The Mistwalkers continue to quietly make their way northward. The colorless fog has grown far denser than it was when they first began their journey. Their field of vision then was an approximate four hundred-foot radius. By now, it has shrunk to just under three hundred, and will continue to shrink as they press on. Having failed to see any sign of the presence of the undead brute that decimated Egart's crew, they're unsure whether the likelihood of running into it has decreased or not. Kellar in particular is obviously the most on edge about it, as the remains of the slaughter they had just come across doesn't inspire any confidence in him.

About two miles after the massacre site, Royd finds his attention drifting, his mind wandering. He's become less interested in staying alert for the potential threat, and his gaze listlessly flows from one direction to another, eventually pointing towards the cold ground beneath them. The dirt passes below his horse's hooves with the usual crunch they've all grown used to by now, but something strange catches his eye.

“Hold on a second.” The large man announces, stopping the group from continuing.

“What's wrong?” Veros asks.

“Look.” Royd points to the ground below them. “These footprints.”

The others look downward, and are surprised to see very large human footprints on the ground. However, the fact that they're large isn't the strangest thing about them. Rather, it's the fact that they were bare. Whatever made them wasn't wearing any sort of shoes or boots.

“What on Earth?” Kellar voices his confusion. “You think these belong to the big bastard?”

“There's no way to know for sure unless we see him.” Veros responds, looking northbound down the road, then back at the abnormally large tracks. “But I can't imagine them belonging to anything else.”

“Where did the prints come from?” The rogue inquires again, looking back south, from where they all came. “I was too preoccupied looking into the mist ahead, I didn't even think to look down.”

“He must've wandered off the road initially and came back on later.” Atticus hypothesizes aloud and follows the prints with his eyes. “They continue onward now.”

“So what the hell do we do?” Kellar asks, becoming increasingly worried now that he knows for sure that the undead beast is somewhere in the vicinity. “Should we deviate from the road and go around the next mile or so?”

“No, that'd be more dangerous that just staying on the road to begin with.” Veros shoots down the idea. “Our visibility is just too limited. Worst case, we'd end up right on top of it when we get back on the path.”

“We can't just sit and wait it out, either.” The knight chimes in again. “It might make its way back here. There's no sure way to avoid confrontation without knowing where its headed right this moment, outside of going extremely far out of way, which would waste daylight.”

“All we know is that it's somewhere down the road.” Veros adds. “But it could be going in any direction right now.”

“Should we send someone to scout ahead?” Kellar asks.

“That would just put them at risk of fighting it alone.” Veros shoots down another idea. “This mist doesn't help much in regard to reconnaissance attempts. I think it's best if we all stick together, and just proceed forward with caution.”

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“Fuck.” Kellar curses under his breath. “We're just as helpless as we were before we noticed the footprints, then. Damned fog.”

“Should we make any sort of battle plan now, just in case?” Royd inquires.

“It'll be hard to make a sure-fire one before we even see it.” Veros replies, pondering the possibility of surprises in the case of a fight.

“If we're going off what we know,” Atticus speaks up to begin laying out a plan, “then the monster is armed with a monastery halberd, wearing monastery knight armor, and stands over eight feet tall. I think, generally speaking, Veros and I should be at the front, because we're the only two with shields.”

“Right.” Veros nods in agreement. “Atticus and I will maintain its attention while being defensive. Royd and Kellar, you two stay behind the beast at all times, and at just enough of a distance away so that its halberd can't reach you. Every time it takes a failed swing at us, you immediately jump in, attack, and jump back out.”

“Got it.” Royd nods in eager compliance.

“Shit. Alright.” Kellar is far less enthusiastic, but agrees anyway.

“The four of us should all dismount, too.” Atticus adds, gesturing to Annaliese. “Judging by the scene we passed earlier, the beast is not above cutting down our horses, and it'd be extremely bad for our journey if we lost them. We'd be able to maneuver ourselves better while off of them, anyway.”

“Indeed.” Veros nods again, showing no signs of disapproval towards the knight's tactics thus far. “Erik and Zyra, you two will stay on your horses, and a fair distance back. You're our only long-range fighters. Keep pelting the monster with arrows and fireballs every time you see an opening.”

“What if it rushes at us?” Zyra asks as worry begins to bleed out onto her expression.

“Atticus and I will try and stay in front of it to prevent that from happening.” The team leader states matter-of-factly to reassure the mage. “Just stay at enough of a distance so you can turn your horses and run if it makes it past us. Got it?”

“Got it.” Erik, the man of few words, gives a strong nod.

“Yeah.” Zyra isn't as confident, but gives her acknowledgment regardless.

“And the footprints.” The knight continues. “If they really belong to the beast, then it must have shed its boots at some point, meaning that his lower legs could be a weak point to potentially exploit. So if anyone has a clear shot at its ankles, or even the back of its knees, take it.”

“I think that covers everything we can cover.” Veros ends the deliberation. “Is everyone ready?”

“Aye.” Royd gives a self-assured nod while slightly puffing out his chest in readiness. “I'm ready.”

“I'm not.” Kellar groans. “But I never really am, so fuck it.”

“I'll put these arrows to good use.” Erik states, as stone-faced as ever.

“I'll do what I can.” Zyra announces, still not as certain of her skill or bravery as the others, but also not willing to back down.

“Good. Let's go.” Veros turns his horse to continue northbound down the road, and the rest follow.

Though it may mean burning increasingly rare and valuable daylight, they've decided to slightly slow their pace while following the large, barefooted prints in the dirt. Now more than ever, they taste the possibility of a dangerous encounter that's almost guaranteed to happen. Veros and Atticus lead the group as the two who will battle with the foe face-to-face, with Royd and Kellar behind them as the two support fighters who will only partake when an opening presents itself. Erik and Zyra, the two ranged fighters, follow at the rear. There are varying levels of readiness and confidence among them, ranging from the rough-and-tumble Royd, who is almost too eager for a battle despite his inexperience, to the usually reluctant Kellar, who only recently came to terms with the fact that running back south isn't an option if he wants to accomplish his own goals.

The young pyromancer feels as though she's more tense than she should be, as she's fought undead before. However, the sight of the slaughter they came across some miles back still paints a horrific picture of what could happen to her and her comrades if one crucial mistake is made. This only begins a chain of potential problems for her, as she worries that this nervousness could cripple her ability to cast despite finally learning how conjure flames and fireballs much faster now. There's also the idea of accidentally hitting one of her teammates, which unsettles her further. She tries to steady her thoughts and her trembling hands by taking slow, deep breaths as the band carefully presses onward.