The last tent bag landed in the tinker’s wagon with a satisfying thud. Kaztos lowered his arms as satisfaction of a job well done filled him. He turned to see Zeltara stretching out her still-tired limbs and Saiya looking over the rest of the caravan. The three of them had just finished packing up their camp for the morning. This time, they were ready at the same time as other groups. He finally felt they were getting the hang of this.

  This was their fourth morning working for the caravan, and they had settled into a routine. Every day, Kaztos would go guard the caravan with Euronar while Saiya went off with Yena. Zeltara would stay in the tinker wagon to repair the backlog of broken equipment the Al’Yanda had accumulated. The wagon had become almost a home base for them since no one else used it. Every night, they would set up their campsite next to it.

  The nights were by far the most enjoyable for Kaztos. Before now, he had gotten little chance to truly spend casual time with Zeltara and Saiya. It had only been a few meetings before death marches and battles filled their lives. While the strife ended up bringing them closer, there was a lot to be said about just sitting down to talk to each other. So, the opportunity to sit back and enjoy each other’s company was something he appreciated. Kaztos had never had the opportunity to ‘rough it out’ as the other noble children would say, but he found camping with his friends to be fun.

  To make matters even better, they were making a new friend. Pence often came around to talk with them in the evenings. Already, Kaztos could see that they were connecting with him. Perhaps through Pence, the other Al’Yanda would be more tolerant of their presence. That, and it was nice to have a male friend now, too. Not that he felt that Zeltara and Saiya were bad or anything. Kaztos wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. It was just that he wanted friendship with other boys his age. From what he saw at the academy, it made for a strong bond. It was something he wanted to experience.

  After she finished stretching, Zeltara jumped into the tinker wagon. She turned to them and said, “We should be heading out any moment now. I’ll see you guys tonight.”

  “Of Course! Be sure to work hard. Take care,” Kaztos said. Saiya gave them a small smile and nodded goodbye before she left to find Yena. Zeltara, meanwhile, entered the wagon. Now alone, Kaztos looked to see where Euronar was. Perhaps he could get him to talk more today. He didn’t have to search long, as Euronar came up to him.

  Kaztos offered him a wave and said, “Good morning, Euronar. I hope the night treated you well.” Euronar gave only a grunt in return. Kaztos didn’t let it affect him. He had experienced much worse responses to his enthusiasm before. “Is it patrol as usual?”

  “No, we have something new to do today.” Euronar threw him a large backpack. Kaztos looked at it in surprise. He opened it to reveal an axe inside. “The caravan is running low on lumber. Since we’re currently near a forest, we’ll be one of the teams stocking up. Come on.” With that, the Al’Yanda man turned and started walking away. Kaztos could see that he was wearing his own backpack.

  Excitement filled Kaztos. Finally, a chance for him to prove himself. Sure, the patrols were easy, but they didn’t impress. With this, perhaps he could get into Euronar’s good graces. He threw the large pack over his shoulder opposite to his hammer and followed. Kaztos felt ready to complete the task at hand.

  The second surprise of the day came when Euronar led him to two other Al’Yanda men. Like them, the two were wearing large packs. They appeared to be half asleep with slouched posture while they waited there. As Kaztos and Euronar approached, one looked up and saw them. He then elbowed the other one to wake him up. They then straightened themselves up and stood there waiting.

  “Hello Euronar, sir. We’re ready to head out?” One of them said. He appeared to be in his late teens. Meanwhile, the other Al’Yanda man yawned.

  “Why do we need to go so early? I’m not even fully awake yet.” The other said. His appearance bore a great resemblance to the first. Kaztos guessed they were siblings. In fact, they looked to be the same age. Fraternal twins, perhaps?

  The first twin smacked the second one in the back of the head. “Come on now, Li. Get your head out of the clouds. We have work to do.” Li rubbed the back of his head and grimaced.

  “Alright, alright. No need to be so rough, Shi. I’m just a little tired, is all.” As Shi rubbed his face in annoyance, Li finally noticed Kaztos standing there. “Why is the outsider boy here? We don’t need his help to get some lumber.”

  “Don’t be so rude in front of the kid. Even if we don’t like him, that doesn’t mean we should say it where he can hear,” Shi said. He then seemed to realize what he had said. He turned to Kaztos. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” Li snickered at his brother’s struggle.

  Kaztos didn’t allow the words to affect him. He’d prove himself in no time. “No worries. I’m sure it was just an unfortunate slip of the tongue.” Shi covered his face and groaned while Li's snickers intensified.

  “Enough.” The tone caused the three to look at Euronar. “No more screwing around. We are to gather some firewood and return to the caravan. Understood?” The two brothers nodded furiously. “Good, let’s move out.” On the order, the four began to travel northeast. The treeline was only about a hundred yards away from the caravan. Behind them, the wagons continued their journey east.

  Kaztos glanced back to see the caravan pulling away from them. He became curious about how they were supposed to complete their task. He turned to Euronar and said, “Excuse me, sir. I was wondering a few things.” Euronar looked over at him and raised his eyebrow. “How are we going to gather enough firewood and get back to the caravan? Won’t they leave us behind?”

  “The caravan is moving at a slow pace, so it won’t be too hard to catch up. The forest is only a short distance away. So if we travel along the tree line, then we’ll keep sight of it.” Euronar then motioned to his pack. “These backpacks are enchanted. They can store much more than normal. Usually, we’d need to complete a dozen trips. These allow us to make only one trip.”

  What an amazing piece of enchanting. Kaztos’ eyes widened as he considered the possibilities. This could make travel much easier than before. One could hide their belongings in plain sight. How much could each pack hold? Did it depend on the size of the bag or something else? Kaztos held back from showering Euronar with questions. He would have to see about getting something for themselves later.

  For now, he had to focus on the task at hand. Kaztos exclaimed, “Amazing! Thank you for answering.” He turned back to the forest ahead. “Let’s go cut down some trees!” A groan came from a few feet away.

  “Could you quiet down? It’s too early for this much noise,” Li said.

  Euronar nodded in agreement. “We don’t want to attract anything out here to us. Keep the volume down, kid.” Kaztos felt heat rising in his cheeks. He looked down and mumbled out an apology.

  The four entered the forest. Kaztos looked around and noticed that the terrain looked better than what he had traveled through before. The ground looked healthier than dried dirt replaced gray rocks and sand. There were burnt husks of bushes and grass all over instead of ashen remnants. While still devastated, the area showed some improvement. Just maybe, they could find healthy land with life on it and move on from this disaster. Though, Kaztos thought while glancing up at the red incomplete sun, it would be impossible to find somewhere truly unaffected.

  “Ugh, the trees are still burnt. How are we going to get usable firewood out of this?” Li asked.

  “Oh, quit your complaining. The trees don’t look as bad as when we first started out. Perhaps there’s something in them we can use,” Shi responded.

  Li rolled his eyes. “Oh yes. The better the wood be crispy rather than incinerated. This isn’t dinner made too well done, you dolt.” The two brothers continued to bicker with each other as they walked. Euronar ignored them and approached one of the trees. Kaztos watched as he took a small blade and carved away the blackened bark. After a minute, he took the blade away to reveal dry but unburned wood underneath.

  Euronar turned to the brothers. “Shut up!” The two brothers closed their mouths and stood straight. “Enough of your arguing. There is healthy wood underneath the burnt bark.”

  “Well, that’s good news. At least we didn’t waste our-,” Shi said before a glare from Euronar stopped him. He muttered an apology.

  Euronar stared holes through them for a second before continuing. “Everyone start chopping. Pick a small tree so you can chop it down and divide it quickly. We go until our backpacks are full. Remember, the longer this takes, the more we have to walk to reach camp. I doubt you'll want to travel in the dark to get back. You’ll miss dinner then.” He directed the last part at the brothers, who shook their heads. “Alright, get to work.”

  The four dropped their packs and took out their axes. Kaztos glanced around and spotted a small tree to cut. A hand on his shoulder stopped him as he walked toward the tree. He turned to see Euronar there.

  “Is there something you needed?” Kaztos asked. Euronar gave him a considering look before answering.

  “Do you know how to cut down a tree? The last thing we need is for someone to get hurt.” Kaztos almost felt offended by the inquiry. Surely he was capable of such a simple task.

  “Of course. All you do is chop at the trunk until it falls over.” Kaztos was confident with his answer. However, Euronar seemed to scrutinize him further.

  “It’s not that simple. You need to cut a notch in the tree in the direction you wish it to fall towards. Doing it like you said would have the tree fall on top of you.” Perhaps it wasn’t as simple as first expected. Kaztos shifted his gaze to see Shi and Li chopping at a tree nearby. Euronar sighed, making him turn back. “Just be careful. Consider where you want the tree to fall before you start. This can be a dangerous job if you’re careless.” Kaztos nodded and turned back to the tree he picked. As he walked away, Euronar’s voice called out one more time. “Remember to keep an eye out while you work. We don’t want anything to sneak up on us.”

  Kaztos kept that in mind as he started to chop down a tree. He chose one about as wide as his waist to start. After cutting a notch away from him, Kaztos hacked away. He slipped into a rhythm and worked his arms, swinging the axe. It was rather relaxing, and Kaztos got lost in the work. He still made sure to keep half an eye out on his surroundings. A short distance away, the twin Al’Yanda men felled their first tree and started to break apart the lumber. They seemed to play around just as much as they worked.

  Euronar appeared to pay them no heed and started chopping as well. He chose a tree close to Kaztos. Perhaps this was a chance to get to know the older man better. All previous attempts had been rebuffed, but he was confident of eventually getting through to him. Kaztos was nothing if not persistent.

  So, he turned his head to Euronar while still chopping the tree and asked, “So, how long have you worked at the caravan?” It was a question Kaztos had given before. However, Euronar had only answered with a grunt last time. He hoped to get a different result this time. The older man showed more interest in answering questions than in hearing Kaztos talk about himself. Hopefully, they had grown close enough where there would be an answer this time.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I’ve worked here for eight years,” Euronar said in a mutter. He seemed focused on their work. Maybe the distraction was loosening his lips? Still, Kaztos nearly lit up at the answer. He was finally making some headway.

  Kaztos thought of something else to ask him. “Have you worked as a guard the whole time?” Euronar shook his head.

  “No, I worked closer to my father at the start. Began on chores around camp then was taught business.” Euronar then let out a huff in amusement. “That didn’t last too long. I’m not any good with numbers or business. Apparently, that’s a cornerstone for leading the caravan.” Kaztos chuckled at the quip.

  “I know what you mean. I find math to be rather boring to learn. My friend Zeltara seems to have a knack for it, though.” Euronar let out a grunt, but otherwise didn’t answer. “Your father is Dinaro, then?”

  “That’s right.”

  “So that makes you Pence’s older brother.” Euronar’s good mood evaporated. Kaztos could tell that he had touched on a sensitive subject. The older man turned and leveled his stern gaze at him.

  “Pence is my little brother. He is also the future of the caravan. That means he needs to be protected from dangerous influences. Such as outsiders who appear to be making nice with him.” A chill washed over Kaztos as tension filled the air.

  “What do you mean by that?” Kaztos asked. “Are you that against him associating with people not from the caravan?”

  Euronar shook his head. “No, he has to talk to outsiders at some point. The problem is, Pence is getting close to you. The last thing he needs is the trouble that comes with associating with a Molinar and an elf.”

  Righteous anger filled Kaztos at the words. So, that was the reason then. It always seemed to circle back to that in his life. Not that he should have expected any different. It was the reason he was becoming an adventurer in the first place. Kaztos just thought that Euronar was above that based on their interactions so far. Perhaps he wasn’t as good a man as first assumed.

  Filled with the need to defend himself and Zeltara, Kaztos said, “Unbelievable! Of all the reasons you had to have a problem with us. My family and Zeltara’s race shouldn’t have anything to do with it.”

  To his surprise, rather than argue back, Euronar’s expression softened at his outburst. “You’re right. It shouldn’t. But the world doesn’t see it that way. Pence will just get hurt if he keeps associating with you. They won’t take kindly to you being friends with him.” He then let out a tired sigh. “But Pence will do whatever he sets his mind to. If he wants to spend time with your group, then he will. That stubbornness will make him a good leader. But it also makes him vulnerable.”

  “We’re not going to hurt him.” Kaztos would never think of harming one of his friends.

  “I would hope so. If I thought otherwise, then you wouldn’t be speaking with him. No matter what Pence thinks.” The words sounded like a warning to Kaztos. He’ll have to be careful with Pence in the future.

  Two successive cracks rang out as Kaztos and Euronar’s trees fell. They landed on the ground with a dull thud. The two repositioned to break down the logs.

  “Try to make each section a foot long. Don’t worry about cutting the sections in half. That’ll be done back at camp,” Euronar said.

  The two spend the next ten minutes breaking down the trees. Kaztos decided against continuing the conversation. He was still upset over Euronar’s words and didn’t want to say anything to make it worse. The last thing he wanted was to ruin the progress he had made today. This was the first time the older man gave any sign he was warming up to him.

  As he worked, Kaztos looked over to where the twins were working. They were now cutting down another large tree. It went against Euronar’s orders, but at least two of them were working on it together. That was whenever one wasn’t bugging the other. He wondered why those two had been brought along. Their work ethic seemed to leave much to be desired. Maybe caravan loyalty went both ways and Dinaro kept on those who weren’t the best workers? He would have to ask Euronar in the future.

  It was just as Kaztos decided to turn away when it happened. One brother said something that offended the other, causing him to retaliate physically . The second brother pushed the first into the tree. As he stumbled, the sound of a loud crack echoed. The tree they had been cutting tipped forward towards the brothers. Kaztos’ feet already started to move.

  The standing brother jumped out of the way. He turned to see the fallen brother still getting up in the tree’s path. He screamed out at him. “Li! Watch out!” Li turned and froze upon seeing the tree tip towards him. Realizing the brother wouldn’t move, Kaztos sprinted forward.

  The tree accelerated, and Li finally responded. He tried to stumble away. Unfortunately, he hadn’t recovered yet, leaving him too slow to get out of the way. Time seemed to slow as Kaztos focused. Each step seemed to take forever as he got closer to Li. The tree was coming down, threatening to crush the brother underneath. It would be close, so Kaztos had to hurry.

  He leaped forward the rest of the distance and collided with Li. The force of the impact pushed both out of the way of danger. As both landed on the ground, the tree hit with an echoing crash. Kaztos laid there, covering Li as both tried to get their breathing under control.

  With his heart still pounding, Kaztos asked, “Are you okay, Li?” Li stared up at him in shock.

  “You saved me outsider. Why?” Li asked. The words seemed to come out in a stupor rather than through conscious effort. With adrenaline leaving him, Kaztos offered the man a brilliant grin.

  “It’s the duty of a Molinar to protect those in danger. I would do it again in a heartbeat.” Euronar and Shi ran over to the two and helped them up. While Shi tended to his brother, Euronar checked on Kaztos. He calmed when he saw him alright.

  “Thank you for saving my brother,” Shi said. He hugged his brother tightly. Li tried to coax him off before giving up. He looked over at Kaztos.

  “I would have been in a bad way without you. You’re alright, kid.” Kaztos beamed at the praise, warm from the gratitude.

  The good mood ended when Kaztos saw Euronar scowl. The man turned and gave the twins a look that could freeze hell over. Both immediately separated, turned forward, and stood up straight. They appeared to be shaking with fear of the coming retribution. Euronar let them stew in their anxiety for a moment before speaking.

  His voice carried an underlying fury. “What did I tell you about being careful? All you had to do was cut down a tree, but instead the two of you screwed around. You put yourselves in meaningless danger. If it weren’t for the kid, I would have had to help bury Li today.” Neither brother moved to defend themselves and only stared at the ground in shame. “We’ll discuss punishment when we return to the caravan. You will be model workers for the rest of our trip out here. Understood?” The brothers meekly nodded. The tension made Kaztos uncomfortable.

  “Perhaps you’re being too harsh on them. It was only an accident after all,” Kaztos said. To his surprise, it was Shi who shook his head in denial.

  “No, we deserve the scolding. It was our fault for screwing around too much.” Shi then yawned. “We had to get up early for watch. We’re missing some guards, so a few of us have been pulling more night shifts. My brother and I get like this when we miss sleep. That’s no excuse, though.”

  Li then put on a mocking grin and said, “Besides, it’s how this grump shows he cares.” Euronar coughed out a denial. “Quit it. You know it’s true. Can’t show his fondness properly unless his life depended on it. You take after Yena in that respect. Verbally rip into someone because you’re worried.”

  Euronar appeared to consider arguing before he sighed. “Forget it. Let’s just keep working. Come on, kid.” He walked back to the two felled trees. Kaztos jogged after him.

  It wasn’t long before the two had broken down their trees. Kaztos’ efforts earned him sixteen logs of firewood. Euronar meanwhile felled a larger tree, which left him with almost a dozen logs. There wasn’t any way for them to transport it all normally. Kaztos hoped the enchanted packs lived up to their name.

  “Let me show you how to store the wood,” Euronar said as he picked up his backpack. He placed a hand on the underside. “First, channel into the seal on the bottom of the pack.” His hand glowed a soft teal. Lines painted onto the bag lit up. “Next, put a log inside.” Euronar grabbed a log and inserted it into the pack. Its glow intensified for a second before returning to normal. “When you’re done storing, stop channeling.” His hand stopped channeling, and he turned the pack to face Kaztos. The pack appeared to be empty.

  “Amazing! It’s even better to see with my own eyes. Does it work the same way to remove something as well?” Euronar nodded. Kaztos stared down at the pack. To think the Al’Yanda had the ability to enchant like this. Urada had nothing like this.

  Kaztos was distracted from his thoughts when Euronar began packing his logs. Kaztos rushed to catch up. The pack functioned as expected. As soon as he had stored all of his logs, Kaztos picked up the backpack. It weighed more than before, and he had to put effort into lifting it. It seemed that while the mass of an object dissipated, some of its weight remained. Kaztos moved on to another tree and dropped the pack. It landed with a heavy thud.

  The group chopped down two more trees each. It would likely be enough wood for a week, so they’d likely have to make another trip another day. For now, the afternoon had arrived as they finished. Kaztos guessed it would be a long walk back to the caravan. With the weight of the packs, it would be a strenuous journey. No matter, he was up to the task.

  The Al’Yanda seemed much more accepting of him on the trip back. His selfless act and hard work went far in proving himself to them. The brothers included him more in conversation while Euronar occasionally chipped in himself. It left Kaztos with a feeling of pride about his actions. He accomplished what he set out to do this morning. Hopefully, Zeltara and Saiya fared just as well as he did.

  Kaztos enjoyed the trip for another hour. They walked along the treeline eastward toward the caravan. The pace was tough with his pack’s weight, but Kaztos paid it little mind. This was nothing compared to what he had endured before. It would be only a short while before they caught up. Already, Kaztos could see the caravan on the horizon.

  His good mood ended when a series of growls came from the forest ahead. Euronar motioned for them to stop as the noises got closer. The four pulled out weapons and prepared to defend themselves. An occasional screech joined the growling as something approached. It sounded familiar to Kaztos, but he didn’t know why. What could those sounds be from? He’ll just have to be ready for anything.

  The answer came as two goblins exited the forest. Both appeared to be thinner than Kaztos had seen before. They walked forward, not noticing them yet. The Al’Yanda men lowered their weapons at the sight.

  “Look, it’s a couple of goblins. Not much to worry about,” Li said.

  Shi scratched his chin in thought. “I wonder how they managed to get out here. They might be the first living things we found in this wasteland. Though why are there only two? Aren’t goblin packs usually bigger?”

  “They usually are, but look at their mouths.” Euronar pointed at the goblin pair. Looking closer, Kaztos could see dried blood around their mouths. “There isn’t anything edible out here. But you know what people say. Goblins will eat anything within reach.” The four of them grimaced at the image that brought up. It appeared that Kaztos and his friends weren’t the only ones having trouble finding food. At least they didn’t resort to that. Just the thought made him sick.

  The two goblins turned and saw the group. They jumped back with a screech, then grabbed their clubs and cautiously approached the group. The creatures appeared torn between the fear of facing a larger group and the desperation from starvation. Their gait was weak, and they dragged the clubs on the ground. It was apparent to Kaztos that the goblins were suffering from their hunger.

  Seeing their weakness, Li stepped forward to Kaztos and said, “He kid, how about you take those goblins on? We’ll be here to cheer you on.” Shi walked forward and slapped his brother on the back of the head.

  “Don’t mess around. We should take care of these creatures together.” Li rubbed the back of his head.

  “They're just goblins. What’s the worry? I bet tonight’s dinner that he’ll take both out in under a minute.” Shi stopped his rebuttal as he considered the offer.

  After a few seconds, he said, “Well, he is just a kid. I imagine it’ll take longer than that. You’re on!”

  “Enough,” Euronar said. “Now isn’t the time to be messing around. We’ll take care of the goblins together.”

  “Oh come on, Euronar. Let the kid live a little. We’re just having some fun. I’m sure he can handle it,” Li said.

  Before Euronar could retort, Kaztos spoke up. “I can do it.” The three turned to look at him. “I’ll dispose of the goblins myself. No need to trouble yourselves.” This would show that he was at least competent in battle. Kaztos also wanted to prove this to himself after his last battle against a group of goblins went poorly.

  Euronar thought for a moment before sighing. “Fine, but if you get in trouble, we’ll step in.” He nodded while the brothers high-fived. Given permission, Kaztos turned back to the goblins.

  The two creatures stopped ten yards away from them. They seemed too fearful to get closer. Kaztos dropped his pack with a heavy thud and readied his hammer. As he stepped forward, the goblins readied their clubs. They appeared to gain confidence at the prospect of facing only one opponent. A folly to believe such a thing.

  As Kaztos got into range, the goblin on the right threw a wild horizontal swing. He brought his hammer up and effortlessly deflected the attack. It showed just how weakened these goblins were, as the force behind the blow was almost inconsequential. Kaztos pushed his hammer forward and knocked the goblin to the ground.

  Seeing a potential opening, the other goblin charged with an overhead strike. Kaztos decided to end this quickly and moved to intercept. He swung his hammer in a powerful, wide arc. Despite starting late, his attack landed first and struck the goblin on the temple.

  A crunching sound echoed as the goblin collapsed to the ground, motionless. Kaztos felt a pang of pity for the creature. Monstrous as the goblin was, ending such a life still bothered him. It reminded him of the first goblin he had encountered. Unlike this one, that creature had been defenseless on the ground. At the time, he couldn’t go through with killing it. That was a mistake, as the goblin returned with its pack to get revenge. The creature spat at their mercy, perhaps unable to comprehend it. It was better to end such a miserable creature’s life for their safety.

  Kaztos refocused as the first goblin stumbled back up. It screeched at him and rushed forward. He once again blocked its strike before countering with an overhead swing. This blow landed square on the head, causing the goblin to slam into the ground, dead. Kaztos lowered his weapon with a huff. That was almost too easy.

  Behind him, Li cheered as Shi groaned. Kaztos guessed that meant he took under a minute. Euronar walked forward and inspected the goblins. After a moment, he turned and gave an approving nod and continued towards the caravan. Kaztos picked up his pack and ran to catch up with him.

  It was late afternoon by the time they reached the caravan. As they approached, Li and Shi walked over to a man who was walking along the wagons.

  Shi said, “Curn, what are you doing up? I thought you were still sick.” Curn turned to the brothers and smiled.

  “I’ve been recovering well these past few days. It was just this morning that I was cleared to return to light duty.” Li grinned and elbowed Curn in the gut.

  “Glad to hear it. I’m tired of covering your shifts. So, Yena got you all better?”

  “Yes, the medicine she made worked wonders. That outsider girl really helped. Her mana made the medicine extra potent. Though when did we get outsiders? We’re in the middle of a wasteland,” Curn said as he turned to look at Kaztos. Li wrapped his arm around him and smiled.

  “Ah, the kids have been around for a week. They aren’t so bad. This one saved me from a fallen tree.” Kaztos flushed under the direct praise. Curn studied him before nodding.

  A guard who was at the side of the caravan spoke up. “You know, one of the outsiders helped repair my sword.” He pulled a short sword from its sheath. It looked almost brand new. “I had almost given up on it getting fixed after Kipin went missing. Guess these outsiders are good for something after all.”

  The Al’Yanda continued to talk among themselves. Their praises left Kaztos grinning with pride. He was glad the other two were as successful as he was in winning people over. Their hard work was paying off already. Kaztos couldn’t wait to talk to them about it. They were making a place here.

  Euronar got his attention and handed him one of the brother’s packs. He took the other and motioned for Kaztos to follow. Both carried two packs to one of the storage wagons. The backpacks were heavy, but Kaztos was up to the challenge. Upon reaching the wagon, Euronar threw the packs in and climbed up. He turned to Kaztos.

  “Good work today. Keep that up and you’ll make a lot of headway here. You’re dismissed for the day.” Euronar disappeared into the back of the wagon, leaving Kaztos to his thoughts.

  He wiped the sweat from his brow. Today had been a tiring day, but it all proved to be worth it. Kaztos felt they were making a place for themselves in the caravan. It was nice, even if it proved temporary in the end. He looked to see that there was still some time before evening. It was at least an hour earlier than Kaztos usually finished work. It appeared he had some free time. He decided to visit Zeltara and Saiya. They deserved to know that their hard work was paying off. As he walked toward the tinker wagon, Kaztos felt a sense of contentment fill him. It was a feeling he could get used to.