Recaps

Rain visited Ironforge Workshop to upgrade his armor and chose affordable equipment he could replace as he grew stronger. He left with chainmail, a horned helmet, and a spiked shield, planning to save for heavier armor.

• Rain compared the shop’s armor and shield prices and weighed protection against the cost of upgrading his gear.
• The old man explained Ironforge Workshop’s discounts on future repairs and its buyback policy for equipment.
• Rain bought half-length chainmail, a Bull-Horn Helmet, and a Cross-Riveted Wooden Shield fitted with a metal spike for fifty-two silver coins.
• Rain left Ironforge Workshop wearing his new gear and decided to keep taking jobs until he could afford thick plate armor.

Rain passed Humbert’s test to learn the Warhammer, surprising the trainees and Lia with his strength and control. Humbert took him into his private training room and revealed that his strict standards were connected to the path to becoming a Professional.

• Rain returned to the association and asked Humbert to test him for Warhammer training.
• Rain lifted the heavy Warhammer with one hand and rang the bell without damaging it or the wall.
• Humbert recognized Rain’s skill and led him to his private training room.
• Humbert said his high standard for Warhammer students was tied to the path to becoming a Professional, leaving Rain eager to learn more.

Rain learned how weapon techniques could lead to different professions depending on the weapon, specialization, and race, then trained with Humbert until he was ready to learn his first Combat Technique. The chapter ended as Humbert prepared to demonstrate Armor-Breaking Strike.

• Humbert explained how Dwarves who mastered warhammer techniques could awaken different professions, while humans might instead become ordinary warriors or Shield Bearers.
• Humbert taught Rain the basic warhammer grip and swinging motions, and Rain quickly learned them with help from his Hammer Proficiency.
• Humbert told Rain to practice with a shield as well as a warhammer, then reflected that he was nearing the end of a promise to Yulis before returning to the Iron Hills.
• Lia told Rain that Humbert taught warhammer lessons for free because his human priestess companion had died at Lancot Snow Mountain, and she warned Rain to keep the story quiet.
• While his injured teammates recovered, Rain trained diligently until Humbert decided he was ready to learn Armor-Breaking Strike and began demonstrating it on an ironwood dummy.

Rain learned Armor-Breaking Strike and Shield Bash from Humbert, improving his execution over two weeks while remaining short of a class-change prompt. At the Whistling Hunters' reunion, Rain arrived transformed into a hulking figure, shocking Chris and the others.

• Humbert demonstrated Armor-Breaking Strike, and Rain eagerly agreed to learn it.
• Humbert explained execution levels and how different professions could use universal Combat Techniques in their own ways.
• Rain spent two weeks training, reaching just over 80% execution with Armor-Breaking Strike and just over 60% with Shield Bash.
• Chris recovered, and the Whistling Hunters gathered at Hearthfire Bar, where Leia wondered why Rain had not arrived yet.
• Rain entered wearing chainmail and a bull-horn helmet, and Chris recognized him only after being stunned by his changed appearance.

Rain reunited with Leia’s party at Hearthfire Bar and told them he had begun training with Instructor Humbert. During their meal, Leia revealed that the Stillwater Boarmen were arming themselves and preparing to attack, while the identity of their human weapons supplier remained unknown.

• Rain removed his helmet, surprised Leia’s party, and explained that he had passed Humbert’s test and received a Warhammer.
• Leia treated Rain to Hearthfire Bar’s signature ale-roasted pork ribs, and Rain detected cardamom, cumin, and chili powder in their seasoning.
• Leia told the party that a Black Iron Adventurer party had confirmed the Stillwater Boarmen’s equipment had improved and their High Priest had died in an internal conflict.
• Leia explained that Chieftain Ramsta had consolidated power and was eager to attack, while displaced Boarfolk Warriors had appeared near other towns.
• Leia said the clan numbered over five thousand and included powerful professionals, and that the Dorn City Council had been informed.
• Rain asked who was supplying the Boarmen with weapons, but Leia said the supplier remained unknown because the weapons’ identifying marks had been removed.

Leia shared Illys’s letter announcing that she had become a full priestess of the Earth Goddess Temple but could not rejoin the Whistling Hunters yet. As the team planned its next job, Rain considered seeking stronger monsters beyond the area around Mill Town.

• Leia told the team that Illys had become a full priestess and read her letter explaining her duties at the temple and her absence during the Harvest Festival.
• Illys sent Leia an Enchanted Arrow and warmly remembered her friends, including the Whistling Hunters’ new teammate, Grand.
• Rain learned more about Illys’s history with Leia, Chris, and Fabian, and grew curious about meeting her.
• Leia suggested that the team visit the Adventurers’ Association the next day to look for a suitable job, and Chris asked for an easier one.
• Rain ruled out weak local monsters as worthwhile targets and considered traveling to find stronger prey.

Rain chose a rare job to eliminate Giant Vampire Bats, hoping to gain an inherited hearing ability and improve his control in combat. After Leia and the team agreed, Chris suggested using reinforced nets and poison to drive the bats out of their cave.

• Rain decided that Keen Hearing and a restraining ability would help him in future fights, then suggested checking for a suitable job at the Adventurers' Association.
• Rain found a new job to eliminate Giant Vampire Bats and asked the team to take it instead of Chris's proposed Goblin job.
• Leia agreed to Rain's choice, and Chris, Fabian, and Grand also accepted the bat-hunting job.
• Chris suggested buying reinforced nets and using poison to smoke the bats out of the cave.
• Leia agreed to accept the job.

Rain and his team traveled to a cliff near Fernsprout Village to find the Giant Vampire Bats responsible for killing livestock. Rain identified the correct cave and estimated that eighteen or nineteen bats were inside, leaving the team preparing to investigate the high fissure.

• The team rode north toward Fernsprout Village and agreed to head straight for the cliff where villagers had seen the Giant Vampire Bats fly.
• Fabian found three possible cave openings, and Leia chose to investigate them before dusk.
• Rain sniffed the first two openings and ruled them out, identifying the high fissure as the likely bat cave.
• Grand, Rain, and Chris built a crude ramp up to the fissure, and Rain detected fresh blood and the scents of about eighteen or nineteen bats inside.
• Rain told the team they had found the right cave.

Rain led the group into the bat cave, where they confirmed several Giant Vampire Bats were roosting in a large cavern. The team used a bleeding rabbit to lure the bats toward a narrow tunnel, and the first bat demonstrated how it could enter by turning to fly vertically.

• Rain estimated that the cave held about a dozen Giant Vampire Bats and proposed luring them into the tunnel while Leia guarded the entrance.
• Rain led Chris, Fabian, and Grand through the cave using his Dim-Light Vision and keen sense of smell.
• The group reached a large cavern and spotted the bats hanging from the ceiling.
• Rain suggested using a bleeding rabbit as bait in the narrow tunnel, and Grand took the front position beside Rain to protect Chris's injured hand.
• Fabian wounded a rabbit and placed it behind the group, drawing several bats from their roost.
• The lead bat turned ninety degrees to fly vertically just before entering the narrow passage.

Rain used Shield Bash and his warhammer to kill most of a swarm of Giant Vampire Bats in the passage, leaving his companions astonished by his strength. After they discussed his combat technique and the possibility of him becoming an Arcane Knight, Fabian heard more bats in the Cavern Hall.

• Rain killed the leading Giant Vampire Bat with Shield Bash and struck down a second with his Warhammer.
• The remaining Giant Vampire Bats charged through the passage, and Rain used his shield and Warhammer to bring down most of them.
• Fabian, Chris, and Grand counted their kills and learned that Rain had killed eight or nine bats.
• Rain explained that Instructor Humbert had taught him Shield Bash, and Grand described the strength it required.
• Chris asked whether Rain planned to become an Arcane Knight, but Rain said he had only learned the technique because it was useful.
• Fabian heard what seemed to be more bats in the Cavern Hall.

Rain and his companions cleared a Giant Vampire Bat nest without anyone being injured, then returned to Mill Town and collected their reward. Leia praised Rain’s strength and suggested taking a harder mission next time, while Chris asked him to trade combat tips.

• Rain agreed to let Fabian and Chris shoot the remaining young bats with their hand crossbows.
• The group finished clearing the nest, and Chris gathered fangs and wings as proof of the mission.
• Leia worried outside the cave until Rain and the others emerged carrying bundles of bat wings, then heard Chris recount the fight.
• Leia suggested the group choose a harder mission next time, and Rain considered accepting.
• The team returned to Mill Town and received seventy-six silver coins, which Leia split among them with eight extra coins for Rain.
• Chris asked Rain when he was free to trade combat tips.

Rain activated the Giant Vampire Bat bloodline and discovered it had granted him enhanced hearing and Sonic Location. He then fused four Giant Vampire Bat bloodlines into a stronger Giant Vampire Bat Leader bloodline.

• Rain agreed to exchange combat pointers with Chris and Grand the morning after their rest day, and Leia decided to watch.
• Rain activated the Giant Vampire Bat bloodline and gained Keen Hearing and Sonic Location.
• Rain tested Sonic Location, using echoes to map nearby spaces and detect creatures and obstacles, but repeated use strained his vocal cords.
• Rain fused four Giant Vampire Bat bloodlines and produced a Giant Vampire Bat Leader bloodline.

Rain gained Silencing Scream and reorganized his equipped bloodlines, then visited Ironforge Workshop to replace his worn shield. Robin lent him money for the purchase, and Rain left his new shield to be fitted with spikes as Robin set off on a Kobold-clearing quest.

• Rain discovered that Silencing Scream could disrupt spellcasting within ten meters and noticed that the Giant Vampire Bat Leader Bloodline granted Robust.
• Rain removed the Goblin Warrior Bloodline from his equipped slots, equipped the Mutant Goblin and Boarfolk Warrior Bloodlines, and freed a bloodline slot.
• Rain asked Feod to buy back his worn Kite Shield, but the reduced offer left him short of the price of a metal shield.
• Robin recognized Rain at Ironforge Workshop and offered to lend him money, allowing Rain to buy a new metal Kite Shield with a discount.
• Rain left the new shield at the workshop to have three spikes fitted, while Robin departed with his Adventurer team for a Kobold-clearing quest and planned to save for his sister's eye treatment.

Rain sparred with Chris and overwhelmed him with his strength, surprising Leia and the rest of the Whistling Hunters. Leia questioned whether Rain was truly an Apprentice Mage and explained special Professional paths, leaving Rain considering how his mixed abilities might shape his future.

• Rain arrived at the Whistling Hunters’ rented training ground and accepted Chris’s invitation to spar with shields.
• Fabian and Grand bet on Rain, while Leia bet on Chris.
• Rain’s blows forced Chris backward, and their shield clash cracked Chris’s shield and ended the spar with Rain victorious.
• Leia was surprised by Rain’s strength and asked whether he was an Apprentice Mage or intended to become a special Professional.
• Leia explained paths such as Sharpshooter and Magic Archer, and Rain asked whether she planned to pursue either one.

Rain joined the Whistling Hunters and helped them plan a coordinated attack, but their first practice run exposed a timing problem. He revealed his powerful Savage Charge to demonstrate how he could rush a target alongside the team's ranged attacks.

• Rain accepted Leia's invitation to join the Whistling Hunters, and the team welcomed him as a full member.
• Leia assigned Chris and Rain to hold the front while Fabian signaled the team's focused attack and Grand joined the assault, but their first strike was too slow and poorly coordinated.
• Grand suggested that Rain switch places with him, and Rain decided to reveal his high-speed Savage Charge to his new teammates.
• During the next practice run, Rain charged into an ironwood dummy at the same time Leia's arrow struck, stunning Chris with the impact.

Rain practiced combat techniques with his squad and joined them in searching for a new job. A high-reward notice about investigating the missing Simmons Squad near Azure Mine caught his attention when he heard that Robin was among its members.

• Rain outpaced Fabian in their practice attack, and Leia suggested the squad train switching targets.
• After two hours of practice, the squad agreed to look for a suitable job the next morning.
• Rain collected his spiked shield from Ironforge Workshop and joined Leia, Chris, and Fabian at the association hall.
• Rain asked about Deepmoss Spider jobs, but Leia said none were available, so the squad considered another assignment.
• A receptionist posted a fifty-silver investigation job for a missing squad near Azure Mine, and Rain reacted when Adventurers said Robin belonged to the missing Simmons Squad.

Rain and his party accepted a mission to investigate the missing Simmons Squad, including Rain’s friend Robin, at an abandoned branch of the Azure Mine. After learning that foreman Bondes had lied about entering the mine, they continued inside, leaving his actions suspicious.

• Rain recognized that Robin was among the missing adventurers and persuaded Leia, Grand, Chris, and Fabian to accept the investigation mission.
• The party traveled to the Azure Mine and discussed how the missing squad might have become lost, been trapped by a cave-in, or fallen into an Underground River.
• A miner told Leia that Old Johnny had drowned three months earlier and that Bondes had replaced him as foreman.
• Bondes said the missing squad had entered the eastern tunnel but claimed nobody had gone in afterward.
• Rain detected Bondes’s lingering scent inside the mine and realized the foreman had entered after Robin’s squad went missing.

Rain led Leia's group through a Kobold tunnel, using his heightened senses and Sonic Location to detect traps and map an underground chamber ahead. He spotted unfamiliar creatures on the chamber ceiling and asked the others what flying monsters might live alongside Kobolds.

• Fabian found and dismantled two Kobold traps, including one that would spill venom and ring an alarm.
• Rain identified the passage with the strongest Kobold scent, surprising Leia with his tracking ability.
• Leia arranged the group with Rain in front, Fabian in the middle, and Grand guarding the rear as they advanced.
• Rain used Sonic Location to map a chamber about thirty meters ahead and detected eleven creatures, including three clinging to the ceiling.
• Rain told the group about the chamber and asked whether they knew of flying monsters that lived alongside Kobolds.

Leia identified the flying creatures as Winged Kobolds, and the Whistling Hunters ambushed the Kobolds in an underground hall. Rain killed four ordinary Kobolds in seconds, but Fabian shouted a warning as danger approached from behind.

• Leia recognized Rain's flying creature as a Winged Kobold and explained that they usually lived in larger Kobold groups.
• The five hunters planned their attack, with Leia firing a flare to reveal a dozen ordinary Kobolds and three Winged Kobolds in the hall.
• Fabian and Grand shot at the Winged Kobolds while Rain and Chris charged the ordinary Kobolds.
• Rain killed four Kobolds with his hammer and shield, including two that attacked him with slings.
• Rain paused to catch his breath, and Fabian urgently shouted for him to watch out.

Rain and his companions defeated a group of Kobolds and discovered gear belonging to the missing adventuring party. Robin’s damaged shield suggested that something stronger than the Winged Kobolds might lurk deeper in the mine, and the group turned toward the passage leading underground.

• Rain killed a Winged Kobold that attacked him, and the Kobolds fled as the group defeated the remaining creatures.
• Rain and Fabian found human armor and weapons among the Kobolds’ belongings, including Robin’s Kite Shield and spear.
• Chris and Fabian reasoned that the Winged Kobolds had likely ambushed the missing adventurers and driven them farther into the mine.
• Rain noticed that Robin’s shield had a hole too large to have been made by thrown stones, and Leia agreed that the damage seemed to come from a Warhammer.
• Grand suggested that a mutated Kobold might have caused the damage, and the group looked toward the passage leading deeper underground.

Rain and the adventurers searched the underground chamber for the missing mutated Kobolds and uncovered a hidden passage. Rain sensed that unknown creatures lay ahead and realized the Kobolds they had killed might have been placed there as bait.

• Rain used his scent and Sonic Location abilities to conclude that no Kobolds were in the passage leading deeper underground.
• Rain told the party to search the chamber walls, and Fabian found a movable stone hiding a passage.
• Rain warned the others that he smelled creatures unlike Kobolds or Winged Kobolds, and the party debated what might be inside.
• Rain used Sonic Location and detected three broad humanoid creatures about thirty meters ahead, along with Kobolds moving farther into the passage.
• Rain suspected the Kobolds and Winged Kobolds they had killed had been deliberately stationed in the chamber to lure the party.

Rain and the Whistling Hunters realized the hidden passage might lead to Gray Dwarves in the Underdark, then prepared to fight when Sos Darkforge and two companions charged them. The Gray Dwarves’ warhammers reminded Rain of the hole in Robin’s shield, suggesting they were connected to Robin’s death.

• Rain asked what creatures were shorter and stockier than humans and might live alongside Kobolds, prompting Leia to suspect Gray Dwarves.
• Rain used a sound pulse to check the passage again and discovered three creatures charging toward the party from twenty meters away.
• Leia ordered the Whistling Hunters into formation, with Rain, Chris, and Grand blocking the entrance while she and Fabian readied ranged weapons.
• Sos Darkforge realized the humans had detected the Gray Dwarves and rushed the entrance with his two companions under orders to kill anyone who discovered the mining operation.
• Chris confirmed that the attackers were Gray Dwarves, and Rain recognized their heavy warhammers as the likely cause of the hole in Robin’s shield.

Aiyer prepared for the Adventurers’ arrival while Rain’s team fought three Gray Dwarves in the underground hall. As the humans neared the passage exit, the Gray Dwarves used Gigantification, leaving Leia alarmed about the shield fighters’ chances.

• Aiyer questioned Withered Beard about the Kobolds assigned to the upper hall and angrily learned that only three Winged Kobolds had been sent.
• Rain, Chris, and Grand held the Gray Dwarves’ opening hammer strikes, then fell back in formation while Leia and Fabian supported them with ranged attacks.
• Leia ordered the team to retreat into the narrow passage, and Rain led Chris and Grand in a steady withdrawal.
• Fabian ran out of crossbow bolts as the team neared the passage exit, and the Gray Dwarves enlarged themselves with Gigantification.
• Leia warned Rain, Chris, and Grand to watch out as the transformed Gray Dwarves prepared to attack.

Rain countered a gigantic Gray Dwarf’s hammer strike with Shield Bash, then charged in to save Grand and ordered the squad to focus their attacks. Elsewhere, Aiyer argued with Withered Beard and Thorn about killing the adventurers and guarding the hidden passage.

• Chris and Grand were knocked down by gigantic Gray Dwarves, while Rain deflected Sos’s hammer with Shield Bash and sent it flying.
• Leia and Fabian struggled to protect the fallen fighters as the squad’s formation began to collapse.
• Rain used Savage Charge to stop a Gray Dwarf from striking Grand and urged Leia and Fabian to concentrate their attacks.
• Aiyer rebuked Withered Beard for sending only three Winged Kobolds and worried that the adventurers might discover the hidden passage.
• Thorn told Aiyer that his Darkforge Clan would deal with intruders who entered, but refused to pursue the adventurers before they came down.

Rain and the Howling Hunt Party coordinated attacks that ended Bingus’s Gigantification and badly wounded him, but Sos used a magic pendant to shield him. The party then injured Omir, only for Sos to shield him as well, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Rain, Fabian, and Leia attacked Bingus together, interrupting his Gigantification and inflicting severe wounds.
• Sos activated a red barrier from his necklace to protect Bingus, while the gray dwarf on the left knocked Chris out of the fight.
• Rain called for the party to switch targets and charged the left gray dwarf, then struck his eye with Freezing Ray as Leia and the others attacked.
• Sos used the pendant again to shield Omir from Fabian’s dagger, and Chris realized it could protect the gray dwarves twice in succession.