The farmhouse was quiet, wrapped in the stillness of the afternoon. It was a heavy, unfamiliar silence. For months, the only sounds had been the whistling wind through the shed walls, the rattling of Silas's chains, and the harsh shouts of the Garnetts.
Now, the only sound was the crackling of the fire in the main hearth.
Valeria stood in the pantry, staring at the shelves with a critical eye. It was better than the shed, but it was far from a feast. The Garnetts, in their infinite greed, had consumed or sold most of the high-quality stock.
What remained were the basics. Three sacks of coarse flour. A barrel of salted pork that smelled slightly rancid but was salvageable. A crate of withered apples. And jars of pickled cabbage.
"Enough for two weeks," she murmured, doing the mental math. "Maybe ten days if Kael keeps eating like a tiger."
She stepped out of the pantry into the kitchen. The husbands were there, but they weren't relaxing.
Old habits die hard.
Kael was standing by the back door, arms crossed, watching the yard through the window. He was guarding the perimeter. Silas was curled up under the kitchen table, refusing to come out, clutching a chicken bone like a talisman. Lucian sat on a stool near the fire, staring at the flames, shivering despite the warmth.
And Ignis... Ignis was sitting at the table, his head bowed. The effort of the bluff at the front door had drained him. His skin was grey, and black veins pulsed visibly along his neck. The poison from his ruptured sac was taking advantage of his weakened state.
But it was Caspian who drew Valeria's immediate attention.
The Shark beastman was leaning against the stone sink, wheezing. His skin, usually a rough grey, was turning a sickly white. Flakes of dried dermis drifted onto the floor like dandruff. He clawed at his throat, his gills fluttering spasmodically.
"Water..." Caspian gasped.
Valeria moved instantly. "Kael, get the bucket."
Kael turned, his eyes narrowing. "He drank. It doesn't help. The air in here... it's too dry. The fire dries him out."
Valeria cursed under her breath. Of course. A shark on land was fighting a losing battle against humidity. The shed had been cold and damp, which ironically had kept him alive. The warm, dry farmhouse was killing him.
"The bathroom," Valeria said, pointing to a door off the hallway. "Does this house have a tub?"
"A trough," Kael said. "The Garnetts used it for laundry."
"Fill it," Valeria ordered. "Now."
Kael didn't argue. He grabbed two buckets and bolted for the well.
Valeria grabbed Caspian's arm. His skin felt like sandpaper, hot and brittle. "Come on. We need to get you soaked."
Caspian stumbled, his massive weight nearly dragging her down. Ignis tried to stand to help, but his legs gave out.
"Sit down!" Valeria snapped at the Dragon. "You're next on the triage list. Don't make yourself worse."
She dragged Caspian into the bathroom. It was a small, stone-tiled room with a large wooden tub in the center. It was stained and dirty, but it held water.
Kael burst in a moment later, dumping two buckets of cold well water into the tub. He ran back out for more.
"It's not enough," Caspian wheezed, slumping against the tub. "Need... salt... need..."
Valeria looked at the water. Ordinary water would hydrate him, but it wouldn't heal the deep tissue damage. She needed the Space.
"Kael, stay out!" she shouted through the door. "I'm handling this!"
She heard Kael skid to a halt in the hallway. "What are you doing?"
"Magic," she lied. "Don't enter unless I scream."
She locked the door. She turned to the tub.
Library. Open.
She stepped into the atrium. She went straight to the fountain. The Spirit Spring was bubbling cheerfully. She grabbed the crystal pitcher again, filling it with the concentrated essence. Then she scooped up a bucket from the overflow pool—the diluted healing water.
Exit.
She poured the essence and the diluted water into the tub. The wooden tub immediately began to emit a soft, blue mist. The scent of ozone and ocean breeze filled the cramped bathroom.
"Get in," Valeria told Caspian.
The Shark beastman looked at the glowing water. He looked at her. He didn't ask questions. He was desperate. He clumsily stripped off his rags and rolled over the edge into the water.
Hiss.
The sound was like a hot iron hitting ice.
Caspian arched his back, a low groan vibrating in his chest. The water didn't just wet him; it permeated him. The Spirit Essence rushed into his dried gills, forcing them open. The cracked skin on his shoulders began to knit together before Valeria's eyes.
He sank below the surface, blowing bubbles.
Valeria sat on the edge of the tub, watching him.
[Target: Caspian (Shark). Status: Rehydrating. Gills functioning at 40%. Critical Danger passed.]
After a minute, Caspian surfaced. His eyes, usually dark and dull, were shimmering with a faint blue light. He took a deep breath—a real breath, not a wheeze.
"The sea," he whispered, his voice smooth, the sandpaper rasp gone. "It tastes like the deep sea."
He looked at Valeria, water dripping from his sharp nose. "Who are you? Really?"
"I told Kael," Valeria said, leaning back against the wall. "I'm the person who realized that dead husbands are bad for business."
Caspian submerged up to his nose, watching her like a predator in the shallows. "You smell like the ocean now. It's... nice."
"Don't get used to it," Valeria said, standing up. "Soak for an hour. Then get dressed. We have work to do."
She unlocked the door and stepped out. Kael was standing right there, his fist raised as if he was about to batter the door down.
He looked past her, seeing the blue glow fading in the bathroom and hearing the splash of water.
"He's breathing," Kael noted, lowering his hand.
"He's fine," Valeria said, brushing past him. "Now, where is the Dragon?"
She found Ignis in the living room. He had tried to walk to the window and failed. He was currently lying on the rug, clutching his stomach, sweat soaking his hairline.
Lucian was hovering over him, wringing his hands. "He's burning up, Mistress! He's too hot!"
"Don't call me Mistress," Valeria said instinctively. She knelt beside Ignis.
She touched his forehead. It was scorching. Dragons naturally ran hot, but this was a fever. His body was trying to burn out the poison, but the poison was part of his blood now.
[Target: Ignis (Dragon). Status: Poisoned (Venom of the Rotting Basilisk). Organ failure imminent.]
[Recommended Treatment: Draconic Blood Filter (Level 1 Alchemy).]
[Ingredients Required: Fire bloom Petals, Obsidian Root, Spirit Water.]
Valeria frowned. She had Spirit Water. She didn't have the herbs.
"Ignis," she said sharply.
The Dragon opened one eye. The red iris was clouded. "Let me die," he muttered. "It hurts less."
"Dying is easy," Valeria said. "Living is the hard part. Sit up."
"I can't."
"Sit. Up."
Kael stepped forward to help, but Valeria held up a hand. "No. He does it himself."
Ignis gritted his teeth. He glared at her with pure, unadulterated loathing. But the anger gave him strength. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, then into a sitting position, panting as if he had run a marathon.
"Satisfied?" he spat.
"Not yet," Valeria said. "I can cure the poison."
Ignis laughed. It was a dry, hacking sound. "You lie. The Royal Physicians couldn't cure it. My horns were cut. The venom is in the marrow. It is a death sentence."
"The Royal Physicians are idiots," Valeria said calmly. "And they didn't have my resources."
She stood up. "I need an hour. Lucian, keep him warm. Do not let him fall asleep."
She turned and marched toward the kitchen pantry. She needed privacy to enter the Space again.
Inside the Library, Valeria ignored the books. She went straight to the new door that had appeared after the "Base Secured" mission.
It led to a small side room that smelled of dried sage and antiseptic. The Apothecary.
There were rows of empty glass vials and a basic mortar and pestle.
But she didn't need equipment yet. She needed ingredients.
She walked out into the Atrium and approached the Void Fields—the misty area surrounding her sanctuary.
Previously, it had been grey fog. Now, a small patch, maybe ten feet by ten feet, had cleared. The soil was black and rich.
Valeria pulled the "Encyclopedia of Magical Flora" from her mental inventory. She found the entry for Fire Bloom.
"A rare flower found in volcanic craters. Used to regulate body temperature in fire-attribute beasts."
She didn't have seeds.
But the Library was a cheat.
She went to the main desk. There was a drawer labeled "Seeds - Starter Pack." She opened it. Inside were small paper packets.
Wheat. Turnips. Medicinal Herbs (Basic).
She tore open the herbal packet. She found a seed that glowed with a faint red heat. Fire Bloom. And a black, gnarly seed. Obsidian Root.
She ran to the Void Field. She poked two holes in the black soil and dropped the seeds in.
She ran back to the fountain, filled a watering can with diluted Spirit Water, and poured it over the seeds.
Time Dilation Active.
As she watched, a green shoot burst from the soil. It grew visibly, twisting and spiraling upward. Within seconds, a crimson flower unfurled, pulsing with heat. Beside it, a black, tuberous plant pushed its way out of the dirt.
"Unbelievable," Valeria whispered.
She harvested the flower and the root. She ran back to the Apothecary.
She didn't know alchemy. She was a librarian. But as she touched the mortar and pestle, the [Basic Alchemy] skill she had unlocked guided her hands.
Grind the root to a paste. Add three drops of Spirit Essence. Crush the petals. Mix.
The result was a thick, black sludge that smelled like sulfur and mint.
She scooped it into a bowl and exited the Space.
When she returned to the living room, Ignis was slumped against the sofa, his eyes rolling back.
"Hold his head," Valeria ordered Kael.
Kael clamped his hands on the Dragon's shoulders.
Valeria knelt and held the bowl of black sludge under Ignis's nose.
"Eat this."
Ignis recoiled. "It smells like death."
"It smells like sulfur," Valeria corrected. "Which, for a Dragon, should smell like home. Eat it, or I hold your nose and force it down."
Ignis looked at Kael. The Tiger nodded grimly. "She healed my leg, Ignis. Drink the poison."
Ignis closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Valeria spooned the sludge in.
He swallowed.
For ten seconds, nothing happened.
Then Ignis screamed.
It wasn't a scream of pain. It was a scream of shock. He grabbed his throat. Smoke—literal grey smoke—began to pour out of his ears and mouth.
"Mistress!" Lucian shrieked, hiding behind the chair.
"It's working," Valeria said, though her heart was pounding. "The alchemy is burning the impurities."
Ignis coughed violently, expelling a clot of black, tar-like substance onto the floor. The smoke cleared.
He gasped, taking deep, ragged breaths. He looked at his hands. The black veins that had been pulsing a moment ago were fading, turning to faint grey lines. The heat radiating from his body leveled out to a comfortable warmth.
He looked up at Valeria. The cynicism in his eyes was shattered.
" The pain..." Ignis whispered, touching his chest. "The fire in my blood... it's quiet."
"It's not a cure," Valeria said quickly, managing expectations. "It's a filter. You'll need a dose every week until your core regenerates enough to purge the rest itself. But you won't die today."
Ignis stared at her. Slowly, painfully, he shifted his legs. He pulled them under him. He pushed himself up.
He stood. Without the cane. Without the wall.
He was shaky, like a newborn foal, but he was standing on his own power.
He looked at Valeria, a complicated mix of emotions crossing his aristocratic face. Shame. Gratitude. Confusion.
"Why?" Ignis asked. "I was a General. I lost. I was mutilated. I am worth nothing to you. A flightless dragon is just a lizard."
"A General and a Military Strategist," Valeria said, "is exactly what I need. I have a house, Ignis. But I have enemies. Ma Garnett will be back. The Broker will talk. I need someone who can plan a defense."
She looked at Kael. "I have a tank."
She looked at the door where Caspian was standing, looking damp and healthy. "I have an assassin."
She looked at Silas, who was chewing on a table leg. "I have a... berserker."
She looked back at Ignis. "I need a strategist."
Ignis straightened his spine. He smoothed his tattered shirt. He bowed. It wasn't a deep bow, but it was a formal one.
"I will secure the perimeter," Ignis said. His voice was stronger. "The windows are vulnerable."
"Good," Valeria said.
She turned to walk away, intending to collapse onto her bed, but the room suddenly spun.
She stumbled.
Kael was there instantly, his arm wrapping around her waist to steady her. He smelled of soap and woodsmoke.
"You're exhausted," Kael rumbled. "You use strange magic, and it costs you."
"I'm fine," Valeria lied, pushing him away gently. "Just hungry."
"Sit," Kael ordered. He pointed to the armchair.
Valeria sat. She didn't have the energy to argue.
"Lucian," Kael barked. "The kitchen. Find something. Anything. She eats first."
Valeria watched them move. For the first time, they weren't moving because they were afraid of the whip. They were moving because she was part of the pack. A strange, confusing, bossy part of the pack, but a part nonetheless.
She closed her eyes for a second, listening to the sounds of her broken kings coming back to life.
[Mission Update: Stabilize the Household. Status: Complete.]
[Reward: Library Level Up. Unlocked: "Basic Combat Training" Manuals.]
[Next Mission: The First Winter Storm.]
"Winter," Valeria mumbled, drifting toward sleep as the smell of heated leftovers filled the room. "I hate winter."
Kael threw a blanket over her. It was scratchy, but it was warm.
"Sleep," the Tiger whispered. "We keep watch tonight."