“And this is why I never let you bet the whole purse,” Jazzjak said, his finger tapping the margin on his tablet. “If I’d blinked, you would have flushed twenty million more DP down a molten drain.” Sog’s black fingers flexed. “It was a sure thing. I mean 5 to 1! You even said so yourself.” “I never said it was a sure thing ,” Jazzjak replied. “The only thing I believe is a sure thing right now is when Max fights. Everything else has a risk. It’s like when Cordellia says… even a blind squirrel sometimes finds a nut .” Chuckles came as their archer shook her head. “Yeah… this sure thing cost us nearly one - ninth of the points we need for Tier Three,” Cordellia pointed out. “Mistakes sometimes hurt more than sharp claws, but I’m glad Jazzjak limited what we could wager. Trust me, we all feel the loss.” Sog scowled but lifted his mug in surrender. “Fine. Jazzjak is smart. I’m just addicted to gambling, it appears. I mean, I’ve even got a casino set up in my capital, and it’s been doing a fair amount of business.” Read complete version only at novｅlfire.net Max sat in his seat at the table, letting the replay run its gruesome loop one last time, while the others chatted. He couldn’t believe what he was watching. A liquid - metal god entered its opponent’s pores, killing its massive opponent from the inside out. The first lesson is: Don’t pick a fight against a metallic puddle in a metal arena. Thankfully, that lesson is free for us and everyone who watched it. Certain things make more sense now as I listen to Jazzjak talk. Even if a god is newer , one never knows what they’ll bring to the fight. The choice of battleground plays a significant role in the outcome. Max hid a smile behind his cup. Batrire reached across, tapping the pad and turning off the replay. “Okay, so we logged a loss. We learned a lesson. Now we have something better to discuss: Miranna turns forty in four weeks.” At those words, the mood in the room brightened. Tanila set down her cup, gold eyes glowing. “Our little star’s first Awakening. I want it perfect.” Rakonath’s humanoid form seemed poised to spill over the back of his chair. Max had noticed that his dragon had grown since getting his bloodline. “Private or public?” “Private,” Max and Tanila answered together. Cordellia grinned. “A small group then… Her friend and party members? Anyone else?” “Shale Spark probably counts as ‘anyone,’” Rakonath said. “That wyrmling’s louder than a dragon three times her age.” “We’ll bribe her with caramel boar ribs,” Fowl offered. “That might help keep her mouth shut.” Rakonath let out a chuckle and shook his head. “Not for long. Shale Spark seems to never be full. “So are you needing me to draft a menu?” Jazzjak asked, already taking notes on his tablet. “Maybe,” Tanila said. “I’ve got some ideas, as does her father. For now, we’re just wanting to make sure everyone gets a voice.” They spread the city map of Sunreach on the table. Max traced a finger to the Adventurers’ Hall. “The west lounge is here. I already checked the room, and it has a stone hearth. The ceiling is low, which means Shale Spark wouldn’t be able to attend since she can’t transform into humanoid form yet. It does have a hidden balcony out back, though, that would allow her to be outside. The room easily fits thirty comfortably.” Batrire tapped the courtyard behind it. “I could set up some barrels of the ale for later and add a pump to supply a tap inside if you want. Otherwise, a dwarf in this room who shall not be named will drink far more than he should.” “Bah, what’s the point of a party if one can’t celebrate?!” Fowl protested. Rakonath’s silver eyes seemed to shimmer a little. “I can have the Flight drift over at sunset. Nothing fancy like firebursts. Just our way of letting Miranna know that she is something special to us.” Cordellia pulled out a piece of paper that was marked up. “I can bring lantern ivy to set the mood and some ember blossoms. If you want, I can also get some of our weavers to use the moth silk for table runners.” She glanced up from her list, smiling. “Miranna loves warm colors. Simple, not gaudy.” Max watched as Tanila closed her eyes. “Candles only on the central table. Max’s honey rolls in tiered baskets, Fowl’s brew limited to two mugs per guest.” Fowl’s beard bristled as he frowned. “Three! There’s no point bringing dwarves to a party for two mugs.” “One,” Jazzjak countered, a grin appearing immediately. “Bah, you don’t have a clue about how a dwarven celebration works,” their warrior argued. Sog folded arms. “I can bring something spicy. Some of my people have been playing around with a new demon chili. Melts the skin off your tongue and your—” A cough from Tanila cut off the demon’s last few words. Stolen novel; please report. “Or maybe something not so spicy,” Sog said. “And here I was going to offer to roast some spicy wings,” Batrire said. “But they come with a liability waiver for everyone who eats them at the ale house I’ve set up.” “I’m a god, and it still hurts,” Fowl groaned. “It’s like she’s intentionally trying to kill me.” “There are many species where the female kills their mate and eats them,” Sog said. “Perhaps Batrire is simply trying to do it slowly and painfully.” Max chuckled as everyone tossed out ideas. Seems may be a better idea than I thought. The best is watching Tanila preparing for this. I never knew how big a deal something was to elves until now. Part of me doesn’t understand the system. How does a half-human child and an elf still operate under one system’s rules and not another? I would have thought Miranna would have been unlocked by now. So, this is where I play the bad guy and say I hope she unlocks on her birthday. Imagine how this will go if it doesn’t. Max rubbed his eyes, wincing slightly at those words. I can tell you just considered this… That would be… bad. If that happened, I would risk the system’s ire for you and Miranna. For many different reasons, I am interested in how that day will go. And no, I’m not planning on trying to toy with the lines of fate on any skills she might get. I can’t imagine what that would look like nor the protection the system must have around them. Max unlocked a small wooden case lined with felt. He turned it to show them: a mithril mail shirt sized for a slim build, a red dragon emblem set upon the middle. Two twin short swords, each blade glowing like a ruby. Both handles were a black metal, which made the color pop. A compass the size of a walnut hung from a chain. “The armor will provide her with extra protection against damage. I didn’t put any stats on it,” Max said as he traced his fingers around the mail. “You know how I feel about that. Staying alive is my biggest concern while Miranna learns to fight. The swords aren’t trophy - bright. Even with how they look, they’re designed to inflict consistent damage regardless of the armor type. I’ve got a spear, an axe, and a hammer, all of which are similar to these two. The compass points to the nearest exit in any dungeon up to the fortieth level. I might have spent a million DP on that.” Rakonath nodded his approval. “Tasteful and just like you. The father who could craft stuff a god would pay for, giving his daughter armor and weapons she could probably make in the coming years.” Cordellia added a slim lacquer box to the pile. Inside lay a bracelet with three thumbnail crystals. “Shield beads. Each of them will shatter if they are used.” She cleared her throat, a slight tinge of red appearing on her cheeks. “I might have spent a little DP as well on it.” Fowl slid forward a small silver flask. “It’s non - alcoholic but tastes like spiced cider. The drink adds a regeneration effect to both hit points and stamina. I call it First - Run Courage . The good news is she can get about five hits from it.” Sog grumbled as he set down a small black box no bigger than an apple. “Now I feel bad. All I got her was a ring.” “Just a ring?” Cordellia asked. “I mean, it has an enchantment that provides her with the ability Haste, but you only get one use every thirty days. Perfect for a quick getaway or needing to get somewhere fast.” “That’s a great gift,” Max said. “As someone with the ability, it has tremendous uses for both offensive and defensive purposes. Perhaps I should make Miranna a harness for her party.” Sog looked at the original four party members and then at Max as they all started to laugh. “What am I missing? What’s so funny?” Fowl wiped a tear from his eye as he chuckled. “Because Max used to carry us on his shoulders, and I had to stand .” Their warrior rose, holding both arms out to the side. “He’d carry me as he used Haste. Once he even used me as a battering… actually, it was more than once he used me as a weapon to smash into something.” The demon chuckled as the party regained its composure. “A perfect use for a dwarf,” Rakonath teased. With the plans made, silence marked the end of the discussion. With a few waves, each left to return to their city. Max and Tanila made it back to their place and sat down on the couch in their room. Tanila spoke first. “Once her system and XP unlock, she’ll blaze through those early levels. If she gets another skill every decade, combined with how fast she’ll level, I’m not sure what Miranna is going to become. Part of the problem is that this is my pride talking. My fear is that our world and the system aren’t ready for her.” Max put his hand upon his wife’s and smiled. “Ready or not, we can’t keep this bird caged any longer. She’s ready to fly. We’re facing a time when everything is about to change, and Bob… he… well, no matter what, he’ll make sure that her birthday goes off as it should.” An eyebrow rose as Tanila stared at him. “What is he afraid of?” “Just that she might not unlock the system. But if she doesn’t, he’ll make sure that she does.” Her fingers tightened, knuckles turning white as Tanila frowned. “That wouldn’t be good for anyone involved. Still, I am grateful that Bob is willing.” Max could sense that Tanila was slowly starting to relax. “Now for the hard part,” Max sighed. “Her human friends are… aging. Soon, Hana is going to be on the downward slope if she doesn’t get into the tower in the coming years. Even the twins are showing a little bit of their age. While they both have a few hundred years, the part you and I both knew would come, and how she handles it, is going to be her next big test. Even more so than just the dungeons.” “It was a fear I had with us,” Tanila whispered. “For those first few months, I asked myself if I could even like you that way. To watch you grow old and bald… what kind of torture would that be?” Both laughed at her joke, knowing it was used to cover the fear each of them knew too well. “The good news is that she and Shale Spark get along well,” Max said. “That may be the being she needs to help get her through that difficult time. Even if a thousand or ten thousand years pass, that dragon will be around.” “Children growing up. Who would have thought that was our greatest problem as gods?” Tanila asked. “Not me… I was worried about how I was going to entertain you and keep you from being tired of being married to an old, bald god.”