"Oh, Harry! Fancy seeing you here."

  "...Outside my room?"

  Lucille giggled her most attractive giggle.

  "Oh, you. Always with the clever words."

  She battered her eyelashes, then gave an exaggerated sigh.

  "Academy work is so boring at times. Just study, study, study. Magic this, magic that. Harry, darling, I want to have some fun."

  Lucille tilted her head and gave him a sly wink. Harry looked behind him to make sure he was the one being winked at.

  "Hi Lucille, um, we don't talk much. Usually."

  Lucille pouted.

  "Well, I guess it's high time we change that. I'm sure we have loads in common. Did you know there's a ball coming up?"

  "The solstice ball? Yea I heard about that. I think I'll actually go this time."

  "Oh, well that's perfect! You can meet me at the west gate, and we'll enter together from there."

  Lucille was all smiles. She loved how these things always went so smoothly. So much for Harry chasing after that new girl. Lucille was the queen of this place, and that wasn't about to change.

  "Oh, sorry! I think there's been a miscommunication."

  "....hmm?"

  Harry was blushing, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

  "Yea, I meant I was going, but I was planning to ask someone to go with me. Someone... else."

  Lucille's own face started to heat up.

  "Oh."

  "Yea... Sorry Lucille. I hope—I mean, I don't—um. Yea. Actually I think I forgot something. Back in my room. I'll just..."

  The red-faced boy retreated backwards into his dormitory, fumbling for the door before shutting it, leaving Lucille standing by herself. The red-faced girl blinked a few times, trying to process what just happened.

  "He just... Me? He rejected me? I'm supposed to reject him! He's not even—I didn't even care until—Ugh!"

  Lucille stamped her feet, turned around, and stormed away. It wasn't until twenty minutes later, when her friends were trying to console her, that the question wormed itself into her brain.

  Who?

  "Here comes another!"

  Zig shouted over his shoulder as he grabbed another tree stump. He planted his feet on either side of it, bent down low like he was weightlifting, and heaved. There was a series of deep pinging and snapping sounds as roots broke under the surface. With a surge of dirt spraying everywhere, the stump came up. Zig kept the momentum, swinging and throwing the large stump to the side of the path.

  "That's seventeen for me! How are you doing, Teeth?"

  Nearby, the giant horse snorted and grabbed a stump in her teeth, biting straight into the wood. She gave a quick sharp tug and the ground exploded into a cloud of dirt as the whole stump and root system was ripped from the earth in an instant. Teeth looked over to Zig, with the stump still in her mouth, then tossed her head and sent the stump flying to land on top of Zig's stump.

  "Ah, that's... pretty impressive. But I think you've only done fifteen, you're lagging behind!"

  Teeth narrowed her eyes.

  "Haha, ok, I was joking, joking. You're definitely in the lead. We're almost done, can you believe it? Red Mine all the way to Liston."

  Indeed, Zig estimated there was only about half an hour's work to go. Behind them was a long path through the woods. No stumps at all, just the aftermath of ripping everything out. It looked like a huge plow had run through the forest. The ground was uneven, with piles of loose dirt everywhere.

  "Ok, Teeth, race you to Liston. Let's go!"

  The two ripped their way through the stumps, leaving nothing behind. A couple more wood elementals came out of woodwork. Zig bashed one, Teeth ate the other. They finished at the same time, both arriving together at the edge of the forest. Liston was just a short walk away. Teeth had a wooden arm poking out of her mouth.

  "We did it girl. Now, finally, we've got a clear path to bring back all the stuff we've been mining."

  Teeth gave a very "why do you play so much with rocks?" sort of snort.

  "It's fun, Teeth. Plus it's a good way to get some money. We didn't even get stabbed with this one. Come on, let's get back to the mine. I've got an idea for how we can smooth this road out."

  Now that the stumps were gone, a true path connected Liston to Red Mine. The next problem was that the path was covered in very loose dirt. Each footstep sunk into the earth. Zig tried to imagine how a wagon wheel would survive this soft, spongy ground. It wouldn't.

  "Ho, Gretta! Can I borrow your shield?"

  "Ho Zig, sure, what are you doing with it?"

  Zig went to a nearby mining cart, and started pulling the wheels off.

  "I should have thought of this earlier. You know how we use these carts, and half the time we're just dragging the wheels through mud?"

  "Yea, we really need a rail system. Like the one back in Lancre."

  "Oh yea, I guess that'd work too..."

  "What were you thinking, Zig?"

  "Well, rocks are too heavy for wheels. But also, I was thinking we need to flatten the path. It's all uneven and the dirt is super loose. We need to push something heavy over the dirt."

  Zig gestured at the cart, now just a box without wheels, sitting on Gretta's shield. It didn't quite work. The shield wasn't nearly as big as the cart.

  "Hmm, ok not the shield, but it's a start. Can we get a sheet of metal to put on the underside of the cart?"

  "You're making some kind of reverse plow? Takes nicely plowed fields and turns it into hard ground?"

  "Exactly, Gretta! We will be the bane of farmers everywhere. If one ever insults us, we can simply unplow his fields."

  They didn't have any sheets of metal, but they did have plenty of wood. Zig showed Knob how he wanted to make a sort of sled. They had plenty of wood, there were fallen trees everywhere. Knob was surprisingly handy with a saw, and Zig suspected some skill was involved. Zig himself didn't have a "Wood Shaping" skill, but he did have Legendary Strength. He held an axe with one hand, right under the axe head, and carved whatever shape he needed into the wood. It was like working with clay. A weird, stringy clay.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  After an hour or so of work, Zig and Knob stood back to admire their creation. It was a large sheet of wood, curving up at the front so it wouldn't catch on the ground. A number of thick ropes were attached to the front. The underside was waxed, buffed, and even Hepp had come and applied his Smooth Wall skill to it. All the little imperfections that had given it a rough texture were gone, and the surface was impressively smooth and slick.

  "Let's load her up."

  Gretta directed the others to take shovels and shift a pile of ore onto the cart. It didn't take long. Everyone was excited to finally see the fruits of their labor. They all pitched in, piling up the cart until rocks started tumbling off. Zig cupped his hands to his mouth and called out to the forest.

  "Teeth! Here girl! Teeth!"

  A soft snort came from behind, along with a wave of hot breath on Zig's neck. It was followed by a long scream that echoed through the trees. Zig stopped when he realized it was him screaming.

  "Teeth, thank you girl, but that was the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced."

  "Zig you've been stabbed like three times," Hepp pointed out.

  "Teeth, please do that to Hepp next time."

  "Hey, hey now—"

  Zig hooked the sled up to Teeth. He eyed the pile of rocks. They'd made the sled much bigger than the carts, and the pile must weigh tons. He looked back at Teeth. Should be fine.

  "Ok, girl, let's go to Liston. Smooth walk, let's unplow this path."

  Teeth started walking toward the town. There was the barest pause when the rope went tight, then Teeth kept on walking, as if nothing was different. The sled started to slide along the ground, leaving a very smooth and firmly packed dirt road behind it.

  "It's working!" Zig punched the air in success. "I wonder if we could get a job, making roads?"

  The team all joined the procession, walking on a lovely dirt path through the woods.

  "This certainly beats making metal rails for carts. We'd have used up all the ore we've dug just to make the tracks."

  It was a beautiful day. The Red Daggers admired the stillness of the forest. There wasn't a single bird or squirrel or anything. Kinda strange, Zig thought, but there was a beauty to it. They came out of the forest and crossed the grassy field that led to Liston. Guards started signaling for backup as the Red Daggers approached.

  "Ho, that's Lance, is it?"

  "Ho, Red Daggers. Still got that horse, I see. We were hoping you'd left for another town. No problem with you folk, of course, it's just..."

  Lance the guard gestured at the monstrous horse pulling several tons of rock along the ground.

  "Hard to do our job, in such circumstances."

  Hepp came up and patted the poor guard on the shoulder.

  "I feel you, friend, you know I'm the only member without Strength now? Well, excluding Jints and Jane, but they're not fighters. It's tough, knowing you're not the biggest horse in the field."

  Lance frowned at Hepp.

  "Aren't you one of the three who killed several dozen men in Middle district?"

  "Middle what? Never heard of it. We'll just be on our way. Gotta sell this ore. Thanks buddy, seeyoulater."

  Hepp walked quickly past the gates and into the town, gesturing for the rest of the Red Daggers to follow. They met Jints on the edge of the smithing district.

  "Ho, Jints! How goes the city life?"

  "Ho, master Zig, master Hepp, miss Gretta, master Knob, miss Teeth," Jints bowed at the horse, who nodded her own head in response. "I've settled all the paperwork, and hired a few teams to sort out the details of Red Mine. Come with me, we have a small warehouse this way."

  "We... have a warehouse?"

  Jints smiled.

  "You were planning to go door-to-door with this pile, I suppose?"

  "Um.... I guess? We haven't thought that far ahead."

  Jints' smile widened.

  "And so my value continues to shine, my dear friends. I may not have strength of arms, but I am happy to be the backbone of the Red Daggers' economy. Over here."

  Jints led them to an empty building where they could unload the sled. There was a small team of men waiting with shovels and normal-sized carts. Zig untied the sled from Teeth, and the men started shoveling small piles into carts. They worked as a well-oiled team. Zig was impressed.

  "And that's all we need to do on our part, friends. Shall we have lunch?"

  "One more thing," Gretta interrupted Jints. She picked up a small bag and handed it over to the steward.

  "These fell out of a couple of stone elementals. Some silver, some nightstone, some gems and a couple are glowing. Think your men can take care of the sale of all this?"

  "Very impressive, miss Gretta. Are these your private findings, or part of the Red Daggers' general funds?"

  Gretta turned to look at Zig.

  "If you found something special, Gretta, it's all yours."

  Gretta hesitated. In any other team, there'd be no question. She wouldn't have even let her teammates know. But...

  "General funds, Jints. We're the Red Daggers."

  Gutters took a deep breath. He calmed his mind. He focused on his heartbeat, counting five beats, then let the feeling fade into the background. He stood in a loose posture, lightly coiled, maintaining a sort of "ready to leap into action" state.

  Then he turned.

  Gutters whipped the hem of his cape out, letting it catch the air and billow dramatically. He stepped forward, and his opponent—no, his partner—took a step backward at the exact same time. A perfect mirror. Gutters' foot slid sideways half a step, coming to a stop without his heel touching the ground. He pushed his partner forward, and she moved, light as a feather, following his lead. Jane did a twirl, somehow never letting go of Gutter's hand. They both dipped and bobbed at the same time. A trickle of sweat ran down Gutters' forehead as they moved in sync. Another step, another turn, another pause, then a bow. Gutters collapsed onto his bed.

  "That was exhausting."

  "That was amazing, Gutters! You're really getting the hang of it. You dance better than half the nobles I know."

  That seemed to trigger something in the blue-skinned boy. His exhaustion slid off him like an old blanket. He stood up and gave an inviting bow, hand held forward in a "may I dance?" gesture.

  "Only half? Let us keep practicing then."

  Jane's Advanced Endurance was feeling a little strained.

  "Sorry Gutters. You can keep practicing the forms, but I need to go study magic. You really put your heart into everything. That's admirable. All the girls at the dance will be lining up to dance with the gentleman troglodyte."

  That put a smile on Gutters' face.

  "You really think so?"

  "I know so."

  Lucy the weapon's expert was accustomed to rough men. It was basically her line of work. Seeing a large group of sailors approaching her, however, gave her a bad feeling.

  "Lou, go fetch the guards. Tell them sailors are at the weapons arena."

  The little boy ran out of the back of the house. Lucy approached the front gate.

  "Ho, boys, this is quite the turn out. Everyone feeling like a bit of training, all at once?"

  Some of the sailors sniggered. The biggest man Lucy had ever seen spoke up.

  "Aye, something like that, lass. A bit of training, a bit of a conversation. That's all we had in mind."

  Lucy put her hand out.

  "That's a silver each for entrance. Anything broken gets charged on top of that."

  It was a bold move, trying to get a pirate to pay money. Lucy was hoping it would split the group, with only some of them coming in. It didn't work. The big man's greasy smile grew and he flipped three gold coins at her.

  "That should about cover it I think."

  The crowd of rough men pushed their way through the gates. Laughing and shoving each other, they went to the weapons racks and picked it clean. The arena started to empty as all the other folk sensed trouble brewing, and decided they were done for the day. The sailors either didn't notice or didn't mind. They started hacking up all the wooden practice dummies, some sailors pairing off and fighting each other. It seemed fine, this was what the arena was for. But Lucy couldn't help feeling something was wrong.

  "Nice place you got."

  The heavy voice sounded right behind Lucy, making her jump. It was the big man, the leader of the group. He wore a saber on this belt, but looked like he didn't use it much. He was the sort of person that solved problems with his fists.

  "Thank you, mister...?"

  "Blackhook. Captain Blackhook."

  He reached out and enveloped her small hand in his. He had a crushing grip.

  "And what are you here for, captain? Looking for a new weapon?"

  "Ah, I usually just grab whatever weapon my last opponent used. I'm not picky." Blackhook spat on the ground. "But I was hoping you could help me another way. See, I'm looking for a friend of mine. You'd recognize his weapon. Stone on a stick. Glows purple. Some kind of goblin enchantment or something."

  Lucy tried not to show any reaction, but she knew who it was. Nobody fought with a rock on a stick. Nobody but Zig. She thought maybe she'd hidden it, but the captain's eyes glinted like he'd just caught a fish tugging on his line.

  "Ah, so you do know 'im. Excellent, that's just excellent. See, I'm thinking that a weapon's expert needs to know a man's skills, in order to properly help him."

  Lucy's heart sank. There was no way this man was Zig's friend.

  "That's not really the kind of information I give out, captain."

  "Oh, yes, I understand. Pride of the business and such."

  The captain leaned forward.

  "I was hoping that for me, you'd make an exception."

  Lucy tried not to shake. Outside, the sailors were getting bored with the dummies. They started breaking tables, chairs, laying weapons into anything they could find. Some were coming inside the tavern, shouting, laughing, and breaking things.

  "I'll have you know, sir, that right this minute half of Liston's guards are on their way."

  "Is that right? Now, how would they know anything is happening? It wouldn't depend on the little boy we caught running out back, would it?"

  Lucy closed her eyes, tears starting to well up.

  "Start talking, girl."