I was feeling a bit more mencholic than usual when I woke up.

  The lingering sweetness on my lips from the kiss was soothing, and helped me push through.

  Every so often, I’d trigger the fshes of being at the marsh while practicing turning Mana Vision on and off.

  And then, I practiced Invisibility. There was a change now. I could hold my breath without going invisible. My volition was now pying a bigger part in it.

  I wondered if there was something I was missing. Why was it affecting my clothing? Some items I picked up were also affected, but something like a chair wasn’t.

  I had a guess, but I needed to stop by one of the temples and pick up some reading material to confirm.

  Couldn’t be today, though. I was pretty set on going back to Meredi’s.

  ***

  The forge was hot and roaring.

  “So, sounds like you were about to win, Tim. What happened?”

  Meredi was behind the grinder, sparks flying as she pressed a curved bde to the wheel. Her sleeves were rolled, sweat beading along her colrbones, and her focused scowl could’ve scared off a Gloomspawn. Even so, she was still sneaking gnces at me whenever she could.

  “Yeah, it fired these weird little needles at me. It’s why I have the bandages.”

  She let out a low whistle. “I’m only handling it because you seem okay.”

  I leaned forward on the stool. “Then, I popped in a mana crystal and sliced it up.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that,” I said with a grin.

  She finished with the bde, holding it up to inspect the edge, then set it aside and grabbed another half-forged weapon from the rack. “Once I’m done with this order, we’re getting back to coating tests. I’ve been thinking about it all night. There are a lot of guys who would love not to have to maintain their weapons as much.”

  I sighed and kicked back against the hot wall. “If only people were more willing to collect the parts of the Gloomspawn.”

  Her eyes sparkled as she worked. The hammering rhythm was hypnotic—the way her muscles moved under the thin fabric, the way she bit her lip when she adjusted a grip… I had to readjust a few times to make sure I didn’t fall off my seat.

  “Don’t talk like that, Tim. You know bringing in Gloomspawn is nothing anyone wants to risk.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I said, looking off to the corner. “I went thirty-two years without ever doing it… Fear’s a powerful thing, right?”

  “Keeps us from doing stupid things.” She stopped what she was doing to gre at me. “Or it should.”

  I shrugged and grinned. “You liked hearing the story.”

  She chuckled and went back to work. “To be honest, I never thought Gloomspawn fluid could be countered.”

  “Sure, it can. We give people medicine all the time—”

  “But that’s because the body is the greatest alchemical engine of all time. You told me that, Timaeus.”

  I nodded. I remembered. And yeah, we were right. The body was always converting matter from one state to another.

  “Our bodies can do things that our compounds can’t do on their own.”

  “Hmm. Yeah,” I said, the way she phrased that unlocking a series of thoughts for me. “You’re right.”

  “But then again, you’re a pretty good alchemist, so of course it would be you who figured out how to make stuff that could resist Gloomspawn more effectively.”

  I chuckled. “We still have a bit to go before we can call the current trials a success.”

  Meredi shot me a wide grin. “I believe in you.”

  I could have died right there. I could practically feel my soul growing winds and threatening to ascend.

  An annoyed voice came from the doorway. “Oh. Tim’s here. Again.”

  “Morning, Rav,” I replied, gncing at her. She was wearing an oversized vest that stopped midway down her thighs. “Sleep well?”

  She stared at me and nodded. Then she turned to her sister. “Meredi, I’m going to have some of the fruits.”

  “Go ahead, Rav.”

  As soon as Rave was out of earshot, Meredi snickered. “Someone’s cranky.”

  “Oh? Was she?”

  “Probably upset that my weapon stole you glory from the jaws of defeat.”

  I scowled. “I was nowhere near defeat.”

  The rest of the morning passed in a blur of alchemical trials and the steady percussion of Meredi’s forge. We moved the tests out to what counted as a backyard in this setting—an enclosed space surrounded by tall, metal walls and patched over with makeshift scrap roofing. Lamps hung from rusted hooks above, casting a warm, artificial glow across the cluttered space.

  A single extractor fan churned above, barely keeping pace with the heat.

  Some of the coatings actually held up under ichor exposure longer than expected. The rate of damage was slowly reducing. Meredi cheered whenever a coating didn’t immediately hiss and dissolve. Another turned unexpectedly rubbery upon contact with the ichor, which cracked her up and endlessly fascinated me. She jotted notes down on a grease-smeared ledger, and we went to the next batch of formutions.

  Rave lingered like a shadow. She sat on an overturned crate near the fencing with a half-eaten piece of dried fruit in her hand. Her eyes followed everything, but her mouth stayed shut. She was just a shadow interested in watching me.

  It was almost lunchtime before I realized I was starving.

  “I think I’m gonna head to the market,” I said, stretching and brushing rust fkes from my shirt. “Need to pick up a few things for work anyway.”

  Meredi perked up from her project station near the forge. “Oh, you go on ahead. I want to get a head start on that alloy test I was telling you about.” She grinned. “Working on your stuff just got me inspired.”

  “Got it,” I said with a salute. “See you in a bit, then.”

  I turned to grab my coat and head out, but Rave pushed off the wall. “You’re going out?”

  “Mhm.” I slung the coat on, as I reminded myself of what I wanted. “Hope you’re not offended. I just need normal stuff right now. I’ll reach out when I need the exotics.”

  She eyed me. “Alone?”

  I raised a brow. “Pardon me?”

  “You’re going alone?” she asked, cracking her neck.

  “Oh. Yeah. It should just be an hour or so.”

  Her brow twitched. “You’re not gonna ask me to come?”

  I blinked at her, then shrugged with a grin. “Didn’t think you’d want to. Aren’t you busy or something? You’ve used up a lot of your free time already, haven’t you?”

  She crossed her arms. I don’t think she knew how much the pose accentuated her chest. That scowl was venomous, though.

  I tried not to linger on it and opened the front door.

  “I mean,” I added over my shoulder, “you can come, if you want. But it’s not going to be exciting.”

  I didn’t hear anything for a second. So I walked out.

  “Tch. Fine,” came from behind me.

  She followed, muttering something about “not letting idiots wander into danger,” even though we both knew it was just the open market. Well, actually, Cynthia was probably there, so yeah. Maybe I did need the protection.