Back to today's events, Stanford wanted to show me something he deemed was 'really fucking important'. It was the crack of dawn at the moment, and I was still lounging in bed when I recounted the events of the previous four days. After staying in bed for another five minutes, I finally decided to get up and leave my room. I had a sneaking suspicion my team was going to show up any time now, so I had to get cracking on breakfast before they showed up.

In the middle of cooking a few omelets, I heard someone knock at the door.

"Come in," I called.

Dorrian, Ana, and Luna walked into my room followed by Stanford. He had an evil grin on his face as he held a blood-stained spear in his hands.

Dead silence enveloped my home. (I was holding back laughter.)

Stanford threw the spear on the kitchen table and looked at me with a triumphant smirk on his face, "It is done."

I halted in my cooking duties and stared at the blood-covered spear that now laid on my table. Everyone else did the same, and no one dared speak as they stood around the small round table.

Well, almost no one: "You actually shoved a spear up Vairos' ass?" Dorrian demanded, face slack with shock

Stanford laughed like a lunatic, "Yep, it was great."

He looked at me critically, "Call me Stan again... and I'm comin' for you, boy."

I felt my throat bob, and I decided at that moment it was a good idea to clean up the omelet that was burned thanks to my inactivity. "Hey, let's talk this about this..."

He laughed again, "You know I'm joking with you lad."

My laugh went high-pitched as Luna pinched the bridge of her nose in agitation. "Yeah...right...sometimes it doesn't seem that way...Stan."

"Oh you motherfucker," Stanford growled, "You see, this is why I can't have nice things: you show up and ruin everything."

Luna's face went pale. "Helix, please apologize now."

I looked at her in confusion.

"You don't need a spear up your ass, so please apologize."

I sighed, "Sorry Stanford."

He chuckled, "Don't worry about it, Hel."

Moving on, he proceeded to toss a glowing bag onto the table.

"What's this?" I asked as I finished tossing the remnants of scorched egg into a waste basket.

"It's called ethridium-or the essence of the ethereal planes, as the blokes in Volhime call it."

This caught everyone's attention, and I had more questions than answers at the current moment.

"How peculiar," I murmured.

When Dorrian reached for it, I slapped his hand, "Don't fucking touch it Dorrian!"

He looked at me in confusion, "Why?"

"Because it'll blow you and every one of us to pieces!"

"Okaaay," He breathed, moving himself away from the seemingly-volatile substance.

"Anyway," Stanford continued, staring at the ghastly blue bag, "Your next mission will be a tough one. The mountain city of Volhime has requested your team's assistance."

"With?" I prompted.

"With repelling a hoard of demons." Stanford supplied.

My jaw dropped as Analise and Luna exchanged an alarmed glance. "Um, come again? I thought I heard you say demons."

"Yes, demons. A rift opened near the city, and there have been a slew of reports stating that there's been more than enough activity in that area to rouse suspicion. Your team needs to go to the mountain city, kick ass, and make sure those demons are sent back to hell with a foot up their asses."

"Or a spear?" Dorrian inquired.

"Yes, or a spear Dorrian." Stanford replied, looking back at me. "Because you did so well together, I suggest you consider allowing Benjamin to accompany your team again."

"I can agree with that," I replied.

Stanford nodded, "Good. He asked me if you were cool with him tagging along with you and your group of misfits again."

"Of course. Tell him that he can be a permanent member in this team if he so chooses."

Stan whistled, "You're still recruiting? I thought you were going to stay at four people."

I shrugged, "I need more members. Sure, this team has its advantages, but being only four strong is putting us at a major disadvantage."

He nodded, "What type of people are you looking for?"

"Talented individuals: People who do more than fight. People who are skilled at a specific craft or a multitude of crafts." I told him: "I don't want just another Templar to fight at my side-I want someone a little more extraordinary."

Stanford grinned, "Well, in that case: I keep getting reports that a woman is being harassed by a group of vagabonds."

"Go on," I pressed.

"Apparently from the reports, she's a renowned mechaneer who also happens to be a lupan."

This caught my attention. "Name?"

"Nova Sternenlicht." Stanford supplied as he handed me a folded piece of paper, "Here's the report I received a few days ago. It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

Now it was my turn to whistle. The Sternenlicht family were one of the very first families to discover ethridium in Volhime. Hell, they were able to keep Volhime running in the middle of the Dread Decades, and it's still standing even after multiple sieges were attempted on it. I've only been able to do light research on Volhime and the Sternenlicht family, but I've heard of the countless marvels that have come out of the mountain city.

"What's she doing here in Helios?" I asked.

Stanford shrugged, "Dunno. Rumor has it she ran away from home because her parents were too absorbed in their work to pay attention to the poor lass."

"How long have they been doing this?" I prompted him.

"Only the gods know." Stanford breathed.

I looked at my group. "Breakfast will have to wait. We have a mechaneer to find."