Delve

A faint snap of a breaking branch made Tallheart look up, and his hand moved to the pile of stones beside him. He selected a melon-sized rock as he scanned the tree line, seeing only a few dead monsters and no motion. As large as the cavern was, there was still no wind to disturb the foliage. A different sound reached him, and he relaxed, shifting his gaze up to the treetops as he let the stone thud to the ground.

They are returning.

Humming to himself, Tallheart picked up the puzzle he’d been building to pass the time. It was not complicated, being nothing more than a pair of horseshoes joined by a pair of small steel rings at the open ends. Technically, they did not need to be horseshoes, but some traditions were worth upholding, and he’d had the time to make them look authentic. It was a simple thing—a design so ubiquitous that it would be hard to find even an apprentice that was not familiar with it. It would likely be sufficient to confound Rain, however. Smiths were no longer common in his world.

Tallheart manipulated the horseshoes into the required position so he could hook a larger steel ring over them, then straightened them back out, locking the ring in the middle. Smiling to himself, he set the prepared puzzle down near Rain’s pack, like a hunter setting a trap. With that done, he moved back to his portable smelter to tend to the fire beneath it.

He frowned when he saw the flames. They had almost gone out already, and his pile of brush was nearly depleted. He would need to collect more. Unfortunately, the tree that Ameliah had felled would not burn, even after all this time. He was beginning to suspect that the wood’s intrinsic rune was tied to the Heat element, but he did not have the skills to confirm his guess. If it was true, then it would be a valuable material, one that they should consider collecting for their return journey.

“Tallheart!” Rain called out. “We’re back!”

“Mmm,” Tallheart rumbled, not looking up as he fed the last of the brush into the flames. There was a thud of Rain’s boots striking the ground, then a lighter impact as Ameliah landed nearby.

“Woah, Tallheart, what happened?” Rain asked. “I thought monsters wouldn’t come out of the trees during the day… Wait… Don’t tell me you did this by throwing rocks!”

“Very well,” Tallheart said, standing and turning to face them. “I will not tell you that.” He blinked as he recognized the enormous sword lashed to Ameliah’s back. His eyes flicked to her torn pant leg. Her leg beneath the tear was bare, and her boot was missing, but her skin looked undamaged. He then looked at her face, and his concern faded upon seeing her smile. She jerked her head over her shoulder, indicating the sword’s handle.

“You fought a Hababa,” Tallheart said, stating the obvious.

“We fought three of them, actually,” Rain replied. He chuckled to himself. “I say ‘we,’ but I mean Ameliah. She took them all on at once! It was amazing!” He raised a hand, then tugged at the collar of his armor.

Ameliah glanced at Rain, seemingly bemused by his enthusiasm. She shook her head, then looked back at Tallheart and raised an eyebrow. “So, you recognized the blade? Is it valuable?”

“Three Hababas pose a significant threat,” Tallheart said, ignoring the question. The sword was potentially valuable, yes, but there were more important things at the moment. I told them to be careful. This is not a game. “Did you choose this fight?”

“Of course not,” Rain said, sounding suddenly defensive as he took his hand away from his collar. “I was…distracted… They got the jump on us. Don’t give me that look. It wasn’t my fault… Okay, it was my fault, but not on purpose.”

Tallheart knit his brows together even harder. “Explain.”

Rain shook his head. “The hunger from the accolades is even worse than I thought, Tallheart. I tried to push through it, but it got so bad that I kinda…went insane.” He held up his hand, fingers pinched a short distance apart. “Mildly insane. Anyway, while I was…eating…the Hababas attacked us. We think they smelled cooking meat or something.”

Tallheart grunted. “I have questions about this, but I will ask them later.”I should have never let them go alone.He purposely exaggerated his expression so the humans would recognize it as concern. They tended to be blind to anything subtler than a frown. “Tell me of the fight. You are both undamaged?”

Ameliah nodded. “Rain didn’t get hit by anything other than loud noises. I took one good hit from a club, but I’ve already regenerated the health I lost.” She pointed at her bare foot. “My boot was the only casualty.”

“Mmm,” Tallheart said, watching Rain. He’d jumped as if realizing something, then dove for his pack. Tallheart returned his attention to Ameliah.“Do you believe there are more?”

She shrugged, the Hababa blade shifting with the motion. “I don’t know. We came back right after the fight without taking the time to search around. I don’t feel comfortable out there anymore. I was able to lead them away, but if there had been one or two more of them, it would have been a serious problem. I don’t know if I could have kept Rain safe on my own.”

“Mmm,” Tallheart agreed. “I would not have expected such monsters to spawn here. Survive, yes, but not spawn. It is concerning. Did you reach a higher-ranked zone?”

Ameliah shook her head, then started untying the rope holding the blade to her back. “No, and if we had, we wouldn’t have gone on without you. The gauge still read fifteen when Rain checked, both on the ground and in the canopy. Aside from that, this cave is even bigger than we thought. I climbed the tallest tree I could find, and it looked like we were more or less in the middle of it when the Hababas showed up. We didn’t find any tunnels or anything as we went, either. Just trees. No sign of an exit leading down.”

Tallheart nodded, accepting this. “We must stay together from now on. We have been overconfident. We will abandon this camp tomorrow and begin the search properly. Hmm. There may be a Hababa colony near where you were attacked. Aberrants perhaps, or even a Unique. Such things are rare, but they are more common in the depths.” He shook his head. “It is also possible that they are regular spawns. In either case, we must be more vigilant. This jungle is not as safe as it first seemed.”

“Agreed,” Ameliah said, shrugging free of her rope harness and letting the blade stab heavily into the ground behind her. She reached over her shoulder for the handle but was distracted by Rain’s return.

“Here,” he said, offering Ameliah the pair of boots he was carrying.

Ameliah blinked in surprise. “Why do you have a spare pair of boots?” She took them, then tilted her head. “These look like they’re the right size for me. Why…?”

“Always be prepared,” Rain said, smiling. “They’re fur-lined, unfortunately. They might be a little warm for the jungle. I have some spare pants for you, too, in case you didn’t bring any— Oh, and socks. One second.” He spun away, heading for his pack again.

Ameliah snorted, then dropped the boots to the ground. She slipped her bare foot into one, then blinked. “Soft.” She chuckled as she knelt to do up the laces, glancing at Tallheart. “I guess we know why he needed a second pack now.”

“Mmm,” Tallheart rumbled.

Rain returned as she stood back up. “Here, socks—oh, you didn’t wait. How’s it fit?”

“Perfectly,” Ameliah said. “Thank you.”

Rain beamed at her, then looked down at the socks he was holding, clearly unsure what to do with them. After a moment, he shook his head, then bent to tuck them into the spare boot. When he stood, his hand went to his collar again.

Tallheart narrowed his eyes.

“How were things here?” Ameliah asked.

“Hmm, quiet,” Tallheart said, turning back to her. He gestured to his smelter and the still-cooling puddle of slag from the drain. “I was able to process enough ore for one ingot of iron and three of aluminum as I worked. I completed the water filter, grinder, and the item that Rain requested.” He gestured, not missing Rain’s excited expression. “It is over there. The pan beside my anvil.” He turned back to Ameliah. “I am more interested in the blade you have won. May I examine it?”

Ameliah stepped out of the way, then gestured to the enormous blade sticking out of the ground. “It’s yours. You wanted metal; I got you metal. It’s useless to me as it is, anyway. I’m not one of those idiots who thinks having the biggest weapon in the guild makes you the strongest.”

“Ha,” Rain said from near the anvil, busy inspecting his new pan. “Tallheart, this is awesome! And the name! ‘Pan of Frying’! That’s perfect! Wow, it’s really heating up fast!” He turned and headed for the tree line. “I’m going to go try it out. You weren’t planning on using those monsters for anything, were you? Hey, which Fatbird is the freshest? I’m starving.”

Tallheart cleared his throat loudly. “Stop.”

Rain stopped, then turned to look over his shoulder. “What?”

Tallheart rumbled. “You are acting oddly. I will ask my questions now. First. Have you removed the accolades?”

Rain frowned, his expression becoming serious as he looked down at the pan he was holding. He turned, then walked back, shaking his head. “I took them off, yeah, but it didn’t really seem to help.” He shifted stiffly. “I have a theory, but…”

“Tell me,” Tallheart said, frowning as he watched Rain tug once more at his collar. “Is there something wrong with your armor?”

Rain sighed, lowering his hand. “Yes. Well, no, at least, I don’t think it’s the armor that’s the problem. I think it’s me.” He shook his head, a complicated mix of worry, excitement, and reservation on his face. Or it could have been gas. Human expressions were complicated.

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Rain continued after a moment. “My Strength sync has gone up a ton recently. It’s at…” He blinked. “Wow, eleven and change. All that swinging through the trees really did something, I guess. I sure used enough stamina. Anyway, back in Fel Sadanis, I was talking with…” he paused, “…a friend in the Watch. Nobody you know.”

Tallheart frowned slightly, not having missed the flash of pain that had crossed Rain’s face. He knew what that expression meant. The friend he was talking about was dead. It wasn’t hard to guess who he meant.

“Anyway,” Rain continued, “I asked her if boosting Strength would make your body change, and that’s when I found out about synchronization. She didn’t say it directly, but the implication I got was that Strength sync corresponds to how muscly you are. My armor has been feeling tight for these past few days, and I thought it was just the enchantments getting to me, but now I’m almost sure it’s more than that. The pressure from the resistances is still there, which made it hard to tell at first, but it’s gotten really obvious over the past few hours.” He flexed an arm. “Particularly around the upper arms and across the chest.”

“Oh?” Ameliah said. “Why is this the first I’ve heard of this?” She gave Rain an appraising look. “You have my attention. Strip.”

“Ameliah!” Rain gasped, looking mortified as he glanced at Tallheart.

Tallheart snorted, amused. “Will you require my assistance in removing your armor, or would you two prefer privacy?”

“No, I will not require assistance,” Rain snapped, his face having turned decidedly pink. He reached up and closed his visor to hide. “I’ll take it off after I’ve eaten. I don’t want to lose control again. This is serious, you two. Don’t tease me, please.”

“Sorry,” Ameliah said, her smile fading. “This is really bothering you, isn’t it?”

Rain nodded. “My body is…mine. Sure, any guy would love just getting muscles overnight, but this feels like…something else. Like…like something is forcing me to change, whether I want to or not. And with the hunger…” He shook his head. “It’s unnatural.”

Tallheart glanced at Ameliah, who seemed shaken, then back to Rain. He shook his head. “You are being dramatic.” Rain looked up sharply, so he raised a hand. “If what you are saying is true, then nothing is changing you. You are changing yourself.”

“Oh,” Ameliah said, seeming to relax. “The soul remembers the form of the body,” she quoted.

Tallheart nodded.

“Huh?” Rain said.

“It’s a common phrase,” Ameliah said. “Tallheart’s right. I think it could explain the symptoms you’re describing. You haven’t heard it before? Healers say it all the time.”

Rain shrugged. “The only real Healer I’ve talked to about that stuff is Wallace, and he doesn’t believe in souls.”

“Oh, him,” Ameliah said with a snort. “Yeah, okay, that explains that. Well, at a basic level, healing spells work by bringing the body back into line with how the soul thinks it should be.” She crossed her arms, rubbing at her elbow uncomfortably. “For example, I can’t restore Staavo’s foot because his soul has forgotten that it should be there. You’d need a real healer to change that. Someone with high-tier spells that can alter…” She shook her head as she trailed off. “Never mind.”

Tallheart narrowed his eyes, sharing a look with Rain.

Ameliah uncrossed her arms, though it appeared to take some effort. “The soul remembers the form of the body. That’s the root cause of what you’re feeling. I’m sure of it.” She nodded. “Your soul thinks your muscles should be bigger for how strong they are, and you’re hungry because it’s trying to rebuild them.”

“Oh…” Rain said. “That…makes sense, actually. I do seem to want meat more than anything else. I need protein.” He looked up, then opened his visor again. “You don’t have a word for that. It’s the stuff in food that… You know what? Never mind. I’ll tell you later if you really want to know.” He smiled. “Thanks, Ameliah. If you’re right about this, that really makes me feel better. I guess we’ll see, won’t we? For now, though, I’d better go cook something before I have another…incident.”

“That is probably wise,” Ameliah said.

Rain nodded, then spun away and practically ran for the nearest monster corpse, brandishing the pan like a weapon—which, technically by the enchantment, it was.

Tallheart watched him go, frowning. He glanced at the Hababa blade sticking out of the ground, then decided it could wait. Even if it contained traces of adamant as he expected, it would not be going anywhere. Instead, he turned to Ameliah, who was rubbing at her elbow again.

He rumbled, deep in his chest to show his concern. “Ameliah.”

“Yes?” she asked, looking at him.

“What is it that you fear?”

Ameliah froze, then turned to face him fully. “I’m not afraid. I’m just…concerned.“

“No,” Tallheart said, shaking his head slowly. “I am no expert on humans, but I know fear when it is before my eyes. You are afraid.”

Ameliah sighed after a long pause, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Mmm,” Tallheart said.

The silence stretched, and eventually, Ameliah continued all on her own. “I like Rain how he is. I’m afraid that he’ll…change, and not in a good way. It’s happened before with people that I thought I knew. People that I trusted.”

Tallheart rumbled in understanding. “Power is dangerous.” He inclined his head toward Rain, who was busy salivating over the meat that was now sizzling in his magical pan. “Sometimes, it is as you see—hunger, recklessness, pride, wrath. The system…hmm, no. Our stats. Our skills. They will change us, but only if we let them. Whatever is wrong with Rain, it will pass. His will is strong. He will learn to control this hunger, just as he has learned to control the urges of the slime that has infiltrated his soul.”

“Yeah,” Ameliah said, sighing. “I know.”

“Mmm,” Tallheart said. “You are worried about something greater. This incident has merely brought it to the front of your mind. What you fear has nothing to do with the system at all.” He tilted his head as he looked at her. “Tell me about…the Healer.”

Ameliah froze for the second time, then snorted softly to herself. She looked away. “You’re wrong, Tallheart. You are an expert on humans.”

“Mmm.”

A few hours later, Ameliah sat with Rain in the stone cubbyhole where they’d spent the night. She’d calmed down since Tallheart’s insightful probe into her past. She had told him nothing, though she’d wanted to. That part of her memory was locked away safely where it belonged. She would tell them about it someday, but not here. Not in the depths. They needed to focus.

Rain sighed, setting down the last piece of his armor atop the pile of plates next to him. He shifted awkwardly, looking self-conscious in nothing but his skin-tight Forceweave. His very skin-tight Forceweave.

“Well?” he asked, looking at her pleadingly.

Ameliah smiled, trying to hide her amusement at how vulnerable he looked. Rain was sensitive to a fault and had serious self-confidence issues. What she said next would be critical. Fortunately, she didn’t have to do anything other than tell the truth.

“You look amazing,” she said, smiling warmly. “I always thought you were cute, but then you grew the beard, and now…” She made a show of licking her lips. “Yum.”

As expected, this had the desired effect of turning Rain’s face entirely red. Ameliah laughed, rocking back and covering her mouth.

“Hey!” Rain protested. “I told you not to tease me!”

“I’m not teasing you,” Ameliah said, fighting back her laughter. She waved him away. “Okay, maybe a little. Really, though, I like what I see, and I’m not just saying that. Don’t worry. You’re still you, even if you are a bit…” she poked him in the chest exploratively, “…denser than you used to be.”

“Hey,” Rain said again, reaching up to cover the spot. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” Ameliah said, poking him on the other side. “This?” She poked him again, then gasped and pulled back, pressing a hand to her breast. “Hey!”

Rain grinned at her. “You started it.”

Ameliah laughed, massaging the spot before dropping her hand. “I suppose I deserved that.” She scooted a bit closer to him. “You did it wrong, though. You’re supposed to be gentle.” She reached out for his hand, then placed it where she wanted it. “Like this. Here, try again.”

Rain smiled, then leaned in to kiss her, but a loud clearing of the throat from the other side of the door made him yelp, pulling his hand away as if burned.

Ameliah laughed. “Damn.”

“Hmm,” Tallheart said, pushing open the door and knocking over Rain’s piled armor with a clatter. “Do not mind me. You may do whatever you wish to each other after I have made some measurements.” He tilted his head, looking at Rain, who was trying and failing to hide behind Ameliah. “Hmm. Yes. Significant adjustments will be required. Stand up.”

“Tallheart!” Rain shouted.

Tallheart’s rumbling deepened, and Ameliah realized that he was laughing. That was all it took for her to break down completely.

Rain sighed as Tallheart departed, taking his armor with him. “Damn antlered mood-killer.”

Ameliah snorted, leaning her head against his shoulder. The two of them were sitting next to each other with their backs against the wall. “Ready to pick up where we left off?”

Rain sighed, wrapping his arm around her. “Not really. Not with him out there…listening.” A metallic clang sounded from beyond the tunnel, Tallheart’s hammer. It seemed he’d already begun working on the adjustments.

“That’s okay. This is fine too,” Ameliah said, nuzzling her cheek against Rain’s neck.

Rain smiled, resting his head atop hers. “I am so lucky I found you.”

“Yes, you are,” Ameliah said.

“Ameliah, honestly, you are the best thing that has happened to me since…forever, including my awakening.”

“Yuck, stop,” Ameliah said, crinkling up her nose. “You know I like sweet things, but depths, I’m going to puke if you keep that up.”

Rain laughed, suddenly nervous as he contemplated what he was about to say. He shook his head, then said it before he could get in his own way. “I still can’t believe I fell in love with someone who would put honey in her coffee.”

“Black coffee tastes terrible, and you know it,” Ameliah said. She paused. “I love you too.”

Rain felt himself melting, and it was all he could do to maintain his composure. Part of him wanted to jump up for the ceiling and run around in excited circles. Another part wanted to collapse bonelessly to the floor. Instead of doing either, he forced himself to be content with an affectionate squeeze, desperate to maintain some modicum of his dignity.

The word ‘love’ wasn’t quite as charged here as it was where he was from, as far as he could tell.

But still.

She’d said it back.

She loves me. Oh, fuck, she loves me. There must be something wrong with her. Some horrible mental disease or something.

“Rain?” Ameliah said.

He looked down at her, seeing that she had her eyes closed as she rested against his shoulder. “Yes?”

“Don’t change,” Ameliah said softly. “Stay like this, please.”

“What?” Rain asked, his thoughts not working properly as they searched around for what she might mean. “Like, the muscles? The hunger isn’t gone yet, so I don’t think I’m done, uh, growing. There’s not much I can do about that unless you know a way to lower synchronization.”

“No, pigeon-head,” Ameliah said, reaching up to flick him on the forehead. “I like the muscles. I’ll like you no matter what you look like. I mean keep being you.”

“Huh?” Rain asked, pulling away to rub at his forehead. What is she talking about?

Ameliah sighed, dragging him back closer so she could rest her head comfortably on his shoulder again. “Ask me later. Once we’re out of the depths. I need to tell you about…” She sighed again, squeezing him tighter still. “Later.”

“Okay…” Rain said, not understanding, but accepting it. Whatever it was, she would tell him when she was ready. He laid his head back against hers, searching for a safe topic. One that didn’t involve feelings. Coffee, yes. Coffee is safe. He chuckled. “Coffee grows in the jungle, did you know that? I didn’t sense any out there, but I did find something else. Something good. Can you guess?”

“Something edible, I expect,” Ameliah said. “Just tell me. I don’t feel like guessing.”

Rain smiled. “Cocoa beans. Tell me, do you like chocolate?”

“Of course, I like chocolate,” Ameliah said with a soft huff of amusement. “Everyone likes chocolate. It’s just rare.”

“Tell me about it,” Rain said with a sigh. “I looked everywhere in Fel Sadanis once I found out it existed in this world. No luck. It’s made from cocoa—in case you didn’t know. It’s a lot of work to make it, though. I was thinking we could harvest some beans on our way back and then have a try.”

“Mmhmm,” Ameliah said sleepily.

Rain smiled. She must be tired. She didn’t get much more sleep than I did. “So once we’re done here—not just the depths, I mean, but with Vestvall—what do you think will happen? Where will we go?”

“Hmm?”

“I was thinking that after we get everyone to safety, we can come back here with Ascension. I promised to help everyone else level, and I mean to. Apart from that, this place is amazing, just from the resources alone. We’re getting tons of Crysts down here, way more than on the surface, and who knows what else we’ll find…” Rain sighed. “I’d love to just stay here, but we can’t risk the townspeople like that. Coming back, though, that seems like a great idea. Even once I get to silver, I don’t think we’ll be ready for Xiugaaraa. Once people find out what we’re trying to do with Ascension, there’s going to be trouble. The Watch is cool with us, and the Guild will be too, I think, but the Bank… I just don’t know, Ameliah. We’re going to clash with them eventually. I can feel it. If not them, some noble house or something. We’re not ready for that. Coming back here…to someplace out of the way… That would let us get a good footing. The only problem is that the Empire is so close. What do you think? Would it be safe enough to come back? What happens if the Empire wins the war?”

There was a long pause, and Rain looked down. “Ameliah?”

Ameliah didn’t respond, other than to snuggle closer to him.

“Seriously?” Rain asked. “You fell asleep while I was talking?”

Again, she didn’t respond.

Rain smiled, reaching over to brush her hair out of her face. He had to resist the urge to close his eyes as well. He felt about as safe right now as he’d ever been, despite being without his armor, but this was still the depths. Tallheart wasn’t far away, but he was far enough that it mattered. In fact, with Hababas around, the smith was relying on them being close enough to help him in case something happened.

Detection went off as a part of its normal sequence, coming back clear of danger.

For now.

As nice as it would have been to join Ameliah in rest, Rain couldn’t do that. He had too much to lose.

He would keep watch.

He just wished that he’d remembered to grab a snack before Ameliah decided to use him as a pillow.