"Isolde?" Aria's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Making sure you are still alive, apparently," Isolde Wynther replied, her stern expression cracking into a relieved smile.
She pulled Aria into a quick hug before stepping back to look her over critically. "You disappeared for four months without a word. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"I left a note at the guild," Aria protested weakly.
"A note saying you were going into the deep caves to gather materials. That was four months ago, Aria."
"Most people assumed you had gotten yourself killed by something with too many teeth and not enough fear of overconfident blacksmiths." Isolde walked into the workshop, her armor clinking softly.
"When I heard you were back in town, I took leave from my duties immediately. The captain was not happy, but I told him where he could stick his patrol assignments."
Aria closed the door and gestured for Isolde to sit. "I'm fine, as you can see. Better than fine, actually. I found something incredible out in those caves."
"Besides nearly dying to a Crimson Stalker?" Isolde raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I heard about that too."
"Mrs. Thorne was very eager to tell me all about your new mining friend with the talking rock."
"Of course she was," Aria muttered. "Finn is my party member. He saved my life and we have been working together since then."
Isolde's expression shifted to something between curiosity and suspicion. "Party member. So this is an adventuring partnership, not a romantic one?"
"Absolutely not a romantic one," Aria said firmly, feeling her face heat up slightly. "We are business partners and friends."
"He provides materials through his mining, I handle the blacksmithing and combat. It is a practical arrangement."
"Uh huh." Isolde did not look entirely convinced, but she let it drop for the moment.
Her attention shifted to Guardian, who had been standing silently in the corner. "I see you reactivated your father's golem. That is good. This place needs proper security."
They talked for several minutes, Aria catching Isolde up on the events of the past few months while carefully omitting certain details about Finn's system and reincarnation. She described the Crimson Depths base, the materials they had collected, and their plans for establishing a proper crafting operation between the cave and the workshop.
Isolde listened with the focused attention of someone trained to assess tactical information, occasionally asking pointed questions that revealed her military background. She had been Aria's childhood friend, growing up in Millhaven before joining the royal knights at eighteen. Now at twenty-four, she held the rank of knight lieutenant and normally spent her time patrolling the kingdom's borders.
"So you took a break from your duties?" Aria asked. "How long can you stay?"
"Two weeks, officially. Though I might extend it if my captain keeps being unreasonable about requisition forms." Isolde smiled. "I needed a break anyway."
"Chasing bandits and dealing with monster incursions gets exhausting after a while."
At that moment, footsteps sounded on the basement stairs. Both women turned as Finn emerged from the doorway, covered in rock dust and grinning widely. He was so focused on the notification window floating in front of his face that he did not immediately notice they had a visitor.
"Aria, I finished it! The quest is complete and I just need to claim the reward and then I can..." Finn's voice trailed off as he finally looked up and saw the armored woman sitting at the table.
"Oh. Sorry. I did not realize we had company."
Isolde stood slowly, her hand moving instinctively toward her sword before she caught herself. Her gray eyes studied Finn with the practiced assessment of a soldier evaluating a potential threat. She took in his expensive-looking equipment, the quality pickaxe he carried, and most notably, the small glowing rock perched on his shoulder.
"So you are the miner," Isolde said carefully. "The one with the talking rock who apparently saved Aria from a level twenty-eight Crimson Stalker using environmental tactics."
Finn glanced at Aria, who gave him a slight nod. "That would be me, yes. Finn Grayson. And this rock is Pebble."
"I'm not a rock, I'm a sophisticated system guide," Pebble announced indignantly. "There is a significant difference."
Isolde's eyes widened slightly at the rock's voice, but she recovered quickly. "Right. The talking sophisticated system guide."
"She extended her hand to Finn. "Isolde Wynther, knight lieutenant of the royal guard and Aria's childhood friend. I came to make sure she was still alive and not doing anything foolish."
"Too late for that second part," Finn said, shaking her hand.
Her grip was firm, testing his strength. He matched it without thinking, his leveled-up attributes making the gesture easy. Isolde's expression shifted slightly, noting the unexpected strength in someone who was supposedly just a miner.
"Finn just completed a major quest," Aria interjected, trying to ease the slight tension in the room. "He is about to unlock a new mining skill that should be pretty impressive."
"A quest? Like from a system interface?" Isolde looked between them. "I thought those were myths. Stories adventurers told to make themselves sound more important."
"They are very real for certain individuals," Pebble said. "My host possesses an SSS-Rank classification with full system access."
"The quests provide structured progression and skill unlocks based on demonstrated competency."
Isolde sat down heavily, processing this information. "SSS-Rank. I have heard of ranking systems for adventurers and crafters, but I have never met anyone above B-Rank."
"You are telling me he is in the top tier?"
"For mining specifically, yes," Finn said, feeling awkward under her scrutiny. "It's not as impressive as it sounds. I just dig holes and collect rocks."
"Nothing much."
"He's being modest," Aria said. "Finn can mine materials that most people could never find, craft equipment with enhanced properties, and apparently drop ceilings on monsters when necessary."
"He is the reason I'm alive and why this workshop is about to have the best material supply in the region."
Isolde looked at Finn with renewed interest, though suspicion still lingered in her eyes. "And you just happened to be in the deep caves when Aria needed help?"
"That's quite convenient timing."