Kael.
The negotiation quest was Senna's idea.
I want that remembered.
When the guild clerk said, "Millford Bridge trade mediation. Three silver," I was already running risk checks.
Barn. Swamp. Market.
Pattern recognition.
Senna had taken the paper.
"It's just talking," she said.
"That's what they said about the barn."
"The barn had foxes."
"And fire."
"That was separate."
"It didn't feel separate."
Rael walked ahead.
"I'm hungry."
"You ate."
"That was before diplomacy."
"That doesn't change digestion."
"It changes patience."
Mira glanced at her.
"We should have eaten more."
That ended strategy.
Millford Bridge creaked under our weight.
creeeak…
Old.
Not dangerous.
Just… tired.
crk… crk…
Two merchants waited.
Harven — already angry. Dolm — calm in a way that made that worse.
Harven's eyes went straight to Rael's axe.
"Why does the mediator have that."
"She provides emotional balance," I said.
"For who?"
"We're still determining."
He did not smile.
The argument started immediately.
Schedules. Loading rights. Old deals.
Paper shown.
"Fake."
"Stupid."
Voices rising.
Senna wrote faster.
scratch scratch.
Mira's gaze moved.
Ropes. Planks. Water.
Rael stood beside me.
Still.
Too still.
"Rael."
"I'm fine."
"You look extremely fine."
"Yes."
Harven's voice climbed.
"—and east district merchants have always—"
He gestured.
His hand brushed Rael's arm.
tap.
Rael flinched.
FWOOSH.
The rope railing ignited.
We all watched it.
The fire ran along the rope like it had somewhere to be.
Fast.
Too fast.
"Rael."
"I know."
"The bridge."
"I see it."
The upper railing caught.
Then the wood.
CRACK—FWOOM.
The fire spread.
Harven stared.
"That bridge is sixty years old."
"That explains the dryness," I said.
"This is not about dryness."
"SENNA."
"I see it."
"Fix it."
"I have a water spell."
"Big?"
"No."
"Use it."
She cast.
SHHH—
A thin stream hit the flames.
Nothing changed.
She tried again.
SHHH—
Still burning.
"Off the bridge," Mira said.
We moved.
thud thud—
Riverbank.
Watching.
The rope snapped.
SNAP.
Fell into the water.
HSSSS—
Steam rose.
Harven sat down slowly.
"My father used that bridge."
"That is likely."
"My grandfather used that bridge."
"Let's stop adding relatives."
Dolm raised a hand.
"I would like to clarify I did not touch anyone."
"Clarified."
"For legal reasons."
"Very clarified."
A section collapsed.
CRAAASH—SPLASH.
Steam everywhere.
I looked at Senna.
"Cost."
She didn't stop writing.
"One hundred and twenty-five gold."
…
I looked at the bridge.
"That feels excessive."
"Materials. Labor. Heritage fee."
"The what."
"It's old."
"So it costs more."
"So surviving was a mistake."
"Yes."
She turned the book.
One hundred and twenty-five gold.
We had five silver.
Seventy-five copper.
I did the math.
I regretted it.
"At two silver per job," I said, very calm, "that's about six thousand five hundred quests."
Silence.
"One per day… eighteen years."
No one moved.
Rael went completely still.
Mira looked at me.
Senna's pen stopped.
I nodded once.
"Eighteen years is fine," I said.
My voice betrayed me.
I cleared it.
"It's not twenty."
…
The center of the bridge gave out.
CRRRRACK—SPLASH.
I flinched.
"That concludes mediation," I said.
Harven made a sound.
Not a word.
The guild arrived quickly.
thud thud thud.
Three officials.
They looked at the river.
Then at us.
Then back at the river.
"You were assigned mediation."
"Yes."
"And the bridge is gone."
"Yes."
"How."
"Accidental fire," I said. "Old rope."
His eyes shifted to Rael.
She stood straight.
Too controlled.
"You are responsible."
"Yes."
"Do you know what a bridge costs."
"One hundred and twenty-five gold. Conservatively."
He blinked.
"Add ten percent processing."
"Of course."
"One hundred and thirty gold."
"That feels correct."
"That is not praise."
"It is acceptance."
He kept writing.
scratch scratch.
"Added to your existing debt."
"That was one gold fifty-two silver."
He checked.
"Yes."
"One hundred and thirty-one gold fifty-two silver."
"Correct."
Behind us—
The last beam slid into the river.
shhhhh—SPLASH.
I swallowed.
"One hundred and thirty-one gold fifty-two silver," I repeated.
The official paused.
"Do you require a moment?"
"No."
Too fast.
"I am processing efficiently."
He left.
At the inn—
The number sat in the middle of the table.
One hundred and thirty-one gold fifty-two silver.
Rael ate steadily.
clink. clink.
"The debt is large," she said.
"Yes."
"How long."
"Eighteen years."
My hand shook.
I moved it out of sight.
"It's fine."
Mira glanced down.
"You're shaking."
"I am not."
"You are."
"It's efficient circulation."
Senna closed her book.
thump.
"We could appeal," she said carefully. "The bridge was already weak—"
"Did Rael set it on fire."
"Yes."
"Did it burn."
"Yes."
"Then we owe it."
She nodded.
"Yes."
Rael stared at the table.
"It was reflex," she said. "He grabbed me."
"I know."
"I'm working on it."
"I know."
She inhaled slowly.
"The dispute is resolved."
Across the table—
Mira made a small sound.
Not quite a laugh.
Rael's head lifted.
"Was that—"
"I am eating," Mira said.
"That was not an eating sound."
"I make many sounds."
They stared at each other.
Then Mira said, perfectly calm—
"The dispute is resolved."
Rael looked at me.
I shrugged.
"She is technically correct."
Rael covered her face.
Brief.
Then lowered it.
"The dispute is resolved," she repeated.
Steady.
I looked at the number again.
One hundred and thirty-one gold fifty-two silver.
Against five silver seventy-five copper.
Against eighteen years.
I exhaled.
Slow.
"It's fine."
No one believed that.
Including me.
Nobody's Party.
The bridge was gone.
The debt was not.
That felt accurate.
Above—
Somewhere warm—
A goddess watched.
The viewer count climbed.
tick… tick…
She didn't look at it.
She watched:
Kael's hidden hand. Rael holding still too hard. Mira almost laughing. Senna closing her book too carefully.
The bridge burned.
The debt settled.
The stream continued.
This time—
Her smile was softer.