The first three days of travel went pretty well, which should have been Greg's first sign that something was going to go wrong. The carriage moved smoothly along the main trade routes, and the Eternal Engine Core hummed happily as it powered them forward without needing to stop or refuel.

Greg was the first to drive, and Marina was next to him to help him find his way and keep him company. The view was beautiful as they left the western territories they knew so well. They watched as the landscape changed from the rolling hills around Ferndale to flatter plains with small farming communities.

"It's nice out here," Marina said, putting her hand on Greg's as he drove the carriage. "It felt so calm that it makes you forget about all the trouble that is coming our way in Meridian."

Greg said, "Don't jinx it," but he was smiling. "We still have more than a week of travel ahead of us."

"What's the worst that could happen?"

A loud fight broke out inside the carriage as if those words had called it.

"I'M TELLING YOU, WE NEED A NAME FOR OUR TEAM!" Felix yelled. "Every good adventure group needs a name!"

"We already have a name," Seraphine said back, sounding annoyed. "We are the Brotherhood of Peace. That's what we call ourselves, even though some of us here are women."

"That's not a fitting name for the competition! That's the name of our family! We need something better so that they won't call us losers! Something that makes our enemies tremble with fear until they can't say a thing!"

Bork said, "We're not warriors, we're blacksmiths. Why would we want to scare anyone?"

"BECAUSE IT'S COOOOOL! Why didn't you all get it?!"

Greg and Marina looked at each other. "I'll take the next shift," Marina said with a sigh. "Take care of whatever that is."

Greg carefully stopped the carriage and got in the back. There, he saw Felix standing in the middle of the group, waving his arms around while everyone else looked annoyed, amused, or confused.

"Alright, alright, what's with all these loud noises? What's happening?" Greg asked.

"Sensei! The timing was perfect for you to come and save the day as always!" Felix looked at him with a desperate excitement. "Tell them we need a cool name for our team in the competition!"

Greg said, "Ain't we all already have a name for that? The Brotherhood of Peace."

"See? I always correct." Seraphine said with pride.

"But that's not cool and unique!" Felix protested. "What do you think of something like The Forge Masters? Or maybe the Brothers Hammer? Or even better... The Steel Phoenixes?"

"The Steel Phoenixes?" Bork said it again. "That sounds like a group of bards, not a group of blacksmiths."

"Exactly! It's something you'll remember!"

Elwen said quietly, "It's silly."

"You're crazy!" Felix shot back, but he immediately felt remorseful. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. You are beautiful, but my point still stands!"

Greg pinched the bridge of his nose. "Felix, we're not going to change our name. We are the brotherhood of peace. It shows what we believe."

"But—"

"No ifs, ands, or buts. We don't mean to scare anyone. We're trying to show them what peace can do."

Felix felt a little deflated, but he wasn't ready to give up. "Okay. But what about shaking hands with the team? Secret handshakes are what all the cool teams do!"

Marina said from the driver's seat, "Oh gods."

"Do you want to shake hands?" Bork seemed interested even though he would rather not be. "Are you referring to the daily handshake that people typically perform when they meet...?"

"Not like that! I meant it as a whole series of gestures, including fist bumps, high fives, and maybe even some finger snapping!" Felix did a series of movements that were so complicated that they looked like he was having a seizure.

"No way, I won't do that kind of silly thing." Seraphine said flatly.

"Come on! It will be fun, Seraphine!"

"It looks like you're fighting bees that aren't there."

"That's the point! It's one of a kind!"

This led to another hour of debate. Mira thought they should add a magical touch of some kind. Donetta suggested something that was more elegant and simple.

Elwen wanted it to mean something instead of just looking good. Bork thought the whole thing was pointless, but he still had thoughts on how strong a handshake should be.

Greg let them debate for a while before stepping in. "Alright, hear me out. How about this? We make it easy."

"First, a fist bump, then a palm-to-palm, and finally a finger snap. Quick, easy to remember, and not silly."

He showed how to do the three-part sequence. Everyone gave it a shot, and after making a few changes for Mira's spirit form and Hammy's lack of fingers, they came up with a basic team gesture that everyone could agree on.

Felix said, "It's not as cool as I wanted it to be, but... I guess it works."

Greg said, "That's the spirit of compromise. Can we please have some peace now without any debate that's going on?"

The peace lasted for about two hours, until the next argument broke out. This time, it was about what they should wear to the contest.

"We should all look the same!" Mira said with excitement. "Like a uniform!"

"I don't wear a uniform," Marina said right away. "I took too long to choose my clothes."

"But it would look so businesslike!"

"I agree with Marina," Lylia said. "We should look as if we're working together but not the same. How about some matching colors for us?"

"What colors, though?" Elwen asked. "Red? Blue? Green? There are so many options!"

Seraphine said, "Black. It represents professional and useful."

"Not interesting, too edgy." Felix said. "We need something that pops, like a bright orange!"

"That sounds ridiculous," said everyone else.

Greg, who was driving again while Marina slept, could hear every word of the argument and was getting a headache. How did this much trouble come from a simple trip?

The days went on like this, with the group switching drivers to keep things exciting. On the fourth day, Bork took over and showed that he was a great driver. His dwarf reflexes kept the carriage steady even on bumpy roads.

Marina's ability to find their way kept them on track, and Lylia's packed lunches kept everyone fed and happy. But the arguments went on.

On the fifth day, they fought about whether Hammy should be a real team member or just a mascot. Hammy ended the argument by bouncing on each person's head in turn and chirping angrily. They saw the move as a vote for full membership.

On the sixth day, they talked about the pros and cons of different forging methods. Bork and Greg had a friendly but heated argument about hammer weights that lasted three hours. Throughout the entire discussion, Seraphine meticulously recorded every word.

On the seventh day, Felix tried to teach everyone a chant he had made up for the team. It was quickly turned down when he couldn't remember the words halfway through.

Greg was always being asked to mediate, make final decisions, or just tell everyone to calm down and focus on the journey. It was tiring, but in a way, it was also comforting. He loved his family, even with all the chaos.

Greg couldn't sleep during his rest period on the eighth day, when they were almost halfway to Meridian. The only sounds in the carriage were the soft hum of the Eternal Engine and the soft breathing of people.

But Greg's mind was racing, and memories of the Sunken Citadel starts coming back. The darkness, Elias, and the feeling of being powerless when Marina was taken.

The moment he knew he could lose her. The fight to save her and the others was desperate.

They had lived, but just barely. Greg had to break his promise, kill someone, and become the person he had promised himself he would never be again.

"Ahh...!" He woke up immediately.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

"Fucking hell... why did that dream came back to haunt me...?"

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