The morning light broke gently through the shutters, slipping into the inn room in thin bars of gold. The air smelled faintly of cooked grain and spiced broth drifting up from the kitchens below. Loid stirred first, groaning softly as he rubbed at his eyes. For once, he hadn't dreamed of the past. No empty rooms, no endless gray days. Just darkness, and then waking.
Selvara was already awake. She sat at the edge of the bed, silver eyes half-lidded, her long black hair catching the sunlight like a curtain of ink. She wasn't moving, not exactly, but Loid had the distinct impression she had been sitting like that for some time, waiting.
"You're up early," Loid muttered, voice still rough with sleep.
"I do not sleep long," she replied simply.
Loid pushed himself upright and stretched until his shoulders cracked. He glanced at her again, lingering on the calm composure she wore like armor. It wasn't that she looked untouchable, her human side was there, subtle, in the small weariness around her eyes but she carried herself like a blade kept sharp by sheer will.
"Breakfast first," Loid said, forcing himself into motion. "Then business."
Selvara only nodded.
---
They ate in quiet at the long common table. Bread, broth, a slice of smoked pork between them. Loid tore into his share with more hunger than grace, but Selvara ate measured bites, as though tasting rather than consuming. A few mercenaries at nearby tables gave her sidelong glances, though most were quick to look away when they caught Loid's watchful stare.
Halfway through his bowl, Loid set his spoon down, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.
"We've got twenty-five gold left," he said. "Not much. But enough to make a difference for you."
Selvara looked up. "You wish to spend it on me."
Loid gave a faint, crooked smile. "Well, I can't exactly fight, can I? I'm dead weight without you. And right now, you're still using that basic steel blade you came with. It's serviceable, but not nearly enough. If you're going to be fast, then you need weapons that can keep up and armor that won't drag you down."
Selvara studied him for a long moment. Then she set her spoon down and leaned forward, resting her chin lightly on one hand. Her voice was calm, but her words cut straight through.
"Why don't we buy it together?"
Loid blinked at her. "Together?"
"Yes." She held his gaze, silver eyes steady. "You are my master. You decide where I walk, what I fight. But if this strength is to serve you, should you not also walk beside it? Choose beside it?"
Loid let out a slow breath, shoulders sagging slightly. "You make it sound like I'm the one being weighed here."
"You are," Selvara said simply.
A beat of silence passed. Then Loid chuckled faintly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright. Together it is. Let's find you something worthy."
Selvara's lips twitched, almost but not quite into a smile.
---
The market streets were alive with motion, the clang of iron against iron ringing from the smithy stalls, the smell of oiled leather and hot coal mixing with morning air. Merchants hawked their wares loudly "Fresh steel, straight from the forge!" while apprentices darted between customers, carrying polished blades and fitted plates for inspection.
Loid led Selvara through the press, keeping one hand on his pouch of coins. They stopped first at a weapons stall, where rows of short swords hung from pegs along a timber wall. Each blade was slightly different, some thick and heavy, others slender and curved.
Selvara reached for one almost at once. She drew it smoothly from its rack and let the metal catch the light. Loid noted the way she tested its balance with just two fingers, the faint narrowing of her eyes as she made a single, sharp cut through the air. The sword hummed softly, the edge bright and keen.
"This one," she said.
Loid tilted his head. "You're sure? There are plenty here."
"Yes. This one." She slid it back into its sheath with a crisp snap. "Balanced. Responsive. Suits speed."
The smith, a broad-shouldered man with burn marks across his apron, stepped forward. "Seven gold for that piece, miss. Hand-forged. Stronger than your average soldier's scrap."
Loid counted the coins into his hand and passed them over without haggling. "We'll take two."
Selvara arched a brow at him.
"You wanted speed, right?" Loid said. "Then dual blades will give you options. One for defense, one for striking. And when one chips, you won't be left bare."
She didn't argue. Only nodded once, quietly pleased.
---
Armor came next. Loid insisted they prioritize protection that wouldn't hinder her agility. They sifted through racks of plated cuirasses, gleaming helmets, and padded gambesons until they found what fit the budget and her fighting style.
First came a pair of steel vambraces, polished to a dull shine. They wrapped tight around her forearms, the insides padded with leather to absorb shock. They cost three gold.
Next were hardened leather gloves reinforced with metal studs at the knuckles. Two gold. Selvara flexed her hands experimentally, the faint creak of leather answering.
After that, they found sturdy leather greaves, dyed a deep brown, fitted with small steel plates over the shins. Three gold. Loid watched Selvara test her stride in them, fluid, unhindered.
Finally, a leather cuirass reinforced with steel ribs, strong enough to absorb glancing blows without weighing her down. Three gold.
All together, eleven gold spent.
Loid leaned back, tallying silently in his head. "That's twenty-five exactly. Two blades and full light armor. Not bad."
Selvara adjusted the straps across her chest and rolled her shoulders. "It is acceptable."
"'Acceptable,'" Loid repeated with a faint laugh. "You wear it like it was forged for you, and all you've got to say is 'acceptable.'"
Her lips curved the barest fraction. "Would you prefer I preen like a noblewoman?"
Loid snorted. "Fair point."
---
By midday, they parted ways in the barracks square. Selvara stood tall, her new armor catching the light in faint glimmers, her twin blades strapped across her hips. She looked every bit the mercenary she was summoned to be.
Roderick was waiting. The veteran captain looked her over, his scarred face unreadable for a moment.
"You've changed your kit," he said finally.
Selvara inclined her head. "Improved."
Roderick's eyes narrowed slightly. "And your health? You've looked… diminished these last days."
"Yes," Selvara said without hesitation.
He studied her a moment longer, then sighed. "Then I'll ask plain. Are you capable of scouting east? Where the goblins came from?"
"Yes."
Roderick hesitated. His voice lowered, rough and serious. "The numbers are growing. More every night. And what worries me isn't just their numbers. It's their minds. Some of them are… sharper. Too sharp. If what we fear is true, then this isn't a swarm, it's an invasion. A realm invasion. The realm of goblins bleeding into ours."
He stepped closer, gaze hard. "I need eyes in that forest. I need to know if there's a break. A portal. Anything."
Selvara bowed her head once. "I will find it."
And before Loid could protest, she was gone, silver hair flashing as she blurred eastward, her speed carrying her across the fields like a gale given flesh.
---
The forest greeted her with silence broken only by bird calls and the crunch of leaves beneath her boots. She moved swiftly, her new armor whispering with each stride, the twin blades at her sides gleaming faintly in the filtered light.
Now and again, creatures lunged from the brush, fanged wolves, scaled lizards but they fell quickly to her blades, her momentum carrying her through them like a storm. She wasted no movement, no word, no thought. Only steel, only speed.
Deeper still, she came across a bear, a massive thing, easily fifteen feet tall, its fur shimmering faintly with mana. Its roar shook the trees, the air itself trembling. Selvara's hand went to her sword, but she stilled. To fight here would be wasteful. She slipped aside, her movements so swift the beast barely caught her scent before she was gone.
At last, she reached the collapsed cave.
Where once stone had fallen in ruin, there was now a gap, a wide rent in the earth's side, large enough for three men to walk abreast. Selvara crouched low, silver eyes narrowing. Torchlight flickered within, faint and intermittent. The walls glowed faintly with luminescent stone, veins of light like scars in the rock.
She entered silently.
The passage stretched long and winding, the air cool and damp. Every few paces, crude torches had been hammered into the stone, their smoke staining the ceiling. She could feel it in the air, the weight of habitation. Goblins had made this their nest.
And then, the cavern opened.
Selvara froze.
Before her lay a space vast enough to swallow the village whole. Stalactites hung like the teeth of a beast. The floor spread wide, covered in crude huts of wood and hide. Fires burned in pits. And below… countless goblins moved, swarming like ants, their shrieks and chatter echoing off the stone.
Her breath caught, though her face betrayed nothing.
Then... a sound.
A heavy step. Too close.
Selvara turned sharply, but the shadows yielded nothing. Her instincts flared. She didn't wait to confirm.
In an instant, she was moving using her ability Momentum Shift bursting through her stride, every step propelling her faster, harder, until she blurred through the cavern mouth and into the trees beyond.
She did not stop until the village lights came into sight.
---
And as she slowed, breath steadying, one thought pressed sharp in her mind:
The goblins were not simply multiplying.
They were building.
And something larger waited beneath.