The stew was heavy with beef and rosemary, providing the kind of warmth that only a home kitchen could offer after a long day.
Grimmand sat at the sturdy oak table in the Hemlock kitchen and wiped his beard with the back of his hand. He let out a long breath of genuine satisfaction.
"Mrs. Hemlock," the dwarf said as he gestured with his spoon toward May. "I have eaten at some of the most famous tables in the Iron Mountain. I have even shared meals with the nobility of the north. This beef stew is easily the best meal I've had in years."
May smiled as she refilled his bowl from the iron pot. "The rosemary is the secret, Mr. Grimmand. The beef is from our own herd as well. Please, eat until you are full. You brought my son home in one piece, and that is worth more than a few bowls of stew."
Arthur sat at the head of the table and ate slowly. He watched his guests with a practiced eye.
He noticed how Tamsin kept his knife hand free and how Carlos chose the seat with a clear view of both the door and the window. These were men who lived by their reflexes, guided by experience.
"So," Arthur said, his voice level and calm. "Jacob mentioned that you ran into a few complications today."
Carlos lowered his spoon and met Arthur's gaze. He had already decided to omit the details about the Void Knight and the poisonous swamp gas.
There was no benefit in telling a mother how close her child had come to a necrotic cloud.
"We saw a few unexpected spawns," Carlos said. "The dungeon was unusually active this afternoon, but it was nothing we couldn't handle. Jacob stayed in the rear of the formation exactly as we instructed."
"He was reliable," Tamsin added while tearing off a piece of crusty bread. "He kept his head down and managed not to panic. Most people we escort are far louder than your son."
Jacob sat at the far end of the table and focused on his meal. He was trying his best to look small and unsuspecting so the conversation would move past him.
"Regarding the logistics," Carlos said, leaning back. "We should settle the division of the loot before we head back toward the village. I would rather not carry these materials any further than necessary."
Jacob stood up and pulled his burlap sack onto the table. It looked like a simple, harmless bag sitting there beside the butter dish.
"The salt grass is for my greenhouse," Jacob said. He reached into the bag and pulled out several bundles of the muddy, bulbous plants, stacking them carefully on a side table that had a burlap cover waiting for the bulbs. "Everything else is for the group."
"That was the deal," Carlos agreed.
Jacob reached back into the sack. The fabric rippled slightly as he gripped something heavy and pulled it through the narrow opening.
The massive, black stone pauldron of the Void Knight hit the table with a thud that made the wood groan. He was thankful for the runes reinforcing the old table.
Arthur's eyebrows shot up. He recognized the void stone immediately. It was a material that seemed to drink the light in the room.
Next came the Behemoth Heart, which still held a dull, stagnant glow in the center of its mass.
Finally, Jacob emptied a pile of glowing crystals, beast claws, and various pelts onto the tablecloth.
Carlos began to sort the items with the efficiency of a man who had done this a thousand times. "The heart goes to the alchemists and the stone goes to the smiths. We will split the gold four ways once the sale is final. The cores go to the guild bank, and the rest will be sold to the local merchants."
He began sweeping the earth-affinity cores into his own pouch.
"Wait," Elara said, placing a hand on Carlos's wrist to stop him.
Carlos frowned. "What is the problem?"
"Leave the cores," Elara said.
"These are high-grade E-ranks, Elara. There is a significant amount of gold sitting right there," Carlos reminded her.
"He saved us a fortune by keeping us from using our consumables on the lower floors," Elara argued. Her voice was soft but held a firm edge. "He also saved my life."
She reached into the pile and pulled out the Void Knight's left gauntlet.
It was a smaller piece than the pauldron, featuring articulated fingers carved from the same dark metallic stone. "Leave this as well."
Carlos blinked. "The gauntlet? That is a caster's item meant to conduct mana. Why would a farmer need it?"
"Look at him, Carlos," Elara whispered.
Carlos looked toward the end of the table. Jacob was not looking at the gold or the expensive cores.
He was staring at the stone gauntlet with an expression of intense curiosity.
He was not calculating the price. He was trying to understand how the mana moved through the stone joints.
"He is an enchanter," Elara said. "He needs high-quality materials to practice his craft. If you want him to be able to upgrade your gear the next time we go into a gate, give him something to work with."
Carlos looked at the gauntlet and then back at his own breastplate. He could still feel the pressure of the enchantment Jacob had placed there. He sighed and pushed the small pile of cores and the gauntlet toward the boy.
"Consider it a bonus for the job," Carlos said. "The stone and the cores stay here. I'll even throw in these hides and claws to see if you can turn them into something useful."
Jacob's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
"Just don't blow up the barn," Carlos grumbled. "I don't want your father coming after me, it could cause trouble with the guild."
"I'll be careful," Jacob promised, pulling the gauntlet closer to inspect the etchings on the fingers.
"That is very generous of you," May said with a warm smile.
"It is just good business, Ma'am," Tamsin said.
The party finished their meal and gathered their belongings. The heaviest pieces of loot were secured into their own packs now that the Distortion Bag had been emptied.
They walked to the door where the cool night air was waiting.
"We will be back in the village in a few weeks," Carlos told Arthur. "If you decide on another run, or if the boy comes up with anything else worth seeing, let us know."
"I'll do that," Arthur replied. "Safe travels to the village."
The adventurers marched into the darkness, their shapes quickly disappearing down the lane.
Arthur went out to the barn to get Caleb and Lila, bringing them inside before the true cold of the night settled in.
May began clearing the empty bowls while Jacob and his siblings sat by the hearth. He was already holding the void gauntlet up to the firelight, tracing the mana lines with his thumb.
Arthur walked over and stood near his son. "Jacob."
"Yes, Dad?" Jacob did not look up from the stone fingers.
"Put the gauntlet down and stand up for a moment."