The peace of the border tavern shattered with a loud, blaring alarm. My heart sank as Hexa’s voice rang in my mind, clipped and efficient.

“Subsonic signatures detected. Probability of raid initiation: 92%. Your senses are maxed in this storm, but I strongly advise immediate retreat.”

Before I could fully process her words, Trevor and Heinrich were already on their feet, throwing a handful of coins onto the table. Some scattered to the floor, but neither cared. Trevor grabbed my arm, his grip firm.

“Come on, boy!” he barked. “Back to the caravan, now. That coward of a caravan master will bolt the second he smells trouble. Probably already on the move.” His voice rose above the pounding rain as we rushed for the door.

The storm outside was merciless, rain hammering down in heavy sheets that made it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. The chaotic scene of the shanty town unfolded in flashes of lightning: people scrambling to secure makeshift doors, dragging valuables indoors, or simply running in the storm with no real destination. A surge of panic rippled through the air, raw and palpable.

Trevor’s voice cut through the storm as he led the charge. “The caravan’s gonna leave us behind if we don’t move, and I’m not about to be stuck in this hellhole. Keep up, boy!”

The mud sucked at my boots with every step, slowing me down as I struggled to match Trevor’s pace. Even Heinrich, usually sullen and silent, moved with a sense of urgency that I hadn’t seen before. They were both clearly seasoned at this—running in bad conditions, keeping a low profile in chaotic environments. Me? I felt like a fish out of water, flailing as the storm did its best to drag me down.

Hexa’s voice chimed in again, calm but insistent. “Caravan detected approximately 800 meters ahead. Current speed indicates it’s moving just faster than a walking pace. If you maintain your current velocity—”

“I know, I know!” I snapped, my words barely audible over the rain. “Just keep me updated!”

Trevor’s voice shouted over his shoulder as we reached the edge of the shanty town. “Keep those legs moving, kid! Don’t let the mud get the better of you.”

The caravan was visible in the distance, its massive form lumbering through the forest, illuminated sporadically by flashes of lightning. Its enchanted wheels churned through the muddy path with ease, moving just fast enough to stay ahead of us. My chest burned as I pushed harder, my feet slipping and sliding in the muck.

“Fucking coward is gonna make me run,” Trevor growled, his voice laced with frustration as he pumped his arms, refusing to slow down.

We followed in the caravan’s tracks, the deep ruts in the mud making the path treacherous but also providing a clear route forward. The pounding rain seemed to intensify, turning the trail into a quagmire. Every step felt like a battle against the elements.

Hexa chimed in again. “Additional subsonic signatures detected. Movement suggests hostile entities converging on your position.”

I barely had time to register her warning when a deafening roar echoed through the storm. My head whipped around, my eyes scanning the darkened forest. The sound came from somewhere behind us, a guttural, primal noise that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

Then I saw it—if only for a moment. A massive silhouette barreled over a hill and into the shanty town, its enormous frame illuminated briefly by a crack of lightning. It was gorilla-like, its limbs thick and powerful, its movements unnervingly fluid for something so large. My stomach churned at the sight, dread pooling in my gut.

“Keep running!” Trevor shouted, his voice cutting through the storm. “Don’t stop, no matter what!”

As we pushed forward, I caught movement in the corner of my eye. Shapes flitted through the rain, their figures lean and birdlike. At first, I thought they might be some kind of beastman, but as they drew closer, their features became clearer—and far more unsettling. They moved with an unnatural grace, their feathers slick and darkened by the rain. Their eyes glowed faintly, sharp and predatory, as they zeroed in on us.

“Skeksis-looking bastards!” I muttered, panic setting in as I realized they were gaining on us. Their lean, avian forms made them fast, and their long, taloned legs tore through the mud with ease.

Trevor turned his head, his face grim as he registered the new threat. “They think we’re easy Favor!” he shouted. “Don’t let ’em catch you, lads! Run faster!”

I pushed myself harder, my lungs burning and my legs screaming in protest. But it wasn’t enough. One of the bird-creatures lashed out with something—ropes? No, fibers. A bolas, spiked and wickedly sharp, whipped through the air and tangled around my legs. The force of the hit sent me sprawling face-first into the mud. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, and I tasted dirt and rainwater as I struggled to push myself up.

“Kid!” I heard Trevor yell, but I couldn’t see him through the rain and mud obscuring my vision.

I clawed at the bolas, its spiked ends biting into my skin as I tried to free myself. My profile flickered in my mind, showing a small but noticeable drop in my HP. Blood seeped from where the spikes had embedded in my leg, mixing with the mud. Panic surged as I realized I didn’t have anything sharp to cut the ropes. I instead clear my eyes and look around.

Through the haze of rain and pain, I made out the forms of Trevor and Heinrich. They stood back-to-back, their weapons drawn as the bird-creatures closed in. The clash of steel and talons was brutal, the two men moving with practiced coordination. Heinrich, despite his gruff demeanor, fought with surprising precision, his blade flashing in the dim light. Trevor, meanwhile, wielded his sword with a brutal efficiency that spoke of years of experience.

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One of the bird-creatures fell almost immediately, its body dissolving into the familiar wisp of smoke that marked its return to the gods. The remaining three circled warily, their glowing eyes locked on the two men. They darted in and out, testing their defenses, but Trevor and Heinrich held their ground.

I fumbled with the bolas, my fingers slipping on the wet fibers as I tried to untangle myself. The mud sucked at my movements, making every motion feel sluggish and clumsy.

Another bird-creature lunged, its talons aimed for Heinrich’s exposed side. Trevor intercepted with a well-timed strike, his sword biting deep into the creature’s chest. It let out a strangled cry before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

The remaining two hesitated, their movements more cautious now. But Trevor and Heinrich didn’t give them a chance to regroup. With a coordinated flurry of strikes, they dispatched the last of the bird-creatures, their bodies vanishing one by one.

Trevor turned to me, his chest heaving as he extended a hand. “Get up, kid. We’re not done yet.”

I grasped his hand, wincing as he pulled me to my feet. My leg throbbed where the spikes had dug in, but I managed to stand. The rain around us felt deafening in the absence of the fight, each drop hammering down with relentless intensity.

The caravan was now a distant shape in the rain, too far for us to catch on foot. Trevor swore under his breath, his gaze fixed on the retreating form.

“Well,” he muttered, wiping rain from his face, “guess we’re on our own for now.”

Rain poured in relentless sheets, soaking everything and everyone to the bone as the three of us stood in the muddy road. My ankle throbbed from the spiked bolas, and my chest burned from the desperate sprint after the caravan. The faint glow of its enchanted lights was long gone, swallowed by the dark forest and the driving storm.

Trevor wiped rain from his face, scowling. “Damn coward of a caravan master. Left us for dead.” He looked back toward the faint outline of the shanty town and the guard post in the distance. “We should head back.”

“What?” Heinrich turned to his uncle, clearly baffled. “You’re just gonna let the caravan go?”

“We’re not catching it on foot, boy,” Trevor snapped, though his voice carried more frustration than anger. “We get back to the guard post, find some horses, and we’ll be on them in no time. We’ll catch up in a day or two. Maybe less, if we ride hard.”

Heinrich frowned but didn’t argue. Instead, he knelt down and picked something up from the ground near one of the dissipating wisps of smoke. His hand emerged with a faintly glowing object—a small, jagged amulet etched with unfamiliar runes. The storm light gave it an almost otherworldly gleam.

“What’s that?” I asked, stepping closer despite the mud sucking at my boots.

Heinrich turned it over in his hand, rainwater running off its smooth surface. “Loot,” he said simply. “Not uncommon after a raid like that, but this...” He squinted at the markings, his brows furrowing. “It’s got a Favor mark on it.”

I tilted my head. “A Favor mark?”

Trevor grunted, leaning over to inspect the amulet. “Means it was enchanted in the Hall of Matchmakings. The gods’ currency paid for this. Probably not by the bird that dropped it, though. It’s a rare find—birds like these don’t tend to have the Favor for something like this. My guess is, this is a gods-blessed item. Rare as hell.”

I stared at the amulet, the gears in my mind turning. “If it’s enchanted, can’t we just... I don’t know, identify it?”

Both men turned to me, eyebrows raised. Trevor laughed first, a short, disbelieving bark. “Identify it? Boy, you planning to whip out a mage and a ritual circle in the middle of this storm?”

“Or maybe he’s carrying an appraisal orb in his back pocket,” Heinrich added, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the simple band that had been gifted—or rather, thrust upon me—by One-Bill. I slipped it onto my finger, feeling the slight tingle of its magic activating. “Would an Identify ring work?”

The laughter stopped instantly. Both men stared at me as though I’d just sprouted a second head.

“Kid,” Trevor said slowly, his eyes narrowing. “Where in the gods’ names did you get one of those?”

“Uh...” I hesitated, realizing belatedly how this might look. “It was a gift.”

Heinrich snorted. “Must’ve been a damn rich friend.”

I ignored the comment, focusing instead on the amulet in Heinrich’s hand. I reached out, and he reluctantly handed it over. As I held the cool, rain-slick object, the ring on my finger began to glow faintly. A familiar wave of magical text scrolled across my vision, crisp and clinical.

Amulet of Storage Rarity: Rare (Gods-Blessed) Enchantment: Spatial Compression Details: This amulet contains an internal storage space equivalent to a 30x30x30 room. Items placed inside are preserved in stasis, unaffected by time or external conditions. Cost to Enchant: 250 Favor Notes: This item was enchanted in the Hall of Matchmakings. Gods-Blessed items are rare loot drops and are often associated with higher-tier raids.

I blinked, my mind whirring as I processed the information. “It’s an Amulet of Storage,” I said aloud, my voice barely audible over the rain. “It can hold a whole room’s worth of stuff in stasis. Thirty feet by thirty feet by thirty feet.”

Heinrich let out a low whistle, leaning closer to peer at the amulet. “That’s... That’s damn rare. A gods-blessed item?”

“Expensive, too,” Trevor added, his tone impressed despite himself. “Most raiders don’t have the Favor to afford something like that. My guess? That bird didn’t enchant it.

Heinrich grinned, clearly pleased. “This is a good find. Maybe this trip isn’t cursed after all.”

Before I could respond, a familiar, bone-rattling roar ripped through the storm. The sound seemed to come from the direction of the guard post, shaking the trees and sending a flock of hidden birds into frantic flight.

Trevor’s face darkened instantly. “So much for that idea,” he muttered. “Whatever that thing is, it’s tearing the place apart. No way we’re getting horses now. The post’ll be chaos.”

“What... What is it?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

Trevor shook his head. “Not from our world, that’s for damn sure. Something native to a high-mana planet like Terra Prima. I’ve seen a few of its kind before. Big. Strong. And bad news.”

“Great,” I muttered, shivering as the rain continued to pour. “So now what?”

Trevor sighed, his expression grim as he turned to face the forest. “Now, we keep moving. Town’s a death trap, the post is worse, and the caravan’s long gone. We’ll find another way— The roar comes again over the rain. Heinrich nodded, tightening his grip on his sword. “Agreed. Let’s move.”

With that, we set off into the storm, the amulet returned safely to Trevor and the roar of the unknown creature echoing in the distance.