I found the food to be decent. The hotel was interesting, unlike the bar you could tell the building was old. Built pre-electricity, it had fireplaces in the common room and dining hall. The food tasted like it was cooked over an open fire, which was almost a guarantee as I didn't see or hear any mana power sources.

The bedrooms had large windows that could open and wooden slatted shutters that could control the airflow. Which was good considering the muggy heat of the swamp. Retro-fitted ceiling fans hung from the ceiling, completely useless without electricity. An oil lamp was set on the table next to a bed that sported a mosquito net.

I plopped into the bed as Fiona became visible again.

"An interesting place, it seems more closely related to buildings in my world than the ones I have seen of yours."

"Yea, this place is old, probably built two-hundred years ago or more."

"So, do you plan on helping Martin with his task?"

"Depends on what he wants, if it isn't too arduous I don't see why not. Just, so long as I don't get too involved with local politics. I've had enough of other people's problems for the time being."

I wasn't being totally honest with Fiona, I also didn't want to get to know these people. I have lost enough peers lately. Each loss was hard on me, even if I didn't let it show anymore.

The latest loss had been one of the harder ones since Fiona. Moana and Sheila were good people. They had risked everything to set a bunch of people free, more than I ever did that was for sure. I still regretted the fact that I couldn't do anything to save them. Obidiah was a monstrous man. Then there was poor Jamal. If Obidiah had shown up on the roof, that meant Jamal had been taken care of.

I still felt bad for having to use the man in that fashion. There was just no other choice with the time I had left. It was just another failure I had to live with, another ghost to haunt my dreams. Like I needed any more of those. Maybe once I finished assisting Martin with whatever he wanted I could search the area for a dungeon. That might allow me to cut loose and vent this frustration I had.

Another thing I needed to do was visit Biloxi and see if it had a Bazaar there. Maybe I would get lucky and it was linked to the one up north. At the very least I could acquire a message item to send Frathsar. There must be items that didn't need to be linked to send correspondence to people. Plus I needed new weapons, along with a visit to a blacksmith to see if my armor could be salvaged.

"I'm going to wander around town, ill be back before morning."

"Sounds, good. Stay out of trouble," I said, rolling over and closing my eyes.

Fiona turned invisible as she floated through the closed door. She still found the sensation odd. She floated through the town, with no particular goal in mind. People walked about oblivious to her presence. Eventually, she was drawn to a graveyard. It was odd, everything was stored above ground, she would ask Paul about this later, maybe he knew why.

As she floated through the graveyard the pull intensified. It wasn't a pull on her body, but more on her mind, calling her to come forward. She was curious to see what it was but her sword appeared in her ghostly hand just in case.

Once closer she saw a young woman, sitting outside a spell circle that held a single lit candle. The woman's eyes were pure white and she was chanting some words to a ritual. When the woman finished a verse the pulse of power that drew her here rippled out again. She was able to resist the pull, but she could see wisps of ethereal light starting to be dragged into the spell circle.

After awhile the wisps materialized into a man.

"Why have you summoned me caller?" the ghostly voice spoke.

The whiteness faded in the woman's eyes as she looked at the man, "I seek to grow stronger and need information."

"And what do I get in return?"

"I could release you from this bound existence."

The ghost seemed to ponder that for a bit, it happened to glance up and spotted Fiona. The creature's eyes went wide before it screamed an unholy scream. "Betrayal, why have you summoned a Spectral Guardian?"

Before the woman could even comprehend what was going on the form of the ghost evaporated, leaving the woman in shocked silence. She looked around frantically in the direction the ghost had been staring but saw nothing. Fiona was still invisible. When the woman's eyes started to turn white again Fiona fled.

***

Monique was flabbergasted at the turn of events. She had been calling ghosts for months without an issue. She could only ever ask one question of them though, turning it into a slow process. When she activated her sight ability she spotted the remnants of an armed and armored woman. The sight sent a shiver down her spine.

Most ghosts only showed up as indistinct blobs of glowing light, at least until they were within her spell form. This was something altogether different, and much stronger. She gulped, she hoped she hadn't accidentally lured a vengeful spirit into the town. She would need to let her Gran know about this. Perhaps she could help capture or rid the town of this creature.

***

I awoke, feeling rested. It felt like I hadn't gotten a decent sleep in months. Which was mostly true. Fiona was floating in the corner, looking out the window.

"Morning."

She turned towards me and smiled, "I see your body has only grown more taut."

I looked down, realizing I had removed my clothes sometime in the night. She was right though, my body was slim and wiry, a six-pack prominent on my abdomen. "Stare all you want I'm not ashamed," I added, winking to the ghostly woman.

She just rolled her eyes and turned back towards the window. I heard her whisper something. "If only I still had a body."

I smiled at her comment. I got dressed, leaving off my armor for now. It left me feeling vulnerable but I needed to at least try and trust people again. Not that I didn't already have all my buffs activated.

I walked down to have breakfast. Eggs with some sort of biscuits and gravy. I was enjoying the food when Martin arrived, he waved when he saw me and headed towards the table.

"Hey, Paul, glad you're awake. Got some time to discuss my proposal?"

I nodded and motioned for the man to sit, not wanting to talk with a mouth full of food.

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"Good, good. So as you know, my team and I patrol around the city and eliminate threats. Well, we got a group of creatures called prowlers running about. Nasty creatures about the size of a boar, but with more feline features. Anyway, they attack the livestock. We only manage to chase them off, the creatures disappearing into the swamp before we can catch them."

"Ok, but how do I fit into this?"

"The creatures are rather smart. We have tried to cut them off, using one man to block their escape. Somehow, they can tell. They scatter and we are unable to chase them. We think they have learned that there are only three of us. If we added a fourth perhaps the plan would work."

"Seems dangerous for me?"

"It shouldn't be, we haven't seen them ever attack people. Although, I can't rule it out. If you help us we can escort you to Biloxi."

This really seemed like a win-win for them, and not much advantage for me other than the approval of Martin and the town. I mulled it over for a bit before agreeing to his terms.

"Great, whenever you are ready just head to where we parked the quads."

I nodded as he left.

I took my time to eat the meal. Other than the previous night it had been some time since I had good food. The food the slaves were fed was edible, and that was about it. I still remembered the times Sharla made me watch her eat a gourmet meal.

I would have to stand there and watch her eat. She would smile between bites, stopping to describe the taste and texture. When she finished she would always leave a large portion uneaten. This was usually after I wasn't allowed to eat for some perceived infraction or another. My stomach would rumble uncomfortably as I was forced to stand there. When she returned she would always dump the remains in the trash with a wicked grin.

Shaking my head, I pushed those thoughts away. The woman was dead and I could take my time to enjoy the food without worry.

After I cleaned the plate I left the hotel and started walking down the street. Fiona was quiet as she floated invisibly beside me. At least I assumed she was beside me. The thought of her not being here made me slightly nervous. I whispered, "Fiona, you here?"

"Yes, I'm here," she said softly in return.

That little confirmation made me feel immeasurably better. I wasn't afraid of the townsfolk, or a fight, no, I was afraid of being alone again. Her presence had a calming effect on me, if she wasn't here there was a real possibility I might lash out.

I continued walking towards the building we stopped at yesterday. I could have used Bella since it was a few miles but the exercise felt good. The walk took me about an hour, I wasn't in any hurry. Martin waved as he saw me walking towards them.

"Paul, glad you could make it so soon."

I nodded to the man, knowing I had taken my sweet time. I was beginning to suspect the guy was just really accommodating.

I decided to cut any small talk, "Yea, so where do I need to head to?"

"Right, right, sorry, we can take you over there. The prowlers probably aren't around now, but we will set up and wait. They usually attack around dusk."

I nodded and got on his vehicle again. I would use Bella only when I knew where I needed to be.

The ride took quite some time as we had to go through the entire town and another five or so miles outside town. Luckily they had changed out the tires on the quads for something more practical on dirt. A lone house was surrounded by a six-foot metal fence. It made sense to me why the house was still occupied so far outside a city. Someone that looked to be in their forties opened the front gate as we approached. I spotted a cavalry sword strapped to his hip.

We rode past so quickly I didn't get a chance to use Identity on the man. We kept driving until we got to another gate on the far side of the house. This time Clem got off of his vehicle and opened the gate.

"Beyond this gate is the grazing area. The fence was electrified to keep the cows contained, and they still stay clear of it even though there is no power. Unfortunately, the other beasts aren't afraid of a few wires."

"Why not fix something up as you did with the quads?"

"We tried, not enough juice to electrify the whole property."

"Sounds like you folk need to purchase a mana engine."

Martin turned to look at me, "What's that?"

"Works like a normal engine, except instead of burning fuel to produce the power it uses mana."

"How do you provide mana for it?"

"Not really sure, I saw a few in vehicles but I wasn't that impressed. I also know a few buildings in Chicago had them. It was enough juice to power a few floors and an elevator. What they used to power them I can't say."

"Do you think this Bazaar of yours would have them?"

I had to smile at that, "Trust me, they will. You have to see it to understand."

"Might have to go there after we deal with our pest problem."

The quads made their way slowly along the fence line. Eventually, stopping.

"You see that cluster of trees over yonder?"

I looked to where Martin was pointing and saw a small grove of trees, just outside the fence. "Yes, is that where they usually run off to?"

"Yup, If you can set up in there we might be able to catch a few of the creatures."

"Sounds good, I can take it from here."

"Stay safe, Paul, If it feels too dangerous just let them go, we can try something else."

I almost snorted at this, instead, I nodded.

"We will set up near the gate and wait for dusk. Once you hear a commotion head for the copse of trees. We will try to drive the creatures into them."

After that they turned around and headed back towards the gate, leaving me alone. I waited until they were quite a ways off before I spoke.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Seems easy enough," Fiona replied.

"You don't think it's a trap?"

"Doubtful, if it was it's the most convoluted trap ever."

"I would have to agree, keep vigilant just in case."

Fiona nodded and I climbed through the unpowered fence. There was no point getting closer to the trees and possibly spooking the creatures. I could get there quickly with Bella. I sat in the long grass and waited.

Hours seemed to pass as I waited. Eventually, I pulled out a book and started to read. This book was a book on medieval armor design. Not the most engaging of reads, but it did point out a few reasons some designs were used over others. My reading was interrupted as Fiona appeared. She had been floating high overhead to watch for the creatures.

"The prowlers have passed the fence line. I counted ten."

I stood up, storing my book and releasing Bella, "Any idea of their level or capabilities?"

Fiona just shook her head, "They are quick and about the size of a large dog."

I nodded as I mounted Bella, giving her feathers a gentle stroke to calm her. She was angry at me again for keeping her boxed up. Maybe I would leave her out for now.

We made it to the trees quickly, I dismounted, Bella could fight on her own. Fiona would also be fighting. I didn't fear getting overwhelmed by these creatures. They were small enough that my Eye of the Storm could deal with them. No, we just wanted to make sure we got them all.

We didn't have long to wait. The sound of engines followed by screeching filled the air. I imbued my staff with water and earth. As soon as the creatures crossed the fence line I struck. Disruption tore through the few trees in front of me before slamming into five of the creatures. Massive chunks of rock and dirt were thrown into the air along with compressed jets of water.

I had just enough time to use Identify before the creatures were torn to pieces by my spell.

Prowler | Level 5

The creatures were mottled black with scales and feathers. They reminded me of cats, the way they ran but that was where the resemblance ended. Their heads sported four black eyes and a wide mouth full of teeth.

Bella raced off to chase the two on her side. She caught the first one in her powerful jaws, quickly tearing it apart while she leaped after the next one. She managed to pin it under one of her taloned feet. The creature mewled in pain as it tried to bite at her.

Fiona had killed hers off with three strikes. The now headless bodies pumped blood into the forest floor. She faded away before the others arrived.

The quads pulled up a few seconds later, on the opposite side of the fence. I walked out of the woodline to greet them. I saw them begin to wave before horrified expressions reached their faces. They were screaming at me to turn around. I did, only to see Bella standing there, blood dripping from her face.

Oh right, I forgot to tell them about her, "No need to worry, she's my mount," I stated while rubbing Bella's feathers. She gave a purr like a cat and rubbed her head against me. I did notice she kept her eyes on the other three though.

Martin walked up slowly, "That is one terrifying creature, and you said you ride it?"

"Yea, it's a trained war mount I got from the Bazaar."

The man's eyes lit up at that, "Can I pet her?"

"I would advise against that, she tends to snap at people."

Martin pulled his arm back before chuckling, "well good to know." He looked at the devastation I had caused, "I hate to even ask looking at this mess, but did you get them all?"

"All ten, although you will likely only find the remains of three. My spell was a little more effective than I thought and Bella was hungry."

"Bella is your mount?"

"Yep."

"Can I ask, where did she even come from?"

I showed him how the storage item worked, explaining that you could store food and water for the creature inside.

"Well, this job went way easier and faster than we had planned. Care to take a trip with us to Biloxi and this Bazaar?"

I agreed to go with them and show them around. We left the ranch and headed out of town.