The graveyard felt so peaceful in the gentle glow of the late afternoon sun.

They gathered around the pile of loot Wobbly had spat out, with the collapsed mausoleum behind them slowly settling into silence. The thick fog that had clung to the markers was now thinning, drifting apart in lazy strands as whatever had kept it in place finally eased away. The shapes of the corpses that had once patrolled the grounds remained still, no longer moving with that eerie, synchronised purpose. It was almost as if the entire place was exhaling after holding its breath for decades.

Dominic wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to Theresa with a warm smile. She was crouched beside Wobbly, her hand gently resting on its surface. The little creature’s glow was soft but steady, its usual lively wobble now a gentle, tired rhythm. It looked exhausted yet fulfilled, as if it had just accomplished something meaningful and was quietly proud of itself.

"He’s fine," she said quietly, without looking up. "Just tired. It’s shocking that he could store things inside itself."

"Looking at it’s changing, I color, maybe he ate something that made it possible."

"It does look different, but I doubt there’s something that grants such an ability. It’s more likely it’s an ability it already had that grew after it ’grew’, which is likely why its color is different."

Dominic nodded with gentle understanding, choosing not to ask exactly what Wobbly had done; perhaps he didn’t care much, since it was alive and well. He warmly crouched down beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched, sharing a quiet, intimate moment. For a brief second, they just stayed there in comfortable silence. The soft glow of late afternoon light kissed the side of her face, and he allowed himself to feel it truly — the gentle sense of relief that came from being here together, alive, after everything they had endured underground.

"You were amazing," he said, voice low. "Couldn’t have done this or anything else without you"

She gave a small, dry smile, the kind that didn’t quite reach her eyes but still felt real. "Hey, you weren’t exactly useless down there either."

He let out a soft laugh, feeling the bond thread between them hum warmly and steadily, becoming like a second heartbeat they both shared, full of familiarity and comfort.

They started sorting the loot.

Weapons appeared first, blades of surprisingly good quality, some humming softly with faint enchantments, while others looked like artifacts from a forgotten era. Dominic carefully set aside the ones that seemed useful and gently placed the rest in a neat pile for later inspection. Theresa moved with careful precision among the artifacts, her expression serious as she examined sealed containers and mysterious objects whose purpose wasn’t immediately clear. Gold and coins spilled over in amounts that made Dominic pause and quickly do the mental math. It was more than either of them had expected, even after leaving some behind in the collapse.

Personal effects were quietly set aside, each item telling a small story: a ring, a folded letter, or a child’s toy, remnants of those who never made it back. Neither of them felt the need to say anything about it; they both understood the weight of those last belongings without words.

The total haul was quite impressive. Dominic felt a warm weight settle in his chest, not just from the coins but from the new possibilities opening up. Funds. Resources. Options they hadn’t had before. Theresa looked at him with a gentle, understanding smile as they worked together, sharing a quiet moment of shared hope.

***

Frank arrived just as evening was settling in. He stepped through the treeline with a small team, his face calm but his eyes alert as he took in everything around him: the collapsed mausoleum, the gentle fog creeping along, the pile of loot scattered across the grass, and Wobbly still resting on the ground.

He didn’t say a word right away. Instead, he moved forward quietly, crouched beside one of the fallen figures, and examined it with the calm, professional focus of someone who’s seen a lot like this before.

He then straightened up and looked at both of them with a calm, reassuring presence.

"You’ve managed to get rid of the threat," he said kindly.

"Yes, it was a lich; luckily, it didn’t even try hiding its life core," Dominic replied softly.

Frank paused for a long moment, his eyes gently moving over the graveyard as the last wisps of fog disappeared. When he looked back at them, there was a weight in his expression, but also a sense of resolve, as if he had found some peace.

"I’ll handle the report to the capital," he said with a reassuring tone. "You two focus on staying safe."

His team moved smoothly, quietly, and with care, cleaning things up. Frank stayed a moment longer to confirm the payment, thirty-five gold, handed over with a simple nod. Dominic felt the weight of it in his hand, a reminder of everything they’d been through.

Before leaving, Frank looked at them once more.

"Get some rest," he said kindly. "You’ve earned it."

Then he was gone, and his team carefully moved the bodies and secured the site behind him.

***

Wobbly stirred as the last of Frank’s team disappeared down the road. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Dominic and Theresa stood for a moment in the fading light, the four extra spatial bags now heavy with loot distributed between them. The weight was manageable thanks to the bags’ magic, but it was still a tangible reminder of everything they had pulled from underground.

Wobbly’s glow softly returned to its usual steady rhythm, the gentle wobble resuming as if nothing had changed. It looked up at Theresa, then at Dominic, and finally at the pile of loot with the same open, content smile it always wore, like it had just done what was needed and was now happily ready for whatever came next.

Dominic gazed at it for a long moment.

Wobbly looked back with a calm, steady gaze.

Then Wobbly relocated to Theresa’s shoulder, back to its usual spot, completely unbothered.

***

The road back to Caldmore was quiet in the early evening light.

The mana-touched lanterns along the road started to glow softly as the sky dimmed, casting a warm light. The city eagerly shifted from its lively daytime buzz to a more relaxed evening atmosphere. The market quarter was slowly winding down, while the dungeon district was beginning to see the first signs of night traffic. Wobbly happily perched on Theresa’s shoulder, with the spatial bags comfortably shared between them. The weight of their haul was manageable, yet it served as a warm reminder of their successful journey.

They didn’t dwell much on the fight. Instead, they focused on practical matters, what needed to be assessed, what could be sold quickly, and which items might require an expert’s attention before anyone handled them. Theresa’s equipment situation could finally be sorted out now that actual money was coming in. Dominic listened attentively, sharing his thoughts when they seemed right, as the comfortable flow of conversation settled warmly between them.

The apartment felt different as they stepped through the gate; it seemed more theirs than it had been before they left that morning. The courtyard was peaceful, with the cool evening air settling softly around them.

They gently laid out their loot on the table to take a closer look. Wobbly found its cosy spot in the middle of the main room floor and settled there, glowing with its gentle, steady rhythm.

Dominic sat at the table, carefully sorting through the unknown items with focus. Theresa was across from him, updating her notes, the lantern’s soft light highlighting her face as she worked with care.

The system activated quietly.

[QUEST COMPLETE: INTO THE HOLLOW]

[GRAVEYARD THREAT NEUTRALIZED]

[REWARD: +120 GT TOKENS]

[CURRENT GT TOKENS: 400]

[30 DAY SURVIVAL QUEST PROGRESS: 17 DAYS SURVIVED]

[13 DAYS REMAINING]

[NOTE: YOU ARE GETTING CLOSE. DON’T GET COMFORTABLE.]

He read it, then read it again, a thoughtful look crossing his face. Four hundred tokens. Five hundred needed for a pull. Thirteen days left on the survival quest. Six hundred tokens on completion, which brought him to a thousand. Two pulls are within reach.

He gently closed the notification and turned his attention back to the artifacts on the table, as if each one held a secret waiting to be uncovered.

The apartment wrapped around them in a warm, quiet embrace, peaceful and ready for whatever adventures or surprises might lie ahead.