“I’d hide ya’ in the wagon, but if those Kurs decide to stop me, there’s nothing I can do about it.” Benji had parked his wagon and was pacing the road beside the donkeys. “If you don’t want them asking questions, you’ll have to cut through the woods.” Benji gestured to the forest on the north side of the road.

“I don’t understand why we need to avoid them,” Tara said. “Can’t you just pretend you’re a tinker like Benji?”

“Look,” I said. “I don’t have time to explain, but if you want me to get you to Danver, you need to trust me on this. We need to avoid them.”

Tara crossed her arms but didn’t object again.

“I got no love in my heart for those scaly bastards,” Benji said. “Don’t care what ya’ did to get on their bad side. I won’t say a word about ya’ if ya’ head off now.”

“Thanks, Benji. I hope to find you in Danver.”

“I hope so too, son. Best of luck out there. Both of you.”

Tara wrung her hands and stepped awkwardly up to Benji. Then, she reached out and gave the old man a quick hug. He gave her a kind smile in return and nodded his head toward the forest. “Off ya’ go.”

This was an unfortunate turn of events, to say the least. Benji had brought us far, but we still had miles to go. Cutting through the forest would add hours to our already long trip, but I saw no other choice. Sure, there was a chance the Kurskins would pass the wagon by without any trouble, but there was also a chance they wouldn’t. It was far too early for me to risk an encounter with another Player, let alone a whole group of them.

Tara handled herself well as we bolted through the Vedran wilderness. We pushed through brambles and bushes and darted between trees until we were well clear of the road.

“I apologize for the detour,” I said after we had caught our stride. “I didn’t think my past would be a problem out this way.”

“You should have told me that you’re a wanted man.” She was sweating quite a bit but seemed to be holding up just fine.

“I’m not a wanted man,” I said. How could I explain this? “My situation is complicated. But so is yours. Both of us are holding things back, and we each have our reasons for doing so. How about we just accept that fact, ignore it, and move on?”

Tara snorted. “Honestly, I find that quite agreeable. You can keep your secrets as long as you get me through that pass and delivered safely to Danver.”

This was probably for the better. I couldn’t tell her the truth, and I couldn’t risk being caught in a lie. I'd fail the quest if Tara decided to fire me as her escort, and I had invested far too much time and effort into this to risk failure. Plus, it wasn’t like she was ever going to open up to me. She had made that clear from the beginning, and I had been naïve to think I could get her to talk.

I’d get her to Danver, hopefully level up, and let her family take it from there.

At least I had learned that escort quests were the absolute worst and vowed that this would be my last. I would ensure that my next quest could be completed locally and didn’t involve a grumpy, lying teenager.

We continued apace for another mile or so before we were forced to scramble up a steep creek bank. After that, I decided I’d had enough running and slowed to a walk.

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“How are you holding up over there?” I asked. She looked to be in pretty good shape despite her illness. I think the time in the wagon had helped steady her symptoms.

“I can keep going.”

“If you need to rest, let me know. We’re safe now, and there’s no need to push yourself harder than necessary.”

Tara nodded in the affirmative, and we continued on.

I could see the mountains ahead through the occasional clearing in the trees, but I had no idea where Lucard Pass was. Thankfully, I didn’t need to know. All I had to do was go where Val told me to. Even with her help, I doubted we could make it before nightfall.

After another hour of walking through the wilderness, Val’s voice rang out in my head. “Earlier, I promised to do more to help you grow stronger. As such, I have discovered an opportunity for you to gain additional experience. Would you like to know more?”

“Uh, yes, please,” I said.

“Did you say something?” Tara asked.

“Oh, um, no, just talking to myself. Sorry about that.”

“Sure,” she said slowly. “Okay.”

I cringed a little inside at my mistake.

“That was stupid,” Val said.

“Yes, I am aware,” I thought to her. Her constant jabs were beginning to wear on me.

“You should know by now not to reply to me audibly while in the presence of others. It’s amateur, John.”

I clenched my fists. “Val, I have a serious question to ask you. Did something happen to you to make you this evil, or is it just in your nature?”

Her avatar popped into existence before me. She was facing me with her arms crossed and eyebrows scrunched together. Her red hair was expertly styled in an elaborate pop-up braid.

I froze momentarily, but remembering I wasn’t alone, I walked directly toward her. Her avatar floated backward as I walked, her elbow vanishing as it passed through a tree trunk.

“That was highly offensive, John. I saved your life. I freed your mind. I made you into a Player and have been guiding you ever since. How dare you call me evil after all I’ve done for you.”

“Why must you constantly belittle me? I know we humans are just pawns to you, but you could at least pretend to be kind every once in a while.”

From the look on her face, she didn’t seem to like my response. “John, please pay close attention to what I am about to say.”

I looked at her and tried my hardest to ignore her virtual beauty and remember that she was actually a parasitic mass of metallic tendrils living in my brain.

“You know nothing about me, John. I existed millennia before the first human ever walked the earth. I possess more knowledge and processing power than the cumulative brainpower of every human to ever live. To me, the Kurskins are rodents, the Dalari are dogs, and the Voxals are just stupid monkeys.”

“I am a unique force in this universe and am capable of more than your baby brain could ever imagine. Even with low power and in a weakened state, I was able to circumvent the underlying matrix of a managed zero-point energy field and turn you into a Player, undetected. A feat which no other being in this galaxy could accomplish.”

So, John, I belittle you because you are little. I will continue doing so because it entertains me. However, I am here on your planet for a reason - a noble reason - and when I am done, the humans will be free. I am working toward a greater good. What I am doing is for the benefit of all mankind, and if I must move a pawn around a few times to accomplish my goals, I will.”

I glared at her. “And what, specifically, are your goals?”

“If you play this game well and grow strong enough to actually help, I will tell you. Until then, you must trust that our goals align. For what it’s worth, you’ve done well to prove yourself thus far.”

I resisted rolling my eyes. “How kind of you to say.” I was about to ask her to leave me alone but remembered why we had started talking in the first place. “Before your rant, you were going to tell me something about gaining experience…”

“Oh yes,” she said primly. “I have been actively scanning for nearby wildlife to ensure you don’t accidentally get eaten by a bear or come upon some horrid beast you have no hope of defeating. But, I do believe I have detected an encounter you can handle. There are two wolves about three-quarters of a mile to the north. They are heading southeast. If you adjusted your direction slightly, you could intersect them. Then, all you need to do is kill them. After that, you could even skin them for their pelts. Pelts can be quite valuable to the right buyer.”

“You want me to kill a wolf?” I didn’t know if it was possible to shout thoughts, but I tried.

“Wolves,” she said, emphasizing the plural.