Ugliness from Judith the Mayor, and her merry band of snooty councilors, aside… the security staff hiring fair at Hag’s hut proved to be a success.

We hired twelve people, and I’d had thoughts we might add another twelve to the staff at some point, it was a matter of seeing how we make out with those initial employees first, then assessing things further.

Proctor rightfully pointed out, we still need to name the franchise. If we’re adding people to the payroll, it would make sense to give the business a name. Definitely a priority.

Judith and the councilors weren’t supportive, and we left on bad terms from Hag’s. I didn’t intend to make an enemy of Moonlight’s political leadership, but they were going to have to get used to the fact that this parachuted new person into their village was now in charge. Aubrey, Zane, and Chai documented all of it, and I’m sure the aliens behind the System were enjoying the drama. I’d hoped having problems with Judith and the rest wouldn’t cause problems later. Overly optimistic? Probably.

The next day after the fair, myself and Proctor made it a priority to settle the pay for each of our new workers, even if we hadn’t defined the security perimeter around the village, and where these people would be working.

When these new hires turned up at the Moonlight Inn & Ale, we agreed to contract terms where I would pay each of the twelve one gold coin every seven days. Seeing as Moonlight didn’t seem to have any kind of clocks, we agreed it’d be every seven days, or rather, on the seventh day when the sun was at its highest. Proctor mentioned the need to create some form of sun dial, and I agreed, even though I had no idea how to go about it. We also agreed to delay a week before we start paying people.

The next big priority was to meet this ‘giant’ the kind lady named Mora told us about the day before.

Granted, the big reason the village officials split with us, and stopped being supportive of us building Moonlight as a baseball market, was because of our interest in Mora’s ‘giant’ son - you’d think they would’ve elaborated as to why. But, when I tried questioning them about why they’re so against us contacting Mora’s son, they ignored me, and hastily left the hiring fair.

Neither Proctor nor I understood the bigotry, but Hag wouldn’t explain it either, only saying Mora’s son has long been viewed as a village threat. After meeting another ‘giant’ of sorts, in Gak, the seven-foot reformed barbarian, and seeing how friendly he’d presented as, I was skeptical whether Mora’s son would prove to be awful.

Regardless, once we met with our new security people, and settled their issue of pay, Proctor and I set out to walk from the village of Moonlight proper, and headed into the woods using the directions Mora provided us, seeking to meet her son at his forest home. Apparently, her son has been treated so poorly by village folk through the years he’s rarely left his remote wooded shelter. I was excited to meet him.

Another great thing about heading outside of Moonlight’s limits was the chance to explore more of this medieval world. Proctor kept pointing out how much trouble we’d be in running into a dinosaur without our androids around, but in the adrenaline of exploring new places, I waved him off. You’d think I’d still be traumatized from having been chased into a well by a T. Rex, but I also allowed for the possibility the System gamed my brain, and made me courageous in a way I’d never been in my former life.

Our little film crew, Aubrey, Zane, and Chai joined us, and they trailed behind for the most part. Aubrey was still annoyed with me from the way I’d spoken to her at the hiring fair. She was documenting us out of obligation, and that was fine.

We’d made it about three kilometers out of Moonlight, and crossed a large, treeless plain before reaching the spot Mora described where the mix of evergreens and deciduous trees grew thicker. Moonlight Forest, she called it, not exactly the most original name.

The trees in the forest were fairly well spaced out, and a pretty wide foot path greeted us as soon as we left the open land. I loved the smell of the spruce sap, and even though the air was crisp enough to see our breath, the breeze fed us air so pure I was sure it was adding years to my life.

We crunched dead leaves, and pine nettles underfoot, but then a half hour into walking these woods, when it seemed everyone had stopped walking for a quick break, we could hear the echo of twigs snapping somewhere behind us.

The group collectively turned their heads, and we saw a young man walking up behind us, smiling. He had dirty blond hair down to his shoulders, and a handle bar mustache. He looked like a mixture of 1970s rocker, and a surfer dude.

“Hey,” the man said to us, and he marched right into the middle of our group. “Good to catch up with you.”

I wasn’t so sure I wanted him to catch up with us. I’d have been happy to make this trip to see Mora’s son on our own. I wasn’t sure if the guy could see my annoyance written on my face. If so, he didn’t let on, but I’d wished he would see I didn’t want him there, and would take the hint.

“I’m Loam,” he said. “Where you folks going?”

The rest of the group looked to me. They wanted me to speak for all of us? Actually, I liked the idea.

“For a walk,” I said. “How can we help you?”

“You shouldn’t walk out here,” Loam said. “It’s bad out here, folks.”

“Bad?” I said. “Bad, how?”

“The critters,” Loam said. He stroked his shampoo commercial quality locks as he spoke. “I’m the village’s animal expert. They’re a ton of trouble, folks. You go walking too far, they might snatch you.”

The way he spoke, well, it perfectly fit with his surfer dude appearance. He didn’t come across as all that bright, which caused me to chuckle a bit when he claimed himself to be an ‘animal expert’.

“You’re an expert?” I said.

“Yeah,” Loam said. “I know more than anyone. These critters, hey, they’ll snatch you right out of these woods. You should turn back. Glad I caught up to you.”

“That was nice of you,” Aubrey said. “Maybe we should turn back.”

“I vote we turn around,” Chai said, raising her hand. Her face was the same down turned sour puss face that had become her trademark.

“Yeah, folks, go back,” Loam said. “It ain’t safe. Take it from an animal expert.”

I told Aubrey, Chai, and Zane for that matter, if they wanted to leave they were more than welcome. But, I said Proctor and I were continuing on with our without them.

Loam spit with laughter. “What a guy,” he said. “You’re not even gonna listen to an expert? You’re in danger, friend.”

“I’ll take your words under advisement,” I said. “Come on, Proctor, let’s go.”

“Folks, I’m going back to the village,” Loam said. “You should too.”

“Adam,” Aubrey said, the first time she’d spoken to me directly in a while. “Maybe we should listen to him. Maybe stop being so stubborn.”

I shook my head. “You want to go back? Go for it,” I said. “We’re carrying on.”

“Golly,” Loam said. “Dillard might be right about you.”

Proctor and I turned, and started walking again. Aubrey, Zane, and Chai just stood there.

“We’re going back,” I heard Aubrey say over my shoulder.

“See you later then,” I said.

I glanced back and saw the three of them march away from us with Loam in tow.

“You all are smarter than that man,” I could hear Loam say to the rest.

Personally, I was glad to be rid of them. Proctor proved to be a pleasurable hiking partner. Quick, and he only spoke whenever I spoke to him, or to add something actually pertinent.

Of course, as ‘luck’ would have it. Our fine progress through Moonlight Forest wound up interrupted again. A tall lady emerged from behind thick tree trunks. She looked to be in her 60s, and disgustingly her teeth were black as coal. She was pale, with silver hair, and a gauntness that had me wondering when she’d last had a decent meal.

Belying this appearance however, her voice was deep, and strong.

“I’m Noelle,” she said. “I know of you both. New to Moonlight, you are.”

“Yes,” I said. “And, we’re on a journey at the moment. Not looking for company.”

“I won’t keep you,” she said, and she bared all of those hideous teeth. “But, you must - on a day not far from now - meet my son.”

This seemed to be a theme of sorts.

“Your son, hey?”

“Oh yes,” she slithered. “He’s a talent. I hear you are in want of talent.”

My eyebrows were raised.

“What kind of talent?” I said.

“Athletic,” Noelle said. “He’s long, and fit. He can cast a stone through a dead tree. He’s killed a big one with only a stone.”

“A big one?” I said.

“A big one,” Noelle said, as if I was supposed to know what that was referring to. “Struck it down like a spear through the eye. Saw it for myself. His stone arm’s feared, you see? Reckon he could kill a man with stones and stones alone.”

I won’t lie. I was intrigued. This is what counted as scouting tip in his medieval realm.

“Well, I appreciate you letting me know,” I said. “We’ll set up a time I can come and see him, okay?”

“Ah, you’re a good man,” the woman said. “I knew it when I heard of ya.”

I gave her a friendly a smile as I could muster. “We have to keep going,” I said to her. “We’ll find you in the village. You live in Moonlight, yes?”

“Right on the edges,” Noelle said. “We’ll see soon.”

Happily, she slunk back into the trees, and satisfied she was gone, Proctor and I intended to set off again. We didn’t make it ten meters. Freaking Dillard jumped out from the brush nearest the path.

“What in the heck are you doing here, Dillard?” Yeah, I was less than cordial. But, I just wanted to get out to see Mora’s son already.

“Morons,” Dillard said. “Marching in the trees for nothing.”

“We’re on our way to meet someone,” I said. “So, it’s not ‘nothing’.”

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“Yeah,” Dillard said, and he scoffed. “You’ll see.”

“What do you want?”

“That woman you just spoke with,” he said.

“Said her name was Noelle,” I said. “She was telling us about her son. I guess he can really throw. We might go check him out.”

“Ha!” Dillard blurted. “Going to their’s are ya?”

“To her house? Her hut, or whatever?” I said. “I don’t know, maybe. Why?”

“Ya fools’ll end up in a stew,” Dillard said. “That’s Noelle Quallon. She’ll eat ya just as soon as look at ya.”

Then I remembered Dillard warning us about that family before.

“Oh,” I said. “That’s who that was?”

“‘Twas,” Dillard said. “And ya best stay clear. Unless you go to her’s with an army.”

“Still,” I said, glancing at Proctor, “I’m intrigued about what she said about her son’s arm.”

Proctor smiled. “I admit,” Proctor said. “I am too.”

“Don’t do it at their’s is all I’m telling ya,” Dillard said. “Be the last visit ya ever make.”

Had to admit, Dillard had actually proved useful instead of just a fly buzzing in your ear. I thanked him for telling me about the woman, and what was even better was he didn’t choose to accompany us on our walk. Instead, he insulted the idea we’d find anything useful in Mora’s son at all. Did anyone in Moonlight like this poor guy?

If we needed any further proof Moonlight Forest was as heavily traversed as the village of Moonlight itself, it came in the form of a familiar, if annoying face. It was short, stocky Vaz. One of the brutes I’d had to pay off to get Flint’s horse back.

Wouldn’t you know it, he’d marched out into the woods to catch me with a proposal. I resolved that in the future, whatever I was planning, I’d play it closer to the vest to avoid being interrupted so often, like this.

“Heard you’re putting up a wall,” Vaz said, and he rubbed his hands together in just the way you’d imagine a greasy salesman would when he’s working on a grift. “All the way around the village, yeah?”

“It’s something we’re talking about,” I said.

“You have the village’s permission?” Vaz said.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Vaz said. “Listen. I want you to come to me when you decide this is something you’re doing.”

Proctor’s face dropped. He looked worried.

“Come to you?” I said.

“Yes,” Vaz said. “I’m one who can get you what you need. A wall like the one you’re talking about, a wall of that size, that length. You need materials.”

“It’s true,” I said. “A lot of materials.”

“Right,” Vaz said. “I’m the man to get you whatever you need. Understand? I hope you don’t attempt to make this wall without coming to me.”

I did a lot of nodding. A lot of smiling. I basically told the man what he wanted to here, mostly to just get rid of him. It seemed to work, and we shook forearms. To be honest, I’m not sure what we agreed upon, and I wasn’t even sure I’d agreed to anything formally, but I was just glad to be rid of him. His entire being gave me the willies.

“That might prove to be a problem,” Proctor said to me after the man had left. “We must be cautious.”

“Agreed.”

The caution didn’t last long.

Officially, our journey had been Moonlight’s worst kept secret. Fitting we were in a forest, because truly every ne’er do well in the district was coming out of the wood work.

The thin, bearded man I’d met at the village’s version of the bank found us not long after Vaz had left. I could only imagine the conversation those two must’ve had encountering each other in the woods. For all I knew they were working in cahoots.

He reminded me, his name was Barkley. He approached on horseback, which put him at a higher status than anyone else we’d met that day. He had another man on horseback with him. Simply referring to the stone faced man as his bodyguard. Barkley clearly was wealthy by this world’s standards.

“Let me guess,” I said to Barkley, cutting him off at the quick. “You’re here about the wall.”

He smiled, the way a snake might smile at a mouse. “In a sense,” he said. “I understand you wish to wall in our fine village. Keep us safe from the threats. How kind.”

“It’s an attempt to secure the business I wish to build,” I said. “Call it, protecting my investment.”

I had a feeling he could appreciate that sort of framing. His grin grew larger.

“A man after my own heart,” he said. “I come to you based on the rumor we’ve heard from Murphy Mountain. A new material of construction emerges there.”

“Yes,” I said. “We’ve heard. Concrete. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what’s been described.”

“Whatever you’d like to call it,” Barkley said. “I offer my services to you.”

He bowed his head after he said it.

“What sort of services?” I said.

“You’re keen to know what the Murphy Mountaineers have, are you not?” Barkley said. “I’m a man who can find out for you.”

“That so?”

“Yes. I have a… tapestry… shall we say? A collection of souls who take it upon themselves to look into things,” Barkley said.

A rather convoluted way of saying ‘spies’, but I didn’t quibble.

“We can obtain a sample of this experimental material for you, should you wish to study it,” Barkley said. “Perhaps then you could make some for yourself.”

“And you’d do this out of the kind of your heart, of course,” I said. And, I couldn’t help but smile as I said it.

He chuckled. “Of course everything has it’s price,” Barkley said. “Nothing’s free in this world, and we all have to make our own way.”

Proctor’s face told me not to do business with this man, but at the same time I needed to know if the modern person running things in Murphy Mountain had introduced concrete to this ancient world. And, if so, I needed to see how I could do the same. A concrete wall would prove impenetrable to a lot of these animal threats.

We had the satchel of gold with us, and I paid Barkley for one of his spies to obtain whatever Murphy Mountain was using. He was quite pleased, and took his leave.

Proctor and I, finally free of interruption, continued through the forest to meet Mora’s son, the supposed giant.

The path through the woods moved from a largely flat thoroughfare to a bit of an uphill climb. Nothing overly strenuous, but something which got our lungs going more than might a pleasurable stroll.

We kept silent other than our labored breathing for several minutes before a thought occurred to Proctor.

“We will have to retrieve the androids,” he said. “Go to the spaces they occupy, and see what we can do.”

“What do you propose? They’re deeply in error, so it seems,” I said. “Non operable until Slate fixes the problem. It doesn’t seem like the System will do it remotely.”

“It would be worth seeing if they have a hard boot up capability,” Proctor said. “Maybe a method we could use to force them into operation while we investigate if their errors can be fixed. We’re going to need them, you see?”

“Yes,” I said. “I agree. Maybe we should go to retrieve Slate first, since he was the one doing the diagnostics.”

“Oh, which reminds me,” Proctor said. “Remember I’d mentioned, when we saw that man, Ulrich? He had the injured leg. I’d mentioned there was something we could do about that?”

“Right.”

“Well, Slate, he’s the android with the healing sheaths,” Proctor said.

“Healing… what?”

“Sheaths. The android’s equipped with three of them. He places them on whomever’s ailing, and they eventually heal. The time it takes depends on the severity, the complexity of the injury,” Proctor said. Slate, essentially, has the ability to cure.”

“Ah, so you’re thinking we could get old Ulrich back up and running as an athlete as he had been before?” I said.

“Precisely. And, Slate’s ability will help with injuries on the team,” Proctor said. “The System provided him for a reason.”

“What about the rest of the village?” I said. “Think about the potential here. We could be looking at a mobile hospital in android form. Something that could radically change the health outcomes of all these poor people.”

Proctor smiled, and paused on the trail with his hands up. “We probably shouldn’t get ahead ourselves,” he said.

The forest path continued upward another half mile. Once we crested the steepest part of the trail, the trees came closer together, and the woods darkened. I, for one, was happy the path felt a bit more claustrophobic, because I had a hard time imagining a T. Rex attacking through all the dense underbrush at our sides. In any case, we’d hear it coming a ways off given the thickness of the forest.

Once the path had flattened out again, we could hear some grunts emerge from a shaded area off to our right. The trail happened to curve that way, and it’s where we found a small, old man seated on his backside next to the path. He had short cropped gray hair, and rather copper complexion. He looked up at us with worried eyes while he rubbed his feet.

“Hi,” he said, but he said it through a pained grimace.

“Hello,” I said. “Are you alright?”

“A bit spinny,” he said.

“Dizzy?”

I don’t know if he understood my word, but he nodded anyway.

He glanced at small wooden cask Proctor had on him. “That have water?” The small man asked.

Proctor quickly gave the man some water.

“Oh, what a help,” the man said. “No one helps.”

He said his name was Kestrel. He also lived in Moonlight.

“I’m a constructor,” he said. “I’ve built half the village. You want anything built. I will do it.”

We helped the man back to his feet, and he looked at us with pleading eyes.

“I’ve wandered too far,” he said. “Might I travel with you? For safety?”

He was in such a sorry, dehydrated state, I couldn’t say no.

“Where you journeying?” Kestrel asked.

“Have you ever built a wall?” I had questions myself.

He nodded sternly. “Of course, sir,” he said. “What kind of constructor hasn’t?”

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean it as an insult. It’s just a project we’re thinking of, back in the village. We could use good people who know what they’re doing.”

“No one knows building like me,” Kestrel said. “Whatever it is. I’ll do it.”

I could see part of one of Kestrel’s fingers was missing.

“Construction accident?” I said.

“Nah. Animal,” he said. “Crawlie. Big, big crawlie.”

He went on for a bit about the same creature threats we’d been warned about by so many locals. All the more reason to get this wall up sooner than later. Kestrel agreed. But, eventually, he stopped walking and went back to his question: “Where you journeying?”

“There’s a woman in the village who came and saw us, told us about her son, said he could help us with our animal security problem,” I said.

The color left his face, and he backed away from us, back down the trail.

“Not Mora,” the man said.

I smiled. “It’s okay,” I said. “You don’t need to be afraid.”

“Was it Mora?” Kestrel said.

“Yes,” I said, “but, she’s quite nice. I believe her son’s supposed to be quite friendly as well.”

“You’re on your way to her son’s?” Kestrel said, in shock. “He’s out here? Thought it ‘twas another forest.”

“No,” I said. “It’s here. We’re getting close, actually.”

The man stumbled backward, and nearly hit his head. Back on his feet, he quickly retreated. “Find me at the village you want that building done,” he said.

“Wait,” I said, “I thought you wanted to come with us? You’re clearly not feeling well.”

“More well than I’ll be if I stick with you lot,” Kestrel said. “Find me at the village.”

He walked briskly away, back in the direction of the village.

All Proctor and I could do was shrug. We kept going, and eventually the flat-ish path began a gentle descent. Then the trees became more spaced out again. You could look out probably a hundred feet or so into the woods on either side of the trail.

Then, finally, we reached the series of downed logs Mora had described as the tell tale sign we were close to the cave where her son stayed.

The path stopped its decline at these fallen trees, and above the fifth of the logs we could see a grassy ridge which formed the top of a cavern.

“That it?” I said, pointing. It was about fifty feet in front of us up a small incline.

“I think so,” Proctor said. “Have to say, she described it pretty well.”

We walked the remaining small distance, and there twenty feet in front of us was as black mouth of a granite cave. You could’ve heard a pin drop out there. I swear a slight wind was pushing back at us from the cave’s entrance. Small bumps raised on my arms, and on the back of my neck. For the first time on our journey I felt a strong urge to run back to Moonlight. If Proctor felt the same, he wasn’t letting on.

Then the ground began to shake.

Then I started to wonder if Mora was evil enough to lead us to a known T. Rex hideout. Maybe she hated the newcomers the System had imposed, and this was her genius plan to send us to our end.

The rumbling became more pronounced.

I didn’t believe in giants, well, not ‘giants’ giants, if you get my meaning. Sure, Gak the former barbarian might technically qualify when compared to the size of the average man. But, the way the ground was moving beneath us in front of that cave, I was starting to get the idea we were about to be greeted by something… else.

My heart leaped from chest when we saw him.

A man. I think. Bony. Yet, large boned. A shock of black hair on his head. What a huge head. He came out of the blackness, and I heard Proctor murmur, “oh my”.

The man came out from a crouch into the full daylight, and Proctor and I fell backward, completely off our feet.

The man had a sloped forehead, with a thick bone ridge sheltering dark, deep set eyes. His pale body was covered in tattered rags, but even more importantly… he was a giant.

I mean, he was a real giant. This ‘man’, he had to have been as tall as the T. Rex which chased me days before. What was that, eighteen feet?

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t comprehend. We couldn’t get away.

“You,” I whispered, unable to utter an entire phrase.

Proctor and I laid there, frightened as mice, immobile. The giant towered over us, and he glared down at us the way any man might who didn’t take kindly to visitors.