There weren’t many left in Kaira library this long after the disaster, only the four who were insistent until the end that they would find their loved ones, their treasured belongings that surely survived the flames. But the last caravan scheduled for Korna was coming in the morning and even the most stubborn of folk needed to admit that Flester was gone.

Zoe walked in to the charred tree serving as a makeshift sanctuary for the refugees and looked around. Many things had changed since she last showed up, the deep pit that lead to the roots shared between each of the trees was covered with a large stone slab, with leftovers from the people who stayed still left in piles on the floor. Damaged tents that must have provided some modicum of privacy for whoever stayed, piles of torn, charred clothes.

Near the front of the tree were the four people Zoe would be joining on the caravan. Running would be faster, she knew. Nora managed to make it to Korna in just under a week, while the caravan’s estimates were closer to a month out. But joining a caravan, meeting some new people and seeing the way normal people travelled was just as exciting an adventure as anything else to her.

Three of the people were sleeping, their steady breathing barely audible from the tents they slept in. But an older lady was reading a book, sitting on a chair that must have been stolen from some gaudy merchant’s office as it was covered in luscious red velvet and holes where expensive gems and gold must have been set into the flawless white wood. She looked up when Zoe walked in and smiled.

“You’re joining the caravan tomorrow?" The woman asked, pushing a few strands of her thin gray hair out of her eyes.

Zoe nodded and sat down on the floor against the wall. Identify showed the woman as a green marked level sixty three.

“Well that’s certainly comforting. I’ve heard of you, you know?" The woman said.

“Oh?” Zoe raised an eyebrow.

“Do you remember Lorelei?” The woman asked.

Zoe thought about the name for a moment. It seemed familiar, but she wasn’t sure from where.

“She had an alchemy shop a few decades ago, did some tests on you when you were still level eight?" The woman added.

“Oh! Yes, her. That was such a stupid idea on my part, honestly.” Zoe smiled.

The woman laughed. “Yes, she was surprised you did it. Most at that level are children with parents much more reasonable than you were.”

Zoe laughed. “I was a little naïve, and trusted too easily back then. I’m glad I didn’t get burned too badly.”

“She would talk about you at times, you know? And then we heard word from other people talking about the strange level eight who seemed to wander around town endlessly. You were quite the enigma back then. I never ran into you myself but it seemed everybody had a story about the new kid in town.” The woman smiled as she reminisced on the past.

“You know, that was me actually trying to stay unnoticed? I thought I was keeping things a secret at least a little bit.” Zoe said.

The woman seemed taken aback. “Oh my, really? I do hope you’re much better at it now.”

Zoe made a balancing motion with her hands. “Better, less worried about it. What’s the difference really.”

“I suppose when you’ve reached such a high level in so little time, you don’t need to be worried about people coming after you anyway.” The woman said.

“I don’t think I ever was, really. I just thought some things were better left private, but I realize I never really had a good reason for it.” Zoe explained.

The woman nodded. “That’s very reasonable. I’m Nadia, it’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Zoe, likewise.”

“Well Zoe, I think I’m going to get some sleep before our big day tomorrow.” Nadia stood up with a groan and walked over to a nearby tent.

“Sleep well, Nadia. I’ll just be here, enjoying the quiet.” Zoe said and looked outside to the ruins of Flester as Nadia got into her tent to fall asleep.

The night flew by as Zoe meditated, something she didn’t often need to do for mana these days but often found enjoyable for the peace of mind it gave her. And as the sun began to poke in through the cracks in the charred tree, Zoe heard the clatter of horse hooves on the ground and several wheels stumbling across the rubble.

She looked outside and saw a small carriage being pulled by two beautiful horses with shining black coats and a grizzled old man at the reins. His gray hair was pulled back in a knot and thick black beard reached down to his chest.

The man hopped off the carriage as it stopped outside the library and squinted as he looked at Zoe, before his face lit up with a smile.

“Zoe?” He called out.

“Yes?” Zoe answered.

“Oh it’s so good to see you again. It’s been what, twenty years? How’s Joe doing? He still around?” The man said.

“Joe’s fine, yeah. I’m so sorry but who are you again?" Zoe asked.

“Ah, I suppose that I have aged quite a bit, huh? We stayed at Joe’s inn together oh, maybe twenty years ago. Name’s Rizick? I left with Isla.” Rizick said.

“Oh. Oh! Rizick! Hi! How are you? How’s Isla?" Zoe asked.

“Life’s good. Isla and I got married a few years after, and just last year decided to settle down in Korna. We were thinking of coming here to Flester but, and pardon my rudeness, I’m glad we didn’t.” Rizick said.

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“Oh wow, congratulations. I’m happy for you.” Zoe said.

“Yeah, thanks. She’s back home right now, managing the shop. You’re joining the caravan then?” Rizick asked.

“Mhm, thought it might be fun to travel normally instead of just running from place to place for once. God, it really has been almost two decades now, hasn’t it?” Zoe shook her head.

“Yup. Y’know, I stopped by John’s bookstore and it looks right as new still. Guy’s closed, always is, but I wonder how different it might have been if he was around.” Rizick asked.

“I doubt he would have noticed anyway.” Zoe said.

Rizick laughed. “Right, right. Well, how many of you are there this time? I was told one carriage would be enough.”

“There’s five of us. They’re all still sleeping right now, but I imagine they’ll be happy to get on the move.” Zoe said.

“Hey Ed,” Rizick called out. “Looks like you’re gonna have to walk.”

A tall man hopped out of the carriage and stretched. Identify showed him as a level one forty three dark blue warrior. “A’right boss.”

Zoe was tempted to tell Rizick she could fly along beside the carriage, but that would defeat the purpose of her joining the caravan at all. She wanted the normal experience, and part of that was having a big burly mercenary guy running along beside you, apparently.

Rizick and Zoe walked back into the library and woke everybody up, helped them get their things sorted and packed onto the carriage then left back down the damaged road out of Flester. The carriage had just enough space for the five of them to sit with all of their packed belongings, without feeling packed in like a can of sardines.

Zoe sat near the back of the carriage, with her arm resting on the board that folded up to stop their belongings from rolling out. Across from her was a younger girl who didn’t look older than twenty. Nadia sat near the front of the carriage across from a younger boy with dark hair and awful burns across the left side of his face.

And the last member of their little party was a middle aged man who sat between Zoe and Nadia. Nadia was the highest level of the bunch, with the young girl being the lowest at a light blue level twenty two. Zoe supposed anybody higher level would have just made the journey to Korna themselves rather than waiting for an escort.

At the front of the carriage was a curtain separating them from Rizick who sat up at the front handling the two horses and Ed jogged along next to them.

“So here’s the rules, people.” Rizick opened the curtain behind him and hung it up on a hook. “Other than Zoe, you’re all far too low level to be of any help if we get attacked by anything. It’s unlikely that we run into any problems on the journey, but the chance is not zero. If something does happen, you are all to remain inside the carriage.

“I do not guarantee your survival on this trip, but if you leave the carriage when you aren’t supposed to, then I do guarantee your death. This carriage is enchanted with as much defensive capabilities as Korna’s royal enchanters are willing to put into it, and should keep you all safe in the event of a normal interruption.

“Zoe, if something does happen would you be willing to assist Ed in protecting us?" Rizick looked at Zoe.

Zoe nodded. “Yeah. I can help out.”

“Good. Next rule, I don’t care if you’re able to stay awake all day and all night, the horses can’t. We rest at sunset and leave a few hours after sunrise. Pulling the carriage plus all of you is a lot of work on the horses, and I’m not going to push them harder than they can handle. I’m not a slave master.

“When we rest, you will be fed your portion of food. If you want more, you’re free to go hunt and gather for your own at your own risk. We will not save you if you go off into the forest and anger some beast you shouldn’t have, and we will not wait for you to return if it is time to leave.

“In the morning before we leave, you will all be given a twenty minute break to get out and walk around the camp. I suggest you join me for my daily workout, but you’re free to use the break however you like. Again, I cannot stress this enough. If you leave the camp, you are no longer a part of my responsibility, and we will not keep you safe if something happens to you.

“This trip will take just under a month, and you will be dropped off at the Flester refugee station just outside of Korna. Food and temporary shelter will be provided to you, as well as assistance with getting a job and contacting any family members or friends who have arrived in Korna. Are there any questions?” Rizick asked.

The young boy raised his hand, and Rizick pointed to him. “Um. Where will we sleep?”

“In the carriage.” Rizick said. “The benches you’re all sitting on now can be lifted. Two of you will sleep on the benches, three of you will sleep on the floor.”

“How often will the bathroom breaks be?” Nadia asked. “I have a bit of a bladder problem, I’m ashamed to admit.”

“We will stop for lunch and dinner. You can relieve yourselves then, and if you don’t then we will not be able to stop for you. I have a cleaning skill so let me know if there are any accidents. But for the love of god, please just relieve yourselves on our regular stops. We can’t justify stopping too often out in the wilds, certainly not every time somebody has to relieve themselves.” Rizick explained. “Any other questions?"

When nobody spoke up, Rizick continued. “Good. Now get comfortable, we’ll be here for a while.” He closed the curtain and turned his attention back to the trodden road in front.

The carriage was uncomfortable, Zoe found as the days passed. Each rock or pothole the wooden wheels rolled over felt like a hammer ramming her backside. The twenty minutes they got each morning to stretch was nice and Zoe joined Rizick’s workout along with Nadia, Drummond and Heather. It was a simple routine with some stretches and light cardio, but appreciated.

Heath, the young boy always left to do his own thing around camp. Usually just wandering around whispering to himself, but Zoe saw him following along with Rizick’s workout from a distance a few times as well.

Most of Zoe’s time was spent up at the front with Rizick, chatting with him about everything they’ve been up to for the last near twenty years. He had travelled a lot with Isla, seen most of the Injellar kingdom and even trekked down south to the frontiers a few times.

Last year, a few months before the elemental attacked Flester, Rizick and Isla bought a shop in Korna and settled down there. They were getting older, and the constant travelling was beginning to wear them down. Rizick was insistent on helping the refugees from Flester as a way to repay the kindness he got from Joe, and as a sort of final huzzah before he finally put the travelling merchant life behind him.

Zoe told him of her experience climbing Moaning Point and building up a home of her own in a hill near Flester. Of the small village that had popped up around her home and the people who lived in it now. He seemed interested in stopping by someday with Isla to say hello to Joe again whenever they found the time.

In the middle of the afternoon, halfway through their journey to Korna, Zoe was sitting in the carriage playing card games with the other refugees when the carriage came to a sudden stop.

“Shit. Ed, you see them?” Rizick cursed.

“No boss. Want me to go look?” Ed asked.

“No, stay with the carriage.” Rizick opened the curtain and Zoe looked outside. A pile of logs was blocking the road a few dozen feet ahead of them. “Bandits, probably.” He said. “Stay in the carriage please. Zoe, if you could come help Ed?”

Zoe hopped out of the carriage and floated above it in a suit of gray rock. She couldn’t see the bandits, but she could feel them. Excitement, fear and anxiety covered the forest around them like a blanket of human filth. “We’re surrounded.” She said.