He was slowly roused to consciousness by the gentle rocking underneath his body. Immediately, he sat up right with a pang of fear running through his body. The birds, the fire monster, the... wagon?

He blinked as he felt the blanket that lay on his lap shift slightly with his movement. He was in a canvas covered cart that blocked out the light. Boxes, barrels, and chests filled most of the space around him giving him quite a claustrophobic feeling. Shifting onto his knees, he cautiously crept to the flap at the back of the cart. Tentatively pulling back the flap of cloth, he gazed into a giant orb that gazed right back at him.

With a gasp and a jolt, he fell back into the wagon. Moments later, he heard a deep raspy female voice call out. "Boggy, the demonling woke up."

Caught between the urge to hide in the mass of objects and the shock of hearing words from the giant eye, he missed the hand pulling back a flap at the front of the cart. A gravelly older males voice crooned at him from the opening. "Well, come on up here then. Don't be shy, I don't bite." The voice had a bit of a drawl to it and sounded much less threatening then the eye beasts- eye demons, he supposed- voice.

Crawling over some boxes, he peered out of the smaller and higher up entrance to gaze at the owner of the voice. A tiny moss colored old man with algae for hair and a pipe looked back at him with a smile. Sitting with reins in hand at a whopping near 3 feet, he patted the seat next to him. "Come, come. I'm sure you have many questions being free-spawned and all that."

Tentatively, he did as asked and crawled through the flap to sit on the outcropping overlooking the beetle beast pulling them along. They seemed to be travelling a well worn path through the white rocky landscape. He looked over at the old man with a wary but curious look. "Names Boggy. Just Boggy." He offered a webbed hand to the curseling who shook it quickly and let go just as much so.

Boggy leaned back against his seat and gave a puff on the pipe in his mouth. The smoke smelt oddly calming. Like a flower field. He wasn't sure how he knew what that smelt like but he knew anyways.

"So first things first youngun, what's your name?" He could only blink at the old man.

Name? He didn't... well he probably should... Why didn't he? The old man must have expected this answer because he gave out a croaking laugh and bounced in his seat with mirth. "Yep, that's bout what I figured. Most of you free-spawned demonlings don't got one. It's a good thought stirrer though. Gets ya thinking bout it early so you can think on what ya want to be called."

Looking over to the curseling, the old man gave a curl of the lips. The curseling appeared to be deep in though thinking on his name. Stuck on that idea before anything more could be said. The old man left him to it. Turning back to the road, he kept a smile on his face as he drove along. A name. He knew of names. To pick one out for himself though... he felt unprepared! The idea of continuing without one now that he thought about it was simply unacceptable. It should entail what he was he thought. Or at least, what he was now.

Time passed slowly as the curseling thought and the old man drove. A good thirty minutes passing with neither too bothered by the quiet. Eventually. the curseling lifted his head and nodded once, turning back to the old man.

"Baron. Baron Haunts."

Boggy smiled wider and nodded in return. "A good name. Bit fancy a name, Baron. The second a good death affinity name. Ya can learn a lot from a free-spawns chosen name."

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Baron nodded and tilted his head to the side slightly. "You've said that before. Free-spawn. What does it mean?"

Boggy waved a hand in dismissal. "It's what people call yer kind. Demons who are born of affinity mana in concentration. It's about the season. Well, not that Lost Bones has seasons. That time of year rather."

"Lost Bones?" Baron questioned.

"Aye. This place we're driving through. The Realm of Lost Bones. They say all bodies that die somewhere and are never found end up here." Boggy croaked. "Its a pure realm. Death affinity with a few pockets of derivatives."

"Derivatives?" Baron fished. Eager to learn more.

"Affinities that are related or compounded with death affinity. Things like Sorrow, Bone, and a personal favorite Rot affinity." Boggy raised a hand as a mushroom formed in the cupped palm only to bubble and decompose into a sticky sludge he wiped off on the side of the wagon.

"I see." Baron said. Looking back out to the road as he organized his thoughts. "What do Free-spawn like me normally do?"

Boggy chuckled again and cast a sideways glance at him. "Straight to the point eh?" He looked forward once again before speaking. "Well I spose that is up to you, Baron. It's your life. Ye could settle in the city we're coming up to. The Withered Arbor they call it. Only source of water here in the Bones if yer not planning to delve inta the Mausoleum. That's the proto-dungeon we got here. Maintained by this archdemon called Styx. He's basically the leader of the Bones. Though more of a scholar then a proper leadin type. He's just the strongest one." He waved a hand again. "I'm rambling though. Ye could also stick around with us for a bit. I like helpin ya free-spawns when I find ya. Always satisfying to watch you younguns develop. Start to come into yer own. You'd get a better idea of the realm cluster round here too."

Baron thought on that. Sure he could get off in the city. Get a job. Make a living. That was the safe option. It didn't speak to him though. Now that he was tentatively safe he realized he knew nothing. Sure he had the system given knowledge however there were holes in the knowledge. It was big overarching stuff. Not the little details about how to live. He didn't have enough knowledge to do well yet. Besides, the thought of visiting new places excited him something fierce. Turning to Boggy, he nodded and smiled. "I think I'd like to keep with you for now."

Boggy clapped a damp hand on his back with a smile. "Good answer. Too many younguns run off half cocked. Yer thinking. Guess ya got ta to survive here in the Bones. Harsh land to spawn in."

Baron looked around suspicion creeping up on him once more. "About that. Was that... fire person part of your group?" Boggy nodded for what had to be the hundredth time. "Aye. That there is Saxon. He's an Efreeti. Some Sand affinity, dash of Desire, lots of Fire. He's the guard for the Caravan. I'm the leader. Think ya met Besara. She's a cyclops, Stareyed to be specific. She's our navigator and fortune teller. Fiasco should be around somewhere probably scouting around to make sure the Tier 3's keep away. You'll hear him when he's around. Loud little fucker." He gave a big laugh and settled in to refill his pipe. "Fraid this part of the journeys pretty boring though. We're about two days away from the Withered Arbor. We'll camp in a couple hours to rest."

Baron nodded and leaned back into his seat as well. He had a lot to digest, so the quiet settled into him happily as Boggy went back to driving. He could see beasts in the sky from a distance. There weren't any nearby. He wondered why that was. He could ask Boggy he was sure; however, his social battery was already flagging. It was clear he was struggling to internalize all the information he was given. Let alone the deeper concepts of what he would do from now on. He decided a little planning was in order.

"Where are we going after the Withered Arbor?" Baron asked without looking to his riding partner.

"After we stay there for a couple days doing trade we'll move on to the Autumn Meadows. Primary agriculture provider in the cluster. Then after that, back home to Opal Bog. Visit a couple villages and slide into the Smolder Cones. Back through the Bog and Meadows and to our Liason for Nepton to resupply and start the route all over again. Takes about two months and a couple spare weeks to make it from here. You missed the first trip though here to the Hidden Mists."

Baron blinked. That was... a lot of places. They all sounded very different too. Looking out towards the landscapes, he couldn't help but get a little excited.