The house's legs bent, and the entire house creaked forward.

"H-how...? This is... How!?" Tristan stumbled over to Greta's house. When she got close to the steps, there was a massive crash inside the house, followed by the sound of something rolling.

"No! Left! Left! The other left!" A woman's voice echoed through the house. From one of the side rooms, a large glass ball rolled into view, hit the corner of the kitchen counter, spun wildly across the living room, flew into the air after it struck the door jam, and came to a stop just before it fell off the porch. "Phew. It's hard to steer these things." An image spun wildly inside the crystal ball. It slowed down until I could make out the image: it was Greta.

"Greta?" Tristan asked.

Greta's eyes shimmered on the other side of... wherever she was. "Hi, kids!" She looked at Tristan and me before seeing that Jorn was with us, too. "And Jorny baby's there, too? What a treat!" The witch leaned forward and kissed the air at him. "What are you doing at my place, you handsome lunk, you?"

Jorn placed his hand over his heart and bowed. "Oh, you know, taking down cults and fighting goblins. A simple day's work." Standing upright, his brows knitted as he looked at the orb. "That being said, how did I get so lucky that a beautiful woman like you knows my name?"

A look of bitter sadness crossed Greta's face for an instant, then vanished just as fast. "Oh, I've heard all about you, big boy."

Chuckling, Jorn crossed his arms. "I suppose I do have a reputation, though I'm not sure I'm glad it preceded me. Good thing, I hope?"

"Oh, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I've heard very good things."

He grinned. "That's good to hear." He clicked his tongue. "See, I have a problem, though. Maybe you could help me with it?"

"This humble witch is always happy to help those in need," Greta purred. "What's your problem, handsome? I'm sure we can find a way to fix it together."

"Oh, I'm confident we could do many things together." Jorn's grin widened. "But my problem's simple: you know me, but I don't know you." His eyebrows arched. "Want to help me rectify that little problem?"

Greta giggled. "I'd love to. From what I've heard, I know we'll get along famously."

Jorn's characteristic grin split his face. "It's a date, then."

"It is, isn't it?" Greta's smile grew into a broad grin. "Is there anything you'd like me to wear for our date?"

"Hmmm, I can see you in a tight little..."

And that's when I turned my ears off.

Tristan leaned into me. Her blue eyes were wide, and her face was twisted into a grimace. She got close and whispered, "It's like watching parents flirt. I think I'm going to be sick."

"It isn't great." I plugged my nose and pretended to gag. "They're gross together."

"Alex." Greta clapped, drawing everyone's attention. "Darling. No insulting your elders. I don't tolerate that kind of behavior in my house."

I pointed at Tristan. "She started it."

"Hey!"

"Tristan, be a good influence on him. He's going to need it." Her eyes went from sparkling to actually sparkling. "You two have a long road ahead. He's going to need your goodness."

"Where are we going?"

"What did I say about spoilers?"

Tristan smiled. "I'll do my best. He's a lot to manage, but I'm sure I'll figure out a few methods that work on him."

"Oooh, someone got close to her paramour these past few days. Did staying at my house do you two..." Greta looked past us. "Wait, where are you? That doesn't look like Goodfield."

"Uh..." Tristan looked up at me.

I looked at Jorn, who'd suddenly gotten very interested in a nearby rock.

"What did you three get up to?"

I took a deep breath. It really was like being scolded by a parent. "Well, the thing is, we kind of went on a quest..."

***

"Oh, so the other Templars passed out on the grass behind you, huh? Interesting, interesting." Greta rubbed her chin with her fingers. "You two did well! You're quite the little blossoming heroes! I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you." Tristan was beaming. "We had to do something, and Alex here never hesitated. He's kind of the best."

"Look at his smile!" Greta giggled on the other side of the orb.

I tried and failed to hide it. "It was the right thing to do."

Jorn cleared his throat beside us.

"Oh, I didn't forget about you. You were the handsomest, most heroic Templar of them all, Jornie."

The man covered his face with his fist like he had to cough, but behind it, he was smiling.

Greta's smile began to fade. "Congratulations aside, this is all quite odd." The witch turned and looked over her shoulder. "What do you think about all of this?"

Behind her, nearly out of sight, another woman was standing with her arms crossed. Looking closer, I saw that the woman was in her mid-twenties. She had short black hair held back by a simple blue headband, a round face, a button nose, and bright green eyes. She wore simple peasant clothing and looked pretty, if kind of plain compared to the beautiful witch next to her, but something about her stood out. While she appeared normal, there was something about her eyes... something that set her apart. She seemed different from anyone else I'd ever met before, but I couldn't exactly place why I felt that way.

"We can't see her well, Greta." Tristan moved closer to the orb. "Could she come a little closer?"

"Oh!" Greta stepped to the side and pulled the woman forward. "This is Faye. Faye, say hi. These are the new friends I was talking about."

Faye waved at us. "Hi, everyone." Her voice was strong and pleasant, if not particularly feminine. "Nice to meet you."

Her name sounded kind of familiar, but I couldn't place it. Thinking nothing of it, I waved back at the woman and went to speak, but a half-yelp, half-groan emitted from Jorn's lips, and Tristan's face had turned ghost white.

"Alex..." Tristan's jaw clenched. "You need to bow. Now." She grabbed the back of my head and forced it toward the ground. She followed.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"What's happening?" I looked over at Jorn, but he was bowing too. His eyes were closed, and he was whispering prayers to himself.

"Shush! Don't speak until you're addressed." Tristan was sweating. Sweating!

"Why do they always do this?" the woman grumbled on the other side of the orb.

"You're always so awkward," Greta shot back.

"Not everyone's a social butterfly like you."

"I am great, aren't I?"

"Yeah, great at pillow talk."

"Bitch."

"Whore."

They both burst out laughing.

The pair got quiet, and I got tired of being bent in half. I'd fought too hard and had far too little sleep for this shit. I swatted Tristan's hand away and stood back up. Looking back at the orb, I noticed that Faye was avoiding looking at us. She didn't seem to like the treatment either. "Sorry about them. I'm not sure why they're being weird."

Faye's face twisted up. "They really don't have to do that..." Her eyes fell. "There's no need to be so formal..."

I shook my head. "Yeah, or rude. We haven't even introduced ourselves." Pointing at myself, I said, "I'm Alex. This here's Tristan, and I'm sure you've already caught Jorn's name, but that's Jorn."

"Lovely to meet you, Alex." She looked at Tristan, who still hadn't moved. "Tristan, you really don't have to do that."

"Yes, ma'am!" Tristan shot up and stood board straight. "Of course, ma'am!"

"Please don't ma'am me."

"Yes, milady!"

Faye audibly groaned. "Goddess, grant me the serenity..."

I laughed. "Hey, that's an Earth thing!"

Faye's head shot up. "Yeah! It's been a long time since I've talked to another traveler besides my brother. Where are you from?"

"You're a traveler, too?"

"Sure am!"

Switching to English, I said, "I'm from Minnesota. You?"

She replied, "Vancouver, but my parents were from France." She smiled as she spoke. "It's weird hearing myself talk like this. I haven't spoken English in many years."

So cool. "Aside from Arden, I haven't spoken to another traveler either. This is fun."

Faye grinned. "It is."

I nudged Tristan, "Say something in English."

She squeaked. "I am happy for speaking to you today."

I nudged her again. "Why the hell do you have an accent now?"

Her face turned red. "Sorry, milady!"

Faye groaned.

Redirecting, I asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how do you know Greta?"

Faye smiled. "We used to travel—"

She got cut off as Greta moved forward, filling the glass ball entirely. "Silly! She's the D—"

Greta's words were cut off by Faye's slender hand covering her mouth. "A dear old friend."

Greta fought her friend for a moment but eventually gave up. Only then did Faye pull her hand away. "Meanie."

"Shush." Faya looked at me. "So, Alex, I'd like to piece together your story a bit, if you'd indulge me."

I shrugged. "I have no problem with it."

Nodding, she said, "Good." Faye's green eyes met mine. I got chills everywhere. "So, you said you found letters in Uralt's house. They were written by a man named B. Then, you found another letter in a potion crate from an alchemist in Galden. That letter made it clear he had been working with Uralt, who was working with B, and we know a man named Baelgrim is operating Galden. Likewise, a mercenary band called the Slashers was working with Baelgrim, but that was against the orders of their captain."

"Yeah, that's about right."

She fished in her pocket and retrieved a piece of paper. Unfolding it, she held it up, revealing a drawing of the hand symbol imprinted on Uralt's ring. "Furthermore, this symbol was on Uralt's ring. Coincidentally, a powerful spellcaster was performing a ritual sacrifice east of Copperhill. We know that Copperhill was once the base of operations for one of the Thirteen, and you're not very far from the old keep of another one of their members." Something crossed her face when she mentioned the latter individual. "We don't know enough yet, but I can safely guess that one of our old enemies has returned, or maybe they're trying to return, and they're doing something terrible for some reason, but I don't know what that reason is yet." She frowned. "I'll have to talk to my brother and pick his mind for more ideas." She looked at Greta. "You'll come, right?"

Greta pouted. "He's always such a stick in the mud."

"Tough." Faye looked back at me. "Other than that, we know that people have been kidnapped, and we can assume that the ritual is what turns them into the undead. Why? No idea. But it does. You saw someone turn into a zombie with your own eyes." Faye shook her head. "What could that do for them?"

"Maybe it's a byproduct of the ritual?" Greta asked more to herself than to Faye. "Not all magical effects are intended or wanted."

"Perhaps."

Tristan gurgled next to me. She was practically vibrating.

I nudged her. "Why are you being so weird? Just speak."

She nodded a dozen times, then opened her pack and fished out the mace head we'd found. "Milady, in one of the letters from B, he said that this mace could control the undead in Copperhill." She held the black mace head up so they could see it. "Could this be useful?"

Greta frowned, and Faye's eyes narrowed. The latter spoke first. "Greta."

"Yep." The witch snapped her fingers, and the mace poofed out of Tristan's hands. An instant later, Greta was holding it up in front of her. "I think it is."

"Me, too."

"Your brother can double-check."

"Yeah."

Not following, I asked, "What is it?"

"This used to be one of the weapons that a member of the Thirteen once used. It shattered when we last fought. I thought it'd been destroyed."

I nodded. "So, we can assume this cult worships the Dark Lord, then?"

Faye nodded. "It's a safe guess. There was a cult called the Hands of the Fallen active in that region years ago. They operated out of Embermist Keep, but Kasimir, Varga, and Renard took care of them. Despite their efforts, it seems like the Hands have returned."

That gave me more chills. "Who were they? The Thirteen?" I asked. "I've only read about them."

Faye sighed. "The avatars of the Dark Lord. Bad people. We defeated them at the end of the fourth age. My brother, Kasimir, created a seal to seal all but one of them away."

Realization washed over me. I was talking to the Divine Hero, champion of the War of Shadows. Don't be weird, Alex. "Um... What happened to the one who got away?"

"He's asleep." Faye's jaw clenched.

Not wanting to push it, I asked, "If they're all sealed away, how can they be back?"

"They can still whisper out of the seal." Faye... the Hero looked at me funny. "They prey on people who've been deeply hurt."

"I see."

"Enough of all this," Greta pushed Faye aside. "Alex, Tristan. There's no reason for you to get involved anymore. This is work for us old folks. You kids should be enjoying your lives, not fighting our old battles."

Faye shook her head. "No. I don't think that's right." Faye's eyes grew distant for a second, then she focused on me. "Yeah." She looked at me, then Tristan. "I think they can help us."

"No!" Greta stamped her foot. "I like these ones. They shouldn't have to go through everything we did."

Faye shook her head. "It's nothing major. Just a simple task."

"It's never simple with you," Greta pouted.

Unperturbed, Faye asked, "Would you two do me a favor?"

We both nodded.

"Go to Galden and find that alchemist. The one in the letter."

"And?"

"That's it."

Nothing was ever that easy. "Sure. We can do that."

"Good. Thank you." Faye looked at Greta. "In the meantime, we can push the cult out of Galden. I've learned that Baelgrim is a count there, so it shouldn't be hard to find him. I'm sure he'll go into hiding, but at least those two won't have to contend with him or his people while they're there. Plus, our friend in the region will push him out of the woods if he tries to hide in them."

"Yeah, we'll push the count out and create a power vacuum in the process," Greta sassed.

Faye sighed. "It is what it is. They'll be fine. I believe in them, as does the Goddess." She looked back toward us. "I wish you two the best, and I'm glad we got to chat. Until the next time we speak, be well." She waved and stepped out of sight.

Greta's face grew large in the orb. "I guess the great Faye has spoken, huh. Fuck me, right?"

"Oh, don't be a baby!" Faye's voice was barely audible in the background.

Greta sighed. "I guess my house took it upon itself to follow you when you didn't come home last night. It gets lonely and is pretty needy. Do me a favor and stay there and heal up until the other Templars return. I got word from a little birdy that things are going well in Copperhill, so I'm sure the others'll be back right around when I will."

I wondered if she meant Claws, Maven's bird companion. "Okay, we'll do that."

"Sounds good. Once you're inside, it'll take you back to Goodfield." The witch's image began shimmering in the orb. "Anyway, have a great stay, children. I'll see you in a few days." Before any of us could respond, she faded away.

Turning, we looked at each other. Jorn cleared his throat. Tristan's entire body relaxed.

"So... that was..."

"The Hero. Yeah." Jorn exhaled. "I saw her from a distance once. She's amazing."

"She was so cool!" Tristan squeaked. "Greta AND Faye. I'm blessed." She lifted her eyes to the sky and began saying prayers.

"Damn..." I hoped I made a good impression.

Jorn turned. "Alex, help me throw these guys into the house while your girlfriend finishes having a seizure."

I laughed. "Sure thing."

Ten minutes later, after the Templars were loaded, words appeared in my mind.

You completed the quest [Save the Templars].

You reach level 7.

+1 Strength, +1 Resilience, +1 Agility, +1 Power, +1 Will.

You receive the quest [The Alchemist of Galden]

I looked over at Tristan. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Jumping up onto the porch, the two of us walked into the house.

Behind us, Jorn clambered up and walked up to the entryway. "Huh. This place seems familiar."

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more of it soon."

He grinned. "Damn right, I will." He sauntered into the house with his chest all puffed out.

The second he entered, the front door slammed shut, the house lurched, and everything rattled as the chicken house began running through the forest.

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