poor of the city again. Because the dungeon would have been conquered every ten years by adventurers.”

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  It was a strange feeling, referring to the Adventurer’s Guild as the ‘bad guys’ in an event which happened literally centuries ago. It reminded me just how much not every faction got along. The Church of Divine Light, Adventurer’s Guild, and the Royal family were just some of the factions in power which I knew about. There were probably more out there, competing against each other in ways I couldn’t understand.

  “Why though did it take an adventurer party to discover the secret of the fountain? You’d think the people actually living in the monastery would have already have some insight on why their fountain was magical,” Duncan said, Hellene snorted in response.

  “Have you actually met a monk? They’re not the type who question things and try to understand crazy magical phenomenon. They’re more the type to simply say it’s a ‘miracle’ and thank the Goddess for it.”

  I can never find any text to point out when the monastery was built. The ancient book I found only confirmed it was at least two hundred years old. It could have been built back at least a thousand years for all I knew.

  "So it should be obvious now why I didn’t tell Andy," I said aloud, joining back into the discussion. "Not only could I see him eat a magic goldfish whole by himself, I was sure he would have notified the Adventurer’s Guild about it for the gold." Duncan nodded solemnly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "And then those unfortunates who depended on the fountain would suffer."

  The country had clerics and priests instead of doctors to heal the sick, but there was a limit to them. Classes and abilities the System gave was part luck depending on the stats a person was born with in this world. So there was only a limited number of people who took on such callings.

  And while people of poorer background were given a discount for services offered by the Church of Divine Light, it was never offered for free. The church’s policy never involved offering free healing services because they worried about the population taking advantage of such a stance. At least that was my understanding from hanging out with Heather.

  As a famous Hero with a Holy Cleric class, she got a lot of requests from people for healing spells and cure illness spells. And she always charged them for it, a lot more compared to the typical cleric. Unfortunately people in general could be stupid and would pay the upcharge because they thought the healing was extra special coming from a Hero.

  I can’t count the number of times she explained the policy to someone with sugary fake sorrow. Repeatedly saying she wished she could offer her spells for free, but the church wouldn’t let her. And reassuring them she was trying her best to convince the cardinals to offer free healing services to all. For some people living in the capital, the healing fountain was probably the only reason they didn’t die of illness.

  Hellene sniffed, her expression skeptical. "There’s one thing I find strange about this. What are the chances that there would be both a Five Sigil dungeon underneath the city and a Four Sigil dungeon just outside of the walls of it?"

  “Zephyria first human city built at beginning of time itself. Not surprised at concentration of power.”

  Osirus sounded strange, not as quirky or as playful as before. And I wasn’t sure how to handle his words. How would he know if Zephyria was the ‘first human city’? I read a lot of history books here to understand this world and due to Demon King uprisings, a lot of the written history was lost. Including when cities were first built. So how did a talking raven know such a thing?

  It reminded me of all the other unusual things I’ve seen him do. How he knew about a collapsed dungeon behind an illusionary wall. How he could remove magic bindings on a firebird. And taught me how to use my Wisdom stat to sense others.

  Just what was Osirus?

  I lifted my head to look up at the flying white raven, a question on my tongue. Then quickly shut my mouth and stared straight ahead. I had this weird sense that if I snooped too much into this, Osirus might leave us. And no offense to the rest of the company, but he was my favorite best friend as far as I was concerned.

  “So we are in agreement—if the boss prize is a goldfish then we will leave it be,” Duncan said, tone not brooking disagreement.

  “And what if a meal of cooked magic goldfish could lead to a certain someone having their hand back?”

  Leave it to Hellene to mention the one thing I was trying to ignore.

  “It’s not worth the cost.”

  I was reminded that unlike Andy, I wasn’t good at speeches. This felt like a time to talk about virtue and how we were better than the Heroes Party with words of encouragement. But all I had was a short phrase to note my position. I couldn’t even think of how to explain it further.

  Luckily for me, none of the present company cared much about big speeches.

  Duncan smiled, a rare sight that transformed his usually stern face. "I am in agreement Will," he said, respect evident in his tone.

  Even Hellene looked slightly less skeptical, her lips twitching into something that might have been the beginnings of a smile. "Pretty words," she said, but there was no real bite to her tone. "Let's see if you can live up to them."

  As we rode on, the capital city growing ever closer on the horizon, I formed a checklist in my mind. Diving into a Four Sigil dungeon was going to take a lot of preparations. At the top of my list of things to do—I needed to speak with Fredrick Farman. I was pretty certain he did the favor I asked for, otherwise by now word of the Heroes Party conquering a Five Sigil dungeon would have been mentioned at the inns and by people passing by.

  At least that’s what I was telling myself.

  We reached the inn just before sunset, a modest two-story building with a faded wooden sign depicting a crown. The Crown and Hammer was the last respectable establishment before the capital. Once we got to the capital, we’d be paying three times the typical price of an inn’s room. Many people would say Zephyria is a city of wonders, but no one ever claimed it was cheap to live there.

  The innkeeper, a balding man with forearms like tree trunks, offered us two rooms—one for Hellene and one for Duncan and me to share. After a simple dinner of venison stew and dark bread, we all headed to bed.

  The next morning I warned Duncan not to be surprised as I activated my Disguise Self ability. The familiar tingling sensation washed over me as my appearance shifted. My youthful features melted away, replaced by weathered skin and deep wrinkles. My back curved into a slight stoop, and wispy white hair and a long beard sprouted where none had been before. My clothing turned into brown robes appearing of cheaper make compared to what Hellene wore.

  And of course my hook was now replaced by an illusionary hand.

  I was going to have to keep a disguise going most of my time in the capital. Admittedly I wasn’t as well known as the other Heroes, but there was some rare instances of me being publicly introduced as a Hero. And if the Heroes Party heard of someone with a missing hand even close to looking like me, they’d hunt me down.

  As we rode closer to the capital, Hellene suddenly began to speak in a strange, rhythmic cadence.

  "Silver moonlight dancing bright, casting shadows in the night. Mystic power at my call, weaving spells to bind them all."

  I glanced at her, eyebrows raised beneath my elderly disguise. She repeated the verse, speaking noticeably faster than before, her words tumbling over one another like water over stones.

  "Silver moonlight dancing bright, casting shadows in the night..."

  She stumbled over "mystic," cursed under her breath, and started again, speaking even more rapidly. Her fingers twitched at her side as if casting an invisible spell.

  "What are you doing?" I asked, steering my mare around a pothole in the road.

  "Practicing," she snapped, then immediately launched into the verse again. "Silver moonlight dancing bright, casting shadows in the night..."

  Duncan leaned toward me. "Spell incantations," he whispered. "She's training herself to cast faster."

  Of course. After our zombie practice session, she'd taken my criticism to heart. The realization warmed me—she was actually trying to improve for the team.

  Hellene continued her poetic recitations, growing faster with each attempt, until the words blurred together in a barely comprehensible stream. Her determination was impressive.

  I just realized something as I watched Hellene practice, part of the reason Heather was probably good at saying incantations quickly was because of her singing skills. It was a strange feeling knowing she did have a strength to help out the team when normally all I could think of were her failures to be a better teammate.

  I quickly shook my head, reminding myself she was still one of the most evil people I knew regardless of hidden talents.

  We crested a hill, and suddenly Zephyria sprawled before us in all its glory. The capital city gleamed in the afternoon sun, its white marble towers and golden domes rising majestically above ancient stone walls. Pennants of blue and silver fluttered from countless spires, and the massive Royal Palace dominated the center, its stained glass windows catching the light and seen even from as far away as we were.

  Duncan gasped beside me, his eyes wide with wonder.

  "By the Light," he breathed, reining his stallion to a halt. "I've only been here once as a child. I forgot how it’s so... magnificent."

  Even Hellene paused her incantation practice to admire the view, though she tried to appear unimpressed. "It's just a city," she muttered, but I noticed how her eyes lingered on the Arcane University's distinctive copper dome.

  I'd seen Zephyria many times before, both on leaving and arriving to it. But something about seeing it now, with these companions, made it feel new again. This wasn't a place I was going to with the Heroes Party. Today I was heading here with genuine allies, it was ours—a place of possibility and purpose.

  "We should reach the gates by midday," I said, adjusting my illusionary beard. "Remember, I'm Alfred Akins, an aging scholar researching ancient texts for a school in Sannindi. Duncan, you're my nephew and bodyguard, and Hellene is—"

  "Perfectly capable of creating my own cover story," she interrupted, her eyes still fixed on the gate as it came closer by the minute.

  "And what about me?" Osirus swooped down to perch on my shoulder, his blue eyes glittering with curiosity. "What is Osirus's story?"

  I opened my mouth, then closed it again. In all my planning, I'd somehow forgotten to create a cover for the talking white raven. Most people would immediately notice such an unusual creature, especially one that could speak.

  "You're, uh... you're my..." I fumbled for words, drawing a blank as Duncan and Hellene stared at me expectantly.

  "My assistant," I finally blurted out. "A rare familiar I acquired during my scholarly travels who helps me locate obscure texts."

  Hellene snorted, rolling her eyes. "I suppose being senile must also be part of your cover story," she muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

  I was about to retort when the city gates loomed before us, their massive iron-bound doors standing open to admit travelers. Four guards in the royal blue and silver of Zephyria stood at attention, watching each person who entered. I couldn’t help but notice a larger line than normal to get in.

  As we approached, a bored-looking guard held up his hand, signaling us to halt. His partner eyed us with practiced suspicion, his gaze lingering on Osirus.

  "State your business in Zephyria and the expected length of your stay," the first guard said mechanically, clearly having repeated these words hundreds of times today already.

  I hunched my shoulders slightly, adopting the posture of an elderly academic. "I am Alfred Akins, a scholar from Sannindi," I said, making my voice quaver slightly. "I've come to research ancient texts in the Arcane University. My nephew Duncan accompanies me as protection, and this is my colleague... um…"

  “Hellene Akins, his cousin. Excuse his behavior, his memory has been getting spotty this last couple of years,” Hellene said with the most fake smile I’ve ever seen plastered on her face.

  I’m only stuttering about who you are because you didn’t share your damn cover story!

  “Oh cousin! I’m so sorry, of course I remember you Haggatha.”

  “It’s Hellene, my dear dim-witted cousin.”

  “What’s that? My hearing isn’t what it used to be Hootsie.”

  “Okay, we got it. And what about this bird?” the second guard asked, eyeing Osirus with open curiosity.

  "My assistant," I replied smoothly this time. "Quite useful for fetching books from high shelves."

  Osirus puffed up his chest. "Caw! Osirus helps the old man remember things! Very important job!"

  The guards exchanged glances but seemed to accept this explanation.

  "We expect to stay for approximately one month," Duncan added in a respectful tone.

  The first guard nodded, waving us through. "Welcome to Zephyria. Keep your mounts at a walking pace until you have them stabled."

  We moved forward, joining the steady stream of people entering the capital. The noise hit me first—the cacophony of hundreds of conversations, merchants hawking their wares, the clatter of cart wheels on cobblestones. I opened my mouth, planning to say something encouraging about the capital. But what I saw before me could only be responded to with one simple phrase.

  “I think I’m going to puke…”

  “Light give me the strength to tolerate this…”

  “Well it’s official, old age killed me off and I’m in hell.”

  I couldn't believe my eyes. Every inch of the city seemed plastered with Heather's face. Her golden hair and perfect smile beamed down from enormous posters covering entire storefronts. Flags with her portrait fluttered from every lamppost and building. Her face was everywhere—on banners strung across the streets, on pamphlets being handed out by eager-looking young men in matching blue vests, even painted onto the sides of merchant carts.

  "What in the name of all that's holy..." Duncan breathed beside me, his eyes wide with shock.

  Girls of all ages paraded through the streets with blonde hair styled in perfect imitation of Heather's signature look—that gentle wave with a slight curl at the ends. Some wore cheap replicas of her gold and white robes, while others had pendants bearing her likeness.

  My stomach churned as I read the bold lettering emblazoned across the largest posters- "HEATHER'S EPIC CLASS FESTIVAL!" followed by smaller text announcing a date which was a little under a month away.