My mind spun all night from the deadly encounter and my new spike in power. I still had a dose of valera root pumping through my veins, so it took hours for my heart and mind to relax, but they eventually did. And I slept. For about three hours.

The warm, creeping rays of light from the sunrise woke me. Tara was already awake and cooking something over the fire in a tin cup.

I yawned and nearly gave into the temptation of more sleep, but I shook my head to clear it and slowly lifted myself from the ground.

I gestured to her cup. “Cooking something?” This would be a first.

“I found some eggs,” she said. “And before you ask, I will share.” She glanced to the cup and back at me. “Consider it a thanks for getting me this far. I’ll be glad to have this part of the journey behind us.”

This part hadn’t been so bad unless she was referring to a certain bandit sneaking into camp. But she didn’t know about that, so it must be that she just didn’t like long, barren, boring roads.

“I’d love some eggs. Thank you, Tara. Where’d you get them?”

She tilted her head up and to the left. “In a tree not far from here. Found a nest.”

I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Good work. They always say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

She looked at me curiously before using a cloth to pass me the hot tin cup.

Inside were two eggs, sunny side up, although a bit overcooked.

“Both of these are for me?” I asked.

She nodded.

I lifted the cup and slurped both eggs down in seconds. It could have used some salt.

I was thankful for her initiative. It was going to be another long day of walking, and I needed something to boost my energy. Something that wasn’t an addictive drug.

That Roadtripper perk would have come in handy, but even in my exhausted state, I still felt like I had made the right call by choosing Devastating Strike.

“Thank you. Those were delicious.” I let out a contented sigh and handed Tara the cloth and tin back.

She almost smiled at me, but perhaps my mind was just playing tricks on me. She seemed in good spirits, but I had no doubt it would be another quiet walk with Tara. At least I had Val to talk to.

I was beginning to trust that Val genuinely wanted to help me grow stronger and that she was serious about taking on the Triarchy together. I still didn’t know her grand plan, and she was reluctant to share more than what she felt I needed to know, but I hoped we could at least ruin their fun and eventually discover a way to find my wife.

While my trust was growing, I knew she had her own interests and motivations. Part of me still worried that she would cut me loose the moment she decided I didn’t have what it took.

If that were the case, I’d just have to prove her wrong.

Tara and I packed up our meager camp and left the forest. I kept a happy face and tried to act normal despite the guilt I carried for killing another human. I didn’t know if Tara noticed anything different about me; if she did, she didn’t say anything.

“How’d you sleep?” I asked as we connected with the main road.

“I’ve slept better, but I managed,” Tara said. “You?”

Wow, she reciprocated the question. What a breakthrough. “I could have used a few more hours, to be honest. I prefer my own bed to the ground.”

“I had assumed someone like you would be used to sleeping on the ground.”

“You never get used to sleeping on the ground, trust me,” I said. “Do you have family in Danver?” She was talking, so I wanted to try to keep the conversation going.

She looked down at her feet and nodded. “Yes. They can help me.”

“Help with whatever has made you sick?”

She nodded tentatively. It seemed it wasn’t just a cold. I was glad she was finally being honest, and for the first time, I felt sorry for her. I was finally becoming invested in this quest.

“We’ll do our best to get you there,” I said.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Tara glanced up at me.

“You and me, I mean,” I said to cover my slip-up. “We’re in this together.”

After that bit of awkwardness, the conversation dwindled out. I increased my pace to get some distance from Tara. A question had been bugging me for some time, and I wanted to talk to Val.

Her curvaceous avatar appeared next to me. “I didn’t think that girl would ever shut up.”

“Be nice,” I whispered. “She’s finally opening up a little.”

“She said five words. You need higher standards.”

“Val, I have a question,” I said, ignoring her remark. “What do NPCs see when I change my inventory? Do they see an object appear in my hand like magic? Won’t they notice if a Player uses their inventory to change gear instead of doing it manually?”

“They see whatever they need to see to justify the irregularity.”

“So, the system just magics away whatever the NPC sees?”

“Sigh, I didn’t design the code. How would I know how it works? Each new iteration of the game is different.”

“Did you just say ‘sigh?’”

“Don’t be an idiot, John. You ask too many questions. You should be paying attention to the road, not to me.”

I gestured at the empty road before me. “There’s not much here for me to devote attention to.”

“Hello there,” came a distant shout from behind me.

I spun around and saw a covered wagon driven by two strong mules. The beasts were pulling at a steady pace and were catching up fast. I shook my head in annoyance. Val could have given me a heads-up earlier.

Tara had turned around as well, her face a mask of concern when I approached her.

“What do you think he wants?” she asked.

“Maybe he’s just being friendly,” I said. The man behind the reigns was old with wild, stark white hair. Even from a distance, I could see he was much older than the bandit from the night before. He seemed to be of no threat to us, and Val wasn’t voicing any concerns.

As he grew closer, I could see a warm smile on his face. “If you’re heading to Danver, you’ve a long road ahead,” he said. “You’re sure to get blisters if you walk that far. Care for a ride?”

Tara looked to me, her concern gone. She must have come to the same conclusion as I had.

“Why, that would be quite the gift, sir,” I hollered back.

He rolled a little closer before reigning in his mules. “It’s a gift this old man would be happy to give. The war has made these roads lonely, and I wouldn’t mind a bit o’ company.”

“Sounds like a fair trade to me. Where do you want us?”

“The lady is welcome wherever she is comfortable. There’s room in the back if she wants out o’ the sun. Fair skin like hers can catch a burn on days like this.”

Tara gave the man a rare smile. “That sounds lovely, thank you,” she said with a polite curtsey.

“And me?” I asked.

“Join me up here.” He tapped the wooden bench next to himself. “A tough-looking man like yourself might scare off any unsavory folk looking to take advantage of an old tinker.”

I climbed aboard. “Have you been having trouble on the roads then?”

“Not this trip, but my last run was a complete loss.” He shook his head. “Deserters from the far west.”

“Not Vedrans?”

He nodded, gave a sharp whistle, and flicked the reins. The wagon began to tumble forward. “Alturans from the coast. They were fighting for the Dalari before running off.” He spit off the side of the wagon. “What’s your name, lad?”

“I’m John. John McClane.”

“McClane. Now that’s a strong name,” he said. “Name’s Benjamin Stoneway. You can call me Benji if you like.”

“Nice to meet you, Benji.”

He smiled and tilted his head in respect. “You got a soldier look about you. Ain’t a deserter too, are you?”

I winced. Technically, I was a deserter, but I was so much more than that now. “Not exactly. My circumstances are rather unique. I’m Vedran. I was part of the Kurksin’s forces, but I was recently discharged.”

“Mmm, lucky break. Figured those ugly bastards just killed off soldiers when they were done with em’.”

“Depends on the commander.” I shrugged the topic away. “What are your thoughts on the war?”

“Got plenty o’ thoughts, but I’ll keep it short. The whole thing’s a sham.”

I was a little taken about by that. “What do you mean?”

“King Constance thinks the Kurs came from heaven. It’s a ridiculous notion. That man needs to get his head out o’ the church.”

“So, you don’t think they’re divine?” I was under the impression that most folks in this part of the world believed the Kurskins were heaven-sent, but perhaps that was just my uncle’s influence. During my short time in the army, no one dared question the narrative, so there was little to no debate on the matter.

“Course not. Just look at em,” Benji said. “They’re flesh and blood, just like you and me. Sure, they’re strong and got some magic in em’, but they die just like us. Angels don’t die far as I know.”

“Hard to argue that point. If you don’t think the Kurs are from heaven, I assume you don’t believe the Dalari rose from the abyss. Which then begs the question, where did they come from?”

Benji smirked. “Aye, lad. World’s bigger than we know. The oceans are vast, and our ships are few. Who knows what other lands are beyond the sea? They’ve probably been warring for generations and finally decided to bring us into it.” He spat on the ground again.

Benji wasn’t far off the mark.

“You heading to Danver too, I take it?”

He nodded.

“Any chance we can ride with you the rest of the way? We won’t be a burden. I’m a decent hand when it comes to caring for animals.” I gestured toward the mules.

Benji stroked his beard, considering. “Aye, that’d be fine with me, long as you two stay honest and civil.”

“Thanks, we’ve been walking for days. This will make our journey much easier.”

“You ever been through the Bygone Mountains before, boy?”

“It’s been a while,” I lied.

“They always take my breath away, and Rook Pass is a wonder of old-world engineering.”

“We uh, well my companion was hoping we could travel through Lucard Pass. She claims it’s the better option.”

Benji snorted. “Ain’t nothing better about Lucard. That pass is cursed, I tell ya’. If you’re going through Lucard, you’re going without me and my wagon.”

I wondered if Tara could hear our conversation from the back of the wagon. I had no doubt that she could.

“Well, I’d prefer the wagon's comfort over walking there on my own two feet. Maybe I can convince her to change her mind.”

“I’m not changing my mind,” Tara shouted from the back of the wagon. “End of discussion.”

Benji raised his eyebrows at me. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Trouble in hell, more like.”

“If ya’ can’t get her to change her mind, I’ll take ya’ far as I can. But I’m true to my word and won’t be swayed from my course.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “Even halfway is a blessing.”

“World’s short on blessings these days,” Benji said. “It’s up to good folk to do their part to change that.”

I nodded in agreement, resolved to do my part to fix this broken world.