I pushed past a bush and had to bend the branches out of the way just to make it through. Not for the first time, I wondered why our guide wanted to lead us through some of the worst terrain.

Long briar thickets, super dense flora, and at one point, we had to skip over stones through what was basically a mud pit.

Yet, Devon said nothing, and we continued. After exiting the tavern, the spy informed us about a large caravan making their way through the forest, nearly two hours away. Apparently, another hunter had spotted them on his way back.

Now, over an hour in, I sorely needed a shower. The bits of mud and green paste smeared on my clothes reeked of nature that itched my nose.

"Through there," the man directed as he pointed toward a narrow passageway between two huge boulders.

I sighed, and he entered first. He wasn't the tallest individual, so he easily cleared the jagged rock jutting out about head height. Devon entered next, bending low and turning sideways to make it through the passage. Alice followed, angling her axe to squeeze in, and then I moved in behind her.

A few of the protruding stones tried to cut me as I moved through, but my cloak blunted the edges. I squeezed past the final obstacle before coming to a stop, seeing the others waiting and looking over a cliff edge.

There wasn't too much to see, just more heavy patches of forest disrupted by the occasional mini-mountain or other woodland environments.

The man aimed his finger toward the far right. "Over there, see the moving black lines?"

"They're guarded. Six wagons, one heavily surrounded," Devon remarked.

The man turned with wide eyes. "You can see from this far away?"

Devon glanced over and said nothing, causing the man to look away and subtly take a step to the right.

"This will be fine; we can take it from here."

"Oh," the man paused.. "It was an honor to assist you three."

Devon held out his hand, and the man reached out hesitantly. When he did, his mouth fell open, and he half-bowed.

"Thank you."

With that, he slipped back into the narrow passage and left the three of us on the edge.

"What did you give him?" Alice asked, staring at our leader.

"Compensation for his time and effort," Devon said.

She nodded, and that was that.

"So, how are we getting down?"

Devon turned around and gave me a blank stare. I felt my eye twitch, and he motioned toward the edge.

"We climb down." He took a step back, and my heart sank. "This is something you should learn, but it will be easy with your stats. Just follow me and listen for instructions; if you fall, I'll drag you toward the caravan."

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I'm really going to bite you, Devon. I swear it.

He didn't give me time to argue or complain; instead, he stepped back and let his foot sink beyond the edge. He lowered himself as if falling, which looked incredibly wrong, but he easily gripped the lip and held onto the stone.

I moved closer and watched him position his feet in small nooks or on top of bumps of rock and roots. He climbed down quickly, his movements so smooth that he appeared to be sliding. Once he neared the bottom, he didn't bother with climbing anymore and jumped, landing on the grass below.

He looked up and shouted, "Let's go."

With a grumble, I sat on the edge and slowly turned, using my arms to brace myself before lowering the rest of my body off the solid ground. My feet dangled, and I struggled to find a spot to place them.

"This is crazy!" I shouted back.

"You've torched yourself hunting down monsters. This is not crazy," Alice said as she casually swung herself onto a root below her.

She climbed down almost as smoothly as Devon, even with the massive battleaxe strapped to her back.

Now that they were both on the ground and I was clinging to the wall looking like an idiot, I gritted my teeth and scrambled downward. At one point, I nearly yelled but bit my tongue before I could and groaned into the dust-covered rock in front of me.

It tasted disgusting.

Oh screw this, she's right. This is nothing; even if I fall, I'll be alive. You're not human anymore, Cain. Get over it!

I wasn't even afraid of heights, but never before had I stopped to think it'd be a good idea to dangle myself from a mountain and climb down, risking breaking all my bones if I slipped.

It was slow, and I was acutely aware of the stares from below. Eventually, I made it near the last half and decided I was done with climbing. I copied Devon and jumped. I landed, managing to bend my knees, but the shock jolted up my spine, causing a sharp prick in my lower back.

"Oww…"

"Next time, roll. You were smart not to lock your knees; you would have shattered them if you did, but the best way to bleed off the momentum is to roll it off," Devon lectured.

Repressing my urge to give him the middle finger, I nodded and rubbed my calves. Even with my increased stats, they felt a little sore.

Alice smiled my way, which made me feel a tiny bit better, but Devon started walking deeper into the woods, not giving me time to catch my breath.

We spent the next twenty minutes moving toward the caravan at a decent pace. It wasn't a run but nearly a jog, and Devon led us surprisingly well through the trees. I shouldn't have been surprised; he must have spent half his life moving through forested areas away from civilization. The strangest thing about him was how silently he moved. His clothes didn't rustle, and his steps barely made noise. Part of that was where he stepped, his feet naturally moving to spots that avoided sticks or crunchy leaves.

Without making a fuss, I started watching his movements. I tried to replicate how he stepped and examined why he moved in specific directions despite seemingly having no reason to deviate from a straight line. I ended up learning a lot. When he stepped to the side to avoid an obvious patch of grass, it took a while, but I noticed small things like the grass being extra wet in that area or sharp bits of stone sticking out.

He slowed down, and when he turned to examine us, he paused when he looked at me, meeting my eyes. "Keep it up."

After silent walking, I'll need to figure out how you have eyes in the back of your head.

I nodded, and he pulled out a canteen, taking a swig. His actions prompted Alice and me to do the same.

"How are we to engage the caravan?" she asked Devon.

"Introduce ourselves, find the head guard, and meet with the nobles inside."

"Nobles? How do you know there are nobles?" I interjected.

"The guards were positioned throughout the wagons, but one wagon in the middle had two sets of guards on each corner. The wagon they guarded looked newer and sturdier than the rest. If they aren't nobles, they are important enough to have hired men to protect them."

"Makes sense." I looked down at myself and straightened my cloak. "Is the plan to join up with them?"

"Yes. While some may be wary of us, three Grimms are good protection. Failing that, we ask for directions and move on."

"I'm surprised you're not arguing for forcing them too. Isn't the Nexus in danger?"

"We're monsters, not savages."