Another hole forced the front-left wheel to dip. I gripped the side and watched a box slide towards the front, where Alice kicked it away. The wheel climbed out of the hole, and I braced as the back end sank a second later.

"Yadalee, is there no avoiding this?" I hollered.

"No! The right side is worse. Incoming!" Yadalee shouted back.

The wagon shifted left, and the wheels hit a long strip of bumpy road, turning the ride into a vibration machine. My brain rattled, and I kept my mouth shut lest I bite off my tongue.

This cycle repeated until things calmed down.

Yadalee peeked her head in and winced at the sight of the tumbled boxes. "Smooth road, according to the first driver. Sorry about the mess."

She closed the flap before I could reply, and I silently tossed a small crate behind the small mountain of boxes strapped down.

The journey into the pass started off just fine. For several hours, it was just a long, boring stretch where all I did was meditate and practice the new incantation. The only time we stopped was when the nobles required a bathroom break.

I used that short timeframe to get up and stretch, but it felt like a way-too-long road trip.

I think I'm getting saddlesore just from sitting.

Devon tossed over a box that had managed to tumble into his lap. "I'll admit, I too have gotten spoiled by the portal system."

Alice kept silent, so I lightly chuckled to fill the awkward silence. I stared at the rolled-up scroll in my lap and looked up. "Does everyone know the incantation for the portal? Adeline and Neina do, but you use a weird coin thing. What's up with that?"

"It's not an incantation; it's a skill."

"Wait, how do you get a portal skill? Did they hunt some sort of space monster?"

Alice shook her head. "Adeline has a melee-focused skill from her first hunt bonus. She always said her acquiring the portal skill was a fluke."

"Because it was. At least, it shouldn't have been something she'd acquire," Devon interrupted. "Her Lore Strain is based on strength. By the time she got the skill from the system, most of her stats were put into physical attributes, not mental. That's why she rarely uses the portal skill if she can avoid it. It's too draining on her core."

"Then how did she get it? And what about Neina? She has yellow eyes like Astra, so is their strain more suited for incantation casting?"

He nodded. "Yes, they are. The three strains are marked by eye color and show a preference to stat distribution. Red, like mine and Alice lean toward Strength. Amber prefers agility. And yellow eyes acquire Intelligence. To answer your other question Neina simply acquired it. She won't reveal how. As for Adeline, I can't say."

I scowled. "Oh, come on."

"I. Can't. Say," he stated with clenched fists.

"Another absolute?" Alice asked, staring directly at Devon.

He didn't answer.

"So there's no chance we can learn the spell ourselves? What happens if Neina or Adeline dies? Are we just cut off from the nexus?"

"Someone would learn it," he answered. "Someone always does. There's a reason Neina stays in the Warren."

The wagon began moving toward the right, and Devon returned to napping after stealing glances at Alice, who closed her eyes.

I could only shake my head at the two of them. They so easily went from conversing to not; it made me want to pull my hair out.

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Might as well try to get some practice in while I can.

I unfurled the scroll and stared at the etched runes painted onto the vellum.

***

They come. They scurry, parasites all of them.

They wait until I sleep. They crawl along the ground.

They seek to steal my food. They aim to take my prey!

Fools. Food. All the more for me to hunt.

I blinked and stared upward. It took a second for me to recognize the wagon ceiling. Groaning, I sat up and saw Devon and Alice sleeping in their respective corners.

Right, we stayed inside the wagons.

The pass narrowed so we didn't really have room outside of enough space to run a single fire or two. Two pairs of guards would be stationed along each end, but that was it.

My back creaked, and I tense and then twisted to achieve a satisfying pop across my spine.

Good, they're still asleep. And damn, why is my head hurting.

My head pulsed faintly, and I rubbed at my temple until the pressure went away. I was ready to get up and relieve myself, but then I smelled something interesting. It was a mix of dirt and scented oil.

As far as I knew, none of the guards had any cleaning products outside of the odorless soap they used when bathing.

Nobles?

I carefully shuffled toward the back of the wagon and moved aside the flap. It was easy enough to boost myself over the side and land on the ground before closing the flap. Looking up, I enjoyed the bright moon overhead. Without trees, the entire night sky was visible between the edges of the mountain pass, revealing a sea of stars.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply and smelled woodsmoke and salted jerky. I sniffed again and turned in the direction of the scented oil. It came from deeper into the wagon train. There weren't any guards on our end, but I did see a fire towards the front of the train, one of the guards very lazily sitting as he stoked the fire.

Not wanting to head back inside, I started walking towards the smell, all the while sniffing the air to see if I picked up anything new. If Devon said I needed to fight off my instincts, then so be it.

The scent intensified after I moved past the third wagon. Once I neared the nobles' cabin, I stopped and noticed an oddity.

Usually, no matter what, the captain always slept in front of their wagon. Turning around, I kept sniffing until I locked onto the horses nearby. They were staked near the side, only a few feet from the wagon.

One of them kept shuffling in place, its hoof kicking at the dirt.

I wasn't used to the massive beasts but could still approach carefully enough. I inhaled again, sifting through the smoke and the fresh scent of horse manure until the scented oil hit me like a truck.

Hesitantly, I moved closer, and the second horse snorted in my direction.

"Easy now, I won't hurt you."

It neighed but then turned its head away.

I continued around the first two horses and moved closer to the horse, pawing at the ground. The oil smell pushed into my nostrils, and I covered my nose with one hand while slowly reaching out my other hand to pull the horse's straps gently. It backed off, and I bent down to pinch a small brown rag that glistened in the moonlight.

Woah, that's pungent as hell.

The oil invaded my nostrils. A dull pounding assaulted my skull, and I held it away. The horses bucked and started freaking out before I could inspect the rag. I let go and backed up, but the horse continued to bounce around. Large muscles flexed, and it stomped against the ground and chewed at the straps connected to its mouth.

"Hey, calm down," I tried to whisper.

It ignored me, and the other horses began to stir. More neighs filled the air, and I lunged for the strap and tugged downward while placing my hand on its snout. The horse turned, but not before bucking its back legs. Again, I let go, but something heavy crashed into the noble's cabin.

"Damnit! Weedon!"

My eyes widened at the sight of a masked man wearing thick black clothes backing away from the horse as his partner slumped to the ground. A third body hung limp in the stranger's arms.

That's Krenlow!

"Weedon, get up! If we're caught, we're dead!" the stranger growled.

I pulled my axe free and sent mana into the connection with Freki. My shadow stretched forward, and I rushed at the individual. He turned in time to dodge the backswing of my axe, but I quickly stomped my foot between his, and he tripped, dropping Krenlow's body.

My shadow zipped out, and Freki's large paw crushed the second man's chest before he could get up.

"Everyone, wake up! Kidnappers!" I shouted.

"Weedon!" the man yelled.

I turned around and grabbed him by the neck, easily lifting the man up. He punched my arm, but I ignored it and slammed his head into the stone wall.

"Ouughh… We-"

Blood hit my face, and I froze.

Blood fountains across my body, filling my mouth. Severed fle-

I shook my head and banished the memory. "Who are you!"

He spat again, and I saw a small chunk dangling off his tongue.

Fine.

"Devon! Alice! Wake up!"

I raised the man up and pressed my axe against his neck, letting the edge cut a thin line of red that beaded along the metal.

"Who are you?"

He gripped my wrist and bared his teeth. "I'm not answering you. I prefer living."

I pressed the blade deeper, his blood spilling down his shirt.

The kidnapper shook his head. "That won't matter; we're as good as dead anyway."

"Herris!... Stop!" the second kidnapper called out from underneath Freki's paw.

Freki snarled and held his glowing mouth close to his neck.