The other three were staring at Chance, Yrip and Snarl looking surprised. It was hard to tell what Shags was thinking by his looks, but Chance could feel it; he was surprised too, but he was also rather amused. Chance grinned at them.

“Well?” he asked.

“It was impressive,” Yrip responded. “Not quite a dragon, though,” he added and gave a short barking laugh.

Chance had to chuckle at that. “No, not yet at least.”

Yrip grinned. “Now that would be truly impressive.”

“That was a magnificent eagle to hunt as,” Snarl commented. “It might be of use in a fight as well.”

Maybe for a quick strike, Shags pointed out, but against any enemy with weapons it would struggle.

Chance nodded. “I would prefer not to have to fight anyone as an eagle.”

“Can’t you take the form of something that could fight?” Snarl asked.

“Not yet, I don’t think. I probably need to advance as a druid first before I can do that. That eagle is about as large an animal as I can be at the moment. Later, maybe, I could become a more fearsome animal that could be a threat, like an elephant, lion, tiger or bear.”

Or a wolf, Shags added.

“Or a wolf,” Chance agreed. “For now it is only smaller animals, useful for helping me move around or scouting ahead. I could probably become a venomous snake or spider, but they would also be at a major risk if they tried to attack anyone.”

“It is certainly a useful ability,” Snarl grinned. “We could always use an extra hand, or wing, when hunting.”

Chance wasn’t sure that was something he wanted to take part in, at least not unless the situation really called for it. As the eagle he had enjoyed it, but less so when he had returned to his dwarf form.

He picked up his pack, staff and spear from where he had left them. “Let’s keep going. I was able to see ahead of us while flying, and the edge of the forest is still some way off.”

They resumed their travels again, continuing along the forest that followed alongside the stream that bubbled and gurgled across its bed of sand and stones. He had not spotted any sign of anyone or anything living nearby during his flight, nothing but the beasts of the wild. They were alone and far from anyone, and it was peaceful. There was no noise, as he was used to it, no crowds or traffic or ringing phones, just a soft breeze in the trees and the odd call of a bird. It was funny, but he didn’t find himself missing the noise as much as he first had or thought he would. He was a city boy after all, and this was as far from a city as you could get.

For the rest of the day they walked, though they didn’t push themselves, taking it easy as they went. They stopped for drinks from the stream, or to pick fruit or berries that grew wild in the forest, or for Snarl to aggressively sweep some offending dust from the path along the way. Mostly they walked without speaking much, for there was little need to do so, and there was enjoyment just in walking in the company of friends.

As evening began to arrive, they found themselves in a clearing by the stream, one with a bed of thick green grass and with the broad branches of a few trees sheltering it. There they set up a camp for the night, collecting twigs and sticks to make a fire with, and foraging around for food rather than using the supplies that they had brought with them. Shags went out hunting down a few more rabbits, which Snarl prepared when they were brought back, to cook them up over the fire.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Chance inspected the map again as the sky slowly began to darken, while waiting for dinner to cook. As best as he could judge, they were nearing the edge of the forest where it began to fade out into the plains, which they should reach during the morning at some point. The first village marked on the map was still at least a day further on from there.

After eating the meal that Snarl had prepared, they settled down upon the grass as the stars came out above, the fire slowly burning lower, and drifted off to sleep.

Wake.

Chance jolted out of his sleep, reacting to what he thought was Craghand’s voice giving him a warning. He grasped for his staff as he looked around. The fire had been reduced to little more than a few dull glowing coals, and the sky was still dark, with a half-moon shining down upon them, bathing the forest in a soft silvery light. He rose quietly, trying not to disturb the others while they slept, keeping eyes and ears open.

Had he only imagined hearing the message, dreamed it?

No, there was another noise out there, beyond their campsite, a rustling sound among the trees.

Shags. He sent a message to Shags and the wolf came awake in an instant, his golden eyes snapping open, though he did not move, remaining where he was.

After a short while, Shags silently rose and prowled away, body low to the ground, and alert. Chance crouched down, looking hard in the direction that Shags had headed. He needed the wolf’s much more reliable senses to aid him, especially with night upon them. He waited while the wolf vanished into the forest around them, a silent grey ghost.

He could feel his heart pounding as he waited, hear it ringing in his ears. His mouth became dry as the tension mounted, nerves stretched tight, imagination running wild. Anything could be out there in the dark.

Though he could no longer see Shags he could sense him moving out there, feel the presence of the wolf. As he did, he caught a flash of vision, as if through the eyes of Shags, of the forest before him. The suddenness of it startled him and the link broke. The Animal Companion ability did mention that druids could do it as they grew in power, but he hadn’t considered it upon rising to an Aspirant. Now it looked like that was what he had needed to reach.

Once more he reached out with his thoughts towards Shags and the vision returned to him. The world was brighter to the wolf than it was to him, but lacked colour, with everything in shades of grey. It was not quite as day, but it wasn’t far from it.

Enjoying the view? he heard Shags ask, the link through the mindspeech laced with amusement.

It wasn’t expected. Have you seen anything yet?

No, but there are noises that keep moving around. It is unusual.

Shags kept moving silently on, gliding through the forest, head moving from side to side. Chance could not control where the wolf looked, seeing only what he looked at, the sensation almost disturbing. It was that old sense of not being in charge of his body, being dragged along by it. He did wonder if it was what Craghand was going through, looking out through his eyes but having no say in what they looked at.

Shags came to an abrupt halt and his eyes were raised, to look upwards, towards the sky. A dark shadow passed overhead through the trees, drifting along into a beam of silver moonlight that streamed down through a break in the trees. Chance caught sight of a creature of horror. It appeared nothing less than as the demon that he had seen carved upon his stone, the one that would kill him, though this was not it. It did not burn like the carved one did, and was much smaller as well, barely larger than Yrip.

Knowledge Check

Affinity: Infernal Lore

Species: Imp, Lesser

It appeared to be some form of demon, which Chance did not like in the least. Just when things had been going well, this thing had to appear to ruin it.

As he watched on through Shags’ eyes, he saw the imp land on a tree branch and observed as wisps of smoke emerged from beneath its clawed feet. If that thing started a fire, the whole forest was in danger.

Chance found himself moving forward, whispering Zhuri as he went, his skin hardening under the effect of the spell. He had to stop the imp, and so guided by the presence of Shags, he went forth to slay the demon.