The stew was thick, rich, and exactly what a group of exhausted adventurers needed after four hours of high-intensity combat.
Grimmand sat at the sturdy oak table in the Hemlock kitchen. He wiped his beard with the back of his hand and sighed with a level of contentment that usually required a keg of ale.
"Mrs Hemlock," the dwarf said, pointing his spoon at May. "I have eaten in the royal halls of the Iron Mountain. I have dined with dukes. But this beef stew? This is the best thing I have tasted in a decade."
May smiled, refilling his bowl from the iron pot. "It is the rosemary, Mr Grimmand. And the beef comes from our own herd. Eat as much as you like. You brought my boy home."
Arthur sat at the head of the table. He ate slowly, his eyes moving from Carlos to Tamsin. He noted the way Tamsin kept his knife within finger's reach even while eating bread. He noted the way Carlos sat with his back to the wall. These were professionals.
"So," Arthur said, his voice calm. "Jacob says you ran into a few complications."
Carlos lowered his spoon. He exchanged a quick glance with Elara. They had agreed on the way here to keep the details of the Void Knight and the Swamp Behemoth to themselves. There was no need to tell a mother that her ten-year-old son had been standing ten feet away from a necrotic poison cloud.
"Just a few unexpected spawns," Carlos lied smoothly. "The dungeon was a bit active today. Nothing we couldn't handle. Jacob stayed in the back, just like we planned."
"He was a perfect luggage carrier," Tamsin added, tearing off a chunk of bread. "Best we have ever had. Usually, escorts scream a lot more."
Jacob sat at the end of the table. He was busy pushing peas around his bowl, trying to look innocent.
"Speaking of luggage," Carlos said, wiping his mouth. "We should settle the account before we head back to the Guild. We don't want to carry this loot any further than we have to."
Jacob hopped off his chair. He pulled his canvas sack onto the table. It looked innocent enough, sitting there between the salt shaker and the butter dish.
"The salt-grass is mine," Jacob said, reaching into the bag. He pulled out bundle after bundle of the muddy, bulbous plants, stacking them on a side table. "I need these for the greenhouse."
"All yours," Carlos nodded. "We are here for the heavy stuff."
Jacob reached back into the bag. The fabric rippled. He grabbed something heavy and heaved.
Thud.
The massive, black stone pauldron of the Void Knight hit the table. The wood groaned under the weight.
Arthur's eyes widened slightly. He recognized the material. It was Void Stone. It absorbed light. It was rare, dangerous, and incredibly valuable.
Next came the Behemoth Heart. It was still pulsing with a faint, sickly green light, though it was dormant now.
"And the cores, claws, skins, and other stuff," Jacob said, dumping a pile of glowing crystals, sharp beast claws, skins and pelts, as well as other things he picked up onto the tablecloth. They clattered like spilled candy.
Carlos began to sort them. He moved with the efficiency of a man who had done this a thousand times.
"The Heart goes to the alchemists," Carlos muttered. "The Void Stone goes to the smiths. We split the gold four ways. The cores go to the guild bank. The other things will be sold to the merchants."
He started sweeping the smaller earth-affinity cores into his own pouch.
"Wait," Elara said.
She reached out and put her hand over Carlos's wrist.
Carlos paused. "What is it?"
"Leave them," Elara said.
"Leave the cores?" Carlos frowned. "Elara, these are high-grade E-ranks. There is fifty gold on the table right there."
"And he saved us fifty gold when he kept us from using consumables on the second floor," Elara argued. Her voice was soft but firm. "And he saved my life."
She reached into the pile of loot and picked up the Void Knight's left gauntlet, which Jacob had pulled out after the pauldron. It was smaller than the shoulder piece, articulated with black stone fingers.
"Leave this too," Elara said.
Carlos blinked. "The gauntlet? Elara, that is a caster item. It conducts mana. Why would we give it to a farmer?"
"Because look at his eyes, Carlos," Elara whispered.
Carlos looked. Jacob was staring at the Void Stone gauntlet not with greed, but with intense, analytical curiosity. He wasn't looking at the price tag. He was looking at the weave.
"He is an enchanter," Elara said. "He needs materials. You want him to get better? You want him to upgrade your greaves next time? Give him something to work with."
Carlos looked at the gauntlet. He looked at the pile of cores. Then he looked at his own breastplate, where the hidden enchantment was currently humming against his ribs with magical power as he had never felt on a piece of armor before.
He sighed and pushed the pile back toward Jacob.
"Fine," Carlos said. "Consider it a bonus. The gauntlet and the loose cores stay with the kid. Might as well throw in some of these skins and claws to see if he can make something good out of them . . ."
Jacob's face lit up. "Really?"
"Don't make me regret it," Carlos grumbled. "If you blow up your barn with that thing, I am not explaining it to your father."
"I won't blow it up," Jacob promised, snatching the gauntlet and hugging it like a teddy bear. "I just want to see how the mana moves through the stone."
"Thank you," May said, watching the exchange with a warm smile. "You are very generous."
"Just fair business, Ma'am," Tamsin winked.
The party finished their meal and gathered their gear. The heavy loot, the pauldron and the Heart, went into their own heavy packs now that they were out of the dungeon.
They walked to the door. The night air was cool.
"We will be back in town in a few weeks," Carlos told Arthur at the door. "If you need another run, or if the boy cooks up anything else . . . interesting. Let us know."
"I will," Arthur said. "Safe travels."
The adventurers marched off into the darkness, disappearing down the lane toward the village.
Arthur closed the door and locked it. He turned around.
May was clearing the table. Jacob was already sitting by the fire, holding the Void Gauntlet up to the light, turning it over and over in his hands.
Arthur walked over to his son.
"Jacob," Arthur said.
"Yeah, Dad?" Jacob didn't look up. He was tracing the mana lines on the stone fingers.
"Stand up for a second."
Jacob stood up, still holding the gauntlet.