Orrin woke to the smell of bacon. He rolled over in his bed and...

“Get off me,” Daniel pushed him as Orrin sprawled out over his friend.

“What? Sorry,” Orrin fully woke up and looked around. The entire Dragoon party was awake and Al was roasting strips of meat on a small pan over a fire.

“Breakfast? Al took down a jackadeer earlier.” Sof knelt near Orrin with a handful of something between bacon strips and sausages in his hand.

Orrin picked one up gingerly as Daniel turned and pulled the blanket back over his head. “Is it edible?”

“Jackadeer are low level monsters, so the meat isn’t as bad as you’d think. Better than jerky anyways,” Sof said as he put another two down by Daniel’s head. “Better eat quick. You two need to be off before we leave.”

Daniel finally stuck his head out from under the sleeping bag. “Don’t you think it would be better if we came along?”

Sof shook his head. “If those monsters hadn’t been all around us yesterday, I would have made you leave then and there. We’ve already voted and despite some protests-“

Gracie and Noah let out loud coughs.

“-we are sending you back with Ira. There is no reason for you to be here anymore. Go home.”

Sof stood and went back to his friends. Orrin took a bite of the meat stick. It did taste somewhat of bacon but reminded him more of a sausage in consistency. How had Al made these?

Daniel ate in silence.

Orrin watched the party move around. Not one person seemed to have any side effects from his buffing.

Gracie came up and sat down next to the two of them.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” she said in her soft voice. “You both did a good job and we’re sorry you couldn’t come along. You helped us take out a big chunk of its little army though, so we have a better chance now.”

“A big chunk? Didn’t Sof say there were like sixty canines or something with even more Kniferunners right?” Daniel asked as he munched on his breakfast.

Gracie nodded and ran her hand through her short hair. “Yes but...and no offense...we can take care of the rest on our own. We try not to go all out like that. We sneak up and take out one or two at a time before retreating. The Fogbinder can only bring so many monsters into the Pass with it and it would have to release control of all the single type of monster under its control to get more. There are no Fetid Canines or Kniferunners in the Pass usually.”

“So it’s like a control skill for monsters?” Orrin asked, fascinated. “If you kill too many of one type, won’t the Fogbinder just switch to another monster type?”

Gracie smiled. “You are a bright one. Yes, in theory, if the Fogbinder wanted to it could. But Bin has fought one before. The plan is to get the numbers low and then strike the head. We’ll go after the Fogbinder himself.”

“Won’t that be dangerous? Could it control you?” Daniel asked. Orrin could see he was remembering Silas’ ability to freeze his body.

Gracie’s laughter echoed around the small cave. Sof looked over and frowned but didn’t say anything.

“No, it’s not mind control. We are sure of that. Fogbinders can’t control anything but monsters. Other than that, they only have a few magical abilities...mostly air attacks.”

“So why not attack it right away?” Daniel asked. “Find out where it is and kill it quick.”

Gracie’s smile turned sad as she spoke, “They always keep the biggest of their army nearby. There are two strategies for killing a Fogbinder.”

She leaned in. “When we got the news that there was one coming, we sent out a few thousand of our green recruits and surrounded them with some of our best. A large group of bait but with our best fighters and defenders there to keep the newbies away from the actual danger. When the Horde appeared and the fighting started, a few teams were sent in to dispatch the Fogbinder. It worked perfectly...until the second one showed up and hit everyone from behind.”

She wiped her eyes and continued, “The other way...instead of drawing the army away from the Fogbinder using bait, you rush the Fogbinder with all you have. Friends go down and it’s a roll of the dice who lives and who dies, but it only takes a strike or two to take a Fogbinder down. They are mostly Intelligence and Will with very little Constitution.”

“You’re going to suicide bomb the thing?” Orrin gasped.

“We are going to take out as many monsters under its control that we feel safe to do first,” Gracie said. “But then, yes. Some of us will likely not come back.”

Orrin sat quietly as Daniel asked more strategy questions. He got the general idea. If they attacked after taking out too many of the Fogbinder’s ‘army’ it could just go and restock with something else nearby. But to willingly run to your death without any guarantee that it would work...

“Orrin? God, I really hate this skill.” Daniel was snapping his fingers in front of Orrin’s face. Gracie had gone back to Noah.

“Sorry, what?”

Daniel turned his back to the Dragoon team as they started taking up camp and getting ready to leave. “I think we should help them.”

“No.”

“Just listen-“

“No.”

“Can’t you just-“

“If you say one more word, I’ll have Sof tie you up again.”

Daniel pursed his lips together. Then in one breath, he coughed out, “You buff them all.”

“First off, that wouldn’t work. The buffs only last for twenty minutes tops. Second, I’m still surprised they haven’t passed out like everyone else did in the dungeon.”

“Use your [Utility Ward]. Just enter and leave the party.”

Orrin opened his mouth to argue but couldn’t think of any logical comeback. It might work. He’d have to explain yet another skill but it might save somebody’s life.

“It’s not a bad idea, huh? Maybe they’ll let us stay another day or two, just in case they don’t find-“

“I’ll buff them once and then we go home.” Orrin stood and walked away before Daniel could argue.

He made his way up to Sof.

“Yes? Are you ready? Ira is complaining, but he really should get back to a Healer for his leg.”

“I want to run something by you,” Orrin said, leaning on one foot and then the other. “I want to increase your stats again.”

“Thank you for the help yesterday, but we already voted. It’s not that the boost didn’t help, but we move slower with you and Daniel around. We can’t protect you and do our jobs. We need to be able to-“

“I get that. I’m not asking to stay,” Orrin cut Sof off. “I can make the buff last all day but only to people in my party.”

Sof raised an eyebrow. “What’s the catch?”

“I want your word that you all won’t talk about my skills. Or Daniel’s. We don’t need the attention.”

Sof peered into Orrin’s eyes, searching for something. “Why? Why protect him?”

Orrin felt the weight of the question. Sof wasn’t asking why they didn’t want the attention. He wasn’t asking why Orrin wanted to help.

He was asking why Orrin had come and risked his life to protect Daniel. Someone that Sof saw as entitled, reckless, and probably idiotic.

“Daniel is my friend.”

Sof waited in silence.

Orrin glanced around. Nobody else was close enough to overhear.

“He’s a [Hero].”

Sof smiled. “I thought so. His skills. The attitude. The way he’s drawn to them.”

“You knew?” Orrin scanned nearby again. Bin was helping Gustaf push a blanket into a backpack. Gracie and Maya were chatting near the cave entrance. Everyone else was around the fire, grabbing a few last bites of breakfast.

“I suspected.”

“What do you mean drawn to them?” Orrin asked.

“Heroes always are drawn toward demons. It’s part of their build. You could say it’s in their blood.”

Orrin looked back and remembered how fervently Silas had tried to get them out of town before the Fogbinder showed up. The looks and glances at Daniel, as if checking up on him all the time.

He knew. He knew that Daniel might try to go after a demon and sent us away to protect him.

Orrin was conflicted on that. Silas was keeping information away again, but this time...he might have been doing the right thing.

I’ll deal with him later.

“You promise not to tell anyone?”

“I do. I have no need to get involved with a [Hero]. If you are telling the truth about the buffs as you call them, I would appreciate it. And if my team is able to keep even one extra person alive...I will be in your debt. I will never mention you or he came to this side of the Walls,” Sof said and stuck out his hand.

Orrin shook it. “I should warn you, there might be side effects.”

“You said that about the others. Nobody felt anything different.”

“It’s a different skill. This is the actual one that knocked most of my party out for a day with nausea and fatigue.”

Sof looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “We know where the Fogbinder is. We’ll fight him today one way or the other.” He looked back down at Orrin and smiled. “What’s a little vomit to a dead man?”

Orrin and Sof talked of logistics and soon enough the time came for goodbyes. They had only met the group the day before and already, Orrin was going to miss the quiet gentleness of Gracie, Sof’s steadfast calmness, and even the pointed looks from Farah.

Sof rounded up the other eight members that would stay and fight.

Sof has invited you to a party

Yes or No?

Orrin hit yes. He cast his own [Increase Will] and [Increase Intelligence] on himself. He’d need the decreased costs and increased output for all the magic he planned on using.

He cast [Utility Ward] level two.

“Sof? All my stats went up by thirty,” Gracie said. Even Noah looked lucid as he focused on something in front of him.

Why does my increased Will not boost Utility Ward? It does for individual casts! Orrin thought and pushed that thought back to all the other things to worry about later.

“Farah, drop out and enter Daniel and Ira’s party for now. Maya, invite Orrin,” Sof demanded. “Nobody is ever to talk of this. Dragoon team secret.”

Al and Gustaf gave each other a look and high-fived. Gustaf saw Orrin staring at them. “Noah told us what happened and we were hoping to try it out. A few extra points can go a long way.”

Maya has invited you to a party

Yes or No?

Yes.

Orrin repeated the spell. With his Intelligence so high, the spell costs just a little over 100 MP.

Sof then had Orrin join the team with Daniel, Farah, and Ira, using the spell one last time. Orrin cycled back to full MP.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Orrin looked around at the joyful faces. Hope was living in the cave with the Dragoon team now.

“Good luck,” Daniel waved.

“You better take good care of Ira,” Farah threatened. “Straight to the Hospital, do you hear?”

Orrin waved and teleported the three of them out of the cave.

It took two hours to [Teleport] back to the Walls of Dey. Orrin’s knowledge of the land was now making it easier to jump around, even with two other people along.

“You’d think I’d get used to it,” Ira complained as they landed hard on the top of the Wall near where Orrin had originally left from. Daniel was supporting half the man’s weight, as each [Teleport] left them a few inches above the ground. Ira had fallen hard the first time.

“Can we drop you off here at the Wall?” Orrin asked. “I know Farah said right to the Hospital, but I should probably stay away from there for a few days.”

Daniel looked up from helping Ira balance. “Why? What did you do?”

Orrin waved a hand. “Nothing. Nothing. I just need to go visit a friend soon. That’s all.”

“I can help Ira to-“

“And then go running right back out?” Orrin shook his head. “I’m getting you to Madi and handcuffing you to your bed.”

Daniel opened his mouth with a smile.

“Yeah, I know. I heard it too,” Orrin said with a smirk. “Come on, let’s find a guard to help Ira.”