The three scholars returned from the assessment room. Their expression matched the Guild Master's after seeing the offering but with more dismay. "We don't have enough funds in our reserve to purchase all the items, but we can't part with any of them!" Alex nodded as he'd expected that. "Are the funds you do have available enough to allow the adventurers in that room to retire and live comfortably until old age takes them?" One looked nervous. "Elves live a very long time. And Dwarves do as well." Alex sighed. Lyra and the others had followed the scholars and heard Alex's question. "Don't speak for me. I'm not ready to retire. I'm coming with you." Dale and Dystra nodded. "We're in as well. "Count us in!" Yellsbeth said, and Thorn nodded with a grin. "It should be amusing. I'm in," Jhaan said with a nod. Joah was smiling at Alex. "I thought I was ready to retire, but this last mission gave me a second chance to live. I want more." Ti'Nah and Shi'Jax were all smiles.

Alois returned to consciousness surrounded by warmth, lying against something blissfully soft. Grakkesh was holding a glass of water and saying something to him as Silvain stood to the side, speaking with his captain. "Take some sips," the Dwarf was saying. Alois took the glass, swallowed the water as directed, and felt slightly better. He was so incredibly comfortable in this softness. A man with long white hair walked up and squatted down to smile at him. "Are you feeling better?" "Yes, I'm sorry for the dramatic entrance, but I feel I've just avoided a premature demise," he said. The man nodded. "Luckily for you, Ti'Nah was close enough to catch you when you fell." "Ti'Nah?" Alois asked, then looked up into golden eyes. He was leaning back against the chest of a Beast-Kin Tigress! "Hello," she said. "Oh!" The white-haired man assisted Alois to his feet and held him steady as he turned to look at the Beast-Kin Warrior. "Thank you!" he said in awe. She nodded to h

"RRAAHH!" the squad shouted in perfect sync. Willem and the squad swaggered forward, thumping their heavy boots against the cobbles until they left the lane to march into the square's open space before the large building. They stopped as what they saw made no sense. Standing alone in this vast space was a single man with long white-blonde hair, wearing only a simple tunic and no shoes. "This? This is what the Genthale Knights are hiding from?" Willen scoffed. "Commander, let me deal with this little shit so we can get back to the barracks," the squad captain said in scorn. Willem chuckled and gestured for his man to take the lead. Launching himself forward at a comfortable jog, the captain closed his helmet's visor, pulled his short sword from his belt, and prepared to lop off a head. As he got closer, he noticed the man was making no attempt to flee or defend himself. He looked... sad? The captain swung the sword a few times to see if the man's nerve would break, but

When Ungar was alone, he let his mind return to the days of his youth when the unfairness of being born a prince but unblessed by the Gods almost drove him to madness. During those early years, emotions developed faster than intellect, and his emotions had power! His jealousy was uncontrolled and his anger at his parents for not having blessings to pass to him soured their relationship. His mother forgave him once his intellect caught up, and he recognized the idiocy of his blame-flinging. He would soon learn that his relationship with his father had been permanently damaged. He discovered at his mother's side on the day she died that his father also resented the Gods for his lack of blessing. These were private issues. So, now the Gods were interfering with his life more insidiously. Well, two could play this game. To have his reign as King of Thane, he would eliminate the Human the Gods were using as their lever to change the world. He knew just the man he could rely on to

It wasn't like he was missing out on female companionship. From the early days of his joining the party, Yellsbeth and Thorn were eager and willing bed companions. As a powerfully muscled Dwarf with a bombastic personality, Yellsbeth was frustrated by her inability to attract lovers and was delighted to discover Alex held no such biases. Thorn was much quieter than her sister, but still waters run deep. She welcomed every opportunity to share his bed, and her desires might be a little wilder than her older sister's. He'd been surprised to discover their two new Beast-Kin party members were also interested in sharing his bed. For Shi'Jax, it was just for comfort and security as she preferred snuggling and made no attempt to move beyond this. Ti'Nah was another matter. She was eager, enthusiastic, and energetic. He discovered she was also too vocal. That led to a lot of teasing and embarrassment for him. Ti'Nah had no such difficulty and glowed with satisfaction for days. Once m