The Weight of a Name

A brume charged the group- smaller and slower compared to the black one they’d just faced. Without a word, Chris stepped forward, shield raised to meet the attack head-on. His boots slid back across the dirt.

With a loud grunt, he planted his feet, doing his best to hold back the monster.

Gwen tapped the earth and her magic rushed forward. A stone spear erupted from beneath the brume, slamming into its jaw and sending the monster stumbling backwards on both legs.

Just as before, Claire dropped from the trees, her daggers cloaked in a purple glow. She swung her arms outward, and an energy shot out, cutting off the brume's head, killing it instantly.

“Hell yeah! Good job, Claire!” Gwen cheered, pumping her fist.

It was really a game changer, having someone being able to sneak up on monsters to kill them.

Claire landed lightly beside the monster, taking care not to step in the blood. She gave Gwen a small wave before jogging over to check up on her brother. Then came a tug on Gwen’s sleeve. She glanced down to find Kira pouting up at her.

“You guys are killing these monsters way too fast,” Kira complained, wiping sweat from her brow.

“At least this is the last one we need to complete the request,” Gwen replied, shooting her a look of pity. “If we fight any more monsters, just worry about collecting drops.”

Kira let out a heavy breath. “Most people pace themselves, but you're a damned animal; you know that?”

“What can I say? Money is a great motivator.”

“Well, if you’re thinking of expanding the party, then you might want to look into getting another porter to help me.”

“I’ll… think about it.” Gwen paused. “I’m not too sure about keeping those two around.”

“I mean, you guys work well together; I couldn’t imagine not keeping them.”

Less money, plus my goal is eventually to leave the capital, anyway. I don’t want to be tied down by anything before leaving.”

Kira shrugged. “Just think, we can become a second-class party with adventurers doing jobs in your name, leaving you free to train.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Gwen didn’t dismiss it immediately.

“Let’s think it over, and we can discuss it later,” Kira said and jogged off. She pulled out a small knife and slowly began to cut into the Burme’s skin.

Gwen’s gaze soon flitted over to the siblings who were sitting down on a stump, back to back. They were busy doing maintenance on their equipment.

A bigger party, huh?

The thought wasn’t too bad; it would take some careful planning and recruiting members who were trustworthy. But having a second porter, along with a few more attackers, would make going through the entire dungeon a whole lot easier.

Plus, the two siblings didn’t seem of the bad sort. Compared to some adventurers, heck, even the Prince, they seem to be very honest people.

Gwen took a deep breath, pushed the thoughts away, approaching the two siblings. “Hey, good job out there, guys.”

“Thanks!” Chris beamed at her. “Honestly, I don’t think Claire and I could take down so many Brumes on our own without you.”

“It’s impressive how many spells you can cast without getting tired,” Claire added.

“I train myself to not overcharge my spells. I try to use the minimum amount of magic for a task.”

“Right…”

The two shared a look before Claire spoke up again. “We wondered what happened to you. I asked around for you the next day, but we couldn’t find you.”

Gwen shrugged. “Yeah, I left the city for a quest. As part of a reward for saving a village, the leader decided to give me this ring for whatever reason. I would’ve turned it down, but she sent it in an envelope ahead to the guild.”

“That makes sense…” Claire trailed off, a serious look coming over her face. “Question: do you have to tap the ground each time you want to use earth spells?"

Gwen tilted her head to the side and thought over the question. Before she got to answer, a rustling came from their left, followed by heavy footsteps. Ahh, a perfect way to answer Claire’s question without having to explain it.

Soon another brume, the same size as the one they just took down, came charging out of the treeline. The creature let out a mighty roar as it rushed forward, going towards the trio.

“Shit, it's another brume,” Chris shouted, getting to his feet. “Claire, get ready to attack”

“Don’t worry about guys; I’ll easily handle it, and answer your question, Claire,” Gwen reassured, a smile on her face.

She turned to the monster; her staff lit up a dark brown color as she thrust it forward. Stone broke from the ground and formed a giant spear. The brume didn’t stand a chance as the spear struck its head, sending it backward.

The attack impaled its entire body upon a tree, killing it instantly. The monster's blood dripped slowly to the ground. No further movements, no angry charge, just stuck in a tree.

“So yes, I don’t have to use words, nor do I have to tap the ground to use earth magic.” Gwen turned to see Claire’s mouth was wide, her eyes wide open. Chris, on the other hand, dropped his shield to the ground as he stared at her.

“You didn’t even need our help against these brumes; you’re so much stronger than us.” He muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Gwen waved her hands in front of her. “Seriously, I’m not that strong. Plus, if I use my full might, I risk ruining my staff and not being able to fight at all.”

“I-I saw you swing a sword to kill that hobgoblin… I’m sure fighting with a sword wouldn’t be too hard for you.” Claire gasped.

Gwen’s shoulders slumped in defeat; back on Earth, she had trained in fencing, so she knew how to use a rapier-type weapon.

Maybe I am stronger than I think, she wondered, starting to understand now why Kira would always say she was weird. She clenched her empty hand, but her body still felt weak.

Refocusing her attention, Gwen noticed both siblings were now bowing to her. Heads all the way to the ground, muttering, “We are not worthy of being in your presence.”

“Ugh, can you guys knock it off?” She growled.

They ignored her, continuing the chant.

Unbeknownst to her, something watched from within the branches, wings pressed against its body, missing nothing.