They packed up camp first thing the next morning and headed back to the town. She led the way again though it was easy. All she had to do was follow the trail she had made leading them to the nest in the first place.

The eyes were buzzing around watching this and that as she walked. She spotted an odd-looking rabbit. Its fur was extra fluffy, and its eyes were solid green. She sent an eye over to get a better look. The creature froze like rabbits do, but unlike other rabbits, it started to sparkle.

It snapped out of existence. Anna looked around with her eyes and spotted a shimmer that popped into a shower of sparks. Suddenly the rabbit reappeared a few yards away. She snatched it up with a tentacle and squeezed it tightly.

“I just caught a bunny that can move with magic!” she squealed.

“Where?” Elaine asked just as excited.

Anna darted over to the tentacle. The rabbit was being held firmly, and the creature was so terrified, it was frozen in the tentacle’s grasp. Eyes floated around the trapped creature staring at it with their lidless gaze.

Elaine rushed over and started to look the rabbit over.

“Definitely a magical beast,” she said. She reached over and started to rub the rabbit’s ear. “I can’t wait to dissect you,” she said.

“What? No! It’s too cute to dissect!” Anna replied. Elaine looked over at Anna.

“Why’d you catch it if you weren’t going to kill it?” she asked.

“I’m going to keep it!” Anna replied.

“You can’t keep a magical beast!” Elaine said.

“Why not?” Anna asked.

“Well, for one thing, it will just teleport away when you let it go,” Elaine replied.

“Not if I have Lyreen cast a spell on its cage it won’t,” Anna said.

“You know magic blocking?” Elaine asked, turning to Lyreen. The elf got a smug look on her face.

“Of course I do. I actually finished school,” she replied. Elaine glared at Lyreen for a moment.

“You’ll need a cage for it unless you’re planning on carrying it around in a tentacle,” Voekeer said, cutting in.

Tentacles sprouted all around them. They started to snap branches off the trees and brush and weaving them together. Within moments, a wicker cage was crafted and handed to her. Anna held it out.

“Like this?” she asked.

“It will chew through that child,” Barika replied.

“Not before we get back to town. Then Thokri will make me one out of metal. Won’t you?” Anna asked, looking at the dwarf with big eyes. Thokri chuckled.

“I’ll make a cage for the critter,” he replied.

Lyreen held out her hand. Her focus glowed and sparks started to float out and touch the cage. Lyreen wiggled her fingers, moving the sparks around in an intricate pattern before they settled on the wood and soaked in.

It didn’t take her long, and when she was finished, the cage seemed to shimmer in Anna’s sight. The tentacle holding the rabbit stuffed it into the cage, and Anna closed the door and latched it shut.

The rabbit started to spark again, but the sparks just dissipated. The rabbit shivered and tried again. When it failed a second time, the creature scrunched up on itself and froze.

“I’m not going to eat you, friend,” Anna said.

The rabbit didn’t so much as twitch. She shrugged and tied the cage to the top of her back.

“So, now you have a carnivorous plant and a teleporting rabbit. Try not to get anymore pets on this trip, okay?” Barika asked.

“I won’t,” Anna replied.

Anna picked a few plants that she’d seen rabbits chewing on in the past as they walked. She reached behind her and poked them into the cage. The rabbit’s nose twitched a few times, and then it cautiously took a nibble.

Once it chewed a few times, it yanked the plant back. She let go, and it devoured it. She poked plants into the cage during their walk back. The rabbit seemed to like just about anything she fed it.

“Well, it didn’t lose its appetite, that’s for sure,” Barika said.

“Bunnies are always hungry,” Anna replied. Barika laughed.

“That’s true,” she said.

They reached the edge of the forest by midday. She sent the eyes away as soon as they stepped out into the bright sunlight. They stopped to eat, and she stuffed a few more plants into the cage. The rabbit had perked up some and would come to the edge of the cage now when her hand went near it.

After eating, they set off to the town. The walk back didn’t take long, and they arrived in the early evening. They walked back to the inn where they had left the cart and went inside. It was full of townsfolk, and she saw Bill sitting at a table surrounded by old men. He waved them over, and they walked to greet him.

“Didn’t expect you all back so soon,” he said.

“Spiders aren’t much trouble for us,” Voekeer replied.

“Those damned things wiped out a whole gathering party. Twenty men gone, and the seven of you took care of them in a day,” Bill said shaking his head.

“It’s what we do, lad,” Thokri replied.

Voekeer pulled out the bag filled with fangs they had taken from the spiders as proof they had been killed. He handed it to Bill who opened the bag and looked inside. Bill took one of the six-inch long fangs from the bag, and several people around the inn gasped at the sight.

“So many,” Bill said. He dumped the fangs on the table making a large pile. There were more gasps and murmuring.

“They never stood a chance,” one of the old men said.

Anna watched as he picked up one of the fangs. There were tears in his eyes. Another man patted him on the arm. The old man nodded and tossed the fang back onto the pile.

“You lot were worth every copper,” he said. Voekeer took out the contract and handed it to Bill.

“Get me a quill,” Bill said. A man got up and walked into another room.

“When will you be leaving?” Bill asked.

“Sometime tomorrow. Our friend here caught herself a magical rabbit, and we need a proper cage for it,” Voekeer replied.

He had put his hand on Anna’s shoulder. Bill stood up and looked into the cage.

“What can it do?” he asked.

“It teleports,” Anna replied.

“I don’t think we have anything that can hold it here,” Bill said.

“It’s fine. We have spells that can stop magic,” Anna replied. Bill looked them over again.

“I should have guessed some of you were mages,” he said.

“How else do you think we can stroll into a monster filled forest and kill dozens of them?” Elaine asked. Bill laughed.

“Now I feel like we got you all for cheap,” he replied.

“You did, lad. Just be thankful that the lass here likes to eat spider legs. Otherwise, we’d have gone straight for the basilisks,” Thokri said.

“She what?” Bill asked.

“She’s weird. Try not to think about it,” Lyreen replied. Bill and the old men at the table all laughed.

“Weird or not, come have a drink with us,” Bill said.

She took off her pack and sat next to Bill at the table. Her friends found empty seats and sat down as well. A black-haired woman brought a tray full of ales to them moments later. Anna took a drink and smiled.

“Not bad,” she said. Thokri was nodding in approval as well.

“Hear that, Earl! The dwarf likes your brew!” Bill said.

“Bah, I don’t like this swill. I just don’t hate it,” Thokri replied. The old men started to laugh, and the man who was most likely Earl waved Thokri off.

They stayed and talked with the old men for a while, telling them about their fight with the spiders. It was all lies, of course. Anna didn’t want them to know what she could do. The old men seemed to enjoy the tale anyway, so it didn’t really matter in the end.

Bill signed their contract, and they put the fangs back into the sack. The townsfolk didn’t want them, so the party decided to keep them. A man walked in with a metal cage and handed it to her.

“If you can put a spell on it, this should work,” he said. Anna set the cage next to her then stood up and hugged the man. He squirmed some, and she let go. His face was bright red. Anna looked down to make sure her dress wasn’t ripped or something. Finding it intact, she looked back up at him. He was looking around the room nervously.

“Better hope Susan doesn’t find out you’ve been hugging pretty girls,” Bill said.

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“I didn’t hug her! She hugged me!” the man replied.

“Who’s Susan?” Anna asked.

“My wife,” the man replied.

“Does she get jealous?” Anna asked.

“That’s an understatement,” one of the old men said.

“Oh, well, I’ll hug her too if you want. Then she won’t have to be jealous,” Anna replied. Everyone just kind of looked at her. She heard Elaine sigh.

“Did I say something weird again?” Anna asked.

“Yes, child,” Barika replied.

“Oh, okay,” Anna said. She sat back down.

“Well, at least she’s pretty,” Bill said. The old men at the table chuckled, but her friends didn’t seem all that amused by the statement.

Was that mean? Should I say something or just leave it?

She looked at Thokri who shook his head no.

Okay, don’t say anything. Got it.

They left after a few more minutes, taking food to their rooms claiming to be tired from the walk. After Lyreen cast a spell on her new cage, she moved the rabbit to it. The creature didn’t seem to mind her touching it at this point and didn’t try to escape when she picked it up.

They left early the next morning, not waiting for Bill or the other old men to say goodbye.

Why are they so mad at those people? I’m not mad. I am pretty after all.

She guided the wagon out of the town and to the road south. There were no roads through Gloomwood, only ones that went around, and that would take weeks. They were in no rush. The basilisks were cold blooded and hunting them in the fall and winter was the best choice anyway.

It was late in the summer and still hot at the moment, not so much that her friends stripped naked though.

I still don’t see what the big deal is!

“So, what are you going to name the rabbit?” Lyreen asked.

“What are the green gemstones called?” Anna asked.

“Emeralds,” Thokri replied.

“Her name is Miss Emerald,” Anna said.

The cage rattled in the wagon.

“It’s a boy,” Elaine said.

“Lord Emerald then,” Anna replied. The others laughed.

“Lord Emerald it is,” Lyreen replied.

“What are you going to do with this creepy plant?” Lyreen asked a few minutes later.

“Plant it in my garden in Oldforge,” Anna replied.

“Might want to keep it indoors, lass,” Thokri said.

“Why?” Anna asked.

“It might eat a wee one when it gets bigger,” Thokri replied.

“Oh no, that would be terrible. I like those children,” Anna said.

“Aye,” Thokri replied.

“Their mothers on the other hand, I wouldn’t miss them at all,” Anna said. She heard Elaine giggle, but Barika hushed her.

Gloomwood crept up next to the road, and by the end of their first week out of the small logging town, it was right next to them as they rode along.

The dense forest remained for another week before they reached the edge of the forest. The road curved back to the west. The tree line receded into the distance as they traveled southwest, and a few days later, it was no longer visible.

Back to staring at fields all day.

Black clouds rolled overhead, and thunder could be heard in the distance.

“Come on, lass. Time to get into the wagon,” Thokri said.

Rose nodded, and the two of them climbed into the back and closed the flap. She heard the others closing the back flaps as well.

They should stay dry, mostly.

The canvas top was mostly waterproof, but if it rained hard enough, some would still get in. She sighed. The rain didn’t bother her in the slightest, so she was the one that had to stay out in it.

I don’t mind, but it does get boring.

After a few more peals of thunder, the rain started. It was a heavy downpour. The rain was so hard that she could see little more than a sheet of white in front of her. At least with her normal eyes, that is. The other eyes didn’t have any trouble seeing.

Luckily the horses were well trained and didn’t seem to mind the lack of visibility. The sound of the rain on the canvas drowned out any conversation the others might be having. The rain didn’t let up, and after a few hours, the wind started to pick up. The wagon started to rock back and forth with each gust.

I miss boring! I have to find a place to stop.

An eye shot up far into the sky. She looked all around them for a place they could find some shelter to wait out the storm.

There. It still has a room that will work.

The closest place was a ruin, one of many that dotted the landscape. It wasn’t one of the strange places like on the frontier. This one was just a fort or manor that had been abandoned in the distant past. From what she could see, it had been built by humans when a civilization called the old empire ruled this region. They had built most of the roads and places like Endertown.

She drove the wagon through the storm and turned onto the overgrown path that led to the ruin. The gate had long since been removed from the walls, so she rode into the courtyard.

It was oddly devoid of foliage, as if someone had been clearing it away. She pulled the wagon to the front of the main building. Its bronze doors were a greenish color from age. The rain hadn’t let up.

She hopped off the wagon and started to unhook the horses. Her friends got out of the wagon wrapped in their cloaks and rushed over to help. Once the horses were free, she rushed over to the door and shoved it open.

Thankfully it wasn’t barred or locked, and with a loud bang, the hinges popped free. They squealed in protest as she shoved the door open. There was a large open room. Just inside, she could see a few rooms off to the side and a hallway that led into the back of the structure.

Wow, it’s not bad in here.

She walked into the room. It smelled a little musty, but nothing too bad. Her friends entered behind her, bringing the horses with them. Rose was carrying her back, and Lyreen had Lord Emerald’s cage.

“Thanks,” Anna said, taking her things from her friends.

“You might want to dry off,” Lyreen replied as Anna took the cage. Water was dripping off her, creating a puddle on the floor.

“Here,” Anna said, handing her things back.

She took a few steps away from her friends and started to move her dreamer power through her body. Steam began to rise from her body. She walked around the room, exploring the space as she dried off. Lyreen cast a light spell, and the room filled with...grey.

Well, that’s disappointing.

She walked back to her friends having finished drying off. They were hanging their cloaks on whatever they could find around the room. Thokri and Voekeer were with the horses.

Looks like they brought some feed in with them.

The horses were munching away on the oats.

I still don’t get why they like it so much. Bleh.

She’d eaten some of the feed when no one was looking. It was dry and kind of crunchy.

“I’m going to go explore. Anyone want to come with me?” Anna asked.

“No point. This place has been picked clean already,” Thokri replied.

“So? I just want to see what it looks like,” Anna said.

“Have fun walking around the creepy ruin,” Lyreen replied.

“Seriously, where’s your sense of adventure?” Anna asked.

“Drying out,” Lyreen replied, pointing at her cloak.

The others didn’t look like that wanted to move either, so she walked off, shaking her head.

She summoned an eye and started to look around as she walked down the hallway into the back of the building. The hallway had rooms on either side. The doors had long since rotted away, leaving rusted piles where the iron bands once were.

I wonder why the front door was made from bronze?

She then wondered why someone hadn’t taken the damn thing and sold it for scrap over the millennia since the old empire fell.

The room was filled with debris, but nothing of any real interest. She poked around in a few of the piles and then left the room. The other rooms were the same, nothing more than rotten wood and animal nests.

That rat was mean.

At the end of the hallway was a large room that was filled with rotten piles of wood. She walked over to one of the piles and pushed it around with her foot. There were lumps of rusted iron all through it.

I wonder what they stored here?

She checked a few more of the piles, finding more lumps of rust, before heading into one of the side rooms.

“Oh, a kitchen!” she said as soon as she walked through the door. There wasn’t much debris in this room. It looked like most things here were made from stone. It was a huge room filled with ovens and strange fireplaces. She walked over to one of them.

There was a hole in the bottom where she assumed the firewood went and another hole in the top where a pot could be placed. Behind that was an opening to vent the smoke out of a shared chimney.

I wonder why they stopped making things like this?

She looked at the ovens, which weren’t all that different from the other ovens she’d seen. She left the kitchen and went back to the large room. This time she headed for the room on the opposite wall.

Oh, wow.

The room was huge. It looked as if it went all the way back to the front of the building. There were piles of rotted wood in rows going down both walls in this room. She poked around in the piles of wood but didn’t find much of anything. She used the eye to look around, hoping to find something interesting.

She floated the eye back and forth in the room a few times before spotting the flicker of magic underneath one of the stones that made up the floor. She dug her fingers into the stone and lifted it from the ground, setting it to the side. Below was a lump of rusted iron. She picked it up, and the lump started to fall apart.

Inside it was a medallion attached to a long chain. Neither had any corrosion. The medallion was round with intricate symbols written all over it. In the center of the medallion was a large round crystal. She took her light ring from her belt pouch and put it on. Holding it over the medallion, she pushed some mana into it, causing a brilliant white light to appear in the palm of her hand.

The medallion and chain were made from a copper-colored metal that had a hint of silver in it. The gem was a bright yellow color, and it seemed to twinkle in the light.

So pretty.

She stopped her spell, put it on, and flipped her hair out from underneath. She headed back to the front room to show her friends the new treasure that she’d found. A chill breeze blew past as she left the side room and walked towards the hallway leading to the front.

This place is drafty.

“So, did you find anything good?” Lyreen asked as Anna walked back into the front room.

“Yeah, this,” Anna replied holding the medallion out. Her friends all looked.

“And you put on the possibly cursed necklace why?” Lyreen asked.

“Because it’s pretty,” Anna replied.

“It’s not like it’d hurt her anyway. Remember the ring?” Elaine asked.

“How could I forget,” Lyreen replied.

“Nothing weird happened when I put it on, so I think it’s fine,” Anna said.

The others took turns examining the medallion, but none of them had ever seen anything like it before. Thokri licked it then frowned.

“What is it?” Anna asked.

“Donno,” he replied, then spit. “Tastes like shit, though,” he added.

Another cold breeze blew through the fortress. The horses nickered and stomped.

“Easy, lads. We’ll be off soon,” Thokri said, walking over to the nervous animals.

“We should leave soon. I’d rather not spend too much time in a haunted ruin,” Voekeer said.

“Ghosts aren’t so bad, so long as you don’t steal from them,” Elaine said.

Everyone looked at Anna.

“It’s not stealing! Dead people can’t own things!” Anna replied. The cold breeze picked up. This time a soft moan could be heard.

“Go put it back!” Lyreen said.

“No!” Anna replied.

The moan got louder. Elaine glared down the hallway. Her tattoos started to glow, filling the room with malevolent magic.

“I’LL BIND YOU TO A COCKRING AND GIVE IT TO THE DWARF IF YOU DON’T KNOCK IT OFF!” she shouted. The breeze and the moaning stopped instantly.

“You don’t know what you’re missing!” Thokri said.

Still silence. Thokri waved his hand dismissively. It took a few hours, but the rain died down eventually, and the bright evening sun came back out. They packed back up and left the ruined fortress.

They found an inn just after sunset. Lucky for them, she could see in the dark, and the horses would go wherever she led them. She pulled next to the stable and got off the wagon.

A few grumpy looking young men came out to greet them. They brightened up when Thokri handed them a few coins each and went to work taking care of the horses.

The party entered the inn. It was filled with people, but there were still a few empty tables. They sat at one and waved over the barmaid.

“What will you have?” the bubbly woman asked.

“Ales and whatever you have for dinner,” Voekeer replied.

“I’ll have a water,” Lyreen said.

“Are you sure? The ale’s pretty good here,” the barmaid said.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Lyreen replied.

“Suit yourself,” the barmaid said and walked off.

“Still swearing off strong drink, child?” Barika asked.

“For at least a century,” Lyreen replied. Thokri chuckled.

“Oh, come on, lass. It wasn’t that bad showing the lads the goods, was it?” he asked.

Lyreen grumbled about dwarves causing Thokri to laugh harder.

“At least they noticed you. I could strip down and carry a sign that said fuck me, and men would just say eww and hurry away,” Elaine said.

“Oh, come on now. You know that’s not true,” Lyreen replied.

“It might as well be,” Elaine said.

“What about that wagon man a few months back?” Voekeer asked.

“Please, I don’t want to think about that scoundrel,” Elaine replied.

“How about that big farm boy at the crossroads?” Barika asked.

“That was out of pity on his part,” Elaine replied.

Poor Elaine.

“I’ll take you to a brothel when we get to the next city, lass,” Thokri said.

“I think I’ll take you up on that,” Elaine replied.

“You could always do it yourself until then,” Barika said.

“I know, but it’s just not as much fun,” Elaine replied.

“Do what now?” Anna asked. Elaine leaned over and whispered the mechanics of self-love into Anna’s ear. “Really? With your fingers?” Anna asked.

“Yep,” Elaine replied.

“I never thought of that,” Anna said. Elaine patted her on the arm.

“I told you I’d answer any question you have,” Elaine replied.

“Actually, I do have a question,” Anna said.

“What’s that?” Elaine asked.

“What’s a cockring?” Anna asked.