Kurik sat on the stool as Carissa’s fingers wove through his beard. Soap and water dripped down his chest, disappearing into the drain in the floor. Once his facial hair was clean, she set about trimming the long, unruly hairs. Through it all, she hummed a tune from her childhood – a slight variation of the one his mother had sung to him on those rare nights when they’d enjoyed peace.

  “Stop twitchin’,” she ordered.

  “I ain’t twitchin’,” he lied, trembling with the sound of finality that came with each snip of the scissors. Bits of hair fell to the floor, far more than he’d expected when she had offered to trim his beard.

  “If you keep twitchin’, you’ll end up with a much shorter beard,” she admonished. “Now stop.”

  Gritting his teeth, he endeavored to follow her order. But laced through his every thought was just how vulnerable he was. He trusted Carissa more than anyone else in the world, but it was no small thing, letting a woman trim his beard. He closed his eyes, enduring it as stoically as he could manage until, at last, the snipping ceased.

  She ran her thick fingers through what was left, massaging his jaw and eliciting a low moan. Even with his eyes closed, he could see her knowing smirk. She was well aware of the effect she had on him.

  With deft surety, she continued bestowing her attentions upon him. The braid she chose was elaborate. A sign to anyone who looked that he was taken. And when she finished, she said, “Now I won’t need to cringe in shame ever time someone lays eyes on you.”

  Finally, Kurik opened his eyes to see hers twinkling back at him.

  He’d been home for a few weeks now, and he still felt uncertain of his place. More than once, he’d awoken to find himself heading out to check on traps that didn’t need tending. A remnant of the constant battle he’d found in the Red Marsh. He had made great strides during the Primal Realm, killing more trolls than anyone else in the army. And yet, that had not come without a cost.

  Thankfully, Carissa understood the issues he faced. Her clan hadn’t been any better off than his own, and she was no stranger to battle. Or its consequences on a dwarf’s psyche.

  She walked the line between coddling and letting him find his own way just as deftly as she’d braided his beard. But now, Kurik was ready to leave recovery behind. He’d exhausted the possibilities of upgrading the traps surrounding the island, and he had even managed to assist with the city’s defenses. However, that could only take him so far, and it was high time he took his own progression more seriously.

  After all, making traps was about more than just casting a spell. It required skill unassisted by the system. And Kurik had already bypassed the point where he could get by with the mundane trapping abilities he’d been taught as a child. He needed to learn how to properly manipulate ethera, or his class’s growth would be stunted.

  And his traps would be far less lethal than they should have been. In order to meet his potential, he needed to branch out. He needed to study and learn, and he knew precisely where to go to begin his education.

  But Carissa insisted that he do so as the best version of himself. That meant submitting to her ministrations, and in a way that left him feeling both vulnerable and safe.

  “There,” she announced, gripping his shoulders. “You’re presentable now.”

  He gave her a smile. “You didn’t trim it too short, didja?”

  “I know how to trim a beard.”

  “Do it a lot, do ya?”

  Her cheeks went red as she broke eye contact. “I ain’t that kinda dwarf,” she muttered.

  “I know,” he said. “Only a joke.”

  “Don’t joke about that kinda thing, or I might take offense,” she chided. “Besides, that’s how rumors get started. A boy spread a few tales about my sister trimmin’ strangers beards, and she never quite lived it down. Not ‘til she moved away.”

  “I think it’d take a lot more’n that to offend a sturdy woman like you,” he offered, his smile broadening. She took the compliment well.

  “How long will ya be gone?”

  He shrugged, pushing himself to his feet. He felt ten pounds lighter after the trim. “Might be a few days. Could be months. S’long as they got somethin’ to teach, I’ll stick around to learn,” he answered.

  She frowned.

  “You could come with me,” he pointed out. He’d already invited her, and she had already declined. However, he knew that sometimes, that just meant she wanted him to ask again, and he didn’t want to leave any stone unturned when it came to their relationship. “I’m sure they’ll accommodate ya.”

  “Can’t,” she answered. “They need me at the mine. Now that the city’s independent, we got an opportunity to really prosper. But we can’t take it for granted. It won’t stay like this for much longer.”

  “You think they’ll send a team?” he asked, referring to the Green Mountain Mining Company that had originally held their loan. The debt had recently been settled, but common sense said that such a powerful company wouldn’t let go without a fight.

  She shrugged, turning away. “I don’t know. Maybe. Depends on the restrictions after the world opens up,” she answered. “If they think they can overwhelm us and take it by force, they will. Got no doubts about that.”

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  Kurik tended to agree on that front. If there was one constant in the multi-verse, it was that everyone was out for their own benefit. Sometimes, that philosophy only showed itself in ways that affected personal progression, but the big companies like the Green Mountain outfit didn’t gain their positions by accident. They were ruthless, and they would bend every rule they could if it meant gaining even a little extra profit.

  Likely, the only way they wouldn’t send a team to retake what they probably considered theirs by right was if the restrictions would put them at a disadvantage. As far as Kurik knew, the system wouldn’t just open Earth up after the threat of excisement fell away. It would do so in stages so the planet wouldn’t immediately be overwhelmed by powerful people who could overcome the entire populace with ease.

  But if those powerful people wanted Earth for themselves, they would figure out a way to make it happen.

  “Nothin’ for it but to keep goin’ the way we’re goin’,” Carissa said with a sigh.

  “Can always do better,” Kurik replied, standing. “That’s what my parents used to tell me, at least. The trick is findin’ the right path.”

  “And that’s why you need to go?”

  He nodded. “I ain’t learnin’ what I need to learn here,” he admitted. “The grove makes things easier, but that ain’t what I need right now. I need things to be hard.”

  She looked away. “And if I asked you not to go?”

  “You wouldn’t do that.”

  “But if I did?”

  “Then I’d stay.”

  And he would. He wouldn’t be happy about it, certainly, but he would stay if she asked him to. Thankfully, she understood why he had to go, so she abstained from making that demand. That just cemented the notion that he’d chosen well when he’d succumbed to her advances. A good partner knew the cost of progression, and they didn’t stand in the way.

  And Carissa was a good partner.

  “Is that what you want?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “You know it ain’t. I’m just complainin’ is all.”

  He nodded, content to let her do just that. Sometimes, venting was necessary to maintain stability. But soon enough, the time of his planned departure arrived. So, after bidding Carissa goodbye, he gathered his things and headed out. He did take the time to glance back at the house he shared with Carissa, only to see her standing on the stoop, her braid clutched in her hands.

  He waved goodbye.

  Then, without another backward glance, he descended the hill upon which the house sat and joined the flow of pedestrians leading through Ironshore. When he’d built the place, it had been slightly apart from the rest of the city, but Ironshore had grown enough that it had long since enveloped his property.

  Such was the cost of progress.

  He also maintained a small hut on the island, but Carissa found the grove far less welcoming than him. She lacked more than a drop of nature attunement, so that wasn’t really surprising. Thankfully, she wasn’t averse to spending the night on the island, though he tried to limit her exposure to the grove. There was no reason for her to be uncomfortable when he could just as easily sleep in the city house.

  Still, with Ironshore having grown around the property, he found it left him feeling claustrophobic. His aversion to city life was one of the reasons he’d taken the job that had led him to Ironshore in the first place, and he much preferred being out in the wilderness where things made much more sense.

  Never was that more apparent than when he joined the flow of traffic. So many bodies pressed together that it left his heart rate accelerated. He pushed his anxiety aside, focusing on his surroundings. He didn’t think anyone would attack him in the city, but his instincts told him to keep his guard up.

  Thankfully, it was unnecessary, and he reached the gates entirely unmolested. The trip to the Spires was equally unproblematic, though when he finally arrived, he found himself facing a problem.

  To date, the only time he’d used the Spires was when he was in the company of powerful humans like Sadie or Elijah.

  “No non-humans,” said the guard. “Run along.”

  “That don’t make a lick of sense,” Kurik spat.

  “Doesn’t need to, settler. Those are the rules.”

  Kurik thought about arguing with the man. After all, most of Ironshore’s population was non-human. He also wanted to point out that he’d used those Spires before – most recently, only a few weeks ago. But in the end, he didn’t feel like arguing.

  So, he asked, “Do you know who Elijah Hart is?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Well, the Butcher of Bloodrock Bay is a close, personal friend,” Kurik stated evenly. “I imagine he’d be right upset if he found out you cut me off from this Spire. ‘Specially considerin’ I’m on grove business.”

  The man went pale. “I can’t let you in.”

  “Then find somebody as can.”

  The guard glanced at his partner, who just shrugged. A moment later, the man disappeared into the compound, returning a few moments later with the Space Mage in tow.

  “He’s allowed,” the Space Mage stated. “He’s on the list.”

  “But –”

  “Not another word unless you want to end up stationed in the desert. You don’t want to spend your days worrying about wasps implanting eggs in your chest, do you?”

  “No, sir…”

  “Then learn the list,” the Space Mage spat. Then, to Kurik, he said, “I apologize for this misunderstanding. Of course you are allowed to use the Spires.”

  Kurik didn’t like the notion that they decided where he was allowed to go, especially considering what he’d done for the world. But he was in no mood to argue. So, he just nodded and took his place inside the compound, where he waited for his turn. The human clientele glanced at him with only a little judgement in their eyes, but it did make him worry for Earth’s future. If they established a culture of xenophobia, things could get very bad for him and his people.

  Soon, his turn in the Spires came, and he planted himself between the four curved pillars. Then, abruptly, he found himself halfway around the world. The first thing he noticed was the increased humidity coupled with much higher temperature. In only a moment, he felt sweat beading on his forehead.

  He ignored it, leaving the Conclave Compound behind, and before long, he was trekking through a dense jungle. The road was narrow and sparsely traveled, so he was mostly alone as he made his way.

  His journey took a few hours, but eventually, he found himself looking up at a wall of red sandstone. Kalki was just as impressive as he’d been led to expect, and when he reached the gate, he received a much more appropriate welcome.

  “Mr. Kurik. The Citadel Sage is expecting your arrival.”

  “She Who Guards the Walls awaits you in the Citadel.”

  “Mmhmm.”

  The trip through the city was eye-opening, and even that short exposure told Kurik that he had a lot to learn. The matrices laced through every wall were more complex than anything he’d seen, so by the time he reached the fortress at the center of the city, he was more than eager to get started.

  That was when he first saw Anupriya Pandey. She was flanked by a pair of guards, both of whom boasted decent levels. However, Kurik’s attention quickly settled on a much younger woman standing slightly behind the Citadel Sage. He’d spent enough time around Sadie to recognize her handiwork. That young woman had been the subject of a miracle, or he’d shave his beard.

  He mounted the stairs, and when he reached Pandey, he said, “I believe Elijah Hart told you I was comin’.”

  “He did. Welcome. A friend of Elijah Hart is a friend of mine.”

  Kurik grinned. “I was hopin’ you’d say that, because I’m here to pick your brain. Easier to do that if we’re friends.”

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