Hans took a sip of water and debated eating a bite of pork but decided to wait.

  For the sake of the story, he continued. “Everything the golem said to us that day sounded like an old man pretending to be a young woman. High-pitched, overly soft and exaggerated… it was so uncomfortable hearing it, and it never stopped talking, even when it attacked us.”

  The golem shot forward, smashing into the opposite wall when the party dove out of the way. Soon, the party learned that though the golem’s upper half was shaped like a torso, it had none of the limitations found in humanoid torsos. Its arms could spin in any direction. Its body could rotate in a full circle. It could punch and smash, and it could launch its arms like ballistas and then retract them.

  All the while, the golem spoke in Bunri’s faux female voice.

  “Hey baby. You look so handsome today.”

  “Is it hard being so smart?”

  “Your best is good enough.”

  “You're so strong.”

  “You make me feel safe.”

  “Oh you make me laugh, sweetheart.”

  “I am so proud of you.”

  “I love the way you make me feel.”

  “You're doing a really good job, babe.”

  “I love you the way you are.”

  “You deserve to be happy.”

  Everyone listening stopped chewing. Hans insisted he wasn’t joking before skipping to the end: the golem exploded. and valorite was the only salvageable material. A piece of its internal hardware was fashioned from the rare metal, and it mostly survived. It was a small amount, but it was enough to make the job incredibly profitable for all of them.

  Dunfoo argued he was owed a bonus. The party disagreed.

  When Kane and Quentin complained about the jump forward in the story, Hans said that he didn’t want to reveal too much about the actual fight itself. Izz and Thuz had asked to run it blind before it became the centerpiece of a lesson. In their minds, doing it both ways doubled their learning.

  Hans could, however, divulge that the golem was an interesting foe because it was highly resistant to both weapons and magic, surprisingly agile, and seemed to learn its opponent’s attacks. That last one was challenging in itself, but the nature of the golem’s durability made its ability to adapt abundantly frustrating.

  “Miss Mazo said she learned more about magery in that battle than she had in the entire year that preceded it,” Izz said. “She believes if she attempted to teach the lessons to us, we would not understand. She believes we must have the same epiphany in battle.”

  “So we have pursued such a foe ever since,” Thuz said. “We now have the chance to live Miss Mazo’s epiphany. We hope for that outcome at least.”

  “Miss Mazo has told you nothing of the battle?” Lee asked.

  “Only that it was with a golem who had a strange personality.”

  Lee laughed quietly to herself. “I always thought Master Theneesa oversold Miss Mazo’s behavior in her stories.”

  Izz, Thuz, and Hans all confirmed she had not.

  “At any rate,” Hans continued, “The golem was a tough enemy. It took us a bit, and we had a few close calls, but we took it down. When we did, part of the wall opened up, so we could walk right outside onto grass. Mazo said that made sense because wizards were lazy. Bunri wouldn’t want to go through the trouble of lugging materials to the top of the tower only to carry them back down to his workshop.

  “Dunfoo never talked to us again, though, and he lodged a complaint with the Adventurers’ Guild. The client was happy, so the Guild didn’t care.”

  Bel raised her hand. “That golem sounds much more advanced than any golem I’ve read about.”

  Hans nodded. “You’re correct. A few members of the Guild doubted our report for that very reason. Bunri didn’t leave any notes or blueprints, and the golem was nothing but scrap when we finished. Finding valorite was the only real insight left.”

  Sven asked what valorite was. Kane and Quentin nodded that they had the same question.

  “May I?” Thuz asked Hans. The Guild Master gestured for him to go ahead. “Valorite is a rare form of iron that is believed to result from a combination of iron ore and wild magic. It is known for having a distinctive blue coloring. Little is known, however, about the process that produces the material. Valorite is only ever found in small quantities, and no researcher has been able to recreate valorite in the lab. The material is highly sought after because of its mana conductivity, so its presence in a golem is unsurprising in that regard, but a wizard like Bunri having valorite is quite unusual.”

  When Thuz finished, Lee added, “There are a few stories about a Spellsword who had a valorite weapon. Sometimes the story says it’s a sword. Other times it’s an axe, but supposedly it amplified the power of the Spellsword’s magic, to the scale of Platinum or greater.”

  Sven whistled.

  A large silhouette passed by one of the spits, and Hans saw his chance to escape being the center of attention.

  “Buru!”

  Hans excused himself from the group. The Druid Apprentice inclined his head as Hans approached. “Guild Master,” he said.

  “How is Petal adapting to adventurer life?”

  “Her senses are sharp. I hear and see better with her support.”

  The opossum appeared on Buru’s shoulder, climbing up from somewhere Hans hadn’t seen. When Petal saw Hans, she barked, which for an opossum sounded like a cat hiss but as brief as a single drum beat. She allowed Hans to reach up and gently scratch her head with one of his fingers.

  “Petal trusts you more than anyone else,” Buru said. “She wishes you were always around to keep us safe.”

  Recalling his paranoia over the familiar was like a knife plunging into his heart. Hans smiled to hide it. “She is very kind.”

  “What’s on your mind, Mr. Hans?”

  “With Becky leading your training, you and I don’t get to talk much, but I’m still here to support your development any way I can. Thought I’d check in with you is all.”

  “Miss Becky is an excellent teacher. She has much to teach, and I have much to learn. Becki’s example is also good for Petal. She sees what a familiar might become.”

  Hans asked Buru to explain what he expected from Petal’s growth. The Guild Master had more experience with familiars bound to mages than to Druids, and he wasn’t clear on how much those two paths varied.

  “As she grows, she will be able to use any spells I use. Since we are two different people, my best spells may not be her best, but she will have the same proficiency.”

  Buru’s use of the word “people” was jarring for Hans at first, but he ignored it. “Do all Druid familiars share spells with their masters?”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The tusk said that they did.

  That meant Becki had all the same abilities as her master as well, but the oversized warthog had never used magic in Hans’ presence. Becky also avoided bringing her familiar into battle, at least that was the case when they chased down the squonks to rescue Roland. Becky insisted on keeping her mount away from danger when they prepared to attack the squonks.

  Her relationship with her familiar seemed to oscillate between mother and daughter or sister and sister. In either case, being protective of Becki made sense, but what was the warthog actually capable of?

  Magery familiars typically relied on their innate abilities and a small selection of spells their masters taught them. They had to practice and perfect their technique like any other mage, so most familiars were trained to specifically support the unique needs of their masters, creating the best complement possible between the pair.

  If magery familiars shared the casting ability of their masters the way Druid familiars did, a mage like Mazo would be twice as powerful. That was quite the multiplier at any scale, really.

  “How does she do in the dungeon?”

  “She is still learning,” Buru answered. “She used to play dead for the entire run, but she is slowly gaining the bravery to watch more of a battle.”

  A loud pop echoed across the mountain. Hans looked over to see the Apprentices and Silvers crowded around Izz and Thuz. One of them must have cast a spell.

  When he turned back, Petal hung from Buru’s chest, her tail wrapped around one of his buttons. Her mouth was open, and her tongue lolled out.

  “Apologies. This is too much excitement for the little one,” Buru said politely. “I must find some quiet for her sake.”

  Hans watched as the pair disappeared into the dark woods. In his mind, he replayed his conversation with the Lady of the Forest and the nature of the pact they forged. He no longer believed Petal presented a threat to Gomi, but the dryad’s interest in the opossum was still puzzling. Like Olza had said, the pact was a lot of noise for a singular creature whose kind was found all across the kingdom. In Hoseki, many people considered opossums pests because of their penchant for getting into garbage.

  What am I missing?

  With much of the food happily eaten, the gathering dwindled, the clusters of fellowship breaking into smaller and smaller groups. The adventurers stayed together. At the moment, they listened to Izz telling a story, but Hans was too far away to hear which story it was, but seeing the adventurers connecting that way was a good sign. A Guild chapter was a team in a sense, and teams worked far better when everyone felt welcome and connected.

  Believing that camaraderie was strongest when it grew without intervention, Hans gave the gathering the Hoseki Goodbye and quietly departed.

  Hans opened the door to his cabin. Before he could step through, a voice came from behind him.

  “Mr. Hans?”

  “Gods, Sven,” the Guild Master said. “You don’t have to stealth everywhere you go.”

  “Sure I do. It’s good practice.”

  “Well, yes, that’s true. I really just want you to stop sneaking up on me specifically.” Hans chuckled and invited the Rogue Apprentice inside. He lit two lamps while Sven took in the cabin’s transformation. He had spent several weeks sharing this cabin with five other adventurers. Seeing it with only two beds and a few makeshift bookshelves was new for him.

  “What’s on your mind?” Hans asked.

  “The smell hasn’t gone away, huh?”

  “Probably never will.”

  Sven nodded but seemed lost in his thoughts, staring at his own feet. Hans gave the tusk time to formulate his question.

  “I mean no disrespect…”

  “Sven,” Hans said. The tusk looked up. “You have never offended or disrespected me. You make some interesting observations at times, but I know your intent has always been goodhearted. We’re fine. You can speak freely.”

  Sven nodded and took a deep breath. “Chisel and Honronk have magery instructors. Two each if you count Bel and Lee. Kane has Lee. Buru has Miss Becky. Terry and Quentin have you. Yotu is going it alone with her Cleric stuff, but she has a direction for her training.”

  “And you have no such support or direction.”

  “Yes. That’s it.”

  The Rogue’s concerns sounded like simple jealousy at first. Others had things that he did not. He wanted to have those things too.

  But Sven wasn’t talking about special privileges or wealth or status. He signed up to be an Apprentice, and Hans agreed to honor that commitment when he accepted Sven’s application. The tusk had every right to be concerned about his trajectory when everyone around him had more support and access to more knowledge than he did.

  Hans’ lack of expertise in magery was a glaring deficiency in what his students needed, so he fixated on solving that problem, not realizing he was just as deficient when it came to teaching Rogues to be Rogues. Weapons training for a Rogue? Sure. That was no problem. Swords, knives, bows, saps–Hans had that covered handily. As for the skills that really defined the class? Hans wasn’t sneaky, nor did he have extensive knowledge of picking locks or disarming traps.

  “Making your own traps not taking you any further, I take it?”

  “I don’t regret the practice, but it’s not hard to disarm a trap when you’re the one who made it. I can’t really hide tricks or surprises for myself, can I?”

  “Suppose you can’t.”

  “I want to improve and learn, but I don’t know what to do.”

  I wish Gret were here.

  The Guild Master invited Sven to sit while he pondered the question. Sven was right to be frustrated, but what could Hans do to help all the way out in Gomi?

  In Hoseki, his immediate solutions would have included the following:

  -Private lessons with an upper-ranked Rogue

  -Listening to upper-ranked Rogues describing their experiences in the field

  -Shadowing local locksmiths

  -Selecting jobs that were more likely to need a Rogue

  -A stint with military scouts, both in training and in the field

  -Reading accounts by or about successful Rogues in the Guild

  Of that list, the only viable option was reading books. That was also the least impactful path, and Hans would have to order the books before Sven could benefit from them.

  “The Rogue I ran with saw the world much differently from me,” Hans began. “He could chart a path through an enemy camp that took into account light levels, sightlines, enemy movements or patrols, the surfaces he had to cross, and the timing of syncing all of those variables together. But if you asked him to explain his process? He’d just shrug and make some quip about the nature of true art or some such shit.”

  Sven listened, quietly, but smiled at Hans’ description of Gret.

  “I’ve been thinking about how to solve the trap and lock problem since you and I first met, but I also have to admit I have been distracted. I’m sorry to say I don’t have any new ideas on that front. I let you down.”

  “I understand, and I don’t fault you or Gomi for that,” Sven said. “From what I’ve put together, you expected to be teaching kids classes every day. The orcs, the dungeon… No one could have prepared for it.”

  “I appreciate you giving me grace, but I still have a duty to you as my student. I’ll look into what we could order for training. The Hoseki chapter had a few training boxes for Rogue Apprentices to practice on, but I don’t know if those were custom-made or if someone sold them. I can try to find out, though.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Hans.”

  New Quest: Talk to the merchant about training aids for lockpicking.

  Adding that quest to his list reminded him of all of the quests he avoided with his tantrum. Those quests were important to his friends, his students, and his community. Yet, he had a bad night and threw all of that aside to obliterate some goblins like a child going to their room to smash their toys.

  A new wave of shame bubbled within him.

  “I have an idea,” Hans said. In truth, he had two, but he wasn’t decided on the second. “The Regenerating Castle is pretty boring for you all at this point. What if you went ahead of the party and stealthed through that section? We’d start small so there aren’t three floors of goblins between you and help if you get caught, but there is real danger with this no matter what. Goblins will swarm you immediately if you’re spotted.”

  “I like that idea,” Sven said, his blossoming enthusiasm showing in his energetic nod.

  “Let me figure out a few checkpoints so we can gradually scale up the challenge, but I think we can start on your next run if you want.” In his mind, Hans pictured two checkpoints for every floor of the goblin section–one halfway through a floor, the other at the end of the floor.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hans. This plan eases my mind very much.”

  When Sven left, Hans thought more about his second thought. The silent walking ability that Becky and Buru used would be just as useful for a Rogue, if not more, but that would mean negotiating with the Lady of the Forest.

  No, don’t go down that trail again, Hans.

  Open Quests (Ordered from Old to New):

  Progress from Gold-ranked to Diamond-ranked.

  Mend the rift with Devon.

  Complete the next volume (Iron to Bronze) for "The Next Generation: A Teaching Methodology for Training Adventurers."

  Find a way for Gomi adventurers to benefit from their rightful ranks in the Adventurers’ Guild.

  Secure a way to use surplus dungeon inventory for good.

  Finish transcribing the manual and decide on the next course of action.

  Help Izz and Thuz bring new opportunities to their home village.

  Talk to the merchant about training aids for lockpicking.

  Investigate the locations of old Diamond Quests.