Zeltara felt energetic this morning. She was almost skipping in her excitement about training today. It was her turn for personal training from Dollanti. Which, in her opinion, was much better than the physical conditioning she usually had to endure. But more than that, Zeltara felt a sense of contentment about how life had been treating her recently.

  It has been three weeks in total since they started training with Dollanti. Two since their personal lessons had started, and everything was going great. While at first, Zeltara was skeptical about the veteran adventurer’s teaching methods, the results spoke for themselves. She was sure that her endurance had doubled from all the laps she had done. Every day, she was faster in completing the exercises. A little quicker, stronger, smarter, and more. These continuous improvements showed Zeltara that she was getting better. A step towards becoming a real adventurer.

  One needed to look no further than her right arm, where her new invention sat. While it looked like the gauntlet Zeltara had found before, it was now modified to be much more. Underneath the layer of metal armor were various compartments and gadgets to be used in various situations. To top it off, the inside had a leather lining for comfort. Zeltara recalled the weeks of work it took to make it work. Days when she labored over her workbench, trying to make everything work to perfection. But it had finally paid off. An invention that would push her to the next level, and Zeltara couldn’t wait to show it off for the world to see. Today would be her first chance to test it.

  “You know, if you keep staring at that, I’ll think you’ll like it more than us,” Saiya remarked. Zeltara glanced over at Saiya and Kaztos walking beside her to training. Both held looks of curiosity over her invention. Examining them, Zeltara could tell that she wasn’t the only one who had changed from the past few weeks.

  Kaztos carried a new war hammer on his back. Instead of wood, the hand was made of lightweight metal with leather wrapping for a better grip. The head had tripled in weight to thirty pounds. It had taken Zeltara a few days to put together, but felt that it was worth it. Kaztos also seemed to think so, since he gave her a bear hug in gratitude. He now had a beige-colored cape to go over his leather armor. Though unlike her and Saiya, this was more for practicality as the nights had been getting colder.

  Meanwhile, Saiya’s changes had been more subtle. Hidden underneath her cloak, she now wore darker clothes that more closely matched her cloak. These clothes were designed for travel, unlike her previous ones, which were only fit for the simple life back in Urada. The shirt and pants had a dozen additional pockets sewn into them. Underneath the clothing was a chainmail vest to protect her vitals. Zeltara had found it a few days ago, and its previous owner was gone now.

  Leaving her thoughts, Zeltara answered, “Well, I already love it more. Nothing like appreciating something you made with your own two hands.” Saiya smirked at her remark.

  “Well, are you just going to admire it silently, or will you tell us more about it?” Zeltara lifted her right hand to inspect her gauntlet more closely.

  “Perhaps I would, if you would tell me what Dollanti has been teaching you.” Saiya shook her head.

  “No can do. You’re not the only one who gets to keep secrets. I’ll hold this over you so you know how it feels.” Zeltara shook her head at the answer. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard that recently.

  Something had changed with Saiya. Over the past two weeks, the blond girl had been as friendly as Zeltara had ever seen her. She could still remember the day her friend had gone to bed early, dejected. Something had happened that day to rattle Saiya, and Zeltara had hoped to find out what it was. It came as a surprise to her when that morning Saiya got up and seemed back to normal.

  No, not normal exactly. Zeltara could tell that there was a change. In the time she had known Saiya, she had never been a driven person. The blond girl was someone who went with the flow and disappeared into the background, if possible. Now she seemed slightly more assertive, but it was more than that. There was a growing ember in her eyes. One that reminded Zeltara of when she looked at herself or Kaztos. What happened that night to bring about such a change? Zeltara was still determined to find out.

  But if one thing hadn’t changed, it was Saiya’s secretive nature. Whatever had happened, she wasn’t talking. It didn’t matter how much Kaztos and Zeltara asked. She wouldn’t give them an answer. Instead, Saiya seemed almost to savor their curiosity. She had turned almost playful when confronted in their questioning. Unless they pressed too hard, then she would shut down like before. Zeltara didn’t know where this new side of her came from, but she wouldn’t complain. She was the same old Saiya for the most part, just a little more outgoing. Unless there were others around. Then she would become almost silent again. Perhaps she just finally got fully comfortable with them.

  “Between the two of you, I don’t know if I'll ever know anything. There’s nothing wrong with a little honestly once in a while,” Kaztos said with a teasing smile. “You don’t see me hiding everything about myself. What you see is what you get.”

  Saiya smirked at him. “That’s because you're simple. There’s nothing complicated that you need to hide from anyone.” Kaztos squawked at the remark. Seeing an opportunity, Zeltara jumped in.

  “Don’t be mean, Saiya. It’s not Kaztos’ fault.” He looked at her hopefully. “After all, with all the yelling he does, I bet he never learned how to hide anything.” Kaztos’ face reflected his crushed hopes.

  “Unacceptable!” Kaztos exclaimed. “To think my own friends would ridicule me like this. I have you know I can keep plenty of secrets. I never told my mother about the time I knocked over our family’s prized vases while playing when I was eight.”

  Zeltara tried not to laugh, as tempting as it was. She almost succeeded at it too. Unfortunately, she happened to look over at Saiya at that moment. The blond girl was only smirking, but Zeltara could see her shoulders twitch in silent laughter. Saiya rolled her eyes, and that pushed her over the edge. Zeltara started laughing. Kaztos gasped at her for the insult, but she could see that he didn’t take it to heart. After a few seconds, he chuckled to himself.

  Running a hand through his hair, Kaztos said, “Alright, I’m glad you two could enjoy yourselves at my expense. But I’m serious. How are we supposed to be a team if we hide our capabilities from each other?” Zeltara and Saiya’s amusement faded as they blushed.

  “I guess I just want to make sure I have something that works. The last thing I want is to embarrass myself in front of you two,” Zeltara said. She stared down at her new gauntlet in thought. There was no guarantee that it would work as expected. In fact, based on her earlier inventions, it was more likely to explode. “Guess I just want to keep you two thinking I’m a genius. For me, there are ten failures for every success. This recent string of luck will end at some point.” It took a lot just to keep the gauntlet together in the first place.

  “For me, I don’t actually have anything to show yet. I’m working on a few things, but it’s not ready yet,” Saiya said. She seemed to fiddle with one of her pockets on her shirt. Kaztos looked at both of them before grinning.

  “You two shouldn’t worry so much. I won’t judge either of you. But I’ll let you two keep your secrets. You’ll let me know when it’s important.” Both smiled at Kaztos. Leave it to him to know how to reassure them.

  The three quieted down as they reached Dollanti. The grizzled adventurer didn’t appreciate idle chatter during training. For better or worse, it was only work when it came it him. Dollanti didn’t move and stood there with his arms crossed. He stared off at the morning horizon, lost in thought. If Zeltara didn’t know any better, she would say that he had dozed off.

  Minutes drifted by as the three waited for him to start. Zeltara wondered what he was thinking about whenever he got like this. Was he collecting his thoughts? Or recounting past battles. Maybe he was even meditating. If she had to guess, Zeltara would say that Dollanti was just messing with them. He was probably waiting for them to say something so he could reprimand them. It sounded about right for the old man.

  Just as she was getting tempted to say something, Dollanti said, “We’re doing something different today. There will be no personal training.” Kaztos shifted in excitement. Zeltara almost joined him before she realized something.

  “Hey! Today was my turn for special training. What gives you the idea to skip over me?” Dollanti acted like he didn’t hear her. Instead, he started looking off at the horizon again. Zeltara was about to give him a verbal lashing when Saiya slapped her hand over her mouth. The blond girl ignored the glare she sent her.

  Seeing her muzzled, Dollanti continued. “We’re going to focus on something new. But first, a test.” Zeltara stopped trying to talk and waited in anticipation.

  “So, what will we be doing?” Kaztos asked. Dollanti looked over at him.

  “Team training.” Seeing a trio of curious looks, the veteran adventurer explained. “So far, the focus has been on improving your personal abilities. To make the three of you almost adequate adventurers.” Zeltara frowned at the descriptor. Almost adequate? “But now, we need to bring you three back together. This isn’t a group of three individuals, but one team. So, you will face me in a spar.”

  The three had different reactions to the news. Saiya grimaced, likely remembering how their initial spars with the veteran adventurer went. Kaztos grinned, almost hopping from foot to foot in excitement. Zeltara similarly smiled in anticipation, but unlike Kaztos, she had a different goal. After all the rough training Dollanti put them through, she wanted to chance to knock him on his ass just once. Even if they lost, she needed at least that.

  “Huzzah! I’m ready for battle, sir.” Zeltara and Saiya leaned away at Kaztos’ loud exclamation. The blond girl shot him a glare.

  “I don’t see why you’re so excited about this. We don’t stand a chance of hurting him.” Kaztos raised his hands to ward off the blond girl’s ire. Zeltara chuckled at the sight of them going at it again.

  Dollanti got their attention. “Enough.” The three went silent and turned back to them. He then looked at Saiya. “Don’t underestimate the value of teamwork. If the three of you plan it out properly, then I can guarantee that you can beat me.” The sincerity in his voice caught them off guard.

  “Are you serious? Would our working together really do that much? You destroyed all of us the last time we fought,” Zeltara said. As much as she wished otherwise, she knew that there was little chance of them beating Dollanti.

  “Not every group would have the ability to, but you three have a chance. It’ll be a three on one spar. I think the result will surprise you.” Dollanti began to walk away from them. “You have five minutes to think of a plan and attack me. You don’t want to know what will happen if you run out of time.”

  “When does the time start?” Kaztos asked. Dollanti chuckled.

  “Twenty seconds ago. Get to it.” He came to a stop twenty yards in front of them and turned to face them with his arms crossed. Zeltara smiled. Now this was a chance for them to prove themselves. She looked at her gauntlet, already thinking of ways to use it. “Oh, one more thing. You’re not allowed to use any of your new equipment. Only use what you had on your first day of training.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Zeltara gaped at him, indignation running through her. “Excuse me? What kind of crap is that? Why have us work on all this stuff and not let us use it?” She could see a twinkle of amusement in his gaze as he looked at her. Zeltara held in a growl. Why did Dollanti enjoy messing with them like this?

  “So you will understand the point I’m trying to make. You won’t get it if you use all your new toys.” Kaztos then raised his hand.

  “Excuse me, sir. Am I allowed to use my new war hammer? I don’t know where my old one is.” His old one was sitting in the back to the tinker wagon as far as Zeltara knew. There was no time to get it, though. However, Dollanti seemed to think of this as he opened up his satchel and pulled out Kaztos’ old hammer. Zeltara had a moment of wondering how he did that before remembering the Al’Yanda’s use of storage enchantments.

  Dollanti pulled his arm back and threw the hammer at them. It spun like a wheel through the air before landing at Kaztos’ feet. He set his new hammer down and picked the old one up. Zeltara was amazed Dollanti managed that throw.

  “Four minutes,” the veteran adventurer called out. The reminder of their depleting time caused them to get their act together. Zeltara took off her gauntlet and set it beside Kaztos’ hammer. Perhaps she could use it another day then. The three of them huddled together to formulate a plan.

  Zeltara noticed how both Kaztos and Saiya looked over to hear what she had to say. The expectation in their gaze would have stressed her out before, but now she held appreciation with their faith in her.

  She took a deep breath and said, “Alright, first thing. I want the two of you to know that you can speak up whenever. If you have a suggestion or see something I don’t, let me know.” Both nod at her, determined expressions not wavering. “Alright, give me a moment. I’ll think of something.”

  Turning to look over at Dollanti, Zeltara observed the battlefield. What she saw didn’t encourage her. Like most of the wasteland they’ve traveled through so far, there wasn’t any vegetation to use. The terrain was flat dirt, nothing to use there. So, the only thing they had was whatever was on them.

  “Three minutes,” Dollanti said. He stared at them with a bored expression. If Zeltara didn’t know any better, she’d say he wasn’t taking this at all seriously. Her mind went back to the first time they thought, thinking of something they could use. An idea came to her.

  Zeltara turned back to her friends. “Okay, there’s only one realistic way we can win this, and it’s using Saiya’s wand.” Nothing else had the firepower to hit Dollanti hard enough. Zeltara mourned the fact that she couldn’t use her gauntlet. That would have blown him away, literally.

  “You want me to use the wand? But he has wind magic to nullify it,” Saiya said.

  Kaztos chimed in. “I still don’t know how he did that. My lessons said that wind spells are weak to fire ones. It feeds the flames and creates a bigger blast.”

  “I thought about that, but I think it was because of the spell he used. It seemed to be a defensive shield of some sort. Something specifically designed to protect the user from even a weak fire spell,” Zeltara said. “However, I doubt offensive spells have the same protection. That’s where my plan comes in.”

  Saiya, seemingly mollified, asked, “So, what do you have in mind?”

  “It’s like what we’ve done before.” Zeltara looked over at Kaztos. “I need you to take point again. I want you to pressure him while staying safe. Just try to keep him off balance. Saiya and I will be on your flanks, providing support. The goal is to keep him on the back foot for as long as possible.”

  Kaztos nodded in thought. “You want to force him into using a wind spell to get us to back off?”

  “Right,” Zeltara said. “Then when he uses one, that’s where Saiya will come in.” She looked over at the blond girl. “You have the most important job. When you see him preparing that spell, get in front of whoever it’s targeting and fire your strongest blast.”

  “How do you even know that he has an offensive wind spell?” Saiya asked. “He could use something else.”

  Zeltara shrugged. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t. From what I’ve seen, the Al’Yanda specialize in wind spells. Dollanti doesn’t seem to be any different. He used a few while battling that abomination from what little I could see.”

  Kaztos asked, “Are you sure about this? It seems dangerous for a sparring match. I wouldn’t want to injure him too badly.” Zeltara waved away the concern.

  “I’m sure he can handle it, probably.” That, and she wanted to get a little payback. Maybe getting blown up would loosen him up a bit.

  “It’d serve him right,” Saiya muttered under her breath. She then got their attention and spoke up. “That sounds like a good plan A. Do you have a backup plan in mind?”

  Zeltara tried to think of something. “Uh... well... give me a moment.”

  “One minute.” Dollanti’s voice rang over the area. Zeltara got flustered under the added time pressure. Finally, she gave up.

  “I’ve got nothing.” Seeing Saiya’s unimpressed stare, Zeltara rushed to defend herself. “Hey! It’s not exactly easy to come up with plans in so little time. I’m trying my best.”

  Saiya looked down repentant. “Sorry, you’re right.” She then sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to hope this works.” Kaztos put a hand on each of their shoulders.

  “Not to worry! I’m sure that this will go perfectly. With us working together, nothing can overcome us.” His confidence helped reinvigorate Zeltara and Saiya. They looked at each other and nodded determinedly.

  “Thirty seconds,” Dollanti said as he brought his hands to his sides, ready for battle.

  Zeltara stood up. “Let’s go.” Kaztos and Saiya followed her lead as they pulled out their weapons. Kaztos held his war hammer, swinging it back and forth as if it weighed nothing. Conversely, Saiya remained still as she held throwing knives in both of her hands. Zeltara had four marbles held between her fingers in one hand, while the other held her crossbow. “We’ll go on your signal, Kaztos.” He nodded as Zeltara shifted her marbles around in her hand. She and Saiya fanned out on either side of Kaztos in anticipation.

  They didn’t have to wait long as Kaztos charged forward seconds later with a battle cry. “Have at thee!” If Zeltara wasn’t about to fight, she would have mocked him for that. Couldn’t he have thought of anything better?

  As Kaztos closed in on Dollanti, an idea came to Zeltara. She threw a white marble and yelled, “Flash.” Used to this tactic by now, Saiya and Kaztos closed their eyes. Zeltara could see Dollanti did as well, just as she predicted. Before the white marble impacted, Zeltara threw a black marble and closed her eyes. After the bright flash, everyone reopened their eyes.

  “You didn’t think I’d fall-” Dollanti said before getting hit in the chest with the black marble. The explosion knocked him off balance, causing the veteran adventurer to stumble backward. Zeltara smirked at finally knocking her trainer down a peg.

  Her attack gave Kaztos an opening to attack. Dollanti stumbled backward to avoid Kaztos’s overhead strike. He tried to use that moment to recover, but had to pivot to avoid Saiya’s knife from hitting him. The maneuver threw him off balance again. Dollanti turned his stumble into a roll to avoid Kaztos’ follow-up strike.

  Zeltara fired her crossbow, forcing the older man to continue rolling instead of recovering. She yelled, “Keep it up! Kaztos, use faster attacks. You’re committing too much.”

  “Of course!” Kaztos called out as his strikes came in quicker. The added pressure kept Dollanti on the back foot. He looked increasingly frustrated with the constant harassment he was receiving. Zeltara could feel the moment approaching and signaled Saiya to get closer. The blond girl crept forward while keeping up her knife throwing.

  Tossing another black marble to keep their opponent off balance, Zeltara was beginning to realize what Dollanti meant. During those first battles, the veteran adventurer had controlled everything. Each battle had gone just as he had planned, leaving them no chance for victory. But now, they were the ones in control. Their constant pressure was equal parts tiring and frustrating for the older man, who puffed out breaths at the exertion.

  The moment they had been waiting for had finally arrived. Dollanti jumped back and gained a few feet of breathing room. Kaztos prepared to pursue until he saw his opponent bring forth his staff. He backpedaled as Dollanti pointed it at him and channeled mana into the battle medium.

  “Wind Gale!” Dollanti cried out as his hand glowed. Veins of mana spread to the front end of the staff as the wind picked up around them. An invisible pressure built until a tunnel of visible wind shot out of the end of the medium towards Kaztos. The young Molinar held his hammer in front of himself for meager defense. Saiya then moved forward.

  “Saiya, now!” Zeltara yelled. Saiya rushed and jumped in front of Kaztos, pointing her wand at Dollanti.

  “Fireball!” Saiya’s wand quickly lit up as a fireball two feet in diameter shot forward at high speed. Halfway to its destination, the two spells collided. The fireball grew several times in size as it ate the wind spell. Zeltara could feel the heat even from where she was standing. The last thing she saw was Dollanti’s surprised expression before the inferno blocked him from her vision.

  A large explosion knocked all three of them down. Kaztos and Saiya covered their heads for protection as small rocks and pebbles fell around the battlefield. Zeltara continued to stare at the burning firestorm and, for the first time, felt a little worried. Maybe Dollanti couldn’t handle it after all. She didn’t actually want to kill him or anything. That fireball grew much bigger than Zeltara had anticipated. She continued to stare at the raging fire, looking for any sign of life.

  The fire started to dissipate as Kaztos and Saiya stood up. The three watched as something came into view at the center of the dying flames. After a few seconds, they saw Dollanti standing inside a sphere of rapidly rotating wind. It reminded Zeltara of his windshield, except it covered him from all directions. Mixed feelings overtook her. On one hand, she was relieved that Dollanti wasn’t dead. On the other hand, he probably wasn’t too happy based on the severe expression on his face.

  “How?” Saiya asked, gazing at the dying flames. Kaztos looked stunned as he took an unconscious step back. The windshield dissipated as Dollanti’s staff stopped glowing. Zeltara tried to think of what they could do next. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have the chance to figure it out.

  With unnatural speed, Dollanti raced forward towards Saiya and Kaztos. The suddenness of the maneuver caused Kaztos to take another instinctive step back. Saiya pulled out another knife and threw it at Dollanti. The veteran adventurer caught it midair and continued his advance. Zeltara started running forward, but knew it was already hopeless. She was too far away to help in time.

  “Kaztos!” Her yell got Kaztos out of his stupor. He took a few steps forward to help, but was too late. Dollanti had reached Saiya who, despite being less than fifteen feet away from them, was practically by herself. The blond girl stumbled back, trying to get away as she grabbed another knife. Dollanti ducked her desperate swing, then grabbed her wrist and grappled her arm behind her back. She struggled at first, but stopped when her own knife was brought to her neck.

  “That’s enough,” Dollanti calmly said. Both Zeltara and Kaztos stopped in their tracks. “I took one of you hostage. This exercise is over.” They put their weapons away as Dollanti pushed away his captive. Saiya grumbled over the manhandling but accepted the knife the older man held out to her. Zeltara and Kaztos jogged over to stand side by side with Saiya.

  “Was it necessary to hold a knife to her throat, sir?” Kaztos asked. “It seems excessive for sparring.” For the first time since they'd met them, Dollanti let out a small chuckle. The unfamiliar gesture from the uptight man caught them all off guard.

  “You didn’t seem to think that when you sent that inferno my way.” Kaztos looked down with a blush. “It was to show how important protecting your teammates is, even when you think it’s safe. Let’s start there.” Dollanti crossed his arms as the three tensed up. “Do you know why you lost?”

  “Because you’re too strong for us?” Zeltara sarcastically asked. “Was it really possible for us to beat you?” She felt a little sore about their defeat. All that planning and it was for nothing.

  Dollanti shook his head. “You three had a chance. It would have just taken perfect coordination and planning. No, you lost for two reasons. First was that you had no backup plan when your first failed. Though I didn’t give you much time to think of one. The second reason was that you were all out of position. Saiya had become isolated, and I took advantage of that.”

  “But we were close to her. You just rushed us too quickly,” Kaztos said. Dollanti let out a sigh.

  “Then it sounds like you were too far away. After that explosion, you should have returned to your position at the front.” Dollanti gestured to Zeltara and Saiya. “They can’t handle being the center of attention for too long. Your hesitation put them in danger. Remember, if one of you falls, you all do. Understand?”

  “Yes sir.” Kaztos again looked properly chastised. Saiya turned her head away in frustration. Zeltara would bet tonight’s dinner that she was blaming herself for what happened. Zeltara herself wasn’t faring much better as she wondered what she could have done to win.

  “That being said, your strategy was well thought out and executed,” Dollanti said. The three brought their attention back to him, surprised. “Keeping me continuously on the back foot was the best thing you could have done. It’s how you beat a superior opponent, by dictating the pace of the battle. Then, to predict my method of escaping that pressure was a stroke of genius. It would have worked on most people. It was only because of my experience that I managed to escape your little trap. Except for a few problems, it was a good attempt.”

  Zeltara smiled at the praise. Their teacher wasn’t one to offer compliments very often. Any given were usually backhanded as well. To hear genuine praise from the older man brought a sense of accomplishment that Zeltara had rarely felt as of late. She saw that Saiya and Kaztos were also affected.

  “What problems were there?” Zeltara asked.

  Dollanti stroked his beard in thought. “Besides what I already mentioned? You should have had more faith in your teammates. Your giving an unnecessary verbal signal let me know something was happening. Saiya had already begun to move when you called out to her.”

  Zeltara blushed with embarrassment this time. She offered Saiya a look of regret. The blond girl gave a shrug but didn’t appear offended. Zeltara vowed to keep it in mind in the future. She turned her attention back to Dollanti. “Anything else?”

  “Again, you should have thought of a back-up plan, just in case. Having nothing to fall back on caused you to hesitate. Even something as simple as retreating and regrouping helps. It keeps you focused when things go wrong,” Dollanti said. Again, Zeltara felt chastised at being called out. “Anything else I can go over during our next private lesson, and trust me.” He gave the three a stern look. “We absolutely will.”

  Maybe in the beginning, the glare he was giving them would have affected them. But after knowing the man for several weeks now, his intimidation tactics didn’t land. The disappointed expression that flashed across his face just gave Zeltara more evidence that the man just enjoyed messing with them. If she hadn’t known it would just result in laps, Zeltara would have smirked.

  Seeing that he wouldn’t get a rise out of them, Dollanti continued. “Still, your teamwork is impressive for your age. I can tell that you’ve been working together for at least a year by now.” That statement got a reaction out of them as they looked at each other wide-eyed. They didn’t do that well, did they?

  “Excuse me, sir,” Kaztos said. “We’ve only known each other for six weeks.” Zeltara looked over at Kaztos in surprise. Had it only been six weeks since they’d met? She did the mental calculation in her head. Zeltara was surprised to find that it all added up. It certainly felt like a year since she had met the two.

  Dollanti looked impressed with that fact. Zeltara had never seen such an expression on his face. “That’s shocking to hear. To have such teamwork so early. You three have more potential than I thought.” He shook his head as his stern expression returned. “Still, there is a lot of work to do. Starting tomorrow, there will be new training.”

  Kaztos, with a grin, asked, “What will we be doing, sir?” Dollanti glared at him.

  “Don’t interrupt me. I was getting to it.” Kaztos muttered out an apology. “For the next several days, we’ll be working on your teamwork. Three-man formations, nonverbal communication, trust exercises, and more. Your teamwork needs to be instinctive and discreet. Afterwards, we’ll go back to six days of alternating personal training, followed by one day of teamwork training. Understood?” The three of them nod. Dollanti seemed pleased. “Good, then you’re free to go.” He then turned and sat crisscross on the ground as he always did. Zeltara wondered if it was just his way of avoiding an awkward walk back to the caravan with them.

  Paying it no more mind, the three turned to wander back to camp. An air of excitement filled their silent journey. While at first, Zeltara wasn’t sure of their progress, it’s now clear how much they’ve advanced. A month ago, they would never have made it that far against Dollanti. She couldn’t wait to see how much better they could get.

  Still, there was one thing that bothered her. “I wish we could have at least burned him up a little. Now he’ll just be that much more smug from now on.” Kaztos threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

  “Nonsense! Dollanti wouldn’t hold this against us. We’ll beat him next time.” Zeltara chuckled while her head was awkwardly pulled to the side. She pushed to get away from Kaztos’ grapple. She squawked when he began messing with her hair with his other hand.

  Saiya looked at the pair in amusement and said, “I’m sure we’ll win next time, if Zeltara ever comes up with a half-decent plan, that is.” Zeltara escaped Kaztos’ grip and leveled a glare at her.

  “Excuse me? I didn’t hear you coming up with anything. All I heard was excessive whining about my plan.” Saiya crossed her arms and smirked.

  “I was just doing what you told me to do. Telling you how much your plan sucked. I can’t help but follow the words of our hapless leader.” Zeltara growled as she straightened her hair.

  “At least I came up with something. I’m sure that airhead of yours couldn’t come up with anything if you tried.” The two continued to trade barbs all the way back to camp. Yet, despite the harsh words traded between them, all three had content smiles on their faces.