Ethan found his horse at the stables and took it from the hands of the stable boy there. Lucas soon followed him in getting a horse. Once Lucas had his horse he waited for his group before setting off in search of the people.

Aria opted to use magic instead of a horse. With a cast of [Summon Mount], she gained a horse as well. The spell activated and the illusory form of a horse was created. Its form shimmered a bit as the magic all settled into place before solidifying the horse for her to ride.

Once she was on the horse Ethan set off. Arthur followed them from behind pushing his body to its maximum speed while doing so. The outposts barrier dissolved with the help of Sal shortly before leaving.

Lucas took a bit longer to leave than the others because he had to wait as his group gathered to make a group of five. They also took some additional time gathering tools to track down the hunters. This was less necessary for Ethan because the path the merchants had taken was clear. Unless they had deviated in some way the path they took to outpost 14 would not be unusual.

“Are we ready to leave?” asked Lucas to the head hunter in charge of tracking the groups down.

“We are just saddling the last of the horses and then we can go, sir. It won’t be but another minute.”

“Good. I will meet you at the gates then.”

Arthur moved his feet and arms in a constant motion over the course of three hours. Ahead of him Aria and Ethan kept their horses going during this time as well with only one stop to give a quick rest to the horse and to let Aria recast her spell. She was now showing signs of exhaustion because the spell had been slowly draining additional mana from her as they went. They had covered a good amount of ground during this time. They rode through the dirt paths and trials towards their destination. As they started riding up a hill Ethan slowed down.

“We’ve got news,” said Ethan as he pulled his communication crystal out of his pocket. He activated something on the device and Lucas’s voice came through it.

“…We’ve found the first group of hunters and are bringing them back to the outpost soon. They are cooperating and will stay with us for a bit longer while we get the second group as well. How is your journey going?”

“Uneventful so far. We may be able to catch them before they reach the other outpost but we will need to hurry. Good work.”

“You as well. I will probably send another update soon. Don’t let the merchants reach the outpost if you are able. They may be able to use it to get away.”

“I know. Talk to you soon,” he said before pocketing the crystal. He turned to Arthur before starting his horse in a trot. “How are you holding up?”

“I am doing fine. It was draining at first, but I have been regulating my mana usage so I won’t shut down any time soon. I should not jump into a fight right now though,” answered Arthur.

“Good. How about you?”

“I’m fine as well,” said Aria as they picked up the pace on their horses. “I have plenty of mana left.”

Their horses transitioned into a full gallop as they continued their chase towards the merchant group. As Arthur ran he noticed the distinct wheel tracks indicating that they were on the right path. Their journey was uneventful as they traveled. No one spoke up so Arthur didn’t try to start a conversation.

Arthur’s thoughts ran wild for a while as he went over what had happened over the last day in his head. ‘I messed up today and the others have had to change their plans because of me. I should have hidden the book better and not left it where it was so easily taken. I should have also been more aware that the war is going to start soon. Of course, people interested in the necromancers cause would try something like this….’

It took another hour before Lucas contacted them again. Ethan took the same steps as before to allow the others to listen in.

“We have the other group now as well and performed a relatively quick interrogation with a truth-telling device I have from the capital. I asked them as many variations on the questions as I could and they turned up clean. There may be ways around the device, but it looks to me like the book is in the hands of one of the merchants.”

“Thanks for letting us know. Return to the outpost for now. We will probably not be back until tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”

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“Until then.”

“Until then.” Ethan put away the communication crystal.

“It is on us now,” said Aria. “If we don’t get it back then we will all be in a lot of trouble.”

“The one who will get cussed at the most will be me though,” said Ethan. “I shouldn’t have let it be out in the open when Arthur wasn’t ready for it yet.”

“You don’t have to pretend like I am not here. It was as much my fault as it was yours,” said Arthur. “Now let's hurry up and catch them.”

“You are right. There is no reason to idle here. We only have a few more hours to go.”

In the end, their journey took another five or so hours by Arthur’s estimation. Perhaps it was closer to six. The morning changed into the afternoon as they rode on. They only stopped once more when Ethan’s horse was startled by a wandering beast. Aria decided to deal with the situation quickly and cast her magic to direct the beast elsewhere and calm the horse down as well.

After a bit more riding they saw the merchant caravan in the distance. Ethan turned to Arthur.

“Use your [Earthen Wall to stop them from going further. I will deal with what comes next. Just keep your guard up and I will do the rest.”

Ethan picked up the pace and Arthur followed behind him. The merchant group slowed down as they approached and their faces changed as they saw Arthur the giant metal golem coming towards them. Their horses were a bit startled, but Arthur got his spell in range and blocked them from continuing. If the merchants wanted to continue on the road they would have to leave their carts behind on the narrow road and cut through some trees. When Ethan approached them he pulled his horse to the side and got off. A merchant near the front stood up and met eyes with him.

“What banditry is this? You look like you are ready to stab me,” said the merchant. He turned to his fellow in the cart. “Contact father about this delay.”

“We will be needing to search your bags for something of mine. It was stolen and I would like it back. If you make this quick then the thieve will also receive a quick death for this event.”

“Sir I am not sure of what you mean by stolen items. My people would do nothing of the sort. Besides you do not have the jurisdiction to do such a thing.”

Ethan looked at the merchants and guards in turn and stared into their eyes before continuing. “If you think it is unfair contact, Sal. Since you already know who we are then you can complain to him. For now, let me start with your bags. Since I believe that many, not all of you here had something to do with this theft. Now open up.”

“Damn human,” said the merchant as he opened up his bag. “Why can’t you just keep to yourself.”

The merchant's bag did not have spatial enchantments and only held a weight reduction power instead. This made his search quick. He went through the items before closing up the bag.

“There it is done. You can stand over there,” Ethan said to point to a larger tree on the side of the road. “Next. You come up here.”

Ethan stepped up to the next person nearest him and started searching their bag. This continued without success. Aria and Arthur waited by his horse as he worked. Each of the gnomes in turn cursed him as he searched their bags.

Ethan started searching for the second of three guards when he felt something wrong. He turned to the side as he was struck in the lower back by a knife. The third guard had gotten behind him and dug the knife deep into him. He pulled the knife out of Ethan before knocking Ethan over and stabbing out at the other guard.

Ethan groaned in pain and Arthur ran over to help. The guard looked on in surprise as the other guard slashed out at him and cut into the second guard's open palms. The merchants started shouting and yelling various things as the attack started. Aria prepared to use her spells, but Arthur was in front and moved first. He picked up the attacker and threw him against a nearby tree.

The man coughed up blood and fell over. Arthur moved to check on Ethan first before anything else. Aria dropped her spell but kept her guard up as she approached the attacker. When she got close the man coughed up more blood and laughed.

“You will not stop us,” he said. His face started to morph and change into someone different. “The Black Blood Cult has risen once more. Our infamy spread to all the races. The world will change. Nothing will stop us. Not you. Not your creation.” The man’s face contorted again before he died. His body then started to dissolve and shrivel as Aria backed away.

“Disgusting,” said Aria as she stepped forward once more grabbing the bag from the body. Within it, she found the book. “I got it.”

“Aria he needs help,” said Arthur.

Aria turned back to see the state of Ethan. She looked on and saw the other guard in a similar state. The wounds on his hands now turning purple.

“It should be some type of poison from the dagger. We need to get him to the outpost. There should be people there able to treat him. Are one of you able to help stabilize him?” asked Aria.

“We have some emergency supplies in the back. The outpost is only an hour away. I also know the introductory healing spells,” said one of the merchants.

“Good. Help him. He needs to stay alive,” said Aria.

“I understand.”

The two of them were loaded up into the caravan and the two of them were rushed ahead of the others towards the outpost. Arthur followed behind them with Aria known on Ethan’s horse. By using the front cart only their trip went faster than normal. The merchant mage used his magic to help calm their fevers while applying ointments to their wounds. Ethan was restless as they rode and sweat profusely.

Soon they made it to the outpost with both of their injured still alive. The pair of them were rushed to the outposts medical clinic where more experienced mages started working on them. Aria checked on Ethan before getting the communication crystal from him.

She relayed the information to Lucas about the entire day’s events. Once they arrived at the outpost it was nearing nighttime, so Aria found a place for the two of them to stay while they waited for Ethan to recover.