The night was thick with the smell of stew and smoke when the eight returned.
Laughter and the hum of conversation carried through the air. The fires of the stewkeeper's camp flickered bright against the dark, and for the first time since their arrival, the group looked, if only for a moment, at peace.
Ember shoved Rime lightly as they walked. "You know, if you had picked a spear that was stronger we would have won."
Rime smirked. "Oh? Right, that's the only reason we lost, not you swinging around like a drunken dancer the whole time."
"It was strategy," she shot back, puffing her chest. "I was distracting him! Gotta keep 'em guessing"
"Right," Rime said, deadpan. "With interpretive dance."
Ferric chuckled behind them. "If that was a dance, it needed a shorter song."
The group burst out laughing as they stepped back into camp, greeted by the familiar bubbling pot and the stewkeeper's muttering. Mugwort stood hunched over the pot, his ladle carving lazy circles.
"Too thick, too thin, too many laughs, not enough bones," he whispered, as if confiding in the stew itself.
Ward and Ferric made a beeline for the keg they'd claimed earlier, sloshing drinks into dented mugs.
"To survival!" Ward said, raising his mug.
"To bad decisions that somehow work out," Ferric added, clinking his cup against Ward's.
"You mean like your plan to fight that hammer giant?" Ward teased.
Ferric grinned. "Kind of worked, didn't it?"
Across the fire, Ember was still glaring playfully at Rime when Veryn leaned toward her. "So, 'ugly face' again?" he asked, grinning.
Veyra laughed into her drink. "At this point, it's your battle cry."
Ember crossed her arms. "You all said something serious and threatening, and I blanked! My brain just threw that out!"
Rime leaned forward, mock whispering, "A fierce warrior, slain by stage fright."
Ember jabbed him in the ribs. "Keep talking and you'll be the next 'ugly face'.'"
Even Ryn laughed softly at that, her quiet giggle cutting through the noise like birdsong. She caught Argent's eye across the fire, then turned slightly away.
"Thanks," she said finally, her voice small but steady. "For earlier. I... don't know what would've happened if you hadn't come."
Argent smiled faintly. "Just returning the favor. I'd be dead twice over if it weren't for you."
Her eyes widened a little at that. She looked down, brushing a bit of ash off her sleeve.
"I'll... grab some stew," she said quickly.
"Good idea," Argent said. "Eat, rest. You earned it."
He watched her walk off, the firelight catching the faint shimmer of her blonde hair, before he sank down beside Ember and Rime.
"So," he said with a grin, "looks like we've got a second ugly face in the camp now?"
Ember groaned. "Not you too! It's going to be four soon, you and this guy over here."
Ryn laughed again, more freely this time, nearly spilling her bowl as Ward passed her a mug.
The laughter dimmed a little when Veryn, idly tracing a finger through the dirt, said, "You know... Grey mentioned something on the walk. About a place called Earth. Like people came from... different worlds."
Ward looked up from his drink. "You mean the planet Earth?"
When Veryn nodded, he shrugged. "Yeah. That's home. Didn't think it was special."
Veyra and Veryn exchanged a look.
"We're from Lithryia," Veyra said. "Didn't realize that wasn't everyone's home."
Argent leaned forward. "Guess we should all compare then. Earth here."
Ward raised a hand lazily. "Earth."
Rime and Ember both chimed in, perfectly synchronized: "Earth."
They blinked at each other.
"Stop copying me," Ember said. "You're stealing my words."
Rime just smirked.
Ferric leaned back. "Lithryia," he said.
All eyes turned to Ryn. "Earth," she said softly.
Veyra nodded thoughtfully. "That explains a lot. Your clothes, those strange things you carry... Rime's little ear things around his neck."
"Headphones," Rime corrected automatically.
Veryn tilted his head. "And your lack of training. You don't fight with weapons back home?"
Ward chuckled. "We used to. Then we got lazy."
"What about you?" Argent asked. "What's Lithryia like?"
Veyra smiled wistfully. "A lot like this, but more peaceful. Magic's rare but exists. Kingdoms, forests, knights, it's...like here but less fighting for your life."
Ember stirred the air with her spoon. "Is it weird I'm not even surprised there are other worlds anymore?"
Rime shrugged. "At this point, you could tell me the stew talks back and I'd nod."
"Don't tempt it," Ferric muttered. "I'm not convinced it doesn't."
Laughter rippled again, soft and warm.
Ferric raised his mug. "So. Plans for tomorrow?"
Ward took a long sip. "We're heading into the city. The veterans who bought us these drinks mentioned a good battlesmith in Precipice. Might see if we can buy some better gear."
Ferric grinned. "And I'm making sure he doesn't sell Ward another shield with holes in it."
"Good luck," Ember said. "I'm heading back to the field. I need a few more merits before I can go on a real shopping spree."
Rime nodded. "Guess I'm going too. Someone's gotta keep an eye on you."
Ember smirked. "Oh please, I can handle myself."
"Sure," Rime said. "I am just coming to see you in action then."
"Teamwork!" she said proudly.
Then Ember snapped her fingers, eyes lighting up. "Wait I almost forgot, did everyone get an element after they died?"
She grinned, holding up her hand. A small flame flickered to life on her palm, no bigger than a candle's light.
"I picked fire!"
Rime raised his hand, where frost shimmered and formed a tiny crystal.
"Shocking... I got ice."
They glared playfully at each other. Ember focused, her flame growing slightly larger.
"Mine's bigger," she declared.
Ferric snorted. "Can't believe we're comparing element sizes now."
"I went a different route," he said, flexing his hand. A dull, metallic sheen rippled across his skin before forming a small, imperfect sphere.
"Metal. Hard to control and weak at the moment, but... it feels like I can grow this and it feels right."
Ward clapped his hands together, sparks flying. "Lightning. Figured something fast to go with something heavy and slow like me."
Veyra raised her hand next, a swirl of air catching stray ash and twirling it. "Wind. I like to move light."
Veryn's turn. "I let them choose for me."
Everyone stared. Ember broke the silence. "Wait, you let it be random?"
He shrugged, then touched the mud beside him. A small green sprout pushed through the earth.
"They gave me nature."
Ward leaned back on his hands, "I saw that little flash trick earlier," he said, smirking at Argent.
"Let me guess, you picked light for your element, didn't you?"
Argent nodded once, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "Yeah. I did."
Ward tilted his head, waiting. "What's with that smile? Did you pick two or something?"
"Yeah. The figure said I could, said it'd be harder to master more than one, that they might even clash. But it felt right."
Rime raised a brow. "Harder how?"
"Like trying to balance two currents moving in opposite directions. You push one too hard, the other fades. But if you find the right rhythm, they move together."
The group went quiet for a moment.
"So," Ward said finally, "Light and what?"
Argent looked up. "Shadow. They're two sides of the same thing. Can't have one without the other. Figured I'd rather learn to walk between them than choose just one."
Ember tilted her head, considering him, then said with a grin, "That's so you, gotta do things the hard way."
Ryn shifted, speaking quietly. "I...I also have two. I didn't choose them, though. They said they both fit me. Earth... and one I don't quite understand yet, spirit..."
The group went quiet for a moment.
Ward broke the silence. "Guess we're a mixed bunch, no one got the same one as someone else."
Argent leaned back, exhaling. "And maybe that's a good thing."
Ryn nodded softly. "I think so."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the fire crackling, Mugwort humming to himself about "bones that don't stay still."
Then Argent spoke again. "Hey Ward, Ferric. Mind if I tag along to the city? I've got some things to grab."
Ryn perked up. "Can I come too? I want to find arrows that aren't bent... and maybe a bow that won't snap in half."
"Sure," Ward said. "Let's make a day of it."
They stayed up a while longer, talking about small things, food, the battlefield, stupid jokes. By the time the fire had burned down to glowing embers, laughter still lingered in the air.
Morning came gray and soft. Argent blinked awake, stretching. Ward was already lacing his boots.
"Give a man one day off," Ward said, "and he sleeps an extra twenty minutes."
"Needed my beauty sleep."
Argent went to where he'd hidden the giant's tooth, and wrapped it carefully in cloth, before setting out.
Ferric, Ward, Ryn, and Argent stopped by Mugwort's pot on their way out.
"Off to the city?" Mugwort asked, squinting. "Don't forget to taste everything. Stones, metals, even the sky, you never know what's edible till you try it."
Ward patted his shoulder. "Thanks, we'll keep that in mind."
The four followed the dirt road toward Precipice. The further they went, the cleaner the path became, the ruts smoothing into stone, the dust giving way to polished ground.
Then they saw it.
A towering white marble archway rising from the earth, immaculate amid the ruins. Its surface gleamed like snow, untouched by dirt or time. On either side stood statues of towering figures, fifteen feet tall, carved from the same pale stone.
Their faces were serene, hands clasped, as if in prayer.
The group stopped at the base of the arch.
Ferric exhaled. "Well," he said quietly, "guess this is it."
Ward nodded, the light reflecting in his eyes. "The city of Precipice. Where people live normal lives."
Ryn whispered, "It's... beautiful."
Argent said nothing. He just stared upward, the wind tugging faintly at clothes, the light of morning catching on the marble like fire on glass.
Behind them, the road stretched back into the chaos of camp. Ahead, almost like a whole different world.