Our two parties left the town later that morning and met up a few miles east of the town in the wilderness.

"So thanks to Nicole's efforts towns and even roads are options again as long as we don't travel as a single group." Root stated.

"Honestly at least for travel we can continue to stick to the wilderness. Our next stop is that lake town however?" Turnip asked.

"I would love to go around… but that would add an extra three weeks of travel at least…" Root said reluctantly.

"I'm assuming you guys came via boat?" I asked.

"Yes it’s about a two day journey, maybe longer depending on weather conditions." Orlo said.

"Fuck… anything of interest if we went around?" I asked.

"I know a few villages exist, at least one is a major fishing village. Another is a major Cattle estate that I think also does meat, leather, cheese and milk?" Orlo said.

"Orlo and the commodities market…" I commented.

"We all have to have something… mines just trade…" they said.

"I believe there is a water themed Dungeon somewhere on the coast. As well as a some sort of height themed one next if we travel west back to the mountains." Iser added.

"I'm kind of surprised there aren't just random dungeons in the middle of a field, or in some random part of a forest." I said.

"There are, new dungeons turn up all the time. Towns generally build around the most useful either due to a specific class or a valuable drop that gets farmed." Orlo said.

"O, that's kind of interesting actually. Is there a trick to finding new dungeons?" I asked.

"Minor things that only help you when you're close. Other than that… pick a direction and start exploring." Root said.

"Has this group ever found a new dungeon before?" I asked.

"Yup…" Lluvia said but didn't elaborate.

It took me a moment but I finally realized, "Oh… right".

"We are still planning on leaving the Pyrowalk Empire correct?" Iser asked.

There was a pause while everyone thought it over.

"That would be the safest thing to do, keep a low profile elsewhere and then come back when things have died down?" Orlo asked.

"A dozen people were very likely murdered because of me… I'm not going to forget or forgive that." I said.

I felt firm hands on my shoulders gently spin me around. Turnip was looking me dead in the eyes.

"You did not kill those people, you are not to blame." She said sternly.

I looked at her and smiled "Thank you, and no I was not blaming myself. I was thinking of justice or vengeance."

"I can understand the sentiment but we think it's the Seeker who stabbed you correct?" Turnip asked.

"Yes" I said.

"By all accounts, fourth evolution individuals are very rare, highly skilled, and very tough. This person is also no doubt heavily connected politically speaking." Turnip said.

"So your saying guy is untouchable?" I asked heatedly.

"No but it would be an incredibly difficult fight from multiple fronts… Look I understand and want to do something but…" Turnip said tailing off at the end.

"Like we said before… most of us have friends and family who live in the empire… if we did anything extreme it could put more lives at risk other than our own…” Root said reluctantly.

“No, I get it… more wishful thinking on my part… this might have to be something I do in a few years on my own.” I said sadly.

"Whenever that is, I'll be joining you." Lluvia said.

"Thanks" I said, giving her a smile.

"Back to the task at hand?" Root asked.

"Yeah… I'm all for more dungeons and it actually might help our group keep a low profile." I said.

"It might… it might not… I would recommend we take the details we got from your Seeker contact with a grain of salt… she wasn't the most professional individual." Root said.

I really couldn't disagree with that statement.

"There's a risk but I'm with Nicole on this." Orlo said.

"I'm always up for more dungeons." Lluvia said.

"I wouldn't mind more but I share Root’s concerts." Turnip said.

"It might provide us time to gather more information. I am interested in doing the dungeons." Iser said.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Alright then it sounds like dungeons it is." Root said.

"Does anyone else think Nicole's indecisiveness is contagious?" Orlo asked the group.

"If I remember correctly we all wanted to befriend Nicole in part to be included in any Dirt Shattering event." Iser said.

"Too late now! You're stuck with me." I told the group.

"As crazy as things have been, I've been enjoyed most of it." Orlo said and the rest of the group agreed with that sentiment.

With that we continued our South Ward trek.

The next few days had been uneventful as we had been traveling via the wilderness. Most creatures tended to avoid groups of people.

Everyday was becoming a bit more monotonous, every morning I would take up sparing with someone, eat breakfast, break camp, hike the entire day, make camp, maybe hunt, dinner, go to sleep.

I estimated we had been covering maybe 20 to 30 miles a day, which was damn good speed through generally unknown wilderness. However we still had to cover something like 200 miles, or roughly the distance from New York City to Washington DC… assuming you tried to walk on I-95. Skills helped, the daily workouts helped, and most importantly the bullshit magic that I still barely understood help.

“I miss cars…” I complained.

“What is a car?” Iser ask.

“A mechanical system for transport, mostly like a cart or a wagon. It has an internal system so it can supply its own mechanical energy to the wheels.” I said.

“Like an engine?” he asked.

“Yeah? Unless you mean Siege engine then no… I think…” I said confused.

“No, I mean the devices that provide propulsion to airships.” He said.

“Oh… shit… Orlo?… strike off another market…” I said, speaking up a bit louder.

“I figured…” Orlo said, annoyed.

“By the way, how would this ‘car’ navigate between trees?” Iser asked.

“Iser, sweety? That’s what roads are for…” I said looking at him worried.

Iser thought for a moment.

“I think I have been in these forests for too long…” Iser said.

“I know! How about we all play the quiet game, first one to talk loses.” Root said.

Something told me we were starting to get under each other's skin, then again Iser and I chatted incessantly.

It was several hours later when Turnip tapped me on the shoulder and silently indicated to stop. The entire group halted and I started to look around and focus on my hearing. Turnip was focused on something but the rest of the group was on alert.

Root signed “What?”

Turnip “Unsure … not right”

At that comment I switched up tactics and started listing everything I should expect to hear. There was a soft breeze that made the trees and foliage ruffle when it gust. I didn't remember seeing any rivers, streams, or flowing water. Then it hit me, something that was always in the background of a forest even this late in the season we still could occasionally hear insects and birds.

I signaled to the group “No bugs… No birds … no rodents”

Everyone else focused on that as well then all gave nervous glances at one another.

I held up my right arm then tapped the two metal bracelets on my wrist.

"Will try to be brief… any ideas what might drive off all animal life?" I asked the group via the bands.

"Sometimes monsters can have odd effects on the surrounding area." Iser said.

"What kind of monster?" I asked.

"Some sort of spirit or Spector are more common, but could be other things as well." Orlo said Nervousness coming through the band.

"Hard to fight?" I asked.

"Depends spirits are almost completely immune to physical attacks… magic is more effective but that depends on mana type." Orlo continued.

"I take it force or motive would be less effective? What about Fire and Shadow?" I asked.

"Force Probably not effective… fire and shadow better and likely both about the same." Iser said.

With that comment I prepped a crossbow bolt with Shadow mana instead of force. I had tried this before and it didn't damage things physically nearly as much.

"Any more dangerous than other monsters if some it’s sort of spirit?" I asked.

"Depends but for a well balanced group generally no." Root said.

"So what's the plan? Should we investigate?" I asked.

"Pass through if we find anything of note then we look." Root recommended and everyone else agreed well except for maybe me… I was curious.

We spent the next 20 minutes or so walking in this eerie unnatural silence before Iser stopped the group.

"What is it?" Root asked via the band.

"Something smells off or incorrect." He replied.

Immediately everyone tried to smell the air but no one else could sense anything.

"Alright keep an eye out and let's keep moving forward. Turnip take point next to Nicole." Root said.

A few minutes later everyone reported something smelling off.

“It smells like stale air in an old closed basement.” I commented.

"Yes, musky decay improperly maintained libraries have it as well." Iser said.

"Really? A basement and a library that is where your minds went to? You two are really made for each other." Lluvia asked.

I ignored the comment and got closer to one of the trees. It seemed almost dry for some reason so I used my knife to pry away a bit of the bark. Under it was gray dry wood, this tree was very clearly dead even to my eyes. The only reason why we didn't see it earlier was that most of the trees by this point had lost most of their leaves.

"Trees dead and it seems dried out, I think the smell is coming from that?" I said, and after that remark Lluvia and Iser both examined different trees to discover the same thing.

"I know it's late fall but this is a temperate climate. They should hold some moisture… I think" I said to the group.

It was about that time that we were ambushed.

The creature was an indistinct blob in the underbrush at least until tentacles or pseudopods wrapped around my leg. My immediate reaction to the grapple was to shadow step away, unfortunately the tendrils stuck with me during the travel.

I was then pulled off my feet and dragged to the awaiting mass of what I was expecting to be slime. As it pulled me in it was freezing which was not quite what I was expecting. Also instead of seiring agony of acid I felt a crushing weight all around me.

"Nicole status." I heard… right we had been using the bad to communicate for a little while.

"Can't breathe crushing weight." I sent back.

"It's a water elemental, just hold on will get you out." I heard Turnip say.

Right, I was in water and I actually could do something about that. So I gave myself gills.