Llandra studied the three adventurers standing before them.
Even without introductions, there was little doubt who they were.
The blonde-haired knight stood with his helmet tucked beneath one arm. Beside him towered a massive stone giant more than nine feet tall. The third member was a small, pale woman dressed in dark lace and carrying an enormous black scythe.
Even from a distance, their strength had been obvious.
Up close, there was no mistaking it.
Llandra stepped forward gracefully.
"Are you, by chance, the Crimson Vanguard?"
The knight shifted his helmet from one hand to the other and extended his now-free hand.
"Yes, we are. Sir Aldric Valen."
Llandra accepted his hand.
"Princess Llandra Darquebane, of the Elven Kingdom."
For the first time, Aldric's easy expression changed.
His eyebrows rose.
The stone giant looked toward her more closely.
Even the gothic woman's almost completely indifferent expression cracked.
"Princess?" she asked.
Llandra smiled politely.
The title carried weight.
The Elven Kingdom was not merely another territory on the continent. It was one of the great powers that had historically limited the Empire's expansion.
The Empire had the forces to challenge it.
Perhaps even conquer it.
But doing so would require committing to a war on a scale the Empire had never been willing to risk.
And standing casually before the Crimson Vanguard was one of its princesses.
Aldric's grip remained respectful as he released her hand.
"I was unaware."
"Most people are," Llandra replied.
That had always been her preference.
Among adventurers, she had been Llandra.
Later, Llandra Darquebane.
The title of princess had remained deliberately absent from the stories spreading across the continent.
Today, however, she had chosen to use it.
She turned slightly.
"And this is my husband, Jax Darquebane. Leader of our group."
Pixelle's wings twitched.
Jax smiled and raised a hand.
"Nice to meet you."
The gothic woman looked from Llandra to Jax.
Then back to Llandra.
Apparently the fact that Jax Darquebane had married an Elven princess was going to require some processing.
Aldric recovered first.
"It's an honor to meet both of you."
Llandra smiled.
"It's mighty fine to meet such a legendary group as yours."
Aldric chuckled.
"I suspect the word legendary applies equally well in both directions these days."
He gestured toward the enormous figure beside him.
"This is Gromm."
Gromm bowed his head.
"It is a pleasure."
His voice was deep enough to vibrate through the ground, but surprisingly gentle.
Bunny looked up.
And up.
And a little farther up.
"You're huge."
Gromm looked down at her.
"I have been told."
Bunny nodded approvingly.
"I like him."
Something resembling a smile moved across Gromm's stone features.
Aldric gestured toward his other companion.
"And this is Lily."
The pale woman gave a small nod.
She wore what reminded Jax of a gothic school uniform from his old world. Dark fabric. Lace. Ribbons.
And an enormous black scythe resting against her shoulder.
Bunny wondered if the woman had ever smiled in her entire life.
Nyxian, however, was fascinated.
She looked at Lily.
Lily looked at her.
Nyxian's gaze traveled over the gothic clothing.
Then the scythe.
Then back to Lily.
A slow smile appeared.
Lily's expression remained unchanged.
Jax noticed Nyxian's smile.
"No."
Nyxian looked at him.
"I didn't say anything."
"I've learned that smile."
Lily looked between them.
"I like her."
Nyxian pointed triumphantly.
"See?"
Jax sighed.
Pixelle floated closer.
"And who are these people?"
Llandra answered before anyone else could.
"The Crimson Vanguard."
Pixelle's eyes widened.
"Oh."
She looked at Aldric.
Then Gromm.
Then Lily.
"Oh!"
Pixelle immediately straightened in midair.
"I am Queen Pixelle Starbloom."
Aldric bowed in respect.
"It is an honor."
Pixelle smiled.
She liked him already.
Lexi hovered a short distance away and wisely said nothing.
The conversation quickly became surprisingly casual.
The Vixens had spent years hearing about the Crimson Vanguard.
The strongest raid group on the continent.
The standard against which other adventurers measured themselves.
More recently, they had become something else.
Competition.
Their records were the ones the Vixens had begun breaking.
There should have been tension.
Instead, within minutes Jax and Aldric were talking like two adventurers who had met at a tavern after surviving different versions of the same terrible week.
Neither asked about the other's strategy for the World Tree.
Neither asked about abilities.
Neither tried to uncover secrets.
Jax asked something considerably more mundane.
"When you did the Frost Raid, how'd you handle camping?"
Aldric groaned.
"Miserably."
"That bad?"
"Worse."
He gestured toward Gromm.
"We had several tents."
Gromm nodded.
"I did not."
Jax looked at him.
"You slept outside?"
"I do not fit in tents."
Aldric added, "And he snores."
Gromm looked offended.
"Loudly."
Gromm considered that.
Then nodded.
"I am a mouth breather."
Jax laughed.
"You guys need to see something."
Aldric raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Jax pointed toward the carriage.
"Come on."
The Vixens recognized the change immediately.
Jax wasn't simply an adventurer anymore.
The merchant had arrived.
He opened the carriage door.
Aldric entered first.
Then stopped.
Gromm ducked through behind him.
The instant the stone giant crossed the threshold, he slowly straightened.
And kept straightening.
Until all nine feet of him stood comfortably upright beneath the twenty-foot ceiling.
Gromm stared upward.
He stretched his back.
Then his shoulders.
He looked around.
"I can stand."
Aldric was staring at everything else.
The inside of the carriage bore almost no relationship to the size of the vehicle they had entered.
A large living area opened before them.
The kitchen occupied another section.
Hallways led toward the bedrooms and bathrooms.
Lily entered behind them.
She stopped.
Her eyes moved around the room.
Gromm was still looking upward.
"I can stand."
Aldric glanced at him.
"You've mentioned that."
"It is important."
Then Gromm turned around, ducked back toward the entrance and stuck his enormous head through the carriage doorway.
"EVERYONE!"
Several conversations outside immediately stopped.
"COME INSIDE!"
Aldric closed his eyes.
"Gromm."
"They need to see this."
Within moments, the rest of the Crimson Vanguard began filtering through the carriage entrance.
One stopped.
Then another.
Then another.
Several immediately turned around and looked back outside.
One stepped through the door twice.
Jax watched him.
"Making sure?"
The man nodded.
"The outside is definitely smaller."
"Usually is."
Soon, nearly the entire Crimson Vanguard stood inside the dimensional space.
Jax looked around.
"Well, since everyone's here..."
He started introducing himself.
"Jax."
"Tharok."
They shook hands.
"Good to meet you."
He moved to the next.
"Stormfang."
Jax paused.
"That's a hell of a name."
Stormfang grinned.
"Thank you."
"Brakka."
The enormous orc gripped Jax's hand firmly.
Very firmly.
Jax didn't react.
Brakka noticed.
His expression became slightly more approving.
Then came Selene, the elven archer.
Darius, the fire mage.
Talia, the ice mage.
Riven, the scout.
Orin, the support mage.
Sister Elowen, their healer.
Mira, the light mage.
Cassian, the bard.
And the others who made up the Crimson Vanguard.
Some greeted Jax warmly.
Others remained cautious.
Several of the men clearly didn't know what to make of him.
Jax was competition.
He was unusually handsome.
Confident without seeming arrogant.
And there was something about his presence that made people notice him whether they wanted to or not.
For some of the men, that translated into suspicion.
For others, something closer to admiration.
The women had their own reactions.
Some found him attractive.
Some merely recognized that he was.
But regardless of whether there was any actual interest behind it, Jax had a natural charisma that was difficult to ignore.
Jax himself noticed none of this.
He was busy selling a carriage.
Lily had already begun exploring.
She opened one door.
A guest bedroom.
Another.
A second guest bedroom.
She looked at Jax.
"Only two?"
"Three bedrooms total."
He pointed farther down the hall.
"The master is ours."
Lily immediately walked toward it.
Llandra smoothly stepped between Lily and the door.
"That is our private chamber."
Lily stopped.
"May I see it?"
Llandra smiled pleasantly.
"No."
Lily stared at her.
Llandra continued smiling.
"Personal?"
"Extremely."
Behind them, Nyxian's lips curled upward.
Zee suddenly found something on the opposite wall extremely interesting.
Jax remained oblivious.
"The master is much larger than these two."
Llandra slowly looked toward him.
Jax kept going.
"But that's the point."
He gestured around the dimensional interior.
"You wouldn't build yours like ours."
Aldric frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Think of the dimensional space as the property."
Jax spread his hands.
"You decide how much space you need. Once you have it, what you build inside that space is up to you."
He pointed toward the guest rooms.
"This layout works for us. Five people normally live in here."
Pixelle raised her hand.
"Six now."
Jax looked at her.
"You're not moving in."
Pixelle lowered her hand.
"We'll discuss it later."
"No, we won't."
Nyxian snickered.
Jax turned back toward Aldric.
"You have fourteen people. So don't copy this."
He gestured around them.
"Build fourteen smaller bedrooms if that's what you want. Or bunk rooms. Fewer bedrooms and a larger common area. More bathrooms. Whatever makes sense."
Lily looked toward Aldric.
"Fourteen bedrooms."
Aldric sighed.
"We're not designing it yet."
"Private bedrooms."
"We haven't bought anything."
Gromm raised a hand.
"Twenty-foot ceilings."
Jax nodded.
"Standard in here."
Gromm looked satisfied.
"If you need something unusually large in a particular area, talk to Barb. She'll tell you what's possible."
Aldric looked around again.
"This entire space is inside the carriage."
"Yep."
"And you travel with it."
"Everywhere."
Jax smiled.
"That's the point."
They continued through the living space.
What impressed Aldric wasn't simply the comfort.
It was what that comfort meant.
Real beds.
A place to clean equipment.
Bathrooms.
Privacy.
A kitchen.
A common area where plans could be discussed without everyone sitting in the mud around a campfire.
The Crimson Vanguard had spent years making themselves better at traveling within the realities of adventuring.
Better tents.
Better packs.
Better supply procedures.
Better equipment.
They had perfected their lives within the system they understood.
Jax had looked at the same system and asked how he could change it to fit his needs.
That was different.
Lily apparently reached that conclusion much faster.
"We need one."
Aldric looked at her.
"You've been inside for five minutes."
"That was enough."
Gromm nodded.
"I agree."
"Of course you do."
"I can stand."
Jax laughed.
Then he remembered something.
"Oh."
Everyone looked at him.
"You haven't seen the best part."
Aldric stared.
"This isn't the best part?"
"Nope."
Jax headed toward the exit.
"Come around back."
The rear of the carriage looked relatively ordinary.
Jax opened the large storage access.
Then stepped through.
The Crimson Vanguard followed.
And stopped again.
The dimensional warehouse was enormous.
Twenty-foot ceilings stretched overhead.
Tall racks ran in organized rows.
Boxes and containers were stacked neatly by category.
Weapons and equipment occupied designated sections.
Crates of supplies sat labeled and ready.
Materials collected during their travels had their own areas.
Nothing appeared randomly thrown into storage.
Everything had a place.
Aldric slowly walked forward.
"This is another dimensional space."
"Yep."
"Separate from the living quarters."
"Completely."
Sister Elowen immediately understood the advantage.
"We could put medical supplies back here."
Jax nodded.
"I'd go farther."
She looked at him.
"How much farther?"
"Build yourself a medical area."
He pointed toward one side of the warehouse.
"Treatment beds. Potion storage. Bandages. Whatever magical equipment you use."
Elowen looked around.
"Without sacrificing space in the living quarters."
"Exactly."
Darius looked toward another section.
"Alchemy supplies."
"Plenty of room."
Brakka added, "Spare weapons."
"Yep."
"Armor?"
"Sure."
Riven looked along the racks.
"Climbing equipment. Rope. Survival gear."
Jax nodded.
"Organize it however you want."
Aldric walked slowly between the shelves.
His expression had changed.
The Crimson Vanguard was already extremely organized by adventuring standards.
But their organization had always been constrained by what they could physically carry.
Someone carried healing supplies.
Someone else carried food.
Another handled repair equipment.
Specialized items were divided among packs, wagons and storage items.
Here—
Everything could have a permanent location.
Aldric looked back toward Jax.
"You've essentially built a mobile warehouse."
"Pretty much."
"And you're suggesting we build one specifically around what we carry."
"Exactly."
Jax pointed toward the living carriage.
"Keep the living space for living."
Then toward the warehouse.
"Put the ugly stuff back here."
Gromm raised a hand.
"Food."
Jax pointed toward him.
"Absolutely."
Then smiled.
"Actually..."
He walked farther down one of the aisles.
"Come here."
They followed.
Several large cabinets stood along one wall.
Gromm looked at them.
"What are those?"
"Refrigeration units."
Silence.
Jax opened one.
Cold air rolled outward.
Inside were neatly organized ingredients.
Fresh meat.
Produce.
Dairy.
Containers of prepared foods.
Everything cold.
Everything fresh.
Gromm stepped closer.
His enormous stone face hovered near the open door.
"Meat."
"Steaks."
Gromm slowly turned toward Aldric.
"We're buying one."
Aldric sighed.
"You do not make financial decisions for the Vanguard."
Gromm pointed toward the refrigerator.
"I should."
Lily nodded.
"He's right."
Aldric stared at both of them.
Jax was trying very hard not to laugh.
Sister Elowen examined the refrigeration unit.
"This uses magic?"
"Enchantments."
"And it maintains the temperature continuously?"
"That's the idea."
Elowen's expression became thoughtful.
"Some medicines degrade in heat."
Jax pointed toward her.
"There you go."
She looked toward Aldric.
"We need one."
Aldric stared at her.
"Not you too."
Darius opened another refrigeration unit.
"Cold drinks."
Jax nodded.
"Very important."
Gromm looked at Aldric again.
"Very."
Jax closed the first unit.
"Those are additional, obviously."
Aldric looked at him.
"Of course they are."
Jax smiled.
ABC.
Always Be Closing.
Aldric turned slowly, taking in the warehouse again.
His team had spent years refining how they traveled.
Every expedition taught them something.
Every inconvenience produced another improvement.
They had better tents than when they started.
Better equipment.
Better packing methods.
Better procedures.
Aldric nodded slowly.
"I understand now."
Jax looked at him.
"Understand what?"
"Why people keep talking about you."
Jax smiled.
"Hopefully good things."
"Mostly."
"Good enough."
Aldric looked toward the refrigerators.
Then the warehouse.
Then toward the dimensional living quarters beyond.
"We've spent years improving how we travel."
Jax nodded.
Aldric continued.
"But we were improving what already existed."
His eyes moved around the warehouse.
"You decided what you wanted traveling to be and made everything else fit that."
Jax considered that.
Then shrugged.
"Why wouldn't I?"
Aldric laughed.
"Exactly."
Jax reached into his coat and handed him a card.
IRONWHEEL CARRIAGE WORKS — SOLMERE
"Barb."
Aldric examined it.
"She's responsible for this?"
"She's responsible for making my ridiculous requests work."
Jax gestured toward the carriage.
"Tell her what you need. Don't tell her you want mine. Yours should be designed around the Vanguard."
Aldric nodded.
"Fourteen bedrooms," Lily said.
"High ceilings," Gromm added.
"Medical bay," Sister Elowen said.
"Refrigeration," Gromm added.
"You already said that earlier."
"I am emphasizing its importance."
Jax laughed.
Aldric looked at the card.
"You mentioned tents earlier."
"Dimensional tents."
"Barb?"
"Same place."
Aldric held up the card.
"Good."
ax led them back outside.
"Actually, I can show you the tents."
He retrieved one of their dimensional tents from storage and set it up beside the carriage.
From the outside, it looked almost disappointingly ordinary.
Then Aldric stepped through the entrance.
He stopped.
Again.
Behind him, Lily stared into the dimensional interior.
"You have a kitchen?"
Someone pushed past her.
"Bedrooms?"
"Bathrooms?"
Gromm ducked through the entrance, straightened to his full height, and immediately raised both arms.
"I can stand!"
Aldric sighed.
"Yes, Gromm. It's dimensional space."
Lily looked down the hallway.
"Bedrooms. Plural."
"Yes, Lily. We understand what you're saying."
Aldric turned toward Jax.
"We'll buy any spares you have with you right now."
Jax opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
He didn't have any.
That bothered him considerably more than it probably should have.
"Next raid, I'm bringing inventory."
Llandra smiled.
"Always prepared."
"Apparently not always."
Aldric looked toward the carriage again.
"How much does something like this cost?"
"Depends entirely on what you build."
"We can afford it."
"I figured."
Jax nodded toward the card.
"But before you buy anything, tell Barb to contact me."
Aldric raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"I'll get you a discount."
That caught him off guard.
"A discount?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
Aldric looked around at his team.
"You know perfectly well we can afford full price."
Jax smiled and placed a hand on Aldric's shoulder.
"Because when adventurers across the continent see the famous Crimson Vanguard traveling in an Ironwheel carriage, sleeping in Ironwheel dimensional tents and arriving at raids rested, clean and eating fresh food..."
He gestured around the warehouse.
"...they're going to want what you have."
Aldric stared at him.
Then he understood.
The discount wasn't generosity.
At least, not entirely.
It was marketing.
The Crimson Vanguard wouldn't merely be customers.
They would be an advertisement traveling across the continent.
Aldric started laughing.
"The stories about Jax Darquebane the merchant are true."
Jax grinned.
"I don't know what stories you're referring to."
"Of course not."
Lily looked toward Aldric.
"We're buying one."
Aldric sighed.
"We will discuss it."
Gromm nodded.
"While eating fresh meat."
"We haven't bought the refrigerator!"
"Yet."
The remainder of the afternoon passed more pleasantly than either group had expected.
The Vixens had initially viewed the Crimson Vanguard as rivals.
Jax apparently didn't know how to do that.
He talked with them as adventurers.
They traded stories.
Terrible campsites.
Disastrous quests.
Monsters that smelled worse dead than alive.
Equipment failures.
Jobs that had paid considerably less than promised.
Gromm told Bunny about a bridge collapsing beneath him because nobody had considered his weight.
Bunny laughed so hard she nearly fell from her chair.
Nyxian continued studying Lily.
Lily continued pretending not to notice.
And Jax made a point of speaking with every member of the Vanguard.
Some immediately liked him.
Others were more cautious.
A few of the men couldn't quite decide whether they wanted to dislike him or be him.
The women generally found him charming, regardless of whether there was any actual romantic interest behind it.
Jax's presence simply affected people.
He was handsome.
Confident.
Relaxed.
And somehow managed to make people feel like he was genuinely interested in meeting them.
Which, in this case, he was.
Eventually one of the more suspicious Vanguard members folded his arms.
"We're your competition."
Jax looked at him.
"So?"
The man seemed surprised.
Jax shrugged.
"At the end of the day, the world gets stronger when raids like this are completed."
He looked around at the Crimson Vanguard.
"I hope you succeed."
Then his expression became slightly more serious.
"But more importantly..."
He nodded toward them.
"I hope all of you come back safely."
The remaining suspicion faded.
There was no strategy in that.
No sales pitch.
Jax meant it.
A deep tone suddenly rolled through the clearing outside.
Conversation stopped.
The World Tree began to glow.
Mana surged through the enormous trunk.
Words appeared above the entrance.
NEXT PARTY PREPARE FOR ENTRY
GATE OPENING IN TWO MINUTES
The Crimson Vanguard changed instantly.
The group that had spent the afternoon laughing, telling stories and planning their future carriage disappeared.
Aldric placed his helmet over his head.
Lily adjusted her scythe.
Gromm rolled his enormous shoulders.
Weapons appeared.
Armor was checked.
Positions formed.
Fourteen adventurers became a single unit.
Jax watched closely.
There was no confusion.
No shouting.
No one asked what came next.
Every person already knew.
This was why they were the strongest raid group on the continent.
Aldric turned toward Jax.
"So it begins."
Jax extended his hand.
Aldric took it.
"Good luck."
"To you as well."
"And remember."
Aldric looked at him.
"Tell Barb to call me."
Aldric laughed.
"I'll remember."
Gromm walked past.
"High ceilings."
"Twenty feet."
Lily followed.
"Private bedrooms."
"Talk to Barb."
Sister Elowen passed next.
"Medical bay."
"Put it in the warehouse."
Gromm turned around.
"Refrigeration."
Aldric grabbed his enormous arm.
"Go."
The World Tree opened.
Ancient bark separated slowly as golden-green light spilled across the clearing.
Beyond it waited a passage descending into the impossible interior of the World Tree.
The Crimson Vanguard moved.
Aldric entered first.
Gromm followed.
Then Lily.
One by one, the others crossed the threshold in perfect formation.
The final member disappeared.
The bark slowly closed behind them.
The light vanished.
And somewhere beyond that ancient wall, the strongest raid party on the continent began its attempt at something no adventuring party had ever completed.
The race had officially begun.
The Crimson Vanguard had a four-day head start.