“You ain’t never heard of shoes?”

Elijah looked up from his drink to see a burly man leaning against the bar next to him. Another one was on the other side, practically bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation. Elijah had been in enough bars to recognize when the local tough guys were spoiling for a fight.

In truth, he was almost willing to oblige them. But given his Strength, he didn’t think it would be satisfying. More importantly, there was every chance he’d end up killing someone if he didn’t remain under control.

While he was thinking of what to say, the choice was taken out of his hands. The antsy one took his hesitation as an invitation, and he aimed a right hook at Elijah’s temple. Of course, he didn’t know that Elijah saw it coming. Even a little tipsy, Elijah could easily keep track of everything around him.

So, he ducked.

As he did, he cast Soothe on himself and slipped from the stool. The antsy man’s fist slid past Elijah’s head and right into his friend’s face. It broke, erupting into a spray of blood as the big guy staggered backward. Meanwhile, Elijah reached out with the crook of his staff, hooked it behind the puncher’s ankle, and yanked. Already a little off-balance, he had no chance of remaining upright, and only a second later, his feet came flying forward while his body went backward.

Then, he thudded against the bar’s peanut-shell-covered floor, slamming his head against a bar stool along the way. Elijah winced, muttering, “Oh, that has to hurt.” When he saw the man wasn’t moving, he added, “Oh, shit. Please just be a concussion. Don’t be dead…”

He cast Soothe on the man, adding another instance of the spell to the man with the broken nose. Even as the two healed, he said, “Look guys –”

Just then, a man in a white cowboy hat stepped inside and ripped his mirrored sunglasses from his face before exclaiming, “Goddammit, Derek. What the hell, boy? I told you a million times not to mess with visitors.”

The big guy – Derek, apparently – said, “We was just havin’ fun, boss…”

Elijah couldn’t help but notice that, despite his nose having been healed by Soothe, the man’s voice still had a nasal cast to it. There was every chance that the bone hadn’t set properly and had healed wrong. Perhaps he should offer to break it again, just to reset it.

“And you!” the white-hatted man spat, pointing to Derek’s fallen friend. He was still on the floor, though his eyes had fluttered open. “Dollars to donuts, you tried to sucker punch ‘im, right? Goddammit. I’m surrounded by idiots.”

“But boss, we wasn’t –”

“I don’t wanna hear it, Todd. You two git on up outta here. There’s a hunt comin’ up. Maybe a few days out in the woods’ll straighten you out.”

“But boss, we wasn’t s’posed to have to go ‘til next rotation!” exclaimed Derek.

“You arguin’ with me, boy?”

Derek swallowed, then sniffed before wiping his nose. “N-no, sir.”

“Good. Now go on. Git.”

The two men seemed to know better than to disobey, so they quickly picked themselves up and hurried through the door. Even as it swung back and forth with their passage, the newcomer took off his hat and, with a sigh, reached down to pick up the fallen bar stool. He straightened, then sat. As he did so, he set his hat on the counter, then signaled the barkeep.

“You gonna sit?” he asked without looking back at Elijah.

“I was actually about to leave.”

“C’mon. Have a seat. Next drink’s on me.”

Elijah shrugged, then returned to his own seat. As he did, he said, “Thanks for stepping in when you did.”

“Seemed like you had it handled.”

“I did.”

“Then why the gratitude?”

“Because those idiots might’ve kept coming at me. If that happened, I might have ended up killing them,” Elijah said. “You kept that from happening. So, thanks.”

At that point, the bartender slapped a pair of shot glasses on the table, then filled them with whiskey. Elijah took his drink and downed it, as did the other man.

“So, what’re you doin’ in a bar at ten in the morning?”

Elijah shrugged again. “It’s an actual saloon, like in the movies. How could I not?”

The man chuckled, then turned to Elijah. “Name’s Ray.”

“Elijah.”

“So, Elijah. What brings you ‘round these parts?”

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“This and that.”

“Care to be a bit more specific?”

“Not really.”

“Listen,” Ray said. “We get visitors from time to time. Merchants, travelers, hunters and the like. But I gotta say – you’re probably the oddest one I’ve seen.”

“Thanks?”

“Wasn’t a compliment.”

Elijah chuckled, and he finally let himself acknowledge the man’s appearance. He was tall – probably well over six feet – and slim, with a demeanor that said he knew his way around a fight. It was part confidence, part bravado, and all cool. It was like the Marlboro man had walked into a bar and sat next to him.

“So, is this where you tell me to get my stuff and move along?” Elijah asked. “For my own good, obviously.”

“Hell no,” Ray said. “I don’t care what you do, so long as you don’t kill nobody. I’m just curious. Man walks into town, no shoes and nothing but a shepherd’s crook – all alone, mind you, and when nobody goes into the woods by themselves – without a care in the world. Can’t blame me for bein’ a bit interested.”

“I’m an interesting guy.”

“That you are,” the man said. He nodded at Elijah’s empty glass and asked, “Want another? Or you itchin’ to get back on the road?”

In truth, Elijah was ready to leave. There really wasn’t much to the town – aside from Mel’s greasy spoon – which meant that there wasn’t much reason to stick around. His poor opinion of Valosta wasn’t helped by the fact that he hadn’t slept particularly well. The room was comfortable enough, but the walls were thin, and he couldn’t help but hear the exploits of some of his more amorous neighbors.

It was a good reminder of why he preferred his tree house.

Then, the encounter with the two thugs, while not unexpected, had deepened his sour mood.

“I’ve got time for a drink or two, so long as you’re buying.”

Ray chuckled again, then ordered another pair of drinks. As the barkeep poured, Elijah asked, “So, you mentioned a hunt? Just for food? Or is there a monster around? Maybe a rift or a tower?”

“Ah. Makes sense. You’re one of those, huh?”

“One of what?”

“Adventurers. Don’t know where they got the idea that runnin’ around and fightin’ monsters for a livin’ was viable career, but there’s people that go from town to town, challengin’ towers and closin’ rifts.” He chuckled again and shook his head. “Never thought anything like that’d come outta my mouth. Rifts and towers and monsters. Feels like I’m in one of my kids’ video games.”

“Kids?”

Ray didn’t answer. Instead, he went silent for a long moment before asking, “So, you one of ‘em?”

“Not really,” Elijah answered. “I’m no stranger to those sorts of things. But I don’t usually seek them out. They kind of find me instead.”

“So, what brings you into town?”

“You asked that already.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

Elijah sighed. “I’m heading to Seattle,” he said, not seeing a reason to conceal his purpose. “Looking for my family. I was…elsewhere when the world changed. So, I’m going to the nearest city to where they lived.”

“Ah.”

“That’s it?”

“Not much to say. It’s not an uncommon thing. Used to see people like you more often. They all wore shoes, though.”

“Any success stories?”

“No. Better to move on,” he said with some degree of bitterness. “The old world’s gone. Whatever the hell this is is all that’s left.”

After that, they lapsed into silence. It lasted for a couple of minutes as the two enjoyed another shot. Then, Elijah asked, “So, are you the sheriff around here or something?”

“Sheriff? Me? Nah. Just a concerned citizen,” he said.

“Concerned about me?”

“About those boys. They’re my idiot cousins,” Ray revealed. “Always been stupid. Their momma let ‘em get away with too much as kids. Now, they don’t know when to stop.”

“I see.”

“So, you’re leavin’ after this?” Ray asked.

Elijah answered, “I don’t really see any reason to stick around. You’ve got a nice town here, but it’s not exactly a tourist trap.”

Ray laughed. “It certainly is not. Mind if I ask a favor, then?” he asked.

“Shoot.”

“Those boys that just left, can you follow ‘em? Without bein’ seen, I mean.”

“What makes you think I can?”

“Intuition.”

“Hypothetically, let’s say I could. Why?”

“I’m in the market for somebody as can keep ‘em from bein’ eaten. Like I said, the wilderness is dangerous,” Ray said. “Pay’s not great. Just a few silver ethereum. But I’ll throw in a bottle of shine. Made by a man with the Distiller class.”

“Is that what we’ve been drinking?”

“Yep. Ol’ Jeb’s been makin’ shine since before the world changed,” Ray answered. “Now he’s got the class to back ‘im up.”

“Five,” Elijah said.

“I can do five silver.”

“Five bottles,” Elijah said. He’d tasted the moonshine already, and it packed quite a punch. More than anything he’d had since rejoining civilization. So, he reasoned he could get a decent price for it back in Ironshore. After all, their distillery was only just getting going. It would be a while before they worked out the kinks.

Ray’s jaw dropped. “Five? You don’t strike me as an alcoholic.”

“Everyone has their vices,” Elijah stated. “That’s my price. But first, tell me about why you’re worried about these hunters.”

After that, Ray went on to explain that there had been two groups of hunters who’d been killed in the past month. That wasn’t so abnormal. The wilderness was dangerous. However, what was strange was that they hadn’t been eaten. Instead, they were found a few days after they’d died, their bodies more or less intact.

“Bandits, maybe?”

Ray shook his head. “Nothin’ missin’.”

“What do you think it is?” Elijah asked.

Ray shrugged. “I got no idea,” he admitted. “If I did, I wouldn’t need your help. Might be a beast. Could be some mythological creature come to life. Whatever it is, it’s killin’ my people. And I’d like it stopped.”

“And that’s where I come in,” Elijah reasoned.

“For five bottles of shine, you’d better keep ‘em alive.”

Elijah sighed. “You get two days,” he said. “I’ll follow them for two days. But then I’m heading out. I’ve already gotten distracted more times than I can count. It’s time I focused on what’s really important.”

“That’s fair enough.”

Ray extended his hand, and Elijah took it. The pair shook, then Elijah downed his latest drink before casting Soothe. “Love that spell,” he said to himself as the effects of the alcohol faded.

After that, he gathered his things and set off.

The town was small enough that it didn’t take him long before he left it behind. From Ray, he’d learned the hunters’ direction, so it was only a few minutes before he caught sight of them heading into the woods. So, Elijah shifted into his draconid form, then used Guise of the Unseen.

So, under the cover of his stealth ability, he stalked the group. He could only hope that it would end much better than the last time he’d found himself hunting a party of hunters. Back then, though, he’d been hellbent on making his prey pay. This time, he was in a much better headspace. Or that’s what he thought. Only time would tell.

In any case, Elijah quickly caught up to the group, which consisted of ten members. Half were armed with spears, while the other half had giant boar spears with huge and heavy blades coupled with a crossguard meant to keep a charging beast from slipping up the shaft and mauling the wielder.

Fortunately, the hunter label seemed more based on an activity than a class, because the men – and two women – were completely incapable of detecting Elijah. So, he followed them, hoping for the best.