"Chosen me?" Rui held up the transformed fang-dagger, its curved blade catching the firelight.
"I thought we were just retrieving your stolen property."
Granny Gloam's laugh sounded like twigs snapping. "Child, nothing in the Murmuring Swamp is as simple as it appears."
She gestured for Rui to sit beside her on a gnarled stool.
"The Fang of Perseverance tests those who seek it. Most who try simply give up—they succumb to the swamp's whispers, believing the task impossible."
Her ancient eyes studied Rui.
"But you refused to surrender, even when faced with certain defeat."
Kee Kee climbed onto Rui's shoulder. "So this whole thing was just another test?"
Rui frowned, turning the dagger over in her hands.
"But what about these people?" She gestured toward the door. "You said without the fang, they'd become mindless. Was their suffering just... part of your bargain?"
Granny Gloam's expression softened slightly.
