The storm giant is often considered a myth, no confirmed cases of an appearance have happened. Due to this it is thought that they are cloud giants who are currently angry, much as how a storm is made from clouds. - Common Monsters

Adrian

Once I finish the vials I look back at everyone else, this isn’t right. I turn to Bryan, “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have acted like that.”

“Everyone has stuff they don’t want to share, so don’t worry about it. It still didn’t seem like you though.”

“We both know I don’t normally act like that. If that was how I act, none of these other items would be out. It’s just I don’t know bursts of me wanting to hoard everything.”

“You don’t seem to want to hoard what’s on the table.”

“They aren’t shiny. Anyways, smack me upside the head if I act like that ok?”

“Sure thing.”

We continue to take stock of our supplies, at least those that are not the books and food in my Void Cache. In full we have: 1 rifle (.22), 1 rifle (.222), 1 pistol (.22), 1 pistol (9mm), 2 ornate and maybe enchanted rapiers, 32 long spears, 3 longswords, 40 short swords, 29 wearable suits of leather armor, 2 suits of chainmail, 3 chain shirts, a breastplate, 2 longbows of a wood I can’t identify, 2 composite longbows, 33 nanocarbon arrows, 36 wooden arrows, 127 .22 rounds, 72 5.56 rounds, 82 9mm rounds, 22 shells for a 12 gauge, 2 satchels of holding, 6 daggers or combat knives, 21 potions of healing?, 6 potions of mana?, most of a set of kitchen knives, a few pots and pans, 85 mostly full water skins, 4 air up mattresses, 6 sleeping bags, 42 bedrolls, 46 wool blankets, 2 nicer wool blankets, 2 spare batteries for the pumps on the air mattresses, and a bit of firewood.

Our equipment end up divided as follows:

Bryan: Breastplate, longsword, leather armor (as a poor substitute for a gambeson), rifle (.22), 1 mana? potion, and 4 potions of healing?

Abagail: Chain shirt, short sword, rifle (.222), pistol (.22), satchel of holding, a dagger and 4 potions of healing?

Kythia: Chain shirt, longsword, longbow, 10 wooden arrows, a dagger, 2 mana? potion, and 4 potions of healing?

Talia: Chainmail, longsword, ornate rapier, dagger, composite bow, 15 nanocarbon arrows, 13 wooden arrows, 1 mana? potion, and 4 potions of healing?

Lysan: Chain shirt, composite bow, 18 nanocarbon arrows, 13 wooden arrows, a dagger, a satchel of holding, 2 mana? potion, and 4 potions of healing?

Me: Leather armor, pistol (9mm), short sword, long spear, two combat knives and one of the healing? potions.

We are also paired for use of the satchels; Bryan and Abagail, the twins, and I carry K’s stuff in Void Cache. We also go through the books that I know are from the Althaen and everyone save me has chosen a few to attempt to read. I don’t choose any since I am carrying all of the other books.

Bryan and Abagail leave the house, there simply isn’t bedding for everyone here. We could have set up what I brought from the bank, but why bother when we can have better by just utilizing the other nearby homes. I am a bit worried of the roving goblinoids though.

Regardless of the risk they wanted to separate, so they left and now I am cleaning up the pile of unclaimed loot as the trio watches.

“You’re changing.”

I look over and it's Talia who spoke up. Is she going to go off and be a bitch again? After a moment, she continues.

“You have started hoarding, and you have taken Kyt . . .”

K interrupts, “I gave myself.”

She smiles at me and I do so in return, Talia actually looks relieved. A bit embarrassed but not as worried.

“I know, I should not have acted like that with the dragon’s blood.”

“It’s not just that, you are hoarding all the money and food too.”

“I am? Sorry, do you want to hold some of it?”

She nods, and I pull out about a week’s worth of dried meat, rice and flour. When I pull out some of the coins and pass them over I can hear dragon-me yelling no in the back of my mind. I frown for a second but change it before anyone notices.

“No one asked and it was convenient for me to carry everything. I might be changing a little bit but I’m not going to turn into a monster.”

“See, I told you sister. You were worried over nothing.”

Lysan is so trusting of me, unlike Talia. I know a bit of what they have gone through, this is how Talia kept them safe for decades. It sucks but I can understand why she does this. I wonder if I will ever figure out how to tell the apart without their choice of weapons.

“I’m sorry, I was just afraid . . .”

“Of me becoming like the Althaen.”

“Yes”

I walk around the table, holding a straight face. Talia and her sister just wait, not sure of what I am doing. I reach and pull Talia into a hug, Lysan joins in while K just watches.

“You don’t need to live in fear, I won’t betray you. Get mad, yes. Upset you, sure. But I am not a betrayer, you have seen enough to believe that.”

Talia nods, and starts crying a bit. I don’t think that it is sadness, but happiness or relief? K has a frown on her face now. Is she jealous?

“Don’t worry there will be plenty left for you tonight.”

And she is now smiling, Talia didn’t react but Lysan let go and is blushing. After another minute, I push Talia from me.

“Kythia is getting jealous, and I still need to pack up what we are not going to be using.”

She nods, and helps me pack up all the items we are not going to use. I wonder if she is ever going to fully trust me. I have been hearing dragon-me moping so I turn my thoughts to him.

[What is it?]

[Don’t give away the hoard! It’s bad enough that you don’t use it to sleep.]

Once he tells me this I think of actually sleeping on a pile of coins. For some reason, I find the idea to be a good one for an instant. No, that is not going to happen. Beds are better, more comfortable and they can have girls in them. Any girl who would want to sleep on a pile of money is a gold digger and I don’t want one of those.

He also sounds stronger than when we were in the void. Did drinking the dragon’s blood empower him? He is part of me like me-but-not-me, but she doesn’t want to be the dominant personality. I think he might, after all a dragon wouldn’t want to be submissive.

[Why so focused on the hoarding?]

[A dragon’s hoard is the measure of its life. If we don’t have much then how can we find enjoyment? Treasure isn’t supposed to be given away, but enjoyed by hoarding.]

[A pile of unused items is worthless.]

[How can you think that! The hoard of treasures has many uses: sleeping, playing with, looking at, bragging about and so much more.]

[There are better things to do that with.]

[Don’t blaspheme the hoard!]

[A hoard is what you do those things with right?]

[Yes.]

[Then you are confused. Our hoard is not useless bobbles and dead wealth, but those around us.]

He doesn’t immediately reply, I don’t want my desire to hoard to get in the way of my friends. Dragon-me is really young, so maybe I can make him more like real me.

[I’m not sure. You don’t sleep with or brag much about them.]

[I bragged to Bryan about K.]

[Maybe, I still don’t like sharing.]

[Letting the girls wear and use stuff is showing them off. Showing off our hoard.]

[Really?]

[Yes, remember you are young. Only a few days old, I’m older. Not as draconic as you but I know more.]

[Can I play with our hoard then?]

[I think you’re still too young to play.]

I feel dragon-me weaken, then he just goes back to sleep. What just happened? Why would his part of me become smaller? I feel someone shaking me, I jerk in response.

“Adrian, are you alright?”

Its K, the twins look worried. I spaced out while talking to dragon-me. I need to name him. Would that make him stronger? Or give me leverage as the name giver?

“Sorry, what happened?”

“You just stopped responding to anything for a few minutes.”

“Sorry I was talking to dragon-me.”

The trio respond at almost the same time, “dragon-me?”

“Uh, yeah. He woke up recently and is part of why my actions have been a bit different.”

And Talia looks worried again, “how long ago did he wake up” she asks.

“The trial.”

K interjects, I don't think she heard what I just said, “I wouldn’t worry about it Talia. It’s probably like how I have a wolf in me.”

K has a wolf inside her? I didn’t know that, must be the embodiment of her lycanthropy. I should ask her about talking with it when we are alone.

K continues, “I didn’t think that you would be able to talk to the gift so quickly. There hasn’t even been a full moon yet.”

“I think you misunderstood. I wasn’t talking to a wolf, when I said dragon-me I meant a dragon.”

Now she looks disappointed, should I let her know I haven’t caught lycanthropy? Maybe later, I continue, “Dragon-me didn’t like my sharing. I convinced him that it was better to, though I don’t know how far it will go.”

“Oh, I was hoping that you had received the gift of my people.”

“You mean Lycanthropy.”

“That is what others call it.”

“For those not born with it, it can be a curse instead.”

“You are strong, you won’t lose your mind.”

K smiles as she says the last sentence.

Abagail

Bryan and me left after Adrian apologized for how he acted. At least he knows that was wrong; even if the other things he does no one seems to care about. At least he isn’t trying to get me along with those other girls. How can they just be ok with sleeping with one of them and still chase the others?

“What is it?”

I turn to Bryan, I’ve had a crush on him for over a year. Who would have thought that the world goes to hell and then I get the attentions of the boy I like?

“It just bugs me how he treats those three.”

“Why? He isn’t mistreating them.”

“Yes he is. He is leading all three of them on. What are they going to do after he tries them all out?”

“Abagail, we both know Adrian isn’t that kind of person, he’s a . . .”

“Regular nerd? He hid that magic was real from you his whole life.”

He looks upset at me, “I don’t mean to say he isn’t a good person but he should just pick one of them. Polygamy is illegal, he can’t keep them all happy. It's wrong to chase multiple girls at once.”

He sighs, “those girls are content with how it is. The government fell, and no one is enforcing the law. Besides he is providing for all of them, and treating them well.”

“Why are defending him?”

“Because he is my friend and even if he ends up with all three; he will treat them well. We shouldn’t ruin what is going on just because we don’t like it.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to do the same.”

He pauses for a second, he does want more than just one. Am I not enough? He pulls me into a hug. He must have seen something on my face.

“Every boy thinks of doing something like that at some point. But trust me on this; if one of them asked Adrian to pick just one he would. A real man won’t force his spouse to share if she doesn’t want to.”

He didn’t deny it, but I like what he said at the end. Bryan is right, I should just trust him. Adrian may be acting odd but the world has gone to hell. I know he has been doing a lot of difficult things to keep us as safe as possible. I am still crying myself to sleep each night while he has been doing whatever he has to keep us all alive.

“Alright, lets go inside and what do you think of having fun ourselves?”

“But we aren’t married or . . .”

“I never said sleeping together, but if you want to. . .”

I think I just turned beat red. I thought he was asking.

“No, not yet.”

He looks disappointed, but then smiles at my word of yet. We go into one of the houses and I let him kiss me but no more before we separate into different rooms. I need my diary to write down and sort out my feelings. To bad it's lost and I don't have paper to start another one.