“Incoming!” Lysael shouted as he raced down the stone tunnel toward them. His voice echoed off the brown walls, torches flickering in the wind that came from somewhere. “Odds on how many?” Miranna joked as she watched Ulric rotate his shoulders, his shield and sword at the ready. “Probably four,” their warrior replied. “I’ll grab two, you kill the first one, and let the twins do what they always do.” “Focus,” Hana snapped. “This isn’t a game.” A snicker came from the other archer twin, Veren, who held an arrow ready. “Five!” Lysael called out. “Goblin nuts,” Ulric grunted as the group of orcs appeared at the bend, Lysael only twenty yards away now. “Root one, handle the other.” Miranna didn’t reply, simply smiling as she waited for the orcs to get in range. Three of them were the larger tank variety with the shield and either a club or a sword. The last two were duel-wielding ones like herself, each with a pair of short swords. Heavy chain armor provided the tank ones with a bit more protection, while the shorter ones only wore leather. Roots grew up around the third orc tank as arrows began to slow the damage-dealing orc on the left. Ulric shouted as he banged his sword and shield together once, stepping up to engage the pair as Miranna waited, her golden eyes flickering as she knew what was about to happen. Sucks we’re farming lower-level monsters… Hana and the rest could easily fight a few levels above this dungeon. Just a few more days, and then I’ll be able to show what I can do. She slipped past the two orc tanks, her swords moving as the last duel-wielding orc drew close. This dance that came was like all the others. Regardless of the one she faced, their attack patterns never changed. None of these creatures had any skills or abilities that threatened her, and since they weren’t allowed to defeat the boss, they were grinding low amounts of experience with no risk. At least I’m not stealing any experience. Miranna chuckled to herself slightly as she recalled the stories her mother and the others told about how her dad never took any experience. It made these dives worthwhile for the rest of the group. Her blade deflected the strikes the orc sent her way. She was only a few inches shorter, and even though it had more muscles and weight than she did, Miranna was still stronger. A quick kick to its knee shattered the orc’s leg, bending it backward and sending it pitching forward. Two seconds later, her swords had removed its head. Glancing up at the orc she had rooted and seeing it was still stuck and that the twins had put theirs down, Miranna turned, coming from behind, and ran her sword through the orc’s spine. As the third orc died, they quickly and easily dispatched the remaining two. “Gods, I love her,” Veren said with a wink. “All those stories about her father seem so real now.” Miranna rolled her eyes as Hana let out a grunt. “You know the rules, we don’t tease like that. She’s her own person.” “Yeah, Veren,” Lysael said. “Don’t piss off the woman keeping you alive.” Ulric chuckled as he moved to where Hana was and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “What was I thinking, marrying a woman with a friend . All I wanted was to go adventuring with my wife, not spend my days listening to two elves preen over someone.” Laughter echoed off the stone walls as the group harvested the parts of the orcs. “Just another week,” Hana whispered as she drew close to Miranna. “I can’t wait to see what you can do once you start to level up!” “I know,” Miranna replied, grinning from ear to ear. She leaned closer, glancing at the other three before speaking. “By the way, want to share anything about the surprise party Mom and Dad are throwing?” Hana’s head snapped back, and her friend frowned. “What are you talking about? A party? Who do you think you are that someone would give you a party?” Check latest chapters at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵 Chuckles came from the others, and when Miranna turned to look at them, each had turner their heads away, finding another place apparently to look at. “ Fine … if no one wants to tell me anything, I’ll just wait. Besides, it’s not like it’s anything special.” “Just another day in my life,” Veren stated. “Besides, if there were a party, I’d be expected to bring a gift, and we all know I don’t have that kind of coin for that.” Miranna laughed, knowing he was the person in this group, besides herself, with the most coin. Veren’s so tight with money you couldn’t squeeze one out of him. “Whatever, let’s just get back to pulling. I’ve got some chores to take care of when I return,” Miranna said. Hana gave her a gentle shove as Lysael jogged down the tunnel, bow ready to bring more orcs for them to slaughter. Max chuckled as he knocked on the door. “One minute!” Miranna shouted from the other side. “She’s up earlier than usual,” Tanila said as they waited side by side. “It’s her birthday,” he replied. With well-practiced precision, Max pulled out a few blueberries and set them around the plate of food he held in his other hand. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. “Sometimes I think you spoil her more than me,” Tanila teased, winking at him. “Then I remember you always bake for me whatever I want, whenever I ask.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, not pulling back as the simple wooden door swung open to reveal their daughter dressed in her adventuring gear. “Please… It’s too early for PDA,” Miranna groaned. “Besides, don’t we have somewhere to go?!” Max shrugged, looking at Tanila with a confused look. “Somewhere to go? I thought you and I were bringing her breakfast while I headed over to check on Sog’s mines, and you went to visit Cordellia.” “That’s the plan, last I checked,” Tanila replied. “Moooom! You two aren’t being funny. Besides, stop encouraging Dad. You and I both know once he starts, he’ll never stop acting a fool.” Max kept his neutral face as Tanila broke, smiling and nodding. “She’s right. I can’t imagine you in rare form this entire day. But before you and your dad go anywhere, you need to eat.” A grumble came from Miranna’s stomach as her eyes fell upon the large, fluffy blueberry pancakes. Each one still steamed slightly, the perfect amount of powdered sugar and fresh fruit set on top of the compote. “Hmmm… I guess I have time for a pancake,” Miranna said. She let them into her room, and Max waved his hand over his nose. “It smells like… an adventurer in here. Perhaps even a dwarven one.” “Fowl would fit right in,” Tanila said. “How is it you manage to make it smell like that in here?” Both of them chuckled as their daughter’s eyes narrowed and a pouty frown appeared. “You two are meaner than Sog after he loses a bet. I’ll work on getting it smelling nicer if you’ll just let me eat my pancakes and go!” Max moved to the table sat in a corner of the room, stored a few dirty dishes, and set the hot breakfast on the table. A crystal jar of light rose colored syrup appeared, and Miranna squealed as he set it down on the table. “It is my birthday! How did you get some of the holuma fruit syrup?! I thought we were out?!” “Maybe we were, maybe we weren’t,” Max replied, pulling the chair out and scooting Miranna’s seat forward as she plopped down. “Now eat. You and I have somewhere to be.” Their daughter said nothing more, taking the fork and knife she was offered from her dad and devouring the four pancakes he had made faster than Fowl could guzzle a tankard of beer. “Again!” Max shouted. “But don’t hold back!” “I’m not!” Miranna replied, a hint of frustration in her voice. “You’re cheating!” Max didn’t say anything, both wooden swords that he held coming at her, each one moving only slightly lower than what a rare skill would present. His daughter was struggling to keep up with his speed and tempo. And the constant dialogue from Bob was pointing out what he was seeing as well. She’s adapted and learned, but the truth is she’s not improved at all skill-wise in Weapon Mastery. Those creatures in the dungeon haven’t made her work as hard as you do. Let’s force her to use some magic. Either something has unlocked or it hasn’t. We’ll find out one way or another today. It’s all you. Have fun. Bob began to unleash small balls of ice and stone at Miranna, making her have to summon Air, Ice, and Stone walls to block them while focusing on the pair of swords she barely kept from striking her body. His daughter was barely keeping up against attacks that would overwhelm most others. She positioned herself to keep a newly summoned wall that stopped one of Bob’s spells between them, buying her a second before he kicked and shattered it. Sweat glistened on her skin as they danced. Unlike most fathers and daughters who would listen to minstrels play and join the beat of their song, they created their own. The sounds of their training echoed off the stone courtyard, setting a pace that would tire out all others. Through it all and Max could sense Tanila’s expression with his sonar. She’s chewing on her lip. I guess she can sense what we’re thinking as well. Push her harder. Make her go for broke. She should be running out of mana soon. Four walls at the most, and she’ll be out. You’re a monster for not letting her use offensive spells like we do. We both know that attacking is easy for a warrior if you don’t have to defend. She’s too focused on that. In a party, we both know the role we played, and my real advantage was my sonar. I still don’t think she’ll get it by fighting . It makes sense, but— Bob stopped talking as Miranna ducked, her wooden sword intercepting an ice ball he sent her way. Max didn’t hesitate; the small opening that had been created left her exposed, and he pressed forward, thrusting his weapon. As he did, he sensed the smallest airwall rise from the dirt floor. Its angle was set to the edge of his foot. Max sighed internally and smiled as he stepped onto the wall, knowing what anyone else would have done, not cheating as he could have. The position of the wall caused his attack to be off, his body twisting. Some would have rolled their ankle, and most at this skill level would have easily tripped, so he went with it, pitching forward, weapon off target as Miranna’s wooden blade came for him. As her tip touched his chest, a small stone ball struck Miranna’s shoulder. “NO FAIR!” she exclaimed as Max rolled like an acrobat, standing and on his feet after she touched him. “Bob cheated!” “No, he didn’t,” Max replied, still ready in case she came at him. “The spell was in motion before I stepped. You used the last of your mana to cast an airwall to trip me, which was a genius trick. Tell me, was that Fowl’s or your mother’s idea?” Miranna’s eyes darted toward Tanila, whom Max could read like a book. A slight smirk appeared as she moved toward them, clapping slowly. “Sold out by my daughter,” Tanila said. “Still, she timed it well and played the part like an actor. I wondered if she was going to pull it off.” A long groan came from their daughter as she stored both wooden blades and retrieved a dry cloth. “I waited all that time, trying to bait him. Was the spell really cast beforehand?” Tanila nodded and shrugged. “You forget, not only does your dad know what you like to eat, your favorite color, and all those other things, but he knows exactly how much mana you have and how many spells you can cast. Toss in Bob, and you’re facing an opponent who could probably count down my mana in a fight.” Miranna glanced at him, and Max nodded. “I’d be close, depending on what she cast and how much mana she poured into them,” he replied. “Still, I was worried for a bit. You never once broke the level of what I believed your weapon ability was. Tell me, is that as high as you can fight, or was that all a farce?” “It hasn’t grown,” Miranna said after wiping off her face. “I think I have some ideas on how to use those walls that might work down the road, but at least you didn’t cheat and avoid it.” “It might have crossed my mind,” Max replied, moving to hug her. “Now then, hurry up and get cleaned up. Your mom and I will wait here. There’s somewhere we need to go.” Both of them waited as their daughter raced off to get cleaned up. Max took Tanila’s hand in his and kissed it. “She’s just like you. Tricky and beautiful.” “And your tongue is gifted as always,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Are you ready for this next part?” “Whatever happens, we’re ready,” Max said.