"Down!" Nev called out from behind.

Following their orders, I hit the ground and used my hands to cover my neck. As I peered up to watch the bird's confusion at my sudden cowardice, a branch swung down and, with a whiplike crack, snapped the bird out of the sky. It lay there for a moment convulsing in its death throws as it locked its eyes onto me. Before its end, I could feel a humanlike intelligence and hatred behind the eagle's eyes. This beast wanted me dead.

We set up camp shortly after my assault. Nev found a nice place to camp far off the trail we headed through, guided by instincts at her Spirit's absence. The eagle cooked above the campfire as Nev climbed onto a downed tree to rest for the night. It wasn't long before I could hear their loud snoring.

Against the firelight, I examined the sleeve of my shirt that served as a shield against that glorified chicken attack. The fabric remained perfectly unscathed.

"Broke, you there?" I whispered into the dark.

I'm always here.

"Creep." I joked. "Why didn't that bird tear my shirt?"

Your clothing reinforcement is higher than the force applied by the eagle.

"Reinforcement?"

Reinforcement can extend durability or enhance properties. Crafting skills boost the efficacy of equipment. Your tailoring skill and career features raise reinforcement.

"Broke, you're getting much better at spelling things out."

Thank you.

"And so polite. Proud of you, bud."

"Who are you talking to?" Nev called out from their makeshift bed.

"Myself," I lied. "Just planning out tomorrow."

"Right..." They replied in a way that was becoming all too familiar.

"Broke. Tell me more about career features." I whispered as the fire roared in the night.

Birds chirped all around us as we headed down the trail to Poilspont, the last city between Dulcrois and us. Nev seemed relaxed on the path humming a tune as they traveled, seemingly without a care. In contrast, I spun at every bird call and cracked branch that emerged around us. I'd never been attacked by a bird before, let alone a bird with a wingspan more prominent than a toddler. I didn't want it to happen again, especially anytime soon.

I noticed a man sitting next to his broken-down cart on the shoulder path ahead of us.

"Just keep walking," Nev said under their breath.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

As I got closer, I noticed their cart, filled with sacks and chests. I could smell the strong scent of assorted spices as we passed. I spotted pelts sticking out of one of the bags, and suddenly I was no longer worried about the birds.

"Having some trouble, friend?" I asked, trying to channel my inner salesman.

"You a builder?" He asked.

"Not exactly," I replied.

"Mercy, don't." Nev chimed in.

"You're too nervous." I reached into my bag, pulling out some assorted supplies. "There's nothing wrong with making a new friend."

I squatted down next to the broken wheel, noticing the post that the wheel spoke slipped out of as well as some bits of splintered wood. I took some leather and metal strips, breaking them down and binding them back into cords.

"Can you lift it into place?"

The man tried for a second with no luck. Finally, we both turned to Nev with an expectant look. They scoffed in response, and with their help, the two hoisted the spoke back into place. I looped the metal cords around the spoke and twisted it until it was taught. Then fused the twisted bit until the cable had no give. The herby smell of the cart caused me to linger a bit, savoring the scent.

"There we go. It should be good now... I think."

The two stepped back hesitantly as the cart rested its full weight on the wheel. A smile spread from ear to ear across the stranger's face.

"All right! You said you weren't a builder." He jostled the cart from side to side to test its stability. "Hey Juzo! This guy just fixed the cart."

Walking up the road toward Poilspont a man walked confidently with a smile on his face and an ape on his back. His smile slowly faded as his eyes shifted from the cart to my face. The chimp screeched from atop his shoulder.

"Aye! You're the cunt that killed my bird!"

"Nev! A little help?" I asked as my new friend slowly approached while unfastening a mace from his hip.

"I'm kinda dealing with my own thing here!"

They danced around dodging a blade, then the snarling maw of a dog, followed by a monkey grasping at their lichen shirt, finished with another swing of the stranger's sword. The group was miraculously in sync. I would almost be impressed if they weren't trying to kill my teammate.

I palmed the bits of metal and leather into my glove and pressed my hands together.

"Please," I begged the stranger. "You don't have to do this."

"Sorry, friend. Thanks for the help with the cart, though."

He swung his mace down towards my head as I lifted my right hand to intercept. The mace was caught in my palm and rang out with a distinct metal tone on metal. I reshaped the materials, wrapping them around the mace, the stranger tried to pull back, but it was too late at that point.

I slipped my right hand out of my glove and reinforced the knuckles of my left, creating padding of leather with a thickly studded metal on top. Then, confidently, I flung my hand knuckles first against my dumbfounded opponent. I'd never been one for violence before, mostly because I wasn't very good at it. But even I could manage to hit a target standing in place.

My arced fist connected with his temple as the stranger's features flashed from confused to furious and finally unconscious. As he fell, his grip on the mace finally released, though its handle remained in the air. I reclaimed the leather and metal from my glove and revealed a metal frame supporting the mace in the air connected to a multiple-prong stand placed on the ground on which I was kneeling. I reclaimed and formed it into a cable spool as I admired my work. Nev, surprisingly, was having a much harder time.

Only half of their bark armor was formed and equipped. The rest was either unapplied or ripped away by dog bites and sword swings. They had them on the ropes, but it was one versus three. I should help them even the odds.

As the monkey launched itself, teeth first and inches from Nev's face, it was suddenly overcome by a large swath of fabric. I wrestled with the sacked, overly-sized capuchin for a moment before sealing the cloth and tossing it off to the side without a care.

"No! Bongo!" The animal lover shouted out. "I'll kill you!"

Out of tricks and astoundingly weak, I did what I do best, ran. I turned my back to the stranger and took off to the cart, attempting to use it for cover. However, before I could gain any distance, I felt a slight pressure tighten around my shoulders. I knew this sensation, having seen Lucky get dropped flat on his ass more times than I could count. He was trying to pull me back with my cape. However, Mersault Hood is not at all like Lucky.