Master Fatty Chunk set me down with surprising care. He knelt on one knee and reached behind his back, pulling out a sack that looked ordinary at first glance. Then he opened it and shoved his arm far deeper inside than the bag should have been able to contain.

  It was a bag of holding. I felt a familiar tug of curiosity as I watched him reach deeper, his shoulder nearly disappearing inside the opening. I wondered how large it truly was on the inside, what kind of space it held, and how stable that space might be. They were extremely useful items, rare and expensive, and I knew with certainty that one day I would need to craft one myself or acquire one through other means.

  He withdrew his arm and opened his hand, revealing ten tin cores resting in his palm. “Here,” he said simply. “Take them.”

  I took five without hesitation. “I took three when I was younger,” I said. “Too early. That was a mistake. I also got two more recently, so this much will do. Thank you.”

  He studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable, then handed me the remaining five. “Trade them for something useful.”

  I looked at him, then at the small stack of cores in my hands. “Can I trade them for that bag?”

  “Gods, no,” he said immediately, almost offended by the suggestion. “This one is far too valuable, and it does far too much for me to empty it right now. Get yourself something nice instead. Armor, maybe. Check the auction.”

  “How much time do I actually have before I need to take these?” I asked, closing my fingers around the cores.

  “The rest of the night,” he replied. “But don’t sit on it. Take the upgrade as soon as you can.” He glanced toward Greta. “Will you take care of him?”

  She snarled at him, her tusk grinding faintly against her teeth. “Of course I will. That’s my job. Unlike you, I actually do mine.”

  “That’s fair,” he said mildly. “My job is to brutalize children until they become monsters. Technically, I’ve failed at that every time so far. Hopefully, today changes that.”

  He looked down at me again, eyes sharp and assessing. “Young Azolo here might be my first real success. The first one who I made a legend other than myself.”

  “You’re no legend,” Greta snapped. “You’re a joke.”

  “To me, I am a legend,” he replied calmly. “To the world, I prefer not to be known. But enough of that.”

  He turned back to Greta. “The morning he wakes, I will come and collect him. I will give him enough time to say his goodbyes, and then we will be leaving.”

  Greta scowled, but nodded her assent.

  I nodded my thanks as well. When he finally stepped away, the full weight of what was about to happen settled heavily on my shoulders.

  I had a lot to do, and very little time to do it.

  I needed to make sure my friends were ready for me to be gone for a long time. They were capable, all of them, but an absence like this changed things. I had no idea what the group would look like when I returned, or if I would still fit into it the same way.

  If I was going to be gone that long, I would need to set things up properly. I would need to put together a lesson plan for Meka that could carry her through at least a year of work. She would need guidance, structure, and someone watching her circuits closely while I was gone.

  That meant Randall.

  He was probably good enough for it now that he was not such an utter asshole. He might not know everything I wanted her to learn, but he knew enough to help, and he could keep her from doing anything truly stupid. He was technically supposed to be her instructor anyway, which meant it was past time for him to actually start instructing her.

  I also needed to write to my parents. They would need to know that I was training under a master and that I would be unreachable for an extended period. He had not mentioned days off, and judging by everything so far, they were unlikely. Even if I could not send the letters, I could write them anyway and deliver them all at once when I returned. At least then they would understand where I had been and what I had been doing.

  Hopefully, it would not be as horribly disfiguring as I was imagining.

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  With that thought, I walked into the guild hall and into the familiar cacophony of copper-ranked adventurers finishing their nights. Laughter, arguments, and tired voices filled the air. I headed straight to the bunk room, retrieved my bag of freds and the two tin cores, then made my way back to the main hall and approached the counter.

  Edith was manning the desk tonight, thankfully.

  “Good evening, Edith,” I said.

  She smiled warmly when she saw me. “Azolo, it’s good to see you. How are you holding up? I heard you got assigned to a rather explosive master, and that he kept you out very late.”

  “I wouldn’t say that’s wrong,” I replied. “But I wouldn’t say it’s entirely accurate either.”

  She chuckled softly. “Fair enough. So, what can I help you with?”

  “I have two cores to trade at the auction,” I said. “I’d like to see the list. I also need notebooks. Several of them. Letters, envelopes, paper, seals, string. Armor. A tent. Cooking gear. Fire kits.” I paused, thinking. “Possibly a laying hen.”

  She raised a hand. “Hold on. Do you need all of this right now?”

  “I think so,” I said. “He didn’t explain much, but it sounded like we’d be staying out in the wilds or in a dungeon itself. I’ve worked without supplies before, but I’d rather be prepared. Could you set me up for… I don’t know. A year?”

  “A year?” she repeated flatly. “Azolo, this sounds like child abuse.”

  She leaned closer over the counter. “Do you want me to fetch my sister?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “Absolutely not. That would make this much worse.”

  She sighed, rubbing her temples. “You’re probably right. Still, I don’t like this.”

  “I understand,” I said. “But I’m certain that as long as I’m under his care, nothing out there will be able to kill me.”

  Her expression tightened. “I can’t approve this in good conscience without talking to Greta.”

  She turned and raised her voice. “Greta!”

  Greta stepped back into the hall, still looking furious.

  She walked up to Edith and said, “Edith, it’s been a long night. What’s the problem?” Then she looked down at me and frowned. “Oh, Azolo. What issue are you causing now?”

  “I’m not causing any issues,” I said. “I’m just trying to prepare for whatever I’m going to face. Master Fatty Chunk did not tell me anything about what I would need to carry with me, so I’m trying to make sure that if I somehow end up needing to survive out there for an extended period of time by myself, I can do so.”

  I hesitated, then added, “I don’t even know how I’m supposed to carry most of this. I was hoping to find a bag of holding.”

  “Oh, we have those,” Edith said. “They’re not very large, and you might need more than one. They also require attunement, so if you take enough supplies to last a year, you’ll be eating up quite a few slots.”

  “I understood that when I asked,” I said.

  Edith rubbed her face slowly, clearly trying to calm herself. “So he’s actually going, and you’re just… okay with that?”

  “I’m not okay with it,” she said after a moment. “But he is going.” She looked down at me again. “Azolo, if that man harms you in any way, tell me the moment you can.”

  I nodded. The knowledge that she probably could not stop him even if she wanted to dampened the reassurance a little.

  “I’ll come back in one piece,” I said, trying to give her and Edith some comfort without outright lying about what awaited me.

  I asked Edith for some parchment and a pen. She retrieved them with practiced ease and set them in front of me. I began to write a list of everything I thought I would need, forcing myself to be thorough. When I finished, I handed the pages back to her.

  She looked over the list once, then again, slower this time. “I have most of this,” she said. “Not nearly as many notebooks as you’re asking for, but I can cover most of it. Probably ninety percent.” She paused. “It’s going to cost a lot.”

  I pulled out the five extra tin cores and placed them on the counter. “I think this should cover it.”

  She looked at the cores, then back at me. “You’ve been busy. Don’t you need these for your upgrade?”

  “No,” I said. “My new master gave me enough for the upgrade tonight and enough to buy what I need. That’s one good thing he did.”

  She snorted quietly. “He probably just didn’t want to deal with inventory management. From what I saw, that bag is enormous. He likely doesn’t even know everything that’s in it.”

  I nodded. “You’re probably right. I’m happy to take his lax inventory habits as a gift.”

  “This is going to take a few hours,” Edith said. “I’ll need time to gather everything.”

  “That’s fine,” I said. “I’m going to go through my core upgrade anyway. Could you give me some notebooks, parchment, and letter supplies first? I need to write to my parents, leave instructions for Meka, and prepare notes for my friends.”

  She hesitated, then nodded. “All right. It’s almost my break, but I’ll fetch what I can. I’ll let Brenda know.”

  My face went still. Even Greta’s expression froze.

  A few minutes later, Brenda stepped out. “Edith said you needed these,” she said flatly. “I don’t care why. Take them and go.”

  Greta helped me carry the stack of supplies to a table and set them down. “It’s going to be a long night for you, isn’t it?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “I need to write a full curriculum for Meka, a letter to my parents, and figure out what I’m going to say to the party in the morning. I’ll be gone longer than we’ve even been a group.”

  I hesitated before adding, “I also need Randall to take over Meka’s training. The notes should be enough if he actually follows them and supervises her properly.”

  “I’ll make sure he does,” Greta said.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’m exhausted. Today was… a lot.”

  She studied me. “What did he have you do?”

  I shook my head. “It’s better if you don’t know.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” she said quietly.

  “I know I’m a child,” I replied. “But this isn’t a childish decision. I also don’t think I have a choice. And… I think he’s right.” I exhaled slowly. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I need to write.”

  She ordered food for me, then sat nearby while I worked. I wrote until my hand cramped and my thoughts blurred, filling page after page with plans, instructions, and letters meant for people I would not see for a long time.