Our night in the inn was a restful one, Stella woke us up as the sun broke the eastern horizon. The sound of the waking city grew outside our window. The clomping of boots echoed away from us, marking the passage of a guard patrol. Thankfully, those same patrols were far quieter overnight, though I pondered how they accomplished it. “Probably magic,” I mused aloud. “No one wants to hear a dozen mailed boots clanking by at all hours of the night.”

At some point in the night, Lowki had moved off the bed to rest against the door, the back of her displacer beast tentacles tapping rhythmically in time with her deep breaths against the soft wood. I had been grateful for Lowki’s inability to get comfortable in the shared bed as it had allowed me ample room to stretch out. Yawning and rubbing sleep from my eyes, I cracked my neck from side to side. Today we would be picking up a pair of horses before trying to figure out what manner of monster waylaid the supply caravans. It reminded me of our first day meeting Lowki, and I prayed we wouldn’t find ourselves surrounded by a pack of fire imps.

Peering out the window, large storm clouds dotted along the western sky. Right where we would be heading. “That could spoil our morning,” I said, eyeing the dark rain clouds. “Hopefully, it’s nothing major. I’d much prefer another morning of sun and only an occasional cloud.” I looked to Stella, imaging her drenched before returning my attention to the approaching storm front. I did not want to find out if she had a wet dog smell. I wouldn’t tell her, of course.

Stella stretched languidly, floating a foot off the bed as she did. “Storms are actually not too common,” she informed the group, though Lowki barely stirred at our voices. “Viewers don’t particularly like them because it can make it hard to see what’s going on.” She moved over the window, transitioning between yoga poses, this one a downward dog. “Though they are inevitable because being in a constant drought would be worse. When they do strike,” she said before pausing to judge the size of the approaching front. “They can come as a deluge. I think you’re optimism for a bright sunny day is going to be washed away, and in short order.”

“Well,” I replied, double-checking we weren’t leaving anything behind. “Let’s get to it. We still need to pick up our horses from the city guards, which I hope doesn’t take too long.” Nothing else for it, I cast my two buffs targeting myself. Our song of travel would speed our steps and my shielding spell would increase my armored defense. I did my best to always keeping them up.

Ripley, who had originally been standing guard near the door the night before, suddenly picked herself up off a chair at my words. I hadn’t spied her in the darkened corner of the room, and I was too ashamed to mention I had forgotten about her completely. Her sudden movement startled me, my hand shooting to my chest in surprise. This elicited an amused chuckle from Stella, who probably knew Ripley’s whereabouts the entire time. The combination of the dark gray energy which held her body together, and the new ebony cloak she wore, she had been well hidden. To my eyes, at least.

“Oh, hey… Ripley,” I said to my skeletal minion as my heart returned to a normal rhythm. “Did you have a good night?” I felt awkward and needed to say something. I couldn’t let Ripley know I had forgotten her after all. Though she didn’t reply verbally, she did nod in my direction.

Taking it as a good sign, we left the room, locking the door behind us. Soon, the inn itself, though we did stop by the innkeeper briefly to thank him for the pleasant stay. I even flipped him an extra silver coin in appreciation, which disappeared instantly beneath the folds of his sleeves, before we made our way towards the nearby city gate.

The promised horses were already waiting for us, in the hands of one of the soldiers from the prior day. Sadly, I couldn’t remember his name. When he spotted us approaching, he took hold of the leather bridles and led the magnificent looking animals our way. “Hunter Xazorus,” the man said before handing me the reins. The leather was supple and soft to the touch, high-quality material, not to mention the expensive looking saddles resting comfortably upon the horse’s backs. “Good luck to you, sir. When you return, you can hand these horses over to any gate guard.”

We were soon riding away from the city, hoping to reach the distant forest on the horizon, at least several miles away, before the rain started in earnest. I was atop a dark bay gelding, while Ripley was astride a beautiful chestnut mare. While I was inexperienced in horseback riding, Ripley seemed to have a knack for it. Stella caught me appraising how fluidly Ripley moved with her horse under the saddle. “The System is helping her know what to do and how to move,” Stella said to me. “Helps so the Hunter doesn’t need to worry about it. You though, you’ll need to figure this out. Soon, I hope.”

I didn’t think I was riding that rough, though I must have been mistaken as Stella glided away to rest comfortably on Ripley’s shoulder. “Well, you’re helpful,” I said under my breath as I tried to figure out how to move in time with the rhythm of the horse’s back.

Fortune shined down on us, at least for the first few hours of the day. What looked to have been quite the brewing storm only resulted in a light rain which thankfully couldn’t penetrate my magically enhanced cloak. Ripley likely couldn’t care less, though her cloak helped shield Stella who had snuggled underneath it in an attempt to keep herself dry.

Lowki was making his normal rounds, more than quick enough to outpace us. He would dash hundreds of yards ahead before hunkering down to stay hidden off the side of the road, waiting for us to pass. Then he would do it all over again. It took some time before our horses got used to his presence, but the animals were well-trained and gave no sign they were thinking of bolting away from the large cat. I did call out to Lowki to sprint ahead “more carefully,” to not spook our horses. He caught my meaning, so moved around far covertly whenever he charged ahead of the party.

Several hours passed uneventfully as we rode, our pace akin to a jog if we were on foot. There was no need yet to break into a gallop as we had little information to go on right now. The road was a lonely one, with us not seeing a single traveler. It might have been from the weather, I supposed.

Unfortunately, the weather worsened into a miserable deluge which came down in fat, heavy drops. Still bundled up in my cloak, I was able to remain mostly dry. It wasn’t a pleasant afternoon, though it continued to be a lonely one. The only sign I had of Stella these past few hours was the large lump on Ripley’s right shoulder, unmoving under her heavy cloak.

As Stella had predicted earlier, the storm continued to worsen as the miles passed under the hooves of our reliable mounts. Eventually, we reached the forest we spied early that morning. It had been hidden behind the diagonal sheets of rain. The dense forest ran parallel with our westerly road for some miles but then swung to the north. Our road continued straight on, taking us under the great canopy provided by the thousands of leaves over our heads. It helped shield away the worst of the rain, though the road around us grew darker for it. Not worrying in the slightest, my dark vision ensured I had complete awareness of everything around us.

Fierce lightning strikes and booming thunder shadowed our trail but thankfully never appeared too close. Our horses seemed to appreciate getting a break from the unrelenting rainfall, their ears constantly swiveling from side to side, always on the lookout of possible predators. Around noon I called to Stella to see if she was interested in having some lunch. We paused a short while, under a dryer section of the road, huddled close to a massive tree. Stella sat in my lap as we shared some dried meat and honey-glazed bread. I held my cloak over her, protectively, as we shared our meal.

Our bellies full, though still miserable from the thunderstorm, we continued along the well-maintained road. Though, we still hadn’t seen a single person coming from the opposite direction. It was concerning but, then again, the storm was quite something. No one would willingly want to travel in this muck, except us of course. Eventually, the thunder and lightning faded into the distance and the rain slowed to a light mist. Within another hour, it stopped altogether.

“That wasn’t too bad,” I lied as I shook off my cloak across the side of my horse. Not a drop had passed through the impressive material, leaving me dry underneath. “We’re no worse for wear.”

Stella gave me a slightly irritated look from Ripley’s shoulder, the hair covering her face and head matted down from the rain. For the last hour, she had been poking only her head out from Ripley’s cloak. She yelled out to me earlier that she wouldn’t spend the whole day buried underneath anymore. “Speak for yourself,” she grumbled in response.

With the storm ended, though the odd splash of water still fell here and when the wind picked up and disturbed the canopy over us, Stella flew over to share my saddle, my hips cupping her small body. Seeing her water-logged noddle, I pulled out a heavy towel from my inventory. Before she could move away, I placed the cloth over her dripping head and, with both hands, rubbed it around trying to soak as much water away from her skin as I could. Though she did try to squirm away at first, just as one would expect of a cornered young pup, she eventually allowed me to continue the gesture. Stella even leaned into it a few times when she noticed how much it was helping.

When I finally removed the wet towel, I was greeted with a visage of a puffed-out, afro-styled poodle head. I did my best not to snicker with how absurdly cute she looked, biting back a laugh with all my effort. Stella must have felt something, like a vibration in the air between us. Delicately, like an angry predator readying to pouch, her head turned around to peer up at me. In my periphery, I spied her eyes narrowing as she studied at my expression. Though my eyes were wider than I would have liked, I did my best to pretend I was doing nothing more than keeping an eye out ahead of us as I casually slipped the drenched towel back into my inventory.

Several tense moments passed where no words were spoken. Finally, Stella lifted her chin and returned her gaze to the road ahead. When an incredibly small, nearly imperceptible, spasm radiated from my chest Stella snapped her head to the side like a tyrannosaurus attracted by movement. I held my breath for several long seconds, lest the chuckle burst from my lips. At last, she turned her gaze back ahead and I allowed a minuscule grin to appear. I dared nothing more.

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The storm clouds broke apart shortly thereafter, giving way to long beams of sunlight attempting to reach ground level through the uneven breaks in the foliage above. The scent of rain was heavy around us, a mix of ozone and plant oils. While it was an enjoyable aroma at first, it dissipated as the temperature of the air grew hotter by the minute. Soon, the humidity became unbearable. Moisture clung heavily on my skin, not to mention I had to put noticeable extra effort into breathing the saturated air.

“I’m not sure which I would prefer,” I said as I wiped sweat from my brow. “This oppressive heat, or the downpour.”

Lowki broke from nearby cover at my words, giving his body a great shake which showered the nearby area in a fine mist before bounding away in his customary fashion. Stella eyed our companion with mild interest, “Honestly, I’d rather be hot than soaking wet,” she said casually. “This humidity doesn’t bother me.”

Lucky you, I thought but didn’t say. I actually think I’d prefer the downpour.

The harsh weather didn’t last much longer, the afternoon giving way to a strong breeze from the west. Our path continued through the woodlands as hours passed us by. We had a few conversations to break the relative silence of the forest. With night on the horizon, we looked for a place to make camp. We still hadn’t seen a soul all day, so I felt relatively safe setting up my small tent a short way off the graveled surface.

We tethered our horse’s reins to a pair of nearby trees, ensuring we allowed ample room for them to maneuver around to eat at the tall grass. Stella walked me through the process of unsaddling the horses, which I stored in my inventory, and then guided me through the simple process of brushing both entirely. Working out small bits of dirt went over well with our new friends, with my bay horse getting into it with a couple of particularly itchy spots. I was glad for Stella’s support, and the stronger bond her suggestion resulted with our four-legged friends. When we were done brushing, both horses received a few delicious apples for their efforts during the day.

With everything taken care of, we settled down for the evening. Ripley stood proud with her unblinking gaze moving across everything in sight. Lowki was around but must have decided he preferred sleeping alone tonight.

Feeling safe with my guardians keeping watch, I pulled my bedroll tight around me, the sound of insects and the occasional hoot of an owl creating a peaceful atmosphere. We would awaken the next morning fully rested and ready for any challenge we might face. I was sure of it.

We broke camp early the next morning, Stella guiding me through the simple process of saddling our horses once more. Ripley and I were quickly mounted and on our way. Lowki hovered around for a few minutes before returning to his scouting routine. I obliged the great cat, giving him his round of scratches behind his ears before he left.

When we were on the road, moving at a decent pace, Stella and I worked through possible strategies we might employ when we finally came upon whatever monstrous group had taken out the traders. At first, I thought it was probably giants, with the thrown boulders and all. However, as we spoke, Stella was slowly convincing me the monsters would more than likely be a type of Minotaur. “Minotaurs? Great tall beasts with the body of a man and head of a bull… Minotaurs?” I asked to which she quickly affirmed those were the ones.

Using her unique interface, Stella said it was unlikely giants would be roaming the countryside around the capital, though the data was not absolute in that regard. This simply wasn’t their territory and, unless they went far afield, she was sure it had to be something else. Further, from what she saw in the System metadata, she explained it was far more likely to be a group of Minotaurs entrenching themselves nearby. Such creatures were known to travel south, though rarely seen within fifty miles of the capital, from the northwestern regions of the continent we were on.

“If it is Minotaurs,” Stella said as her paw swiped the air. “We’ll want to be wary of a rage ability their race possesses. The only natural immunity would be sleep-like spells and effects.”

“That rules out my sleep spell, though it is pretty under-leveled at this point,” I replied offhandedly as I eyed the meager spell. It had been a godsend back when I fought those many goblin raiders back in Winterfalls, and I hadn’t really used it much since.

When we finally came out of the expansive forest, which felt like it would go on for days, our road beyond bent to the north leading out to a wide plain of grass and rolling hills. The weather beyond the tree line was far more pleasant than the previous day. Without a cloud in sight, the sunny day helped lift our spirits, as if we were shaking off the dampness of the prior day. Dew clung to tall blades of grass and the road stretched before us. Even Lowki was more energetic, and we quickly lost sight of him as he sprinted into the tall grass. Confident in his support to warn us of danger, we settled back in our seats with the occasional conversation popping in as we road.

“So, if it is a camp of Minotaurs,” I said during one particular discussion. I voice again that I was disappointed my sleep spell was worthless. “Why don’t I just drop a damn fireball on them or cook them with my chained lightening.”

“Yeah, we can do that,” Stella replied halfheartedly. “Though I feel you're only dropping these suggestions because you can’t put them to sleep.” She was right, of course.

“Well, imagine if I told you that you couldn’t… I don’t know… use your interface,” I replied flippantly, calling out the first thing that came to mind. “How would you feel? You’d try to scour out any potential reason why it wouldn’t work and how to get around it.” I knew I was triggered, taking it personally for some reason, but couldn’t place why I was having this type of reaction.

“Xaz, even if you could use sleep on them,” Stella said with a huff. “If there are something like twenty of them in a camp, it’s not going to do much. Other than piss them off. We need a better idea.”

Finally relenting after a frustrated sigh, I added, “You’re right. I can’t just focus on a single spell. Give me a moment, Stell. I’m going to take a few deep breaths to help ground myself.”

The break helped calm my nerves, my deep breaths settling my rampant thoughts. It didn’t make much sense why a mob’s immunity to a single spell type was affecting me as much as it was. When I reflected on my feelings, I got the sense it stemmed from a part of me that was afraid we would eventually come upon a monster who was entirely immune to my spells, in effect, making me useless. That was the trigger.

I wasn’t useless or worthless, I told myself. I was more than my spells.

Opening my eyes again, I apologize to Stella. She had remained silent while I worked through my feelings, giving me space which I appreciated. When I apologized, she said she understood why I felt the way I did and not to worry about it. “We’re in this together,” she said with a soft, comforting voice. “We’ll figure something out, whatever or whoever we might find ahead. I know we will.”

By mid-day, we still hadn’t found anything of note. We decided to eat on the go, Stella floating over to sit in my lap as we ate our meal. As I chewed on a piece of jerky, a feeling we were coming close to our objective settled in my stomach. Stella noticed the change in my posture. “What’s up, Xaz?”

“A feeling…” I replied as I turned a part of my awareness inwards. At the same time, I kept my eyes scanning the horizon. “Like we might be getting close.” We put away what remained of our meal, deciding to trust my instincts.

We couldn’t see too far out; the countless hills and hillocks blocked our view to some degree. A thought occurred to me, and I turned my eyes skyward. “How high can you fly, Stell?” I asked.

Stella glanced at me, not understanding my meaning, “Why do you ask?”

I pointed a finger out at an opposing mound of earth, blocking our vantage to what came around the next bend in the road. “I’m wondering if you could fly up like a hundred feet and see if you can notice anything.”

“Not a bad idea,” Stella answered before shaking her head from side to side. “I can, obviously, fly though the System limits how far away I can be from you. The Game doesn’t want Hunters using their Accelerators as scouts.”

“How far is your range?”

“Moving horizontally is more generous, around ten yards right now, though the distance grows as you do,” Stella answered from the front of my saddle before leaping into the air. “Vertically is another matter, I can only go about fifteen feet away from you.”

“I can see why the Game wouldn’t want you to act as a scout,” I said after considering her words. “You are immune to all damage after all. Would you mind taking a quick look, it could help.”

“As long as you know, I’m not a bird,” she playfully replied before gliding over our heads. She returned quickly, shaking her head as she spoke. “Nothing, I couldn’t see anything beyond the hill already blocking our vantage from here.”

We waited until Lowki returned, though he gave no sign anything untoward was ahead. Shrugging to Stella, we continued finding nothing around the bend in the road. “Must have been imagination,” I muttered.

Only a half hour later though, we finally found what my subconscious had been trying to warn me about. More precisely, what remained of a fierce battle.

Dismounting we walked over with a careful eye on the horizon. We found only the shattered remains of a half dozen wagons scattered across the roadway. No bodies, neither from the dozens of men nor their horses could be found, though some small traces lingered. I tried not to look closer at the puddles of blood or tufts of what may have been skin which looked wedged a few inches into the hard ground. Bile rose in my throat as I turned my head away.

Pretty much only splintered and shattered chunks of wood dotted around the circular perimeter the group must have formed at the initial stage of the raid. Little it did to help them, though, I thought.

The remains of the wagons fanned out in all directions from the defensive formation, as if wagons and crates had exploded outwards from fierce impacts. The numerous craters, each a foot deep, and the assortment of large stones gave credence to the story of boulders raining down like meteors, all of which to devastating effect.

My tracking skill highlighted a footpath away from the battle, though I couldn’t tell if it was coming or going. We moved along the trail, up to the top of a nearby hillock which provided ample vantage to the scene below. Up there, we found dozens of boulders, exactly like those which had wiped out the wagons below. Some must have weighed hundreds of pounds. Nothing short of a castle wall could have withstood such an assault.

“I can make out… maybe a half-dozen, dozen sets of tracks,” I said as I worked around the ambush spot. “The storm really ruined any chance of finding more.” My eyes moved back to the cluster of wagons below as my mind worked out what happened. “They must have pelted the wagons from afar before rushing in to finish the job. That one survivor was lucky to have gotten out of here alive.”

“Can you figure out which way they left?” Stella asked, her eyes trying to make sense of the chaotic footprints around us. “It could lead us to their camp.”

We circled the road before finally noticing a pair of wagon tracks leading off the road. The rain from the previous day had done a number on my ability to track, but once I got wind of it my tracking ability lit up the trail.

“Northwest,” I said after ranging around. “They went that way.”

“They must have hauled away anything of value,” Stella said by my side. “Looks like they took one of the wagons to haul away their loot. Not to mention the bodies… why would they take those?”

“I don’t know,” I replied to Stella, placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to bring some comfort to my diminutive friend. “But we’re going to find out.”