Chapter 129

"Aiden?"

Thomas looked exactly the same as the last time I'd seen him, the only difference was his clothes and the hammer he held in one of his hands. His much burlier father stood beside him a bundle of arrows in hand.

"When did you get back?" Thomas asked.

"Just this morning," I replied, looking over the open forge. Pieces of metal, tools and other equipment lay about everywhere in what looked like some sort of organization, though I couldn't be sure.

The heat coming off the forge might have bothered a normal person, but everyone here was at least at the first level.

"Second core?" Tanner, Thomas's father, asked, shock clear in his voice and he almost dropped the bundle he held before handing it over to Pell.

"It's a long story," I said. "Anyways I'll come by later today or tomorrow, I've got some hunting to do with these lot."

"It'll be more of a slaughter if you go." Tanner chuckled. "There's not a beast around here strong enough to take you on."