Now that their business was complete, the senior alchemist was heading upstairs to drink with his apprentices, and he invited Edge to join them.

  Edge was done shopping for the day and had never tasted alchemical liquor before, so he gratefully accepted the offer. He’d heard that in addition to boasting wondrous and unusual flavors, such concoctions could provide long-lasting benefits if you drank enough of them. Nothing comparable to the potency of a potion, but even a small boost could give him an edge in a close fight. He laughed while wishing Earl and Mel were here to enjoy the pun, then followed Melchior through the building.

  They climbed to the top of one of the towers and stepped onto a spacious balcony that offered a fantastic view of Puppet Town. Several alchemists were already seated around a table, and more arrived over the next few minutes. Edge had met Bertrum and Ilana already, since they had been part of the expedition, but there were quite a few new faces. Melchior introduced Edge to a dozen more apprentices and a pair of senior alchemists that oversaw research and production.

  They spent several pleasant hours sipping on three different brews—a subtle malt that tasted like rose petals, a potent liquor with notes of cinnamon and spice, and a dark blue vintage Melchior called firefly wine. The reason for the name became clear when evening transitioned into dusk and the wine started shining with a soft azure glow. Edge was surprised to discover the vintage’s flavor changed with the setting sun. Both were delicious, as were the other two brews.

  In addition to being tasty and good for his body, the concoctions were strong enough to make him tipsy, even with his high Durability. Edge could probably have sobered up by using Regeneration. But where would be the fun in that?

  A few minutes after sunset, they were treated to a different type of luminescent display. Dusk retreated before a deep ruby glow that spread across the heavens until it looked like Ord was suspended inside a gemstone of epic proportion.

  “I haven’t witnessed the Red Shield aurora in months,” Melchior said. “I’d forgotten how beautiful it was.”

  It had been a while since Edge had seen it too. The Red Shield was an impenetrable barrier formed from mind-boggling powerful magic. The System used it to prevent anyone from traveling to or from the planet, and the blood-red barrier blocked all communication from the outside.

  Before the disaster, the potent forcefield had been a tool to solidify the AI’s control over the planet. But after the anomaly, the System had entered lockdown, and the Red Shield was active around the clock—although it was only visible to the naked eye when certain atmospheric conditions came into alignment.

  Melchior broke out a fresh bottle of firefly wine as they stared up at the crimson-shrouded sky. It was a tangible reminder that they were trapped on Ord for the foreseeable future—a fate that no longer seemed so bad now that Edge had found a place he belonged and had good friends at his side.

  ***

  By the time Edge was done drinking with the alchemists, the moons were shining bright, and it was well past midnight.

  Accompanied by the warm glow of alcohol and the lingering effects of several herbs he wasn’t familiar with, he bid the boisterous group farewell and walked back to Trapper’s lodge, weaving from side to side as he made his way through the districts.

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  He left the ward with a spring in his step—thrilled to have made some new friends and upgraded his kit with so many useful items. I just need to visit Ander at the Forge to order some custom gear, and my shopping spree will be complete.

  This was normally the quiet time of night. But with the war for Puppet Town only a little over 24 hours in the rearview mirror, that wasn’t the case tonight. Edge ran into other people before he reached the end of the block—an armed group who fell into formation when they saw him headed their way.

  As it happened, the militia was out in full force, having tripled their patrols in case any of the Claws were still alive and hiding in the settlement. They took their hands off their weapons and broke into broad grins when they realized who was walking down the moonlit road. By this point, everyone in the settlement knew who Edge was and what he’d done to protect the town.

  They exchanged pleasantries before resuming their patrol, and after that, he stopped to share a few words with every group he passed before continuing on his way. As he was walking through the town square, he decided to pop into his core to work on his skill bonds before he called it a day.

  When Edge stepped into his central chamber, he received one hell of a surprise. Rue was running around his inner world, playing with the avatars in his village. What the fuck? He shook his head as he absorbed the implications of this astonishing development. That explains why he hasn’t been whining to let him out.

  Apparently, the golden pup had learned how to use their Companion bond to travel from his pocket dimension to Edge’s central chamber. Stranger still, he could sense this wasn’t a mental projection—Rue could physically enter his core at will. While he tried to get a handle on the unprecedented situation, he watched his powers interact with the excited young beast.

  At first, he was worried his avatars might accidentally hurt the cute little fox, but he could sense they understood Rue was a flesh-and-blood creature. They were being astonishingly gentle and careful with how they used their powers when they interacted with the golden pup. Chibime and Sea were supervising, reigning them in when it seemed like their games were getting out of hand.

  Edge wasn’t sure what to make of it, although the longer he pondered the matter, the more certain he became this was a lucky break. It meant he could place the beast in his avatars’ care whenever he was in battle or crossing hazardous terrain. It was a weight off his mind, since he was certain to be entering more dangerous biomes before long—places where it might not be safe to bring Rue out for days at a time.

  This way, I don’t have to worry about him getting lonely or bored when I can’t pay attention to him. His Companion would one day grow into a mighty beast, but right now, the little bugger was defenseless against anything stronger than a stage-zero rabbit. Who knows? They might even teach him some useful tricks.

  It made him wonder if this arrangement worked both ways—if he could learn how to enter Rue’s core once it developed past stage zero—before dismissing it as a mystery for another day.

  That was when inspiration struck. Wait. If Rue can visit my inner world, that means I can use the time dilation to get in some training no matter what else is going on. I’ll talk to Violet and Trapper about the matter, then implement a regular regimen once I know what I’m doing.

  After watching them frolic for a few more minutes, Edge moved on to the reason for his visit, working on his bonds and thanking his avatars for going above and beyond during his battle with the Claws. He had them gather round and then praised them one at a time, letting everyone know how much he appreciated their help and that he was relying on them going forward.

  By the time his daily limit was up, everyone was in a great mood. When he turned to grab Rue so the fox could get used to life in Puppet Town, the pup was nowhere to be found. With Chibime’s help, Edge found the beast hiding in his vault, helping himself to a pile of dried meat.

  He had to close the door to his spatial storage to keep the gluttonous fox from snacking on his provisions, which was one of the first things they needed to work on, or the clever little bugger was going to get fat.

  With that, Edge stepped back into his body and summoned Rue into his arms. Together, they made their way to Trapper’s lodge and then slipped into bed. He was out cold less than five minutes later.